"All but dissertation" (ABD) is a term identifying a stage in the process of obtaining a
research doctorate, most commonly used in the United States.
In typical usage of the term, the ABD graduate student has completed the required preparatory coursework, passed the required
preliminary,
comprehensive, and doctoral qualifying examinations (or PhD candidacy examination). After the graduate student has successfully passed this examination stage, they are referred to as a ''
PhD candidate.'' The informal ABD designation indicates that graduate student has met all program requirements except for writing of the
dissertation (or thesis) and the final defense at the end of a PhD program. Therefore, any formal usage of term “PhD ABD degree" is erroneous. Some universities, including
Columbia
Columbia may refer to:
* Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America
Places North America Natural features
* Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region in ...
,
Yale, and
George Washington
George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...
, may award a formal
Master of Philosophy (MPhil) degree for these achievements.
Criticism
The use of ''ABD'' or the similar ''PhD(c)'' for PhD candidate (also ''PhD-c'' or ''PhDc'') as a credential has been criticized as misleading as these terms are not widely understood outside of academia or outside of the US. The term ABD has no equivalent meaning in PhD programs outside of the US that don't require a formal candidacy examination (e.g., Australia and New Zealand). According to the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) Higher Degree by Research Course Regulations, graduate students simply enrolled in a PhD program, are referred to as "PhD candidates" prior to completing any mandatory PhD coursework or examinations.
References
{{Reflist
Doctoral degrees