I did some research recently about the history of the PhD or “Doctorate” only to verify my initial assumption that its duration most probably needs to change.
The Doctorate degree has been around since the mediaeval ages and about 100+ years in a form close to its current structure. It is logical to assume that a PhD candidate required 3 – 5 years minimum to research a topic area as reviewing the literature and collecting and scrutinizing data took a considerable amount of time.
In the era of the internet and the capabilities and tools available for analysis, it is logical to assume that the structure may need to change, not necessarily drastically but at least in those areas related to the time required to research a certain topic area and in specific disciplines where this is possible. Spending let’s say 5 years on a topic may be good in the sense of testing the evidence, but this evidence, up until the mid 1990’s required a considerable amount of time to collect – let alone find a way to make it presentable – and test efficiently.
In an era of disruption, it may be a good idea to challenge traditional models that were created based on the parameters existing 100+ years ago. Almost every industry has been disrupted and it seems to me that the most traditional industry resistant to change may be the educational establishments themselves...
Bite Size Thoughts by Dr. Constantine 'Dino' Kiritsis