Nature of Supervision and Duration of Producing Ph.D Degrees in Nigerian Universities

The recent demand for Ph.D degrees across all disciplines necessitates a careful examination of the role of the supervisor in Ph.D production in Nigerian universities. The reason is not far from the fact that the supply of high-quality Ph.D graduates depends on the quality of supervision received from the supervisor during the Ph.D programme. The supervisor plays a crucial role in the quality of a student’s doctoral research experience and their academic outcomes. On this note, this paper assessed the effects of quality supervision on the duration of completing a Ph.D degree programme across Nigerian universities. The data for the study were collected using methods ranging from in-depth interviews, administration of structured questionnaires as well as existing documents. 282 Ph.D students were sampled for questionnaire administration and 10 key informant interviews were conducted across 16 sample universities in Nigeria. The findings, thus, established a correlation between the nature of supervision and the time Ph.D students spend on programme. The paper also reveals that Ph.D students can complete their programme within the stipulated duration if they receive adequate attention and support from their supervisors. The paper recommends that each University develops a progress tracking book between the Ph.D students and the departments on one hand and between the supervisors and students on the other hand.