Can there be a renaissance of the Ph.D?

Despite a recent national controversy surrounding the lack of breadth in Ph.D. programs, University graduate program directors say that Tufts achieves a broad interdisciplinary education in theirs.

An article by Claremont Graduate University President Steadman Upham, which appeared in the Journal for Higher Education Strategists last year, criticized the increasingly narrow focus of Ph. D. programs.

Upham wrote that students have become too focused within their disciplines and need to become "holistic, trans-disciplinary thinkers."

Tufts faculty and administrators feel that Tufts is working towards this goal in many of its graduate programs.

Director of Ph. D. Student Services at Fletcher Jenifer Burckett-Picker adamantly contends that "the Fletcher trademark is multi disciplinary."

This assertion is the same in both the School of Engineering and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

Robin Kanarek, Director of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, praised the new Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program as the most recent innovation in increasing the breadth of education.

Associate Dean of the School of Engineering Vincent Manno said that "all projects have to involve various disciplines. We acknowledge and encourage interdisciplinary [study]."

One of the requirements for an Engineering thesis faculty committee is having a member from outside of the department. Manno said this is for both faculty and student reasons. "Students will need to function in an interdisciplinary world, and we must ensure they are not balkanized."

In addition, the cross specialty work helps faculty "to stay informed generally so they can work together," Manno said.

One critique of Upham's that may hold true at Tufts is the erosion of foreign language requirements in Ph. D. programs. Kanarek said that requirements in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences are determined by the department and "foreign language study has slowly gone away."

She noted that humanities programs would be more likely than science programs to have a foreign language requirement.

Due to the nature of studies at the Fletcher School, competency in a foreign language is still a requirement. There is both a written and oral exam in the language upon entrance.

Burckett-Picker said that the school's trans-disciplinary aspect is well represented in the requirements. For example, candidates are required to choose three fields in which to specialize. Candidates are then required to bring these fields together through their dissertation and defense of dissertation.

Even through coursework, Ph. D. students work outside their specific fields. "Because it is a small program people work together," Burckett-Picker said. Around 50 Ph. D. candidates are in the Boston area at any time, with the rest completing research elsewhere.

The Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences is designed to bring together a number of fields, Kanarek said.

According to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Viewbook, this program is for "doctoral level studies that span several disciplines" and is "established for people who wish to pursue a doctorate in areas of study more broadly conceived" than in any existing Tufts program.

In other disciplines, "the variety comes in base courses. Most Ph. D.s will become professors, they need the broad base," Kanarek said.

Upham also criticized in her article the unstructured incorporation of technology into doctoral level studies. He wrote that "such changes have been largely unstructured and poorly integrated."

Kanarek noted an increase in personal technology for Arts and Sciences candidates. "All departments have computers, and most students have them at home. In the humanities [personal] computers are everywhere," she said.

Manno noted that one of the most important ways in which the School of Engineering is integrating technology is through "the collaborative opportunities with high speed technology." He said this makes it easier to allow for interdisciplinary studies.

"If we wanted a specialist from far away it used to be hard. Now it's easy to shoot documents, simulations, and data" between researchers, Manno said.