Comparing UK and US PhD Programs in Physics and Mathematics

[Homotopic]

Cambridge has one of the best physics/mathematics departments in the world. Studying there would probably be a desire for anyone considering a PhD after a MSc or something equivalent. But once you are admitted, you need to find funding, which is even much harder than being accepted, (read on several sites).

Now I was looking into US universities. Harvard has a full funding programme for anyone who studies there and I expect the other league ones to offer same opportunities.

Theoretical physics with as much maths as possible - what would you recommend? Is there a big difference between UK leading unis like cambridge and e.g. Harvard? Are there reasons to choose for a US uni instead of cambridge (in the ultimate scenario you get an offer from both)?

 

[phyzguy]

Most US universities will offer funding if they accept you, at least in physics. I'm not sure about mathematics.

 

[dcpo]

I don't know how things are done exactly in Cambridge, but I believe there are some significant general differences between PhD programs in the UK and in the US. For a start PhDs in America take longer on average, and my impression is that they generally have a more significant formal learning component before independent research begins, though obviously independent learning is still required. In many ways the shorter duration of UK courses is a disadvantage for the student intending to continue in research, as a longer course allows the student to be more competitive upon qualification, in terms of knowledge and publication record. The 2010 EPSRC http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/SiteCollectionDocuments/Publications/reports/InternationalReviewOfMathematicalSciences.pdf on mathematics, for example, contains the disturbing, for me at least, statement "The most worrying factor in education and training is that, to a large extent, UK PhDs are not competitive for academic positions in today’s global market."