It Goes Without Saying: Taking the Guesswork Out of Your PhD in Engineering

It shouldn't take a PhD to get a PhD, but sometimes the process can seem that confusing--even though, to the mentors and advisors, so obvious that it goes without saying. For doctoral students in engineering confronting this dilemma, Caroline Boudoux, an accomplished researcher and entrepreneur, provides a demystifying guide to the challenges--daunting, seemingly routine, and at times unexpected--of pursuing a PhD in this demanding field. In It Goes without Saying, Boudoux marshals her own considerable experience mentoring graduate students, teaching doctoral workshops, and--not so long ago--earning her own PhD at MIT to give PhD candidates the know-how, and the confidence, to succeed.

Among the topics this book takes up are:

• What a PhD is: the journey, the milestones, and the endgame.
• Technical questions about what a doctoral project in engineering is and how to lead one.
• Practical matters including tips on writing, from proposal to dissertation; ethics; and intellectual property.
• Personal concerns, such as dealing with expectations, imposter syndrome, and stress.