Dealing with Isolation Feelings in IS Doctoral Programs

Abstract

This paper discusses the feeling of isolation among doctoral students; its’ origin and the effect it has on the decision of the students to leave doctoral programs. The paper explains the development of isolation feeling within four stages of completing the program. It explains how each stage contributes to increasing the feeling of isolation among the students and then suggests counter measures to this feeling. Last, the paper presents the experience of a particular university located in Western Pennsylvania; the doctoral program of Information Systems and Communications (DISC) at Robert Morris University (RMU) that has been able to graduate students at a rate that is substantially higher than the national average.