Can I apply to a US PhD program with an UK Bachelor degree?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the acceptance of UK bachelor's degrees for PhD programs in top US universities, particularly in the field of physics. Participants explore the requirements for international applicants and compare the educational structures of UK and US degrees.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants note that a UK bachelor's degree, particularly a first-class degree from institutions like the University of Cambridge, is often the minimum requirement for PhD applications in the UK.
  • One participant expresses uncertainty about whether a UK bachelor's degree is accepted by top US universities for PhD programs, highlighting the lack of clear information on international requirements from their searches.
  • Another participant suggests that UK physics bachelor's degrees may contain comparable physics content to US degrees, despite the shorter duration, which typically lacks additional general education courses required in the US.
  • There is a repeated emphasis on the difficulty in finding specific admissions information for international students from top US universities, with some participants questioning the clarity of the information available online.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the acceptance of UK bachelor's degrees for US PhD programs. There are competing views regarding the equivalency of the degrees and the clarity of admissions requirements for international students.

Contextual Notes

Participants express limitations in the available information regarding specific requirements for international applicants, particularly from UK institutions, and the potential differences in degree content and structure between UK and US educational systems.

Gjmdp
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In many british universities, like the University of Cambridge, the UK bachelor (1st class), with a duration of 3 years, is the minimum accepted requirement to apply for a PhD. This is, some PhD students only hold a UK bachelor, without a Master's degree. I was wondering if a british bachelor degree is also accepted for PhD programs in top US universities (of course, without a Masters degree), since the bachelor has a duration of just 3 yeears.
 
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I typed "requirements for physics graduate admissions" into Google and looked at the first five schools that came up. All five answered your question.
 
Vanadium 50 said:
I typed "requirements for physics graduate admissions" into Google and looked at the first five schools that came up. All five answered your question.
So... can you tell me the answer? 🤔 I did the same and all the results were british universities. I have searched Stanford, MIT and Harvard university, and it wasn't stated what the requirements were for international (british students), only the requirements for US students... So, no, they don't answer my question.
 
Gjmdp said:
In many british universities, like the University of Cambridge, the UK bachelor (1st class), with a duration of 3 years, is the minimum accepted requirement to apply for a PhD. This is, some PhD students only hold a UK bachelor, without a Master's degree. I was wondering if a british bachelor degree is also accepted for PhD programs in top US universities (of course, without a Masters degree), since the bachelor has a duration of just 3 yeears.

Yes, those are typically accepted as being similar to the US's B.Sc degree.

Zz.
 
I suspect that a typical UK physics bachelors degree has at least as much physics content as an American one, despite the difference in length. American bachelors degrees usually include in addition, a number of required “general education” courses outside the major field.
 

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