An Analysis of 72 PhD Theses from the Central University of Technology over A 5-Year Period Yields Notable Insights

Abstract

The successful completion of a PhD study is a noteworthy achievement that few people in the world experience. It represents the pinnacle of academic studies at a university which opens the doors to several opportunities. Despite the benefits associated with a PhD degree, it remains a daunting task. The purpose of this study is therefore to present an analysis of 72 PhD theses that were completed over a 5-year period (2014 – 2018) at the Central University of Technology (CUT), Free State, to help prospective doctoral candidates to better understand what is required, or acceptable, at this level of research. It can further create awareness among researchers in Higher Education about the type of research that was completed at CUT over this period. An ex-post facto study is employed where informetric analysis is used to obtain quantitative data. Key results indicate that 61% of the PhD students worked under the guidance of two or more promotors. 44% of the theses contained between 200 and 300 pages, with none below 100. PDF file sizes varied from less than 2 MB to more than 12 MB. A recommendation is made to create awareness among prospective doctoral candidates of the results of this study, further encouraging them to also include a sentence in their abstracts that clearly defines the scientific contribution of their study.