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Part of the reason it typically takes 5-6 years to complete a PhD (in computer science at least) is because it takes a long time to learn the methods, the skill

Part of the reason it typically takes 5-6 years to complete a PhD (in computer science at least) is because it takes a long time to learn the methods, the skills, and the large body of past work, as well as just becoming a member of the research community (via attending workshops and conferences, publishing paper, and reviewing). It's possible to complete a PhD in 2-3 years, but this also typically leaves no room for exploration or any kinds of errors. At CMU, the only examples I know of were people who were on leave from the military and had a hard stop after 3 years to return.

dr_dshiv 7y ago
Also CMU alum. Why anyone would WANT to rush a PhD, I don't know. I had to finish faster than my peers because I started a business half way through -- and I was either going to complete in 6 months or never. So I finished up in a hurry. I am a tenure track professor & CEO -- which works so long as you don't care about anything at all. But that's separate. My point is, and I'm four beers in, is that my head of data science is so good, he has been mentored by me for years (fwiw), and he has published a lot -- I feel he is the perfect candidate for completing a PhD asap. I think he needs two years for acculturation. In that paradigm, smart folk in industry could publish papers and then take 2 years to get a doctorate --- and I think the world would be better for it.