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I am responding to the letter asserting that the lack of PhD candidates is gender related, i.e., because of women's status in the profession and because the PhD is too expensive. Surveys have shown that the PhD in our profession earns in excess of $10,000 more annually than the masters' degree—over a 25-year career a quarter of a million dollars in additional gross income.
But, money is not why most of us pursued the doctorate. The PhD is the pinnacle of professional achievement and a requirement for employment in our graduate schools and many medical centers where referrals by and relationships with MD's are enhanced by the PhD.
That medicine and law have always been male-dominated has not prevented women from pursuing these professions. They, too, are demanding and expensive, leaving many graduates with educational debt of around $100,000.
The time-honored masters' degree is the last stepping stone to the doctorate. ASHA can help to foster PhD interest by (1) listing the degree in its publications like other doctoral professions and (2) establishing scholarships for qualified doctoral aspirants.
Arnold E. Aronson
Rochester, MN
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