It is suggested that the prospective doctoral student should see the Ph.D. degree as the culmination of a process of education, study, research, and the presentation of an acceptable dissertation. Randomness and chance should be eliminated so that, as in the process of obtaining the BS and MS degrees, a student who continues to make satisfactory progress will be awarded the Ph.D. degree at the end of a fixed period. It is concluded that by producing more doctorates in engineering, the quality of technology in the USA will improve and the engineering workforce will be perceived as more professional.
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