A PhD is one qualification about which many dream, but few ever go after, whether because of certain economic realities or a feeling that they will somehow not make the cut.

So Career & Education sat down this past week with Dr Yvette Jackson, professor of organic chemistry and campus co-ordinator for graduate studies and research at the University of the West Indies, Mona, to talk about how one attains a PhD, and the pros and cons of such a pursuit.

As the professor tells it, a PhD is “not for everyone”.

“I have had students who come and register for an MPhil and who want to upgrade and you can’t really recommend the upgrade because, one, the work isn’t at the level and two, the person hasn’t shown you any evidence of their ability as an independent researcher; and that is crucial for the PhD,” said Jackson, who completed her own doctoral work at the UWI in six years.

She noted that one must also accept that with a PhD in hand, one may be deemed over-qualified for the job market.

“In a small society like ours, where the demand for PhDs is not as high, PhDs sometimes run into trouble in that way,” she said. “A lot of times, PhDs get the feeling from potential employers that they are over-qualified, certainly in the Jamaican setting, so it can become difficult for them.”

Still, she urged individuals interested in pursuing doctoral studies to remain undaunted. According to Jackson, PhD work hones the mind in such a way as to accrue to the benefit of the individual in diverse ways.

“What I am really doing (as an educator of graduate students) is grooming the mind,” she explained. “How can you not help to develop this person to that level? Some people start businesses on their own, using their technical know-how. So I would say, if you really want to do a PhD, it is the thought processes that evolve over the period that really so enhances the person.”

Today, several people are at least attempting the feat. At the UWI, there are 255 PhD candidates, who range in age from 22 to 60-plus. Between 2004 and 2009, 151 UWI students graduated with doctorates. Of that number, 51 were from the Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences; 27 each from the Faculty of Humanities and the Faculty of Medical Sciences; 26 from the Faculty of Education; and 20 from the Faculty of Social Sciences.

But the data also testify to the fact that completing a PhD is no walk in the park. Between 2004 and February this year, more than 1,500 students were enrolled at the UWI as PhD candidates. Yet, only the 151 noted have so far graduated.

C&E: How does one become a PhD candidate?

JACKSON: One should have a first-class honours or upper second-class honours in a bachelor’s degree area. Some places require a taught master’s. The doctoral thesis must set forth a significant contribution to knowledge or understanding, adding to or critiquing, through approved research methodologies to the current theoretical underpinnings and empirical base in the student’s field of study (quoting from a document). So really the doctoral thesis must (constitute) original and independent investigations.

C&E: Can one get into a PhD programme with only a vague idea of what it is that one intends to investigate?

JACKSON: Here at UWI, we have what is called a MPhil (Master of Philosophy) programme, which is sort of a stepping stone to the PhD programme. So you come in, you register for the MPhil. You present at seminars, you show your work… Then you present your work for upgrade of registration. If you cross this hurdle (exam), you go on to do a PhD. That is not to say that all MPhils are failed PhDs. Some MPhils didn’t intend to do a PhD anyway.

C&E: How does one move from having an idea about what one wishes to study to getting started in the programme?

JACKSON: You come in and you have an idea, and that is important. (The institution) wants someone who sees a problem and wants to solve it or an area that needs to be investigated and investigate it… So you come in and you talk to the person in the department who is responsible for graduate studies. The person listens and suggests that you talk to the experts on the ground. And you get somebody who is willing to supervise the area. You read around your area and you get it focussed with the help of your supervisor. For the PhD, we ask for some taught courses, which will broaden the base/scope of the student. Then there is a lot of actual bench work, intense data collection, enquiry and analysis.

C&E: What is the cost of doing PhD work at the UWI?

JACKSON: Tuition fees for a full-time PhD student begins at about J$200,000 a year and you could be doing five to six years.

C&E: How does it compare to doing the programme overseas?

JACKSON: Doing a PhD overseas can be quite an expensive operation. The difference is that most universities (there) fund you fairly well for the first four years or five years in some cases out of the supervisors’ research budgets. (After that, graduate students typically have to fend for themselves). Also in the US (for example), as here at the UWI, there exists teaching assistantships that help to offset the cost of the programmes.

C&E: What options do the UWI make available to students to offset the coast of a PhD programme?

JACKSON: Here at UWI, we also have a situation like that (teaching assistantships) in some places — Pure & Applied Sciences and the Medical Sciences. Almost all the full-time research students have their tuition fees waived. Those people are employed as teaching assistants. In the other faculties, there is also a scenario where some graduate students are employed out of the part-time budgets for the departments (as tutorial assistants and so on). The Faculty of Social Sciences has the least number of research students of all faculties; social scientists can work for more money than we can pay them as research assistants. There are also some supervisors here who have funded projects, which can accommodate graduate students. The goal is to have more of those.

C&E: What sorts of opportunities are there for joint programmes between the UWI and overseas universities?

JACKSON: There are opportunities for joint programmes. We do have many students who have supervisors in other universities and there are also a few split-site scholarships, which means that you can spend a year or so on another site, at another university. You can also get funding to go get three months in a lab, using instrumentation, learning new techniques and that sort of a thing. UWI has partnerships with such institutions as the University of Alberta and Dalhousie in Canada, the University of Surrey in England (as well as) Clemson, Brown and Johns Hopkins in the US.

C&E: What are the benefits of doing a PhD?

JACKSON: Academia is probably the first portal that comes to people’s mind. In my field (organic chemistry), you can go into academia or research in pharmaceutical industry, the food industry, etc. There are research institutes here on the campus in varying areas — crime, health, ageing, marine sciences, as well as social and economic research.

BOX and shade:

A PhD is the highest degree you can get in a university, which means that you have been trained in a particular area and can argue and have in-depth discussion in your field. You are also seen to be somebody who can do independent research.