Can you do a PhD in Physics and get a job at the same time?

[Karimspencer]

I want to get a PhD in Physics but I need a job at the same time.

Does the universities pay you when you are doing your PhD?

And what about a Masters Degree? I want to do a Masters in physics and an MBA, can you get a job at the same time?

 

[Nabeshin]

I want to get a PhD in Physics but I need a job at the same time.

Does the universities pay you when you are doing your PhD?

Yes, graduate students are given a stipend anywhere between 15-35k/yr, along with a full tuition waiver.

And what about a Masters Degree? I want to do a Masters in physics and an MBA, can you get a job at the same time?

Funding is harder to come by for masters students, especially since almost nobody gets a masters in physics (except for those who leave their PhD programs early).

 

[marcusl]

If you get a full time job, some employers will pay for your PhD if it relates to your work. It's hard to work and get the degree but I know many who have done it.

 

[Karimspencer]

Funding is harder to come by for masters students, especially since almost nobody gets a masters in physics (except for those who leave their PhD programs early).

Well I want to get a Masters first and then a PhD

 

[jtbell]

Well I want to get a Masters first and then a PhD

In the US, most physics masters-degree programs are "terminal" degrees that are do not lead into a PhD program. My impression is that they are usually specialized programs for industry-related fields, or certification programs for high-school teachers, who can usually get a bigger salary if they have a masters degree and not just a bachelor's.

People who want to get a PhD in physics enter a PhD program immediately after the bachelor's degree, and spend a year or two doing coursework before doing research full time towards their dissertations. Along the way, usually after they have completed a certain number of hours of coursework, they can file the appropriate paperwork and get a masters degree. I did this. Some of my friends in grad school didn't bother with it.

This is different than in most other countries, and often causes confusion on this forum.

 

[Karimspencer]

Thanks , I get it now.

 

[Karimspencer]

I have one question jtbell: Where did you get your PhD and what university are you a professor in?

 

[Ryuujin Jakka]

In the US, most physics masters-degree programs are "terminal" degrees that are do not lead into a PhD program. My impression is that they are usually specialized programs for industry-related fields, or certification programs for high-school teachers, who can usually get a bigger salary if they have a masters degree and not just a bachelor's.

People who want to get a PhD in physics enter a PhD program immediately after the bachelor's degree, and spend a year or two doing coursework before doing research full time towards their dissertations. Along the way, usually after they have completed a certain number of hours of coursework, they can file the appropriate paperwork and get a masters degree. I did this. Some of my friends in grad school didn't bother with it.

This is different than in most other countries, and often causes confusion on this forum.

This is very good information. I would not have wasted my time getting my master's if it had not been for the excellent research group I was fathered into. My professor and I saw eye to eye on many theoretical inquiries, and thought that we would work well together in research. So I was very lucky; the information you mentioned above was never disseminated to me, which is a shame. I, however, and applying for the doctoral program at UC Berkeley in the hopes of working under the tutelage of Alexei Filippenko (which again, would require some luck ha!). I did not want to necro this thread, but thank you.