Though many students struggle with finances, time management and stress, for the thousands of doctoral students at UT, those problems are even more complex.
A study done by the National Science Foundation shows the road to a doctorate is a long one, often taking seven or eight years in some fields. This might explain why only 51,000 people nationwide are expected to receive their doctoral degree this year, compared with more than 1.5 million bachelor's degrees expected to be conferred this year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
Ph.D. students are older and more likely to have family obligations, and are often far from home. Despite these hurdles, more than 700 students received their doctorates at UT last year.
Laura Rodriguez, graduate coordinator for the department of Spanish and Portuguese at the College of Liberal Arts, says most students work as teaching or research assistants to defray the cost of their education.
"They normally teach every day from Monday to Thursday," she said.
Bob Handley, who is pursuing a doctorate in journalism, says that being a TA is enjoyable but can interfere with a Ph.D. student's own studies.
"At times it was a burden," he said. "I'd spend the whole weekend grading and never get to my own work."
Radio-television-film Ph.D. student Katherine Haenschen put it succinctly.
"It's an issue of resources - time or money," she said.
Haenschen, who works as a teaching assistant in addition to two other part-time jobs, says that better funding is the best way for UT to support its graduate students.
"The 20 hours a week I spend on my part-time jobs I would rather spend researching or working with my students," she said. "This makes us less competitive as a program. Our recruiting will suffer as long as we are the lowest-paying program in our field in the country."
Haenschen led a team of students on a study comparing her program's financial assistance with similar programs at other universities.
Asked what the University could do to support its graduate population, Handley suggested wider health care coverage.
"They could guarantee health care for all grad students, instead of just TAs," he said.
Graduate students employed as research or teaching assistants or in some other University positions receive health and other benefits.
Haenschen says her schedule keeps her stressed out.
"There's never a moment in which I don't feel like I could be doing more work," she said.
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