Articles

If you’ve finished your doctoral coursework and passed your qualifying exams but haven’t yet submitted your dissertation, you’re ABD — All But Dissertation. It’s one of the most common stages in graduate education, and also where most doctoral students who don’t finish get stuck. Here’s what ABD means, how students reach it, and the options for completing your degree.

Nearly half of doctoral students never finish their degree, and the dissertation phase is where most candidates stall. Here’s why ABD status happens, what it takes to restart, and how a structured completion program can get you to your EdD in about two years.

Explore Alverno University’s online EdD timeline, from enrollment pace to built-in dissertation support, and see how soon you could finish your doctorate degree.

Explore the key differences between an EdD and PhD in education. See how Alverno College’s online EdD program is designed specifically for working professionals.