Phd Definition and 1000 Threads

Hello everyone, I'm an undergraduate senior majoring in physics and math, with plans to go to grad school next year. I have two questions for you all: 1) for someone interested in nanotechnology, biotechnology, and physics, is materials science a good PhD to pursue? 2) If so, are there any...

Hi, It's embarrassing, I failed my quals (after 2nd attempt), the school is going to kick me out with a masters. Mentally devastated and embarrassed to go to my cubicle, as I have another one semester to finish my MS, still I need to go to the lab to continue my usual work. The school is...

Dear everyone, I have a question about career future and I am deeply worrying about it. I am currently a master student in QFFF program at Imperial College. I will graduate soon but haven't get any Ph.D. offer (I applied a couple of places in Europe, some does not reply, some rejected me...

After having finished a PhD it's time to start writing grants to finance further research projects. I wonder what people's opinion is on the following four things: 1) Should one continue their postdoc career under the supervision of their PhD supervisor? I think one should find a new research...

Hi, I am currently a 2nd year grad student at Johns Hopkins majoring in Biomedical Engineering. I am working in the field of neuroengineering for my masters thesis. I plan to apply for a PhD in theoretical/computational neuroscience for the Fall of 2014. My academic background consists of...

I have a BS in MechE, and work in R&D. I've been plugging away at my MS in MechE, about halfway through, and have been considering that a PhD may really be more intellectually and personally what I want. I've spoken to some old professors and friends with doctorates. I don't think I'm ready...

PHD Astrophysics... and the alternative Hi guys, I'm starting school in Columbia in like 3 weeks (! ), and am very excited to be finally be able to buckle down and study Astrophysics, which is my passion. My plan is to go all the way to a PhD, because I have so many unanswered questions...

Hi people! My long-time goal is to pursue a PhD in astrophysics. Since an undergraduate in astrophysics is not available to me, I'm looking for alternatives. There are two cool engineering programs at hand: one in civil engineering, the other one in informatics engineering. Both are...

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...

My plan is to apply for PhD in the US, and my research interest is in theoretical high energy physics. I'm not interested in computation and want to do formal theory, something to do with Srting/GTR/Cosmology. I have gotten my MSc (2-yr) from IIT Kanpur with CPI 7.6/10.0. I'm going to be taking...

Hi, I am looking for an interesting new career after a physics phd. I had obtained my phd in physics about 7 years ago. In the last few years, I've fallen behind in publishing papers due to some unfortunate events in my personal life. Despite my interest in research, I think that maintaining...

Hey! Does anyone have an idea about going after BS degree toward accelerated PhD track? Is it a good call? Are there an disadvantages? Any suggestions can come in handy. Thanks.

I had an interview with a large company recently, the purpose of the interview was to qualify for a work study program whereby I would earn my masters while working half time at this company. My long term goal is to get a PhD after I have left this program and been working for a few years. I...

Hi, Looking for some assistance on a decision. I'm an undergraudate EE student completing an extension to my industrial year in RF. I have the opportunity to accept an engineering embedded position on graduation however am swayed towards augmented reality, image recognition or computer...

I'm just starting back to school as for a BS in Physics and my plan is to follow that up with a PhD. While I can largely get my BS as a part time student over the next 4 years, when it come time to work on the PhD, I'll of course have to do school full time. I do have a plan in place where most...

(or tell me whatever your opinion is) I am in my second summer as a graduate student and have reached a point where I am questioning all my decisions. I used to think that what was most important in my professional life was that I be doing something I loved (and that it at least payed...

that's what one of my math profs told me. i forgot what the industry needs to be in order to make that much as an entry level. perhaps insurance?

Hello folks, I am from Hong Kong studying in a university in HK, major in Physics. Next year will be my final year of undergrad (3 yr undergrad program) and I am considering applying for graduate schools in the US. My major research interests lie on particle physics and particle physics...

Greetings Physics Forums, Yes, checking for typing errors apparently is not my strong point! I'm a few months away from my defense, and have been considering the next step for a few months now. My PhD will be from a physics department, but I have been doing what amounts to biological...

Hello everyone, This is my first post! :) I want to ask you about the pros and cons of doing a PhD in Astrophysics in Europe or USA. First, I'm going to talk about my current situation. I got my bachelor's degree in physics two months ago, at University of Antioquia, Colombia. I have some...

I was wondering how I could make connections in industry while still a PhD student. I know about job fairs and conferences, but are there other ways to make friends/contacts while still in the early stages of PhDdom so that I have viable options when I graduate?

I'm a little bit over half way through my PhD (particle physics) at a good UK university and I don't know what I'll do next. So far the only things in my head are "post-doc" or "something else", but I'd like to know roughly what sort of wage you would be happy with if you were in my shoes...

I am a rising junior in a US college and I plan to apply to a top physics PhD program. I am both a physics and a math major, and I am more interested in theoretic physics rather than experimental. So should I also take the GRE Math Subject Test?

I would like to do a PhD in a Physics related subject. However, it has been over 25 years since I graduated. I graduated in the UK gaining a BSc (Hons) with a Class 2 Division 1. At the time I was head hunted and received many offers but went on to pursue a career in an unrelated area. I...

I am an Undergraduate in Electrical Engineering. I have been in an internal struggle about a PhD; I am particularly interested in Applied physics programs since traditional physics programs bore me, and my interests include medicine. I have taken upperlevel physics in mechanics, E&M 1,intro...

Hi I am a Physics masters student from India in a college in Texas. I want to pursue a PhD in Astronomy (observational/radio) Australia. I have heard Australia is very good at obs astronomy - however google searches are revealing a lot about the telescopes and other facilities there but...

Hi I am a Physics masters student from India in a college in Texas. I want to pursue a PhD in Astronomy (observational/radio) Australia. I have heard Australia is very good at obs astronomy - however google searches are revealing a lot about the telescopes and other facilities there...

Hi I wil be starting a PhD in particle/accelerator physics in September it's titled " beam dynamics and beam beam effects for Hilumi LHc and LHeC" Has anyone got any advice for me? It's a fully funded Phd at Manchester university Uk, but it's mainly based at the cockcroft institute. I'm...

I am an undergrad at a pretty high ranking university, my GPA is acceptable but not phenomenal, and my research history, while it's there, is not phenomenal either. I don't think I will be able to get into a PhD program anywhere close to the ranking of my current institution. But I do want to do...

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?

My question is whether it is a bad idea to be a physics graduate student with an EE advisor. I ask this because I'm interested in nanophysics at Carnegie Mellon University. On the physics website on the nanophysics page they have listed 6 EE professors and 5 physics professors. It seems likely...

Hi, I am planning to join M.S in MIS/IS next year. For e.g:-i)http://mays.tamu.edu/info/prospective/undergraduate/mis/ ii)http://business.uc.edu/programs/graduate/ms-is/academics.html Is it possible to pursue a phd in Semiconductor Devices/VLSI/Device Physics after this? Or, an MS in...

I am going into my senior year in high school, and I have been gradually trying to narrow down my choices for what to do with my life after high school. I have a passion for math and science, and have been debating becoming a physicist. My only hold ups are the job opportunities, and salary. Any...

Hello all! I'm a 3rd year grad student getting his PhD in Physics, primarily astro-particle theory. I have a huge passion for physics but as I ever so slowly tip toe my way to this degree my mind looks down different potential paths I could take after I get it. One path, which has always...

My main reasons to want to do it would be - because I love to study (both solving problems and doing research) - to feel like I have made a contribution to the field - Also, the title of a PhD is attractive and earns respect; it's like having a huge intellectual penis. - I'm not really in...

Recently I joined a PhD program in a small unknown university in Asia. In the department, most of the faculties work on material and nano science except a professor who works on Astrophysics. The astrophysics professor agreed to be my supervisor and he asked me to work in the field of X-ray...

So i just finished an oral examination the other day and I feel completely humiliated. I answered some questions correctly but I had massive brain-farts and I couldn't keep a coherent thought alive for more than a few seconds. I felt completely overwhelmed with the situation and I feel as...

I am currently a year 2 uni student in University of Sydney. I want to continue my career as a physicist and work in University while doing my research. I am wondering 1) How good does your academic record need to be in order to do Phd? 2) Does it cost less or more comparing to bachelor...

I am wondering what looks better on a CV: that I published a lot, but stayed in my PhD institution for 6 years or so, _or_ that I finished my thesis quickly, and graduated quickly? Some professors' CVs say they started their PhD in 1968, and finished in 1971 (Charles Thorn of University of...

Ok so I am currently averaging 80-90% in my undergraduate course in theoretical physics in the UK, if all goes according to plan and my application gets accepted next year I would like to pursue my Msc/PHD in a programming heavy research field at Imperial College. So my question boils down to...

Hi All, The other day an old high school buddy of mine emailed me asking if I could find out about the general cost of master and PhD programs in math across American schools. I grew up in one of those 'stan countries', but have been living in the US for 7 years now. He's still there and as far...

I was just curious to know if this transition were possible. Economics seems like a woefully misunderstood field, and I feel as though physicists would have a good knack for it. Is this suspicion correct, or false?

I am 16 with a passion for physics, I am not by any means a genius but I am good at physics and best in the year (based on results). I've read on degree choices that a degree in physics is like a VIP pass to jobs as it shows you can think logically etc. some people in my class underestimate how...

I didn't get into graduate school this semester so I'm going to have to reapply for spring. This made me question my original plan. I wanted to get a MS in computational science then maybe go back for a physics PhD. I thought the skills for computational science would be very helpful in...

First of all, my GPA isn't that great-I should have put in much more effort than I have and it is the end of my sophomore year. I'm not sure yet about what topic in astrophysics I want to study (it's all equally fascinating at this point) but I do want a Ph.D. in it... That being said, should...

I'm looking to apply for a PhD program in Medical Physics. I am currently majoring in Medical Physics, but my GPA is only a 3.33. I have been doing research and see people who are applying with much higher GPAs than mine. My question is: if I don't get accepted anywhere, what should I do?

Someone told me that if you get "accepted" into a Phd program but have to pay your tuition and don't receive a stipend then that is the university politely rejecting you. My question is this, if i was truly accepted into a Phd program at a university in the states, will they most likely pay my...

I've often heard on PhysicsForums that career prospects are bright for theorists who paid attention to their math fundamentals and learned to program. That's me! It's also several of my fellow grad students. I suspect many others on this forum are in similar situations, and they may also benefit...

Bachelors In Mathematics and PhD In Physics Hello, As of now, I am maneuvering through undergraduate work, with the intention of gaining a bachelors in mathematics and (someday) a PhD in physics. For my mathematics courses I have taken, I have done all three calculi, discrete mathematics...

It is my understanding that Master's and PhD students take the same classes the first 2 years of their graduate career. If someone with a Master's graduated and went back for a PhD later on what do the first 2 years of their PhD career consist of if they've already taken the courses a person...