Most PhD students take nearly six years to complete PhD programs , during which time they write an average of It is possible to finish a PhD program in less time if you're willing and able to devote at least 40 hours per week of steady, full-time work to it. Accelerated PhD degree programs exist for certain disciplines, such as:.
Writing and then defending a dissertation may be the most challenging part of getting a PhD, but there's a lot of work that has to happen before you reach that stage. Most PhD programs include a coursework component and exams that set the stage for your dissertation years. Some also have project and certification requirements. You'll need to decide on, propose, and defend a dissertation topic, and then do all the research necessary.
After you submit your dissertation, you may be called upon to complete substantial rewrites before it is approved. Contrary to what some people assume, PhD candidates are not always fully funded. The very best PhD programs like those at Columbia University tend to be fully funded because the best universities can afford to fund the education of their doctoral students. Smaller universities may not have the resources to offer PhD candidates full funding, and online PhD programs seldom offer full funding.
Your field of study will also play a role in how much PhD funding you receive. Plenty of PhD candidates work as teaching assistants or research assistants to help pay for school or to cover basic living expenses.
Fully-funded doesn't always mean free. For one thing, you will end up paying for the cost of your education in time spent teaching and doing research for your university. Secondly, every school's definition of full funding is a bit different. In an ideal world, a fully-funded PhD program would cover:. That's not always the case. Stipends can vary wildly between departments and schools, and full funding typically lasts for a specific number of years four to six.
If you don't complete your PhD in the allotted time, you're on the hook for expenses from then on. In the case of competitive funding, you'll start competing with fellow students for a limited number of stipends. Many people will tell you not to choose an unfunded PhD program because it will likely take you longer to complete your PhD, as you will need to spend some of your time working. You may also end up needing to take out more student loans. Finally, ask yourself whether you want to be in a program where some students are fully funded, but you're not.
The school has communicated through its funding choices that you are a second-class student. That's not a good position to stake out in the highly competitive world of academics. The job outlook for people with a PhD depends on their field the humanities, for example, have more PhDs than available jobs as well as whether you're looking for a tenure-track professorship or a career outside of academia.
Many were postdocs. In some subjects the premium for a PhD vanishes entirely. Only in medicine, other sciences, and business and financial studies is it high enough to be worthwhile.
Dr Schwartz, the New York physicist, says the skills learned in the course of a PhD can be readily acquired through much shorter courses. Today several short courses offer the advanced maths useful for finance. Many students say they are pursuing their subject out of love, and that education is an end in itself. Some give little thought to where the qualification might lead. In one study of British PhD graduates, about a third admitted that they were doing their doctorate partly to go on being a student, or put off job hunting.
Nearly half of engineering students admitted to this. Scientists can easily get stipends, and therefore drift into doing a PhD. But there are penalties, as well as benefits, to staying at university. Academics tend to regard asking whether a PhD is worthwhile as analogous to wondering whether there is too much art or culture in the world. They believe that knowledge spills from universities into society, making it more productive and healthier. That may well be true; but doing a PhD may still be a bad choice for an individual.
The interests of academics and universities on the one hand and PhD students on the other are not well aligned. The more bright students stay at universities, the better it is for academics.
Academics pick bright undergraduate students and groom them as potential graduate students. One female student spoke of being told of glowing opportunities at the outset, but after seven years of hard slog she was fobbed off with a joke about finding a rich husband.
Monica Harris, a professor of psychology at the University of Kentucky, is a rare exception. She believes that too many PhDs are being produced, and has stopped admitting them. But such unilateral academic birth control is rare. One Ivy-League president, asked recently about PhD oversupply, said that if the top universities cut back others will step in to offer them instead.
Many of the drawbacks of doing a PhD are well known. Your correspondent was aware of them over a decade ago while she slogged through a largely pointless PhD in theoretical ecology.
As Europeans try to harmonise higher education, some institutions are pushing the more structured learning that comes with an American PhD. The organisations that pay for research have realised that many PhDs find it tough to transfer their skills into the job market.
You may also present your results and ideas at academic conferences, gain teaching experience, collaborate with other students on similar projects, communicate the benefits of your research to the general public through workshops, lectures and presentations, or submit work for publication in an academic journal or book.
Third year - Primarily involves writing your thesis, though your research may still be in progress. After your supervisor gives their approval, you'll submit your thesis before undertaking a one to three-hour oral exam viva voce in which you'll discuss and defend your thesis in the presence of at least one internal and external examiner.
Alternative types of PhD include: Higher Doctorate - These are usually granted on the recommendation of a committee of internal and external examiners, which assesses a portfolio of published, peer-reviewed research you've undertaken over the course of many years. This type of Doctorate is usually for those with several years of academic experience. It combines taught elements with independent research, allowing students to learn different methodologies while building their transferable skills.
Professional Doctorate - Geared towards students of vocational subjects such as medicine, education and engineering, professional Doctorates are focused on teaching and so normally involve smaller research projects and thesis component. They're often favoured by those aiming for a career outside of academia, and are usually supported by employers. Non-EU students may pay considerably more for their tuition fees. When making a PhD application, you'll typically be asked to submit: an academic CV your academic transcripts two or three academic references a personal statement a research proposal.
Other career options will depend on your study area. Find out more Explore funding postgraduate study. How would you rate this page? On a scale where 1 is dislike and 5 is like Something went wrong. Please try again. Tell us why Do not fill this in. But if you get that PhD, then you will have many opportunities to do non-research jobs or jobs that involve a bit of research but primarily other skills you may find you are better at.
Alternatively, you can work for a while before embarking on a PhD, but your ability to get a position that allows you to think independently and practice these research skills in a scientific context may be limited without a PhD - it might come down to chance what opportunities are presented to you. I have found that you apply to PhD programs with a general research area in mind and then talk to as many professors as possible about the details of their research and whether they have funding available for you.
Finding and applying for research grants is primarily the professor or principle investigators job and at least early on in your PhD, you will hopefully not have to worry about doing these things yourself.
Again, there are exceptions if you accidentally find yourself in a program that lacks funds for you. Regardless of such communication as an undergraduate, keep in touch with the professors you are close to and would want to write you letters of recommendation.
If you have done research with these professors in the past, then they should remember you for at least a few years. One recommendation should come from your most recent scientific employer if you get a job after undergraduate. I had one letter from the researcher I worked for in my gap year, one from my undergraduate thesis advisor, and one from a professor who I know regarded me highly based on conversations with her.
I was also fortunate that I applied for a few fellowships in my final year of undergraduate before I chose to take the gap year, so my professors had already written me letters of recommendation from which to use as a reference to modify recommendation letters in the future for anything else I might apply for. During the school year, it was a bit more difficult because I had to balance coursework, research, and free time.
Now that it is summer, I only have research to worry about. The amount of time to spend with family and friends really depends on how much time you want to devote to your lab work. It's very independent. You could spend 40 hours a week in the lab or 80 hours a week if you really want. This will depend on how quickly you want to graduate, whether there are any pressing deadlines involving your research, and where your priorities lie between school and social activities.
It's very personal and may also depend on what your advisor expects of you. Which is again, all the more reason to have a long talk with any potential advisor before committing. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask. I too believed that I can too do research. Wont anyone need command in that field?
You said thinking, but its direction should be a valid one in order to prove it. Yes papers of others can be churned that may give an insight or say help us form hypothesis research is beyond that, I feel. How is a research topic allocated or accepted? Does the committee or supervisor contemplate the validity of that topic?
Does it not involve research? If so, when? Presumably, after that training part, after the quals? Being able to read a textbook and journal article and figure out the key points even if you have limited knowledge of the topic will be important.
Also, being able to communicate effectively with others who may know more about the topic and just being able to communicate your ideas with others. These are the upper level, more difficult skills to achieve, which take time and experience. Understanding how your experimental apparatus works is critical. Observing others operate your experimental equipment and then just practicing a lot on your own will let you master it quickly — sometimes you will have to fumble around with something for hours before operating it becomes second nature.
Being exposed to new ways of looking at scientific problems and also how day-to-day scientific research operates. Regular feedback on your research and anything you write is also critical for improvement.
In some groups, you may be given a very specific topic and task to do as a beginner project, and are expected to be able to branch out from that. In other groups, if you have your own idea, you may just be asked to do some background research about it and try some experiments. Sometimes, you just have to try different thinks out to see if they have potential.
Any work you do eventually must be approved by a committee, and you will have to justify the research. But if you are getting preliminary results that look promising, your advisor will probably let you continue to work on it.
If you want to research a topic before applying, that might help you write a more targeted application essay or give you a more specific idea of what topic you want to work on before you start. But it is not necessarily necessary as long as you have a general idea of the research area you want to work in and why. Literature review occurs throughout your graduate school career whenever you need more information on a topic.
Though if you are a pure theorist or doing computer science or computer engineering, people often do studies on their own before getting a PhD — e. Me parece pertinente y apropiado para que los candidatos lo lean y refleccionen. Hi Andy, I have 7 years of work experience but somehow i feel am not putting my efforts in the right direction. Presently am looking for Phd options in US but at the same time i am not sure about the payback period. I have decent salary but job satisfaction is not there.
Scholorships and Funding — are they sufficent for surviving? I have a family 2 year old kid , so need to evaluate all the points before taking the admission. The stipend may be paid through combined work as a research and teaching assistant — you should check the requirements of any given program. This stipend will be based on the cost of living in the area where the university is. You should compare these as a smaller stipend in a cheaper location might actually end up being the better deal than a larger stipend in a much more expensive location.
Since you have a family, I imagine you may be more limited in your ability to relocate. The stipend is plenty to live on if it is by yourself. If you have a spouse and a kid, I think it would be extremely difficult to get by on only that stipend. If your spouse is also making an income, it would depend on what that income is.
I am unmarried and without kids, so I suggest you ask someone who is getting or did their PhD work while raising a kid at the same time. I also suggest you ask people with PhDs in the field you want to study. After initially getting a PhD, I know of two main tracks — you could do a post-doc, where you do more research in another lab in preparation to apply for jobs as a professor or you could go straight into the private sector.
Post-docs pay a bit better than PhDs but still not that much — if you get a research position at a national lab, you will definitely make more.
If you go straight into the private sector, you can definitely make a very good salary from what I have researched and been told. The intellectual reward is definitely worth it in my opinion. Thank you so much for your valuable tips which again lightened the lamp in me to get in to the field of research,my passion.
Best, Andy. Or is it that you simultaneously contacted the professor in addition to formal application? More specifically how to know if a specific research project is funded OR if a specific professor has PhD positions open in a university?
The research areas shown in the University website may be both current and past work in the area. How will an applicant staying outside the US get these info? Thanks in advance. I essentially just looked at the websites for different research groups. These days, most of them are up to date and tell you what is current research and past research.
You can try sending them emails but oftentimes, they will just refer you to their website or make reference to the application for the program. It really depends on the school and the program.
On the Harvard application for my program, for instance, you listed the top three Professors who you would want to work with. In some programs, you might be more locked into a research advisor than others if admitted. I suggest trying to contact Professors if you are very very interested in their research and have some knowledge of it.
In your application essay, make sure you list 2 or 3 Professors whose research you would like to work on and make sure you have given some sort of explanation as to why you want to do that research. In general, if you are admitted into a program, you will get funding to do research — but you may have to teach a good amount and have some limitations to your research project.
Even if you do not get much information from a professor, feel free to email them to ask if they will be accepting students in the upcoming year when you write to ask about their research.
You can also ask what research is current, only if the website is not clear on this — if not, it will seem like you did not read the group website first. In general, they will reply to you — ask them at least a few weeks or more ahead of the application deadline though, so you know what to add or remove from your application essay. Make sure you also email their administrative assistant or else they might not notice the email or think it is spam — these professors are very busy.
In such a case, it might be more important to email a professor working on the same specific research. Awesome article and Great advice. Hi Anup, That sounds really great. Make sure you know what a PhD in computer science will entail — I know very little in-depth about such research, but I think it is very different from just doing coding and programming for a company.
Make sure you have done some sort of work previously that is at least of the same style to make sure you are ready for it. And, I would echo all of his comments.
If you can conduct literature researchers or pilot research projects in your prep courses towards what you want to do your dissertation on, DO IT! You may want to save the world, but do you want to spend 10 years on your PhD?? You have a research life after the PhD is done to save the world. I met with my Chair every 3 weeks during my dissertation and finished in 1. Success is about hard work and persistence…. Practice writing science for the public and scientists unfamiliar with your field — it will help you gain a better understanding of your own research and improve your ability to promote it.
Of course, you need to perfect your scientific skills but without communication skills, your research will mean nothing. Rohde about how to utilize courses.
During my first year, I did not have a research direction, so it was hard to tie final course projects to my research interests, but for my upcoming year, I plan to do exactly that! This is easier for me to do because the equipment I use sometimes needs to be booked at least a week ahead, so this forces me to plan my experiments into the future and to lock in a time when I know I will do a procedure — if I booked it, I have to use it.
Do not schedule so much that it is not possible to do it all — you will just get in the habit of ignoring your schedule, and then you are left with no way to direct yourself. You gave me some nice ideas for forming my plan for applying to PhD programs. I am keenly interested in getting my PhD in Physics, though from my research of American colleges and international ones, too, it seems like one needs at least a moderate amount of lab experience.
Unfortunately for me, my undergrad school did not do much regarding labs other than what I volunteered for on the side doing a little bit of optics research 6 years ago. Basically, I have a bunch of book learning, but not much hands-on learning, and experimental physics is where I am leaning. I think more than anything else, professors want to know that you have done some lab work, 1 so you have a bit of background before you start, but more importantly, 2 that you are committed to long term lab research.
I know my year break definitely helped me. Networking is critical. Also, it is very useful to have a recommendation letter from someone who you have worked with in a lab environment. The research area I worked in at APL is very different from what I am doing now but there was a lot of skill overlap — e.
Thank you for that. Like I mentioned before, I did do some when I was in undergrad, but that was more than 6 years ago. I applied to several research jobs, including at APL, but have been unsuccessful so far, despite a couple of my professors helping with networking.
Maybe one of them will work out, and I will test the waters in terms of labwork. In the meantime, I will keep looking into PhD programs. Continue networking - it will undoubtably pay off in the future if not at the moment. Doing one of those for a year would definitely help your odds for a PhD program.
But the Masters you have will also help a lot in your application for a PhD program. The best thing you can do is determine where your research interests lie. Then do some checking on the PhD programs that focus on your areas of interest and have professors whose research intersects with your interests.
Make sure you explain in your personal statement how your past experiences have led to your current interests and give at least a little bit of detail on what you might want to work on and how it aligns with the research in the department you are applying to.
Recommendations are pretty important, so if you have anyone who can attest to your research skills, you should seek them out.
Good luck! Thank you so much for all the informatinos! Surely it will help me to make a wise decision. Best wishes. Dear Andy, the information is of great use for me. This is good. Andy, Thank you for a great article. I am older than my peers, but, I have found my passion in the Living Sciences.
My focus is going to be Biochemistry, and I want to work in a lab environment. My question to you; while I will obtain my Bachelor's, is it plausible to go for my PhD I will be in my 50's by the time I get it? I am not concerned with the various things that have been mentioned, such as location, etc.
0コメント