To prove myself at the highest level: The benefits of doctoral study

It is a major commitment to undertake doctoral study but relatively little is known about what motivates students to enrol or what they subsequently see as the benefits they have gained and they costs accrued. This report on a study of alumni who completed theses in Education in 1992, 1997 and 2002 in the UK argues that although the doctorate plays a key role in continuing professional development in this field, the benefits of the doctorate are perceived post facto as equally, and for some more, in terms of intrinsic interest and personal development. This runs counter to the rational/effectiveness thrust of current policy directives and could result in students being less eager to meet the costs of their studies in future.