A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin philosophiae doctor or doctor philosophiae) is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is an earned research degree, those studying for a PhD are required to produce original research that expands the boundaries of knowledge, normally in the form of a thesis or dissertation, and defend their work against experts in the field. The completion of a PhD is often a requirement for employment as a university professor, researcher, or scientist in many fields. Individuals who have earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree may, in many jurisdictions, use the title Doctor (often abbreviated "Dr" or "Dr.") with their name, although the proper etiquette associated with this usage may also be subject to the professional ethics of their own scholarly field, culture, or society. Those who teach at universities or work in academic, educational, or research fields are usually addressed by this title "professionally and socially in a salutation or conversation." Alternatively, holders may use post-nominal letters such as "Ph.D.", "PhD", or "DPhil" (depending on the awarding institution). It is, however, considered incorrect to use both the title and post-nominals at the same time.The specific requirements to earn a PhD degree vary considerably according to the country, institution, and time period, from entry-level research degrees to higher doctorates. During the studies that lead to the degree, the student is called a doctoral student or PhD student; a student who has completed all their coursework and comprehensive examinations and is working on their thesis/dissertation is sometimes known as a doctoral candidate or PhD candidate (see: all but dissertation). A student attaining this level may be granted a Candidate of Philosophy degree at some institutions or may be granted a master's degree en route to the doctoral degree. Sometimes this status is also colloquially known as "PhD ABD," meaning "All But Dissertation."A PhD candidate must submit a project, thesis, or dissertation often consisting of a body of original academic research, which is in principle worthy of publication in a peer-reviewed journal. In many countries, a candidate must defend this work before a panel of expert examiners appointed by the university. Universities sometimes award other types of doctorate besides the PhD, such as the Doctor of Musical Arts (D.M.A.) for music performers and the Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) for studies in education. In 2005 the European Universities Association defined the "Salzburg Principles," 10 basic principles for third-cycle degrees (doctorates) within the Bologna Process. These were followed in 2016 by the "Florence Principles," seven basic principles for doctorates in the arts laid out by the European League of Institutes of the Arts, which have been endorsed by the European Association of Conservatoires, the International Association of Film and Television Schools, the International Association of Universities and Colleges of Art, Design and Media, and the Society for Artistic Research.In some countries like China and Japan, a recipient of doctorate in disciplines such as engineering and pharmacy where professional degrees (for example, EngD and PharmD) are usually awarded in the western countries, is called a PhD regardless. It is not uncommon that the person's title or diploma be translated into English as PhD in (that discipline). In these countries, the distinction between professional doctorates and PhDs is less significant.In the context of the Doctor of Philosophy and other similarly titled degrees, the term "philosophy" does not refer to the field or academic discipline of philosophy, but is used in a broader sense in accordance with its original Greek meaning, which is "love of wisdom." In most of Europe, all fields (history, philosophy, social sciences, mathematics, and natural philosophy/sciences) other than theology, law, and medicine (the so-called professional, vocational, or technical curriculum) were traditionally known as philosophy, and in Germany and elsewhere in Europe the basic faculty of liberal arts was known as the "faculty of philosophy."
I know this question has probably been posted on these forums hundreds, if not thousands, of times. However, I am still undecided on what to do for post secondary. I always see people from the states posting this question, but I have never read any for Canada which would be much more helpful for...
Hello gents,
The thing is that I'm an Instrument Engineer with an oil&gas in-field(on site) experience and I used to maintain and fix different instrument equipment(transmitters,flowmeters,valves,etc) but I want to perform a smart R&D work in future, e.g. creating and development of modern...
Hi,
I am a theoretical physics PhD in Europe and want to find a summer course for 2012 or 2013 (no matter where in the world, the topic is the primary criterion for me). Does anyone know a good starting point for this? The usual google approach is really slow, but I also was not able to find...
Hello everyone,
I love reading the posts on PF. I enjoy hearing the experiences and thoughts from engineers, scientists, hobbyists, etc. who love science.
I have a question regarding academia: does anyone know how easy or difficult it is to become a professor in a department outside of...
hello my fellow physicists. I have a degree in industrial engineering but my true passion is computer science.
I want to apply to a MSc conversion program in computer science in the UK. Will this prepare me for a PhD?
is this a bad idea?
will not having an undergraduate degree in CS be a problem...
Hello, pls i would like have my bsc degree in engineering physics, after which i will go for my msc in mech.eng and phd in mech eng.
pls i would like to know how feasible dis is and it's advantages and disadvantages. All comments especially from exprienced persons will greatly appriceated...
So I'm a junior in mathematics and I've reached a point to decide about graduate school. I love pure math and am considering getting a PhD in it. But I do not want to go into academia because I don't think I will enjoy teaching. So I want to go into the industry after a PhD. But one of my...
I am planning to get into harvard physics division the requirements say that I should complete six advanced courses ,two mathematics and four physics courses .but i study in a technological university in India .But i am willing to do the courses outside .anyone with the similar problem and...
Greetings
I have a dilemma, hopefully some of you can help. And yes I did research a lot about this on google but I think a new discussion is more helpful.
Where did you get your PhD in? Was it worth it? What are the options outside academia?
I have an opportunity to get a PhD position...
As a matter of fact, at this moment, pursuing phd is way far-fetched plan for me since I am a high school student. But those phd jokes really discourage me to go to undergrad in pure math and rather force me to get a degree in like acturial science or engineering. I was planning to study...
Hi,
I'm from the UK, and I've almost completed my PhD in Chemical Engineering. I'll soon be 25 years old and I've got my sights set on moving to the USA before I get too old.
I could use some American advice on the following:
1) How easy will it be to find an employer in the USA willing to...
Hello to all,
I have seen a PhD advertised on my local university's website. What's the best way to acquire information about the project or (I suppose what I'm trying to ask is here is) what's the proper etiquette for first contact with a potential supervisor to ask about the PhD?
Should I...
I think after completing my PhD I want to make a switch to medical physics. With my background (described below) this shouldn't be too great of a switch. (I wish I had realized this sooner, as in undergrad I was thinking biomedical engineering, but found myself far more interested in the...
I am currently a freshman at a university, pursuing a Physics B.S. After I'm planning on going to grad school, until I have a PHD. Obviously, I'm still very early in my education, so I don't really have the specifics of what I want to do or what I plan to do worked out yet.
I really want to...
Hello all,
I am rather new to these forums, and I have a question about lateral transfer between chemistry and physics. First, my background pertaining to physics:
MATH:
3 semesters calculus
1 semester each: ordinary differential equations, linear algebra, abstract algebra, probability...
I live in the UK and I am hoping to start a PhD next October, so currently I am emailing potential supervisors about projects which I usually start off with a cover letter and a CV, however I don't seem to be getting any replies back! This includes some professors who I have emailed before...
Hi PFers,
I'm a senior physics/math major and very interested in pure mathematics (esp. algebra and number theory) but I'm also interested in the very abstract side of physics like string/particle, some QFT and unification theory.
If I pursue mathematics as a graduate as opposed to...
Hello,
This is a bit of a random question, but I thought I would ask it here.
I am interested in doing a PhD in engineering in the UK. However, of course, funding is extremely difficult to come by. I was having a conversation with a friend who said that her cousin paid for his by working...
Hi everyone,
I plan on entering a PhD program in the fall (just took the GRE, awaiting score before really narrowing in on schools). I have a question on usually when the schools award you stipends. I have a budget that will just barely get me to August, when Ill need to move and get an...
I like both control systems and dynamics, and numerical solutions of PDE's. And I am trying to decide which field to apply for to do a PhD in.
I am having hard time deciding. Just looking for advice from those who worked or studied any of the above to help me decide.
I seem to be leaning...
Ok, so I'll start with some background. I went to a very small school which didn't offer IB or AP or Honors classes, and was at the top of my math class (I finished pure math 30 with a 97% and calculus with a 93%). This is my first year university (University of Alberta - Canada) and I am in...
Basically what I mean by my title is that I am intent on getting a PHD in pure math because I love the subject, and am still young enough to do it without throwing the rest of my life into disarray. But beyond that I need to have a plan. Plan A is clearly to go on to do several post-docs...
I am currently 2nd EE, telecommunications.
I am medium student. But given the fact that my college demands are high, I am doing well.
I can say for myself that I understand a lot things. I have trouble with calculations, but I am very fast learner. Here at my college, few courses don't...
Hi everyone!
I would like to ask you for some advice on a decision I need to take soon...
I am about to finish a PhD in theoretical physics, and I decided to leave academia. I recently landed a job offer, where I would be working as a financial consultant in risk management. The job...
Hi everyone,
I am finishing my second year of masters in France on theoretical physics and I am really really motivated in pursuing into a PhD. The topics that interest me the most are lattice QCD and numerical relativity (I want to focus on numerical methods). Also, I would like to work on one...
I'm almost done with my PhD in physics(hep-ex). It's about 6-7 months till I'm out. I was curious about everyone's opinions on what is the right time to start looking/applying for jobs. Is now too early (or should I have already started)?
Not really interested in post-docs, so this purely a...
Hi All,
Just some quick background that may be relevant before my question: I am 29 years old and am back in school after not knowing what I wanted to after high school. Originally, I did well some terms and not so well other terms starting out, and I ended up taking a ~5year break. In my...
PhD Astronomy Prof: "Paucity of evidence for the Big Bang"
an acquaintance of mine who holds a PhD in physics and teaches astronomy at a university says the is "a paucity of evidence for Big Bang theorizing". After I close my gaping mouth how should I respond?
I have already completed all my core courses, and more than minimum requirements (bunch of courses in Operations Research and Transportation Systems). However, it always seems to me that there is just more stuff I want to keep learning (mostly in Applied Math). I usually don't take more than one...
Hello All
I have done Bachelor of Engineering (Computer) and has 4 years of work-ex in software and hardware industry. I am applying for PhD (Physics) for fall 2012 for Theoretical Physics (High energy / Particle / Nuclear / Quantum physics) My scores:
Subject GRE (Physics): 940/990...
PhD from a "regular" University
Hi, So I recently started grad school going for a PhD in Physics at Oregon State University.So far It seems like a decent program and the research is interesting. I've just started thinking about what kind of opportunities I'll have after I get my PhD though...
I'm currently in my first semester of a physics PhD program, straight out of undergrad. At the end of my senior year of undergrad, I was already feeling burnt out and tired of course work, but my profs pushed grad school as the smart and best choice. So I went.
Since I moved here (14 hours...
Hi, Everyone:
I recently passed my oral exams for my Math PHD, and I am going on into the actual thesis prep.
My problem is that I (wrongly) believed that the topic I worked on for the 2nd exam
-- call it T--,was supposed to be an "entry" into the general area I was interested in, and...
Hi guys, I am trying to figure out what Applied Math PhD programs I should I apply to this fall. My main interests are in computational science, specifically numerical methods and stochastic methods.
My profile is as follow:
Undergrad: big state school, solid reputation in math
Major...
Hi everyone,
I am thinking of applying for a PhD in Astrophysics to start in October 2012, at the moment I'm still researching different Unis both here and abroad but in doing my research I've seen that for your long term career prospects it doesn't matter so much what Uni you go to, but more...
So I have a 1st class honours degree in maths and physics from my undergrad university. I then went on to do the part iii course at cambridge where i did only theoretical physics courses. I got a merit for that.
Currently I'm working abroad for a year in a non-maths related job (hopefully my...
Hi guys,
I'm really struggling with the beginning of my PhD project and could use some opinions how I should proceed. And also just to express my feelings in a written form.
So in a few weeks I'm about to officially become a full-time PhD student working in a research group where I have...
Greetings to the members and staff of this forum which I find very good.
I want to know if it is possible to prepare a PhD in an American university without having a course in physics.
I have a background in natural science (biology) and in management but I am passionate in physics. I knew...
Right now I'm a sophomore majoring in physics and I honestly don't have very many skills. I am great with computer/electronics repair and networking(as a hobby), but that's about it. I kind of wish I learned some of these skills earlier, so that they would be even better by now. Which is what I...
I'm a 3rd year undergraduate in Spain contemplating continuing my studies upon graduating next year. I was initially considering doing my 4th final year via Erasmus exchange at Imperial College London so I could take some electives that my university doesn't offer.
Unfortunately today I found...
I'm doing a particle physics-based PhD at a british university and have returned a few weeks earlier than my official start date to get familiarised with what I'll be doing. I've been treating it as a 9-5 job, and doing little bits of reading etc. on nights and at the weekend.
I've heard all...
Physics PhD ---> Business Consulting?
How does that work out? Why are Physics PhDs hired to do this kind of work? Why not somebody with with a Finance degree or some such?
I actually know someone who's partners with somebody else in a (new-ish) business consulting firm and I asked her if...
I am a Mathematics and Physics double major, currently in my second year. I really enjoy both subjects, but my interests are progressing towards Theoretical physics/mathematical physics. My academic goal is to improve my understanding of how the universe works and thus I would like to pursue a...
I just started grad school in Physics a few weeks ago, but I have recently considered quitting in order to start or join an existing startup, probably related to software. But I am also considering staying in my phD program (maybe leaving with an MS) and just doing research in an area of Physics...