At CalSouthern, our mission is to prepare learners to succeed in a world we have yet to imagine. In addition to providing robust, career-relevant curriculum led by experienced faculty mentors, the University offers critical resources that help learners successfully complete their program while readying themselves for the workforce. Among CalSouthern’s extra-curricular resources are the Write Day and Doctoral Project Boot Camp; these two support events assist doctoral learners with one of the most intensive academic endeavors out there— the doctoral project.
For learners enrolled in the Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) or the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) programs, a doctoral project serves as a way to become an expert in a specific area of interest by conducting extensive research. The University encourages doctoral projects that extend the learner’s work and experiences into emerging fields of inquiry that address contemporary real-world problems and issues. This process occurs in a five-course sequence that takes candidates step by step through the doctoral project so that it is complete by the end of the fifth course. During the last phase of the project, the learner presents their research in a written five-chapter document and an oral defense of the project to their Project Chair and Committee, who are assigned at the start of the process.
The Write Day and Doctoral Project Boot Camp events help learners hit milestones and receive guidance.
Write Day
The goal of the Write Day is to allow learners the time to write approximately 8-10 pages of new information on their chapter in an all-day intensive writing session. Learners are able to share writing goals for the day and connect with fellow learners engaged in the doctoral project process for encouragement and accountability. Typically, these events are facilitated by an experienced faculty mentor who participants check-in with throughout the day to track progress and address questions that may arise.
Doctoral Project Process
The Doctoral Project process can feel overwhelming, but the Doctoral Project Boot Camp helps learners break down the workflow into manageable steps with feedback along the way. The event is an opportunity for learners to immerse themselves in the doctoral project for four full days and make significant progress in completing drafts. Learners are expected to commit to the four-day Doctoral Project Boot Camp by setting aside the time needed to complete agreed-upon daily deliverables.
The Doctoral Project Boot Camp supports all dissertation-bound students. Learners, as long as they have a strong sense of what they wish to research, are welcome to Boot Camp. Moreover, learners submit a daily deliverable to assigned faculty mentors and receive feedback by the following morning. In addition, learners will have an opportunity to engage with faculty mentors and academic staff to facilitate their progress.
Here’s what past participants have said about the program:
- “I understand the process more clearly now. I am able to make clear determinations and what to include in each section.”
- “My Bootcamp mentor was fabulous and provided helpful and informative feedback. The presenters, moderators, and other doctors involved in the Boot Camp provided a plethora of information to what I am currently working on and will work on in the near future. It has all helped me feel more prepared for current and next steps of the doctoral process.”
- “Presentations and feedback were exceptionally detailed. Professors were available to answer questions throughout the 4-day bootcamp.”
- “The doctoral boot camp provided quite a lot of clarity, information and structure.”
- “I achieved a better understanding of the steps from which to build my doctoral project on.”
- “In four days, I accomplished what would have taken me 2 months to do.”
- “There are countless unexpected benefits that were gained as a result of participating in the Doctoral Project Boot Camp. I gained a wealth of knowledge from the chapter by chapter PowerPoint presentations and discussions. I also found the questions and comments made by other students insightful.”
- “Questions were answered clearly and beyond what I expected. I think everyone found this to be excellent and extremely important and helpful.”
- “This is a great platform and I would do this over and over again to get my paper completed.”
- “Working with the facilitators, other students, and additional mentors was great. Each provided a different perspective and it was great to know that I was not alone in how I was feeling about the project.”
- “It was a really great boot camp. Came away with lots of work completed, increased connections between professors and fellow learners, and a greater sense of confidence in myself as a professional, and in my ability to complete the doctoral project well.”
- “My boot camp chair was available and gave me positive feedback throughout the weekend.”
- “I have no words to thank you enough. Priceless. Highly recommend!”
Events like these make it possible for our busy learners to achieve their academic goals. Every month, completed projects are added to the University Library and serve as academic resources for current and future learners. Speak to a Learner Support Specialist for more details about CalSouthern support events.