What is a PhD?

PhD, also Ph.D., stands for Doctor of Philosophy. Instead of studying Philosophy, many PhD candidates study Science or Liberal Arts. In many English-speaking countries, PhD is the highest degree one can earn. In the US, the title of “doctor” is usually regarded honorary and only doctors of medicines are referred to as doctors.

Generally, it’s not easy to achieve the degree of PhD in a given academic field. In order to be a PhD, one has to first have a clearly defined major, and then perform well in the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) which includes tests of both specialized areas and generic ones. Recommendations from professors are as important as the test results in examinations.

Every PhD candidate will spend 1 to 3 years studying advanced courses of their chosen subjects. They will either work as undergraduate instructors, lab assistants, or participate in research teams for money. Because a lot of graduate students are looking to become university professors after getting the PhD, they also give lectures to junior students as assistant instructors. A financial compensation from the school will be given to them for the work. After finishing their coursework, they are required to write a dissertation on their research subject. The paper will be submitted to the dissertation committee. They will get their PhD after the paper is accepted and approved – which is usually taking a very long time. Not surprisingly, most of the dissertations go on as long as a book.

Generally, PhD coursework is reduced with some of the advanced courses slashed if the pursuer is holding a Master’s degree. Otherwise, he or she will have to spend a total of 3 to 8 years to get the PhD if he or she has only a bachelor’s degree. There are some of the PhD programs that only accept students who have no more than a bachelor’s degree. The admission requirements vary program by program.

In spite of these, what works in the US isn’t that much different from that of other countries. Generally speaking, most European countries are more rigorous in granting PhD degrees than the US. Most of countries in the world recognize PhD degrees earned elsewhere.