Do you get paid for doing a PhD in physics?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the financial aspects of pursuing a PhD in physics, specifically in cosmology, including funding sources, costs, and the roles of PhD students within academic research environments.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants mention that PhD programs in the sciences, including physics, typically provide funding, with one participant citing a figure of £16,000 per year.
  • Others express concern about potential costs associated with PhD programs, with one participant noting a figure of around £3000 per year.
  • A participant questions the rationale behind university funding for PhD students, seeking to understand the benefits to the universities and the sources of funding.
  • It is noted that in the US, PhD students often work as teaching assistants or research assistants, with salaries coming from departmental budgets or research grants.
  • Another participant explains that government funding for education is based on the expectation of long-term returns through technological advancements and a skilled workforce.
  • One participant highlights the critical role of PhD students in experimental physics, suggesting they perform much of the hands-on work in labs, often at a lower cost than senior researchers.
  • A humorous analogy is made comparing PhD students to "regular" employees in a company, while another participant suggests "serfs" might be a more fitting term.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the financial aspects of PhD programs, with some asserting that funding is common while others raise concerns about potential costs. The discussion does not reach a consensus on these points.

Contextual Notes

There are unresolved questions regarding the specific funding mechanisms and the variability of costs associated with different PhD programs. The discussion reflects a range of experiences and perspectives on the financial implications of pursuing a PhD in physics.

Bradley Tafe
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I'm wondering weather it would be a good idea for me do do a PhD in Cosmology after my masters degree I plan to do in Physics. Although one of my friends said there may be a cost of around £3000 per year to do this. However, another friend said PhD's are funded and pay £16,000 per year. Which one is right?
 
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Bradley Tafe said:
I'm wondering weather it would be a good idea for me do do a PhD in Cosmology after my masters degree I plan to do in Physics. Although one of my friends said there may be a cost of around £3000 per year to do this. However, another friend said PhD's are funded and pay £16,000 per year. Which one is right?

Most places will pay you while studying towards the PhD. I would avoid any school where you need to cough up some cash to get a degree in science. In the humanities in the US, it is more common for people to get the PhD. This is a problem right now. You have people with huge debt from getting degrees in humanities or arts or social sciences with very poor job prospects in academia.
 
Thank you. Also, I'm curious to know why the Universities fund you. What do they get out of funding you and where do they get the money from?
 
In the US, you work as either a teaching assistant (introductory labs or recitations), or as a research assistant for your Ph.D. supervisor or his research group. Usually you start out as a teaching assistant while you're doing your own coursework, then when you line up a supervisor and start your research, you switch to being a research assistant.

Teaching assistant salaries generally come from the departmental budget; research assistant salaries come from the professor's or group's research grant.
 
Bradley Tafe said:
Thank you. Also, I'm curious to know why the Universities fund you. What do they get out of funding you and where do they get the money from?
The government pays for the education, either directly or indirectly. Post WWII, governments bet that investment in research would return rewards that outweighed the costs. The returns would come in the way of technology that would help industry be competitive as well as a scientific workforce that would continue to produce new knowledge/technology. For the graduate student, the government is betting that long-term, an investment in your education will be worth it to them in the long-run, in the discoveries that you make and the taxes that you pay, as a reasonably well-paid stem worker.
 
Thank you jtbell and quantum defect. I understand now.
 
Also, at least in experimental physics much (in some cases most) of the "hands on work" in the lab is done by PhD students (often with the help of one or more post-docs) which is why having PhD students is crucial to get any work done. They are also much cheaper than senior researchers.
If you think of an experimental physics group as a small company (which it is to some extent) the PhD students would be the "regular" employees, the post-docs would be the foremen and the senior researchers would be the senior engineers who leads and supervises the work; this goes all the way up to the professor who is the head of the group who would be the CEO (if he/she is the head of a big group they hardly ever do any actual work in the lab).
 
f95toli said:
the PhD students would be the "regular" employees

I think some people would say that "serfs" is a better analogy. :biggrin:
 

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