ABSTRACT
This chapter serves as a conclusion to the book, reviewing the complex realities and diverse experiences of distance doctoral education that have been explored across the text as well as the rich affordances and moral importance of distance pathways. The authors argue that off-campus forms of doctoral research are paths that need to be normalised, celebrated, and well supported. High-quality provision for off-campus doctoral students is both a moral imperative and a commercial advantage, and it is time to abandon outdated deficit narratives suggesting that distance study was somehow second-best or that it was students’ foolish choice to give up the opportunities that on-campus study afforded. The authors argue that in the twenty-first century, as doctoral cohorts are more diverse than ever before, doctoral programmes and pathways must be similarly diverse, and every single doctoral student—no matter their background, context, or circumstances—should feel that they belong, are seen, and are supported on the exciting adventure of becoming doctoral.
