How does doctoral work differ from a masters or undergraduate program?
The biggest difference is in our expectations of the student. Doctoral students are training to become researchers. Researchers need to be able to recognize an important problem, carry out the proper procedure to investigate that problem, interpret the results, and communicate those findings to one’s colleagues. As doctoral students progress through their programs, we expect to see a greater degree of competence and initiative in all of these areas. Advanced doctoral students should be making major contributions to ongoing research projects and working more independently.
