Quality of Phd in US or Germany

[MightyJoe]

Quality of Phd in US or Germany...

Hi folks...
I want to do phd in computer sc. but could not make up my mind to select the destination country whether US or Germany . In US the phd duration long compared to Germany, in Germany funding is also good but in us the University s' are really world renowned ..So anyone please let me know...I am waiting ..

 

[blerg]

A PhD in the US and Germany is very comparable in term of content. The reason the length of US grad school is typically longer is because undergrad in the US is generally less rigorous than in Europe. Thus, the beginning of US grad school is usually still taking core classes, while European grad students go straight into research.

 

[MightyJoe]

Thanks blerg...but what will you suggest as I hv finished my Masters in Comp Sc so which country will be better for phd as well as for post phd job prospect...

 

[blerg]

Tough to say definitively one way or the other.
US grad schools will certainly accept a student with a masters degree into their PhD program. If this is the way you choose, make sure they won't make to retake classes you have already taken.

I don't have much knowledge about job prospects for a CS PhD in the US or Germany. This would be something important to look it into. Your adviser would probably be able to help you with this.

If you can get into a top US school, it would be hard to reject an offer. I would apply to some US schools AND some German school, see what you get into, what kind of offers they give you, and then you will be able to make a better decision.

 

[MightyJoe]

thanks blerg...Yea I have decided like that way only..I must appreciate your advice...

 

[mal4mac]

Germany certainly has some world-renowned universities. So I recommend going to Germany, you seem to need to broaden your horizons...

 

[madkid]

hello. i am actually planning to study in germany as well (i am still an undergrad though and i would take maths or phy). if you want to know the german universities ranking, you can check www.che-ranking.de , it's a ranking published mainly for the universities in german speaking countries. if i remember correctly, universitaet karlsruhe has the best reputation in germany for computer science course.

 

[madkid]

oh i forgot to mention that the tuition fees are significantly cheaper there as compared to us universities. you may want to check eth zurich as well.

 

[0xDEADBEEF]

The thing about Germany...

Ok, studying in Germany is dirt cheap and you get quality education, BUT nobody will hold your hand. This has changed a bit with the bachelor master system, but basically you have to figure out by yourself what the requirements are, and what stuff into your head until the exams. Bureaucratic language, poorly announced deadlines that suddenly everyone but you seems to know about. Many Germans also get confused.
Much of the little things is communicated from older students to the younger ones like old exams, lab protocols and the likes, but quite a few foreigners don't bond fast enough with other students, and drop out for lack of guidance.

 

[MightyJoe]

I can tell you one think that Germany is the pioneer in the research field though they are very rigid..

 

[yoshware]

The thing about Germany...

Ok, studying in Germany is dirt cheap and you get quality education, BUT nobody will hold your hand. This has changed a bit with the bachelor master system, but basically you have to figure out by yourself what the requirements are, and what stuff into your head until the exams. Bureaucratic language, poorly announced deadlines that suddenly everyone but you seems to know about. Many Germans also get confused.
Much of the little things is communicated from older students to the younger ones like old exams, lab protocols and the likes, but quite a few foreigners don't bond fast enough with other students, and drop out for lack of guidance.

Having studied at a German University as well, i second that opinion.

 

[MightyJoe]

Hey yoshware I did not get "i second that opinion."? Please share your experience while studying at German Universitie..Your remarks about study in Germany is always welcome.

 

[yoshware]

Hey yoshware I did not get "i second that opinion."? Please share your experience while studying at German Universitie..Your remarks about study in Germany is always welcome.

Hi Joe,

with "i second that opinion" i meant that i have made similar experiences. The Physics education at German universities is excellent and it is very cheap to study there.
But in Germany a lot of responsibility burdens on each student. You have to find out about deadlines and cope with all the bureaucracy. In my experience mostly foreign students have trouble with that, as most of-campus offices hardly speak any foreign language.
So knowing German is a great advantage.

Well, i notice that i am just repeating what deadbeef said. I think he summarized it quite well.

 

[MightyJoe]

Hi ..
So just tell me if someone can't afford the US expenses as PHD are always funded but the fund is much less compare to the need and it is lengthy too compare to German PhD and if I learn German language so do you think then German is the best option for The computer Science PhD after US. Though I think the quality depend on the mentor,Topic you got,associates and your publications not the University or the country?

 

[Proggle]

It completely depends on what you want to do afterwards. If you want to go into academia in the U.S., then your best bet is to do your PhD there, as the contacts you develop during grad school will become very useful later. The opposite is probably true if you're aiming for academia in Europe. For industry, it's probably not as important.

However, keep in mind that the extra time spent in American PhD programs is not arbitrary; it gives you more of an opportunity to publish papers, attend conferences and collaborate with people you may want to work with in the future. Although PhD programs in the U.S. can be longer, you may be in a better position to get recruited as a postdoc by a top lab if you use that time wisely.

I would also check the funding situation in both countries carefully, especially when it comes to international students.

 

[MightyJoe]

Hi Proggle,
Thanks. Please check the current funding situation.Do you think the scope of good publication is very limited in Germany? or the time is very short so I won't get any time to attend the conferences or publish good papers...

 

[MightyJoe]

Hi Angels ,
Can anybody tell me that in US all PhD's either in Public or private Universities are paid? Means the candidate has to bear the fees though the funds are available but it depends on the availability of scholarships and the candidate can also apply for the external scholarships. In this recession time is it possible to get 100% scholarship in the US based Universities whether Public or private? Please me in this topics...any angels..

 

[Bourbaki1123]

It is typically easier for U.S. natives to get into U.S. phd programs due to the large influx of foreign graduate students in the past (U.S. universities want to teach at least some U.S. natives). In the U.S. phd programs are typically given with a scholarship and stipend (they pay to to come and teach calculus courses while you do research and complete the course curriculum; if you are really good you might just get paid to do research).

I don't know how it is in Germany or Switzerland (I know Zurich is a good school). I would expect that if you can speak German fluently you will have both options pretty open for you. The one thing to consider is that it can be very hard to gain citizenship in either of those countries, so an academic position after getting your phd will not be without complications. As was mentioned before, if you are a U.S. citizen going to a U.S. phd program will be less competitive and it will be easier for you to secure an academic position. If you are not a U.S. citizen nor a German citizen, I would think that the easiest path to academia would be through the U.S. as citizenship is easier to obtain here. If you are a German citizen, you probably would benefit from staying in Germany for your Phd(due to the increased competition for international students).