What is Phd: Definition and 1000 Discussions

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."

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  1. J

    Do I take these PhD red flags seriously?

    Hello, I am looking at an interesting PhD. However there seem to be a few small redflags: -Previous guy in a similar position left after 2-years. I asked them why, they said he didn't like having "too many projects at the same time" or something. But didn't give me a clear explanation. I found...
  2. leephys009

    Physics Do endowed research positions exist in physics like Terrence Tao has?

    For example, Terrence Tao has an endowed research position where he is able (paid to) through grants and school salary to do whatever research he wants. Tao does research in pure and applied math. This is rare of course, but I haven’t been able to find any information on this in physics...
  3. S

    PhD in Physics/Astrophysics: Benefits & Challenges After 30

    Hello Everyone, I was looking for some expert/experienced advice on if earning a P.hD, specifically in Physics/Astrophysics is worth it. Whenever I search for the answer, I always find people mentioning the challenges of it. But no one really talks about the drawback or benefits of earning a...
  4. A

    Admissions Exemplar astronomy PhD personal statement (UK)

    I applied for a couple of PhD positions in astronomy last year but was unsuccessful. This year I hope to improve on my application and secure a position. So with that in mind, does anyone have any exemplar PhD personal statements for astronomy, or maybe physics in general?
  5. A

    Admissions Asking my prospective PhD supervisor about funding status

    Hello, A professor has accepted me in his group as a Ph.D. student based on an admission interview. At the end of the interview, he discussed with me how he would fund my Ph.D. He said that he has enough funding to provide me with a salary through 3 or 4 years of my Ph.D. program. He said also...
  6. D

    Courses Physics education PhD then MSc Physics

    Hi, I am currently a physics teacher at secondary school level (high school). I have been offered to do a PhD in physics education in an area of research that interests me and relates to physics teaching. I am aware that physics education PhDs might not open up as many career opportunities...
  7. Lyra

    Programs Exploring a Career in Medical Physics: Advice from PhD Physicists

    Hi All, I am currently doing a PhD in condensed matter physics (experiment) and want to enter medical physics. My ideal job is more like a mix of research and clinical as I want to be able to actually help people. I wonder whether anyone has any suggestions on what I should do. I already have a...
  8. T

    Admissions Letter of reference/recommendation for a PhD

    Hi, I am planning to request some letters of recommendation for a PhD theoretical physics application. Could you please adivse on specific elements that will make the perfect letter with the best chance of getting offers. For instance is could be about my soft skills, my undergrad grades and...
  9. T

    Programs PhD Theoretical Physics - Part 2

    Hello, I have several questions around the application process as well as the organization. 1. Are you aware of any reference website centralizing PhD offers by countries? 2.When it comes to the organization/management/ supervision of a PhD program, I wonder if there are differences by...
  10. Carolus_Rex

    Admissions Where To do my PHD in Physics?

    Okay Background First. I am an undergrad student from india. I want to pursue physics as career ( yeah i know i am being particularly vague here, due to the fact i am still in my first year and haven't really decided on my particular preference under the branch of physics). So I have a...
  11. PhysPaig

    Admissions Feeling down, did I mess up my future?

    Hello everyone, I'm currently a physics undergraduate that just completed her second year of college. I love working physics problems and have always been passionate about going into physics research. My plan is to graduate and then go to a great/top grad school for my PhD that would allow me...
  12. Z

    Admissions Applying to a PhD in Pure Math with an undergraduate degree in physics

    Not from the US. I have a Bachelor of Science in Physics and a Master of Engineering Science. Mid-way through my undergraduate study, I realized that I am more interested in pure math than physics and wanted to apply for a PhD in pure math after my graduation. I had done research and written a...
  13. J

    Programs Is doing a PhD in Engineering Part Time in 8 Years Possible?

    Is it possible for me to get a PhD in electrical engineering while going part time, one class at a time? The college I'm thinking of going to has a 8 year time limit for PhDs before credits expire. 8 years seems like a long time. This would allow for 16 different classes, not sure if summer term...
  14. Orodruin

    B Popular talks by PhD students, May 27

    As part of a course for the Physics and Applied Physics PhD programs at KTH, I am organising a short conference where the PhD students will present their research in short popular and technical talks. The popular talks on May 27 between 9.30 and 15.45 (CEST) are open to the public (digitally of...
  15. T

    Physics Opportunities after completing PhD in your 40s

    I think I've read nearly every post about starting towards a PhD later in life, but haven't found my particular questions answered. My questions are: - What paths are possible to move from a lower ranked school in undergrad to a higher ranked school for a grad program? - If you finish a PhD in...
  16. A

    Admissions Applying for a PhD scholarship

    Hello, I want to apply for a scholarship in a university abroad to complete my PhD studies there. One of the requirements of the scholarship is to secure a supervisor who is willing to guide me through the PhD program. A second requirement is to discuss with my prospective supervisor a PhD...
  17. T

    Programs PhD Theoretical Physics (study, application & all sorts of guidance)

    After graduating with 2-years Masters in TP, I wish to return to academia by undertaking a PhD in theoretical physics and I have A LOT of questions since I am aware that it is a, extremely competitive area especially when you were out of the game for a while, about 5 years for me… What are the...
  18. A

    Admissions Advice for improving PhD application next year (UK)

    Hi Everyone, I applied for some PhD positions in astronomy this year and was unsuccessful. I was wondering if anyone could offer up some advice for improving my applications for next year. To give you some context: I gained my Master's in Physics with Astronomy from the University of...
  19. F

    Programs Condensed Matter PhD Program Choice - Advice Needed

    Hi, I don't want to be too specific here, but specific enough for relevant advice. I'm finishing a Masters in Physics and am lucky to have been made offers by 2 excellent institutes: a Max Planck Graduate Centre (MP), and at Oxford UK. Both are in experimental condensed matter; Weyl...
  20. C

    Advice for 35+ year old wanting a Physics PhD

    Hello All! I wanted to reach out for perspectives and advice on this "old-timer" wanting to do physics. At one point I was on that track, but quickly stumbled and lost my way for personal reasons. Now, I'm 35 years old and want to finally pursue a lifelong goal of a PhD in physics. My age at...
  21. S

    Will a low ranked masters hurt my PhD admissions?

    My background in CS was weak in undergrad, but I went to a decent undergrad (within the top 30 UNSWR). I got into a master's program that is ranked between 65 and 85 in CS (wide range to keep anonymous, but that general tier). I like the program because they accepted me despite my weaker...
  22. A

    Questions about my potential PhD advisor

    I am considering a PhD program in Physics, and my prospective advisor is a more mature faculty member (full professor, late career). I am really interested in the field of study, and the advisor's students speak really highly of their experiences. Are there any advantages or disadvantages to...
  23. ProtonNeutron

    A What are the recent advancements in quantum gravity?

    I am currently doing my masters in theoretical physics and I would like for my phd to be something quantum gravity oriented. However it seems hard to find what's "hot" in the field those past few years and I only know the basics of these topics (though I believe this can be improved). What are...
  24. binbagsss

    Drop out of PhD in fluid mechanics and switch to Mres in mathematical physics?

    A post doc in an area that differs from my PhD? I am currently doing a PhD in fluid mechanics but want to do mathematical physics tbh. In another thread I got an answer about a user who had done a PhD in accelerator physics and went to do a post-doc in condensed matter, vice versa even, but in...
  25. M

    Math High school teaching before PhD

    Is it a bad idea for me to get a master's in secondary education and teach high school (math) for a few years before I do a PhD? My main goal is to teach college. However, I've missed all the PhD application deadlines this year and figured I might as well pick up the HS teaching degree as a...
  26. M

    Studying How do you deal with weak background at the start of PhD?

    Hi all, I just started in a PhD in a General Relativity related problem. Although the problems that I am going to work with are purely classical (in the sense of no QM required), I feel bad about my lack of proficiency in QFT. I had to follow a course in some advanced topics (such as String...
  27. R

    Admissions Applying for PhD with Low UG GPA and Gap Years

    Hey everyone, I'm currently in my master's program in India and have been thinking about applying to states for a phd. So my problem is that I really messed up in my undergrad (2.74/4.00) but I'm doing much better in my MSc (3.2 in 1st sem, will try to reach 3.5 in total). Also, apart from that...
  28. davidbenari

    A Which condensed matter experiment PhD group is the most fun?

    This is going to be controversial and might even be taken down, but I think what I will say is absolutely true, and I'm sorry if it offends people. I'm applying for the second time to condensed matter PhDs. I was in a group that did a lot of device fabrication as part of their experiments and...
  29. snatchingthepi

    Programs Exploring Benefits of Biomedical Engineering PhD vs. Medical Physics PhD

    Hey all I'm finishing up my master's degree in medical physics this year, specifically working in PET-MR data analysis. I have a definite professional interest in medical imaging, and am planning on pursuing this. I have an interesting choice where I've been offered a position as a PhD student...
  30. fluidistic

    Physics Looking for a postdoc in a different field than my PhD, among other things

    Hello PF, I am about to defend my PhD in some area of Physics/Materials Science. I am also currently working at a company, but I want to resign after I defend my PhD thesis. I am offered a postdoc position and a salary raise if I stay in my current company but I feel I would mostly apply some...
  31. Gjmdp

    Would Math professors ace PhD qualifying exams?

    I have seen that most PhD Math students struggle a lot with these examinations. It is fair to assume that any PhD student is already very talented and commited to the field of maths, so I am wondering whether professors (including those who write the exam) could actually ace the exam (get a...
  32. binbagsss

    Changing PhD/ collab PhD with a different department

    I've started a phd in fluid dynamics. I always wanted one in general relativity or quantum field theory really, I got interviews for that (many really) but none where successful, I got into fluid dynamics straight away so after waiting around I thought I should crack on and maybe it's meant to...
  33. S

    Revising coursework during my PhD

    Hello I am an Integrated PhD Physics student ( Masters+PhD Program ). We have two years of course work then research. I could not study very well in my classical Mechanics course ( goldstein Level ) for some reason. Also, in my EM class the Professor used Griffiths as textbook which I had...
  34. Y

    Other PhD in Engineering - Logistical Questions

    I'm considering a PhD in Engineering and I have some logistical questions. My Background: By the time I'm done with my current program, I will have been at least a part time student every fall and spring semester for over 10.5 years. Despite the length of time, I still have the desire to learn...
  35. B

    Math Switching from science PhD to math BS?

    Hello, TL;DR: Could it be practical to leave a PhD in Earth science in order to earn a BS in math (starting at the upper division level) if I'm tired of having a spotty math foundation and want to be able to learn anything? I've been on a slow, wandering path towards a vaguely defined "career...
  36. Jamister

    Programs Searching for universities to do my PhD on foundations of quantum mechanics

    I want to do my Phd on foundations of quantum mechanics, but I don't find researchers in the U.S.A that work on that. Is there a good way to search other than to go to each university and go over the PI's? Thanks
  37. F

    Admissions Designing interviews for PhD studentships

    Faculty looking for tips of designing PhD studentship interviews. Can there be more than 1 interview for each candidate, which is more common a practice in industry? How to determine the timescale: when enough applicants in the market have reached out to us for us to start interviewing? How to...
  38. BiGyElLoWhAt

    B Searching for a Lost PhD Thesis on Black Holes

    The paper is reasonably old and was written as a phd thesis by (I believe) a man from china. It was basically the first paper on the subject and in it he effectively (from what I understand) dropped particles into a black hole, counting the information added, and saw that the black hole changed...
  39. F

    Admissions What should a PI look for in a physical sciences PhD candidate when hiring?

    What should a PI look for in a physical sciences PhD candidate when hiring? Among diligence, knowledge about the field and cleverness, willingness to follow their boss, complementary skillsets if they are from another discipline, what's your favorite? What else?
  40. snatchingthepi

    Programs PhD in Medical Physics vs Biomedical Engineering

    I have two paths I can take in my graduate studies. I'm currently an MSc student studying hybrid PET-MR systems in a medical physics program. My advisor is adjunct to the department of biomedical engineering, as well as the medical physics department. We were discussing doctoral work and it came...
  41. D

    Engineering Effects of dropping out of my PhD studies

    I'm a recently graduated MS in EE, I'm considering continuing onto a PhD. I'm wondering, what impact would starting a PhD and dropping out have on my career? Basically I'm considering giving it an honest shot for ~1 year and if I hate the experience leave. One year isn't a huge personal...
  42. J

    Other What in my PhD thesis is my intellectual property and what's the Uni's

    I am currently writing my thesis and basically the conclusion is, in part, a statement about how this work can be built upon. I received a post-doc that is almost a natural extension of my thesis. One of the reasons I accepted it was so I could work on some ideas that I have had that I never...
  43. E

    How to explain serious extenuating circumstances in PhD apps

    Hello! I am planning on applying to physics PhD programs in the fall. My first two years of undergrad I averaged Bs in my lower division classes. Last two years I got a majority of As and A-s in my upper division courses. Those first two years I had some extremely personal extenuating...
  44. dark photon

    PhD: UChicago vs UZH: Ranking Impact for Future Prospects

    I was about to start my PhD in physics at UZH (Universität Zürich, not to be confused with ETH Zürich, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) in April when the Coronavirus lock down trapped me in my country (not Switzerland nor USA) a few days before my plane was supposed to lift of. So now...
  45. S

    Moving from Computer Science to a PhD in Computational Astrophysics

    Hi I am planning to do phd in computational astrophysics or planetary science or scientific computing simulation (least preferred in case i am not allowed to the other two). Right now I have bachelors in computer science and planning to do masters in the same. My query is should i join...
  46. F

    From software development to physics PhD

    Hi there, Last June 2019 I graduated with a First class honors in Theoretical physics from one of the Top Unis in the UK. Then I started working for a company (of good prestige) as a software engineer full time. However, a few months in, I decided to apply for Masters and start a side project...
  47. P

    Other How to develop independence as a PhD student?

    Hello everyone! So, just out of curiosity, how does one learn to come up with their own questions to answer and come up with ideas for new experiment/science as a graduate student? I ask because in my experience, graduate students get assigned a project from their professor (which hopefully the...
  48. C

    Admissions What to do after PhD Physics application rejection?

    What to do after PhD Physics application rejection? ====================================================== Thanks for your response to my threads. My son will be graduating in May 2020 with Physics Major & astronomy minor from Maryland . My son applied for PhD program...
  49. J

    Studying PhD funding for non-EU students at Cambridge

    I heard that it is hard for non-EU students to apply for PhD fundings so self-funding is needed. Does anyone know how hard is it to get full funding for a non-EU student?
  50. P

    Programs What should my focus be during my PhD?

    Hello everyone! So I recently finalized attending UIUC for my PhD in Astronomy. Before beginning my undergraduate studies, after learning about what I needed to do in order to get into a successful PhD program, I made the following and laser focused on them: -Maintaining a 4.0 cumulative GPA...
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