What is PhD? | FAQs and Untold Facts
What is PhD?
Doctor of Philosophy, or PhD, is a doctoral program designed for educational researchers who develop a thesis thereby offering a new contribution to their field. It is generally the highest level of academic degree you can earn which evolves you into an 'expert' in your area of study.
While pursuing a PhD, your goal must be to create new knowledge by working closely with a supervisor. At the end of your degree, you finally earn the title of "Doctor" that will stay with you for the rest of your life.
Mind-numbing Fact
Did you know that Michael W. Nicholson of Michigan has earned 30 degrees in his life? He is known for having the most degrees (and also PhDs) in the world.
Do you need a Master's to get a PhD?
No! you can progress directly to PhD straight after your bachelor's. You can skip master's and get admitted to the doctoral program if you meet the requirements.
Unfortunately, this is not the case in India where students pursue master's and then go for a PhD.
Another Mind-numbing Fact
You will be intrigued to learn about the youngest post-graduate girl of Asia, Naina Jaiswal. She completed her PhD at the age of 19 and had finished her bachelor's at the age of 13 itself!
How long does it take to get a PhD degree?
It can take 4 years to obtain a full-time PhD degree and for part-time PhD, it can take up to 7 years. This period alters depending upon your university, funding, and also your capabilities.
Interestingly, in the United Kingdom, PhD programs generally last for 3 years only!
Difference between PhD and Doctorate
PhD is a type of doctorate but there are other doctoral programs as well. Doctor of Philosophy is the most common among them. It is different from professional doctorate degrees. PhD focuses on original research, interpretation, and evaluation of data, and producing a thesis based on your findings.
Other doctoral degrees include DBA, EdD, Doctor of Science, Doctor of Judicial Science, and Doctorate by dissertation, among others.
Professional doctorate degrees are concentrated in vocational subjects like medicine, education, and engineering. It does not focus on research predominantly and it is more suitable for working professionals.
Also, it can take you 2-5 years to pursue a full-time professional doctorate degree and 3-8 years in case of part-time.
Stages of a Full-time PhD
You begin by performing an in-depth study of your research topic by critically examining the work that has already been published. This is how you will present a Literature Review after surveying relevant scholarly articles and resources.
Having acquired insights into your area of research, you will be able to identify questions that need to be answered and problems that are waiting to be solved.
Followed by that, you will apply inductive and deductive methods to meet your research objectives.
Based on your findings, a thesis has to be developed that will outline your analysis, interpretation of results, and possible solutions. You will have to submit a doctoral dissertation that will contain what you conclude from the results obtained.
The final stage is to convince the thesis committee of the validity and credibility of your work. At this point, the authorities will ask you tricky questions that will challenge your intellect and critical-thinking power in order to defend your thesis.
Spotlight
In the wake of COVID-19, many of the global universities turned to postponing dissertation defenses. However, the University of Texas at Dallas had its largest number of dissertations this semester with a record breaking count of 100.
UTD's dean stated that there had never been a semester in the university's history without at least one PhD student graduating. Therefore, postponing the final stage of becoming a doctoral graduate was never an option.
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