PhD studies vary a lot depending on (1) the type of CS you're doing and (2) the part of the world you're in. Depending on these factors, a PhD can mean complete

PhD studies vary a lot depending on (1) the type of CS you're doing and (2) the part of the world you're in. Depending on these factors, a PhD can mean completely different things. (1). Theory CS is very different from more applied topics. If you're planning to do theory, in my opinion, the main criterion should be whether you enjoy (and are good at) deep CS theory, something much closer to discrete mathematics than software. Can you enjoy it, for a long time, even if there is no practical application in sight? In this case you will indeed optimize for paper publication (although as you get more and more theoretical, the quality of your papers will matter more than quantity, and people will publish less generally, with fewer authors per paper, so you may even get judged by people who actually read your papers). Also, transitions to industry are generally easy, but your PhD will often be less valuable than the 4-7 years you spent on it. On the plus side, I feel that theory research depends more on your own abilities and a bit less on external factors (well connected advisor, strong research group, access to resources, luck getting the right coauthors). If you have a specific branch of CS in mind, it's a good idea to check the match between that field and the school you apply to. All rankings are bad but http://csrankings.org/ http://csrankings.org/ can actually give you a decent first idea of what people in your school do. (2). PhD studies mean very different things in different parts of the world. For example, in Europe, there are often few or no course, no exams (research only), tuition is generally negligible, and stipend vary hugely ($0.5k to $2.3k/mo net). In North America, tuition can be a big issue, you often take classes, and at top schools exams will be very much a fearsome filter. An American PhD's value varies accordingly. The best thing would be to talk to some students in the programme before enrolling, to get a better idea.