When people consider the cost of a PhD, tuition is the first thing that jumps to mind. But that’s really only the tip of the iceberg. There are other hidden costs that many people don’t consider. Costs such as missed time with family members, unavailability for career development, missed income, foregone future benefits, and the necessity of developing a research agenda all need to be factored into consideration. We wanted to help people who are deciding whether to pursue a PhD by providing them with all the facts. Hopefully, this will help reduce the number of people who start PhD programs but don’t finish them. We also wrote an in-depth article on the subject of the hidden costs of a PhDs: https://www.beyondphdcoaching.com/academic-career/how-much-does-a-phd-cost/
Score from the experts at Killer Visual Strategies
Visual Communication - 30%
Design - 25%
Content/Script - 60%
Usability - 50%
41%
Final Grade
This infographic focuses on the various costs of earning a PhD, including time spent, tuition cost, and value of potential future career opportunities. While the content of this infographic is clear and free of errors, the design doesn't lend itself to easy readability. Data points that could be highlighted with data visualizations are buried in solid paragraphs of small text, which is a missed design opportunity. Some text is difficult to read, since there isn't enough contrast between the light blue background and the ivory-colored type. A simple and clean color palette works well for this subject, but each of the 5 icons is rendered in a very different style, so they look mismatched. Overall, the content is informative but the design includes multiple missed opportunities. We'd give this an F.
