The truth about getting your doctorate

Joseph Lyle
Staff Writer

“It takes a lot of intensive and original thought, focus and creativity coupled with hard work, motivation and perseverance to earn a Ph.D., ” said an anonymous source.

There are many Hudson Valley students studying to earn a doctorate degree. But, how much work is it to obtain a doctorate?

Professor Ernest R. Rugenstein teaches honor courses at Hudson Valley. Dr. Rugenstein obtained his Ph.D. in Cultural History from Union Institute and University in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Dr. Rugenstein also has a masters degree in Religion and European History and a Bachelors in History. He is a published author, Akwesasne, Divided by more than the St. Lawrence River. This book is used as a textbook in one of his classes.

Dr. Rugenstein decided to pursue a doctorate degree to further his education. Dr. Rugenstein also needed a doctorate to perform the type of jobs he wanted to do. He is currently investigating an archaeological site in the Adirondacks.

“I was very interested in history and archaeology, ” Dr. Rugenstein continued, “I was very interested in the cultural aspects of history.” His interest in these fields helped to fuel his desire and drive to obtain a doctorate.

Dr. Rugenstein claimed that the hardest part for him was the writing of his dissertation. A dissertation is a unique study that has never been done before. It is the final part of the doctoral process. After six years of schooling, he wrote his dissertation. His dissertation was the basis of his book.

Dr. Rugenstein said, “Know where you want to go [in life].” This was his advice for aspiring doctorate students. He also recommended that it is best to get the doctorate as young as possible. Each year there is more and more competition as there are more and more people with doctorates.

Another Hudson Valley professor with a doctorate is Dr. Alice Malavasic. She teaches American history I and II as well as a course on World War II. Dr. Malavasic wasn’t always a teacher for Hudson Valley.

Dr. Malavasic was heavily involved in politics working for many individuals including some from Congress. Dr. Malavasic decided she wanted to go back to school for teaching. She was eventually offered a scholarship to UAlbany and earned a Ph.D. in American History.

Dr. Malavasic also has a masters in teaching and an undergraduate in history. It took Dr. Malavasic a total of four and a half years to obtain her doctorate. Only two of which were years spent attending classes.

Dr. Malavasic’s struggle during her time of obtaining a doctorate was that she was a returning student. This meant that she had other responsibilities such as a husband and a job teaching at Hudson Valley.

While writing her dissertation, which also became the bases of a book, Dr. Malavasic had a lot of setbacks. She would frequently have to pack up her research and unpack it at the end and start of every semester. Her dissertation later became The F Street Mess, a published book.

Dr. Malavasic chose to pursue a doctorate in American History because of her parents. Both her parents were teachers. Her father was a history teacher and her mother was a science teacher. This meant that she was constantly exposed to these fields of study.

“As bad as I am at technology, without it, I would never have been able to finish my Ph.D. or my book.” Dr. Malavasic said. Technology was a huge help for her. Dr. Malavasic moved around a lot and that limited her access to many locations that she needed to be. Dr. Malavasic was able to get a lot of her information for her book from online sources at the Library of Congress.

Dr. Malavasic advice for future doctorate holders was a bit different from Dr. Rugenstein. Dr. Malavasic recommends that students wait a bit before jumping straight into the program. She believes that the added life experience one would get would greatly benefit them in their journey of obtaining that degree. She also stressed the importance of never giving up.

Whether you follow Dr. Rugenstein’s advice or Dr. Malavasic’s, it doesn’t matter. Both have their merits and their shortcomings. It is up to the individual to decide which is best for them. This decision will be different for everyone for a variety of reasons.