If I have to recommend one country to my students for pursuing a Ph.D. degree, it would be the US. Why so? Let’s discuss the positives first:
1) The more the merrier
Well, to begin with, the sheer number of Universities offering the degree is unmatched. Even small-sized schools are well equipped and competent enough to provide their students with the required infrastructure. Hi-tech labs, well-trained faculty, and meticulous quality control ensure that each doctoral student acquires the best experience. This also enhances the overall acceptance rates and increases the chances of students of all kinds to be accepted into Ph.D. programs.
2) Money matters
This brings us to the next important aspect- funding. Each of the Universities and most of the programs offering the degree are well funded, either by the Government or by private sources. While it is true that students and their advisors still need to apply for funding by means of submitting proposals, they get adequately rewarded upon providing a proper explanation of their agenda. At the end of the day, most students still can get full tuition waivers, and on top of that, they are paid for studying, either through teaching or research assistantships. Moreover, they do not need to worry about the constant flow of lab supplies and equipment since they are given the basic support from the university and if they can attain that additional funding by means of the proposals being accepted by big organizations like NIH, NASA, or NSF, the research could only get more exciting.
3) Publish or perish
US universities place a great deal of emphasis on publications. A Ph.D. candidate must have atleast 1 first-authored publication before they can graduate. In fact, most have 2-3 of their own volition. The drive to publish also comes from the supervisors who need to constantly keep publishing their research to stay afloat. Otherwise, even tenure track professors can lose their tenured status. As a result, they keep their graduate students on their toes when it comes to publications. This chain reaction is ultimately beneficial for the Ph.D. students since, by the time they graduate, they end up having several publications as first authors in international peer-reviewed journals.
4) Choice is yours
Ph.D. programs in the US include a year’s coursework at least followed by lab rotations before a student can decide on the exact lab and thereby the exact dissertation topic. This gives enough freedom for the student to choose from a wide variety of research topics and in the process, they can identify the topic that they are most passionate about. This in turn leads to quality research and student satisfaction. In fact, in the initial stages, the student can even make further modifications to a chosen topic.
5) United we stand
The above is possible due to a highly collaborative research environment. This fosters a feeling of camaraderie among students and hence the research community becomes close-knit, facilitating each other’s efforts instead of pulling each other down. This in turn enhances research quality. This is evident from the culture of interdisciplinary research that is commonly observed in US Universities.
Of course, there are flipsides too. For example:
1) How many years……
Well yes, when you start off with an exploratory approach and rotate through so many labs before deciding on one, you pay a slight price by taking longer to finish off the degree in comparison to other countries. So while a Ph.D. in many other countries takes an average of 3 years to complete, in the US it generally takes 5-6 years. If you don’t mind investing these many years in exchange for a rewarding experience, then this is hardly a concern.
2) No other jobs, please
Since most of the Ph.D. offers are fully funded, they do not allow the student to take up any other employment. So if you are thrifty, you possibly will not have any issues supporting yourself with the stipend offerings but if you are looking to make the big bucks, this program is not for you. In fact, academic research is not what you are looking at.
If we compare the above to some of the highlights of the other countries, we can understand the difference and choose accordingly:
A) Canada-
it has the Ph.D. program structure that is closest to that of US with all else remaining the same except for acceptance rates. Owing to the much lesser number of Universities offering the degree, and the lesser intake capacity of each, the number of students who could gain entry overall is lesser by many folds.
B) UK-
Acceptance is not the issue here. In fact, you can complete the degree within 3 years. The main issue lies with funding since in most cases you need to fund yourself for most of the process. It is quite rare that students are accepted with full funding.
C) Europe-
Here we do find some of the finest Institutes but they are far and fewer, with limited funding. As a result, only highly meritorious, accomplished, and experienced students find acceptance with full or partial funding. Usually, they look for excellent academic grades, extensive research experience as well as publications while evaluating applicants.
D) Australia-
Acceptance into programs is not very difficult, but it’s not easy either. Even when students are accepted into a Ph.D. program, they receive funding provided they have atleast 1 publication in a peer-reviewed journal while applying for admission. Moreover, they should mandatorily have identified a potential supervisor before applying since the excerpts from such correspondence need to be uploaded to the portal. Networking and connecting is an integral part of pre-applications for other countries as well, but for Australia, the requirement is much more stringent and formal. Otherwise, once accepted, some of the Universities do conduct world-class research.
With the exception of the US and Canada, all the other countries need you to have a clear idea of your research topic since you need to finish your degree within a stipulated time period. As a result, you need to submit a well-articulated research proposal at the time of application. Since the US and Canada allow for a great amount of flexibility and more time for degree completion, you will be deciding on your research topic mostly when you are into the 3rd year of your studies.
Please do note that in all cases, performing well in English proficiency tests like TOEFL or IELTS is very crucial in determining the chances of a scholarship. This would lead us to our next topic of discussion- what’s important to find acceptance into a PPh.D.hD program. This would be continued into the next blog.
In a nutshell, if you are in an advanced stage in your research plans, having considerable research experience and publications in peer-reviewed journals, and funding is not a big concern for you, UK, Europe, and Australia can be some potential options for you to obtain a PhD. If on the other hand, you are fresh out of college, having some research experience, maybe a publication or two (not mandatory), and have a wish to explore the research arena to some extent with assured funding, the US or Canada are your destinations. Just that for Canada, you need a highly competitive profile to make your way into the Ph.D. program amidst the steep competition. For more insights and thorough guidance, please feel free to contact us. Our advisors, having themselves obtained Ph.D. degrees abroad, will provide you with accurate and personalized guidance.
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