4 ms·
Sorry but you cannot compare quality over time, even for a big name school. PhD students will have to work to earn the degree, no matter what.
by raister 8y ago
Sorry but you cannot compare quality over time, even for a big name school. PhD students will have to work to earn the degree, no matter what.
- chrisseaton 8y agoI think it's simply a fact that the UK will be faster than the US. A UK PhD or DPhil must be done within four years if funded by the research council (the usual method for funding) and most are done in around three. Finishing a US PhD in four years would be pretty extraordinary.
- BeetleB 8y ago>PhD students will have to work to earn the degree, no matter what. And they will have to work more in the US for the same degree. It's just a reality. When I was in grad school, many advisors simply assumed an average of 5 years for a PhD (regardless of whether they had an MS degree). If a particular student was quite a bit more productive than the average, they would let them graduate in 3 years (after MS). Otherwise, it would be 5. 7 if they felt the candidate was slow in producing results. In engineering, I've literally seen students do projects beyond their main thesis because the advisor felt they hadn't done enough and needed to stay longer. They did add the extra work to their thesis, but it had nothing to do with their thesis topic! I don't know the current state in the UK, but when I was in grad school, someone I know in the UK said it was straightforward there. They give you 3 years of funding after MS, and no more. Period. You are expected to finish in those 3 years. If you don't, you lose access to facilities unless you pay out of pocket. The typical student in the UK simply cannot afford to pay, so the system shifts towards being done in 3 years. (They also don't take as many courses as they do in the US - perhaps no course is even required - it's pure research).