What is the Average Time to Obtain an Education Ph.D.?

What is the average time to obtain an education Ph.D.?

Unlike a doctorate degree in medicine, an education Ph.D. requires quite a lot more than 4 years of post-graduate formal study and four years of residency. A student typically follows the following phases in order to earn his or her Ph.D.:

Phase 1 – Course Study

This course study phase is completed after the student has earned his or her undergraduate degree. Depending on course load and the specific requirements of the course, it may take up to three or even four years to complete this first phase of earning a Ph.D. In most cases, it takes a minimum of 1 to 3 years of course study.

Phase 2 – Examination

After the course work has been completed, the student will undergo a series of examination that test the student’s breadth of knowledge, which is typically followed by an oral examination which tests the student’s depth of knowledge in the field of study the student is specializing in. The length of time required to complete this phase varies significantly from university to university.

Phase 3 – Dissertation

Phase 3 can take anywhere from 2 to 8 years to complete. The student must make an original contribution to human knowledge in the field of study in the form of a written dissertation ranging from 50 to 450 pages. Upon completion of the dissertation, the student must then ‘defend’ their dissertation in front of a panel of experts.

What You Can Do With an education Ph.D.

Traditionally referred to as the Doctor of Philosophy degree, Ph.D. is the highest degree awarded by universities for most fields of study. In order to fully understand what you can do with a Ph.D., or rather what a Ph.D. can do for you, it might be a good idea to first spell out what you can’t do with a Ph.D.

A Ph.D. won’t:

– Make you rich

If you’re only interested in a Ph.D. because it could potentially increase your earning potential, you’d be better off spending your time and money as an entrepreneur.

– Automatically make you well-respected

While there is a certain amount of prestige associated with having Ph.D. after your name, getting a Ph.D. simply isn’t worth the time, effort, or money if you’re only doing it to impress other people.

– Guarantee funding of research projects

If you’re working in the world of academia and think that a Ph.D. will help you get that all-important funding, think again. Having a track record of producing results will have a much bigger impact than a few letters and a piece of paper to hang on the wall. For more information on obtaining grant funding without spending years to get your Ph.D., visit the federal government’s grant web portal.

A Ph.D. Will:

– Allow you to follow your passion

A Ph.D. is the pinnacle of formal education but it isn’t the end of your learning. In fact, getting your Ph.D. will arm you with the skills and methodology to continue the field of study you’re passionate about – and possibly contribute to mankind’s understanding of it, as well.

– Provide you with the confidence, education, and skills necessary to make a real contribution

If getting your Ph.D. does enable you to get the job you’ve always dreamed about, that’s only because, in the process of earning your Ph.D., you gained the education, confidence, and skills to do the job right.

In the very least, for someone who already possesses a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in their chosen field, it generally takes a minimum of four to five years to earn a Ph.D. From freshman year in college to Ph.D., it could take a student anywhere from 8 to 12 years or more to earn a Ph.D., which is why it’s important to know why you want to pursue a Ph.D. before you enroll in a post-graduate program of study.