Coursework and qualifying exams
Classes, comprehensive or candidacy exams, and keeping your own project alive. Stage 2 of 6.
In many programs the first year or two is full of courses, teaching and exams that sit between you and your own research. It is easy to spend this stage feeling as if the real PhD hasn't started.
It has. The reading you do for courses and exams is the ground your project will stand on. What helps is keeping a small, regular research thread running alongside everything else, and to prepare for exams in a way that also builds your literature review.
Milestones for this stage
Tick them off as you go. Your ticks are saved on this device.
0 of 5 done
Guides that matter most now
- My coursework leaves almost no time for researchKeep a small, steady research thread going through heavy coursework years, and make your courses work for the project.
- I have comprehensive or qualifying exams coming upFind out what your exam really involves, then prepare in a way that builds the knowledge your project needs anyway.
- There's too much literature and it keeps growingDraw the edges of your review, read with a purpose, and know when a section is done.
- Teaching or my job is taking over my PhDPut limits around teaching and paid work so your research gets its fair share of the week.
- I don't have a research question yetMove from a broad topic to a question you can answer, that's worth answering, in the time you have.
- I keep putting my work offWork out what you're really avoiding and make starting cheaper than putting it off.
Tools for this stage
Also useful at this stage
- I need to write a strong graduate term paperMove from summary to argument, and plan a course paper that shows what you think, not only what you've read.
- My group project team isn't workingSet up a team agreement, share the work fairly and deal early with members who aren't contributing.
- My master's courses are taking over and my thesis hasn't startedKeep your thesis moving through a heavy course load by starting small, starting early and linking it to your courses.
- I can't keep up with the reading or bring myself to speak in seminarsRead strategically for graduate seminars and find a way into the discussion that works for you.
- My literature review reads like a list of summariesReorganise your review around ideas and debates, so sources speak to each other and your own argument comes through.
- I need to learn a new method or piece of softwareLearn enough of a new method to use it well and defend it, without disappearing into it for a year.
- I'm adjusting to a new country and a new academic systemMake sense of the unwritten rules, find the right support, and give yourself real time to settle.
- I want work experience during my master'sUnderstand the options, from co-op and internships to research partnerships, and fit one into your program without derailing it.