Phd Definition and 1000 Threads

Hi, I am an italian physics student. I know that this is a recurrent topic but I want some specific advice. This year I am completing my third year of university to get my bachelor degree. Then I have to get my master. In these three years I got a lot of very good-top grade, and 2 average-bad...

I have recently started a Physics PhD program. The first two years are mostly coursework, and the requirements are somewhat flexible. Once you pass all your courses, you pretty much automatically get a Physics masters. But, if I choose my courses wisely, I could probably end up with an EE MS on...

I'm planning to start grad school for astrophysics next year, but am kind of put off by reading about the lack of jobs in science after graduation. It looks like data science is the current hot field to go into, even for PhDs in other fields. Would it make sense to start a PhD program fully...

Hello, my wife and myself both just graduated with Masters degrees from a relatively low-ranked PhD program and we are looking to apply to a PhD program with better opportunities. Both of us have been here for about 5 years and we would, if at all possible, like to be accepted to the same...

What is Stephen Hawking's PhD thesis? Why did he disprove it? And what did he replace it with?

As a fresh pure math phd student, I aim to become a mathematical physicist, and currently I try to schedule out what I should do step by step in this four years on phd program. But in my university, there is no professor in this field could help me as my advisor. So I wish to get some advice...

I obtained my M. Sc. in mathematics from a decent European university about a year ago (when I was 27 Due to various reasons of personal nature I didn't really commit to my studies, my marks were the equivalent of a 3.0 GPA, or something like that, and it took me quite a while to finish. I...

I was wondering, as someone who is good at math and is pursuing a dual-major in both electric-engineering and computer science, how hard would it be to get a phd in physics? Engineering requires a lot of physics, so I was wondering how easy would it transition from engineering right into pure...

Now a days coursera and edx courses are becoming popular. I too did few courses. I am just curious how much the Universities consider these courses as supplements with college regular degrees for admission for Ph.D or getting into Postdoc.

Hi guys :) I am in the uk and will be going to university to study physics and the aim is to go on to do a phd in fundamental theoretical physics either in the uk or in the usa However I am getting confused on what is better to study at undergrad between maths and physics as a lot of the phds...

This is a very rough draft of my statement of purpose. The plan is to use this as a base and customize it for different programs to include why those specific programs will help me achieve my purpose. The conclusion is missing because that will be specific to each program I'm applying to. All...

Just wondering if it is possible.Thanks

I am applying for a PhD program in statistics and I want a full assistantship. Should I check the box to apply for additional financial aid or will that affect an assistantship chance? Thanks.

Could you please list and elaborate as much as you can on schools that are heavy on the theoretical side of statistics? Thank you as I have to have my applications in by December-January for grad school (I plan to enter a PhD program and would like guaranteed funding).

Hi I am Ali, Liaquat. i am doing my PhD at University of Melbourne at Department of Electrical and electronics Engineering, my majors is optics and photonics. I am currently working in optical fiber communication.

I recently graduated with a dual BS/MS degree that my school offers. I am considering going to grad school for a PhD in the future, and I am considering applying sometime this fall after taking the GRE/PGRE and getting recommendation letters set up. My question is that if I am looking to get a...

Hey! So I graduated with a BS in Biochemistry and I was originally considering medical school but after studying the horrible mcat for 3 years, I decided I had enough of that. Furthermore, I really lost interest in any aspect of patient work. However what has always interested me since I was a...

Hi All, I'm very close to having to start thinking about what and where my PhD will involve. I'm interested in Theoretical Condensed Matter, (possibly topological superconductors/insulators ) and was just wondering if anyone knows from experience which universities have very active research...

I'm planning to apply for PhD programs for Fall 2016, and I would like to get in contact with physics professor in the universities I'm applying to. I'm applying to 16 PhD programs and after doing research I came up with a list of 64 professors in total out of the 16 schools whose research...

I have been engaged in some laboratory projects during my master study. But only one of them which has been written as a paper, it has been accepted but not yet published. Now I want to write a CV for my PhD application, and wondering what I should write in the research experience section. Will...

Hello everyone, Head of our Physics department has asked me to teach a programming course for a few of their PhD candidates (mostly theoretical) who unfortunately are very bad in programming. He has shortage in his department and he wants someone from CS to do the job. I looked around and it...

I will be starting a PhD next month. I know there are other things I need to worry about (actually getting through the next 5 years for one), but I would feel a bit more at ease if I discussed this before hand. First off, I'm pursing the degree because I love math and hope to be a professor...

I'd like some of your honest opinions about the outlook of employability in physics after getting a physics Ph.D. Would you advise someone who is a double major in electrical engineering and physics to go after a Ph.D in physics; assuming they want to end up working in physics, academia...

Hi all, I am a mechanical engineer 26 yrs old from India. I am thinking to go for a PhD (in US, maybe) but there seems to be a problem! By the time I get started with it I will be 27yrs. And on top of that I will have to be away from my parents for ~6yrs. My parents would do well without me...

Hello, I have just graduated from university with a decent (but not outstanding) result: 2:1, not far off of a first, with good references. I did my final year project on accelerator physics and I am currently working at the same university over the summer doing similar work on an accelerator...

I am currently studying in msc applied physics ..now from here I want to make my career as j.r.f or r.a. in institute like d.r.d.o , prl ahmedabad. If I clear the exam like ugc net jrf then does it mean that I am equally eligible for certain post as compared to pure physics students in real life...

Well to start, I am graduating next spring and I plan on attending graduate school immediately after for some concentration in atmospheric physics. I am slightly unknowing of how the whole 'money' situation works in graduate school. For example you get accepted into a grad program as a PhD...

I live in the UK and I am an undergraduate at the moment, due to graduate in 2017 with a BSc in Theoretical and Computational Physics. I have the option at the end of the next academic year to do an extra year as an undergraduate and come out with an MSci/MPhys (instead of the BSc) . I am...

I'll give you my questions first, so you don't have to read the rest of the mess if you don't feel like it. are (non-thesis) master's programs typically less picky than a PhD program? are master's programs typically a good place where I could bolster my GPA with some mathematics courses that I...

(Title should read "for" PhD Physicists... I can't type today) From Science Daily: The one graint of salt to take this report with is the fact that 10-15 years before 2011, was well into the dotcom boom, where physics PhDs were aggressively recruited for their number crunching skills. It...

Hi all, I've asked for a lot of academic guidance before, so thanks for all the advice up to this point and going forward. Here's the background: I'll be graduating this coming May with a double major in mathematics and computer science. My true passion tends to lie with engineering and...

Hi guys, Its my first post here, Basically I am Graduate in physics with degree Title "Physics with Telecommunication" , After that I have done Masters in "Networks & Telecommunication". Now i want to get Enroll into PHD, but the problem is, which topic should be chosen. Kindly suggest it to me...

Hi everyone. I was just reading stuff about carreers like "data analyst" or "machine learning jobs", and I found out, by reading various sites, that machine learning people (especially those with CS or stat background) is, and will be, a good opportunity of working, there'll be much jobs in that...

Hey everyone, I just got my admission from the following programs: MSc Mathematical Physics --Edinburgh MSc Theoretical Physics -- Durham MSc Quantum Fields and Fundamental Forces -- IC I have a BSc in Mathematical Science, and I wish to continue a Phd study in particle physics and cosmology...

Hi guys, wassup? I am a physics undergraduate motivated to get into top graduate programs, namely MIT. It is not its name or prestige (only a small amount!) which attracts me to it, but the experience I desire, that is, to immerse myself to an environment, surrounded by other students of diverse...

I've known for some time now that research is my passion. However, choosing a particular field to obtain a PhD in is a daunting task. This thread will go over in some detail my strategy for entering a PhD program on my terms, which as expected will be critiqued by this forum. 1. Background...

Generally is it as difficult to get into a PhD program in physics during the spring then it is during the fall? I'm asking because many of the schools I'm applying to say that most students are admitted during the fall but they give you the option to apply for the spring as well.

So here is the gist. I just completed my 3rd year of a 4 year Phys and Astro Masters at the University of Exeter, and for the second year in a row, me and all my course mates were passed over for internships because we lack experience (which we can't get because no one will pick us for...

Hi all again. I had received very good advice from my previous posts on PhysicsForum. Those advices certainly have helped me to navigate through all the confusions I have for my future career path. So I really appreciate the help from all of you. As I become more informed, I have more specific...

Hi all I'm a software developer who has been provisionally accepted onto a doctorate programme. I've always been a lover of physics and astronomy in particular. In short I'm someone with no formal education in Physics, but would love to work my layman's interest into my PhD. I've considered...

SPOILER: This will be a somewhat depressing rant. I like math (or, I THOUGHT I did), but have been feeling incredibly lazy and powerless recently. I'm currently a freshman undergrad, and I just failed Calc III. I've been barely scraping by recently, having gotten a 40 on the first midterm and a...

Hello there, I am Me. I am about to finish my PhD in Physics. I always wanted to join this Forum but never arrived to the point to click on the "Sign up" link! :-) I could answer many of my questions by referring to this forum. however, now, I feel like contributing to the discussions.

What advice would you give to students who aspire to study physics at the PhD level? Do you think there is an oversupply of PhDs? Do you feel a conflict between pursuing what you like and being realistic (about getting a job)?

The way that my undergraduate career went, I had the opportunity to finish a MS at the same time as my BS within 4 years and now believe I will now have an opportunity to continue my MS to a PhD. I've heard that this typically isn't very good for employment opportunities, but would this be the...

Hi everyone, I'm currently researching graduate schools in mathematics. I would like to go for a PhD. My question is, do I apply directly to the PhD program? Or do I apply to the Master's program and apply for the PhD afterwards? What do people normally do?

Hello physicists,so i am debasish continuing my 5 year integrated MSc in applied physics from cet,bbsr,india and very much interested to pursue my doctorate from Harvard university,some of my seniors are advising me must to complete my MS degree before i join to Harvard university through gre...

Hello, I'm new to the Physics Forums website. I am in my 5th (and last) year of undergraduate Electrical Engineering, and am planning on applying for a PhD in some computational field. I'm not sure, however, what specific field I want to go into, and I was hoping someone could give me some...

Hi all again, I started a post earlier and it was buried somewhere by now. I really need more input and information and hope you all can help. How are admission process different, CM vs MS&E? CM belongs to Physics department while MS&E is usually on the engineering side. I got my Physics...

Hello everyone, I am a 4th year graduate student in nuclear engineering at a top university. I am about a year out from graduation and am beginning to think about what to do when I grow up. I have seen many friends (and read plenty of threads) about PhD's not being able to find a job after...

I'm currently still in high school (no rush!) and am thinking about my future. Physics interests me, and I was wondering how far one would have to get on the step-ladder or titles to be qualified for a research or lab position as my job. I'd like to do what scientists did back then, but I'm not...