A doctorate (from Latin docere, "to teach") or doctor's degree (from Latin doctor, "teacher") or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities, derived from the ancient formalism licentia docendi ("licence to teach"). In most countries, a research degree qualifies the holder to teach at university level in the degree's field or work in a specific profession. There are a number of doctoral degrees; the most common is the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), awarded in many different fields, ranging from the humanities to scientific disciplines.
In the United States and some other countries, there are also some types of technical or professional degrees that include doctors in their name and are classified as doctorate in some of those countries. Professional doctorates historically came about to meet the needs of practitioners in a variety of disciplines.
Many universities also award honorary doctorates to individuals deemed worthy of special recognition, either for scholarly work or other contributions to the university or society.
As I’m doing more research and talking to my college advisor I learned that I don’t need a master’s degree to get into grad school and earn a doctorate, and that my field of study (Biomedical Physics) has various common classes with the Advanced Physics major.
Would it be worth more to take an...
At the moment I'm in the final stages of my doctorate in mathematics. (My background is a BS in physics and an MS in mathematics.) My focus and interest have been in applied functional analysis in general and various kinds of abstract and concrete delay equations in particular. These are...
I’m graduating with a Physics degree next year but for various reasons I cannot go straight to grad school and get a PhD. I probably won’t be back to school for some time (I’m projecting 10-15 years). Will it be hard to start a Physics PhD after so long? Is there ageism in academia?
Thanks
I'm still an undergraduate but I was wondering about the future and all that.
I do like love physics as a whole, but I don't think there is a subfield which I REALLY like or REALLY dislike. I also like "versatility" as a way of life.
So I was wondering: "can I move to and from subfields as I...
If I honestly really like the University I am currently at, so I was wondering if it is acceptable to get all three degrees in Mathematics from this institution if I want to become a Math professor? Some of the professors in their department got all of their degrees from the same university, but...
I'm currently a physics major in my junior year, and was wondering how difficult it would be to bridge into bio-related materials and devices engineering. For a while I've had plans to pursue a materials science and engineering PhD, but have recently been drawn to biomaterials and soft matter...
I graduated with a Master's degree about a year and a half ago and am considering applying to PhD programs in Canada. During this period, I have been working in a field completely unrelated to my previous education and the PhD programs that I intend to apply. I have mainly been teaching to kids...
Hi
I will be graduating with an MChem (4 year integrated Masters Chemistry Degree) next year and I'm thinking about potential PhD's to go into. I was just wandering what kind of flexibility you have in choosing what field you go into. I was looking at some programmes in physics that have...
Hello, I am currently doing a coop with a nuclear power company as a mechanical engineer. I was wondering if it is worth it to keep going with my education as far as a masters degree then phd, or will it not make a difference in pay?
Has anyone in this forum started or finished this kind of program. If so, how did you get in? I imagine it requires perfect GPA and MCAT score, but is there other factors like what your major is or research done as an undergrad?
I'm scrambling to complete my dissertation before the end of the semester but I'm not sure if I'll make it in time (deadline is May 6th). I feel like if I had an additional month or so I could definitely complete all the requirements (defense, revisions, etc), but then my degree would not be...
I've read various post on this matter here actually. However I'll do some rant on my story:
I'm currently a masters student (quantum physics, with maybe 60-70% programming content). I always had an interest in how computer works but I did not got into the CS degree. Now, I am planning for my...
Do some of you got a Phd without a Master?
I have a professor that only have a phd and 3 posdoc. How this works and how hard it is? And, if you know, what kind of institute or which contry have this kind of program?
Is it possible? I've already obtained my Doctor's degree in Business Administration (I know it sux compared to science). Since I've already finished the textbook University Physics Young and Freedman. Now I'm struggling on Feynman's lectures on physics. I wished I chose physics ten years ago, is...
Hi, I am currently studying electronics engineering in India and I plan to start applying for the fall 2013 semester within the next 2-3 weeks. I am pursuing a Masters' and PhD in astronomy and I will apply for the same. However, if I do not get an admit for this course from the universities I...
I am currently a us student in undergraduate math and physics, doing well in courses, having taken graduate courses in both areas, and have finished degree requirements for both math and physics during my second year in undergrad, but I stayed for one more year anyway.
So, now, its my third...
If you were getting a PhD in either pure math or physics, with the intention of becoming a professor, does one first need to get a masters degree before their PhD, is it different for the two fields?
Hey guys basically as the title says, I have been recently trying to find these papers but I have had no luck. All I seem to get is articles from Magazines like New Scientist and Scientific American. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance MattA147. :)
Normally students in America start a PhD degree after their undergrad, since there the so-called "Master level education" is glued together to the "Doctorate" (correct me if I'm wrong!).
So what is the usual track for students from Europe who have done their Master degrees in Europe but would...
Hey everyone,
I'm beginning my physics major in the fall, but my situation is a little odd. I have an AA in history (because I had to work full-time through my degree and it was available entirely online at my school). Now that I'm able to finally study what I want, my #1 plan is to graduate...
I'm in high school right now, but I already am fascinated by science, predominately physics and medical or biomedical sciences and my goal is to become a surgeon. I'v heard of people getting MD PhD double degrees and was wondering what are these good for, are they worth it, and then with one...
I'm a bit ahead due to AP classes, starting in the summer and tests of advanced standing so it looks like I can comfortably finish my BS in about 3 years time starting this fall. I'm trying to get my education timeline to run somewhat reasonably with my significant other's and she will be taking...
how much money did you receive for graduate funding
are you in math or physics/masters or phd
are you in Canada or the United States or somewhere else
and what do you think is average, below average, above average for a domestic masters student per year?
how do they make the decision...
I am just going into my fourth year of a 4 year MSci course and have got my results from my third year. It's not as good as I had hoped and my average is a 2.1.
I know that Cosmology is very difficult to get into and PhD's are over subscribed. I was also hoping to work at one of the...
Hello! How do I know which degrees grant me elegible to study a masters degree on a different study branch? For example, neuroscience, is it restricted to certain degrees? Or, is it possible to attend a special program to certify the credits needed for a particular specialization degree?
and at what age did you complete your undergrad and grad degrees and phD if you did it?
I have a feeling that after one reaches thirty one cannot progress further... since most famous researchers were still young while making their greatest discoveries...
anyways, my feelings aside...
I...
How does the process work? Do students make contact with a supervisor then apply? However the student might like to apply for several schools as they might not get in and also for scholarship considerations. That means that after making contact with the supervisor, they might decide not to the...
Hi everybody, I'm new (found this site while unwinding from a long week of paper-editing). Just for a quick reference, I'm currently pursuing a BS in biophysics and minors in math and chemistry... this place seems to be a good home for me...
So I'm starting to think about life after...
Is it possible (common) to proceed to graduate studies in Astrophysics starting from a Masters degree in Engineering or Earth Sciences?
Also is it too old to start studying for a physics phD at 30 after having worked some years outside academia?
Hi,
I would like to get into a good physics graduate program but my undergraduate background is probably not good enough to achieve that. So, I was wondering if it is advisable to get a terminal masters degree at a middle tier school as a stepping stone for getting into a better school's PhD...
Do people always get a Master's Degree before they get a PhD? I have noticed that some people will list in their credentials 1) the university where they got their undergraduate degree, and then 2) the university where they got their PhD, but there is nothing listed for the M.A. or M.S. I always...