Anyone on here have their Phd? I am wanting to know the exp. in comparison to doing your MA. Workload etc. and I am wanting to know more about how you get the school/work to pay for it. Yes I don't really know much about it but i've wanted to always get mine and been entertaining the idea more and more due to the lack of jobs in my career and how the economy is right now.

Thanks so much!

3/26/2009 8:57:47 PM

What is you degree in and would it be really worth it to get a Phd in that field?

Just checked your profile....you gonna run from elected office? I dont really think you would need it for that.

[Edited on March 26, 2009 at 9:04 PM. Reason : w]

3/26/2009 9:03:49 PM

why would she run FROM elected office?

getting a PhD would be more of a liability than a positive if she were running for elected office, IMO

3/26/2009 10:10:36 PM

If you're getting a PhD, you should not be paying for it. In some fields, you may need to rely on savings or small school loans for discretionary spending, but in general if you're a good candidate for a terminal degree, schools should be willing to pay for you to be there either through a research assistantship or a teaching assistantship at the least. That's not true, obviously, for other professional degrees like MBA's, MD's, etc.

You should evaluate your future career goals when deciding whether a PhD is worth pursuing. In some fields it's a useless perk, and in some fields it can actually be limiting and keep you out of certain jobs. Without more information about your situation I can't really say, but do be careful in considering whether it's a good option and a good use of your time.

Before passing qualifying exams, expect class work to be on par with or slightly more advanced than a master's program. That said, grades in PhD programs are generally not as strict; you have to maintain a high GPA but A's and B's are usually awarded much more liberally. Some classes will be relatively little work, whereas others will have you busting your ass nonstop; some are very demanding intellectually and requiring a lot of struggling to understand the material, whereas others are simply a lot of time demands and busy work for group projects, papers, etc. Again, I can't comment more specifically without knowing your proposed field.

After quals, a PhD is really a different animal entirely, and it's the reason why completion rates for PhD's are somewhat low. Learning how to design, propose, execute and analyze a plan of original research is much much different than learning established material by doing contrived problems or writing about questions that already have answers. The crux of the PhD is learning how to perform research and manage research projects; the classwork just gives you the fundamental background knowledge needed to then create new knowledge of your own. You need a lot of drive for that, because there's only so much that an advisor or dissertation committee can do to drag you through the process; it takes much more initiative.

3/26/2009 10:14:15 PM

^ QFT

3/26/2009 10:54:30 PM

Quote :

"You should evaluate your future career goals when deciding whether a PhD is worth pursuing. "

I want to be a professor one day and ya you need a phd for that if you want to teach Int. Relations/Political Science at a university. I just wanted to do it later in life b.c I really want to retire one day and just teach even if its just part time.

3/26/2009 11:44:24 PM

Never get your PhD on your own dime. I hope that you like to write... a lot.

3/27/2009 12:21:11 AM

Also, you have to be somewhat intelligent. I don't think you considered that part, GoldenGirl. Maybe it's time to start thinking about becoming an Avon Lady.

3/27/2009 7:22:01 AM

take that shit to chit-chat. this is old school.... not really sure how goldengirl counts as "old school" though

3/27/2009 8:05:09 AM

Come here bitch, hold my Phd.

3/27/2009 11:42:16 AM

i have mine, though i don't have a masters (my program doesn't require them and generally doesn't grant them) -- as mentioned, graduate course work overall should generally be the same

in the sciences, funding is basically part of your acceptance so it's not really even an option to get your phd without getting it paid for -- i would encourage you to look into national or outside fellowships (i assume there are some for your field, though honestly i have no idea), this could give you some flexibility when selecting a program and with your work as you wouldn't necessarily be tied to a specific project, lab, or advisor due to funding (ideally this wouldn't be an issue but that's not always the case)

have you already started looking at programs/schools?

3/27/2009 12:34:11 PM

I went partially through the PhD process, and while I didn't survive it, I can hopefully give you some idea of what to expect. I'm also in the Elliott School right now, so I've seen what level of work they're throwing at their PhD students in the IA field. Grew up in a family of professors too (father, three uncles, one grandfather, and three cousins), so I have an idea of how the game is played.

You said you want to be a professor, so at least we know you've got the right motivations. Just be sure that you're interested in doing research as well. You have an MA already, so you've probably had a taste of what research is like in the IA field. Be sure you're ready to do that type of work for the rest of your life because a PhD can actually start closing doors for other jobs in your field.

Keep in mind that its going to be really hard to get into graduate school right now because plenty of other people in your situation are thinking the exact same thing. This will also have the double whammy of making funding a lot tighter. As mentioned above, you should really look into outside sources of fundings (grants, foundations, etc.). If you come with your own funding, it also tends to improve your chances for admission since honestly a department and future advisor doesn't have to pay for you. Also, funding in a liberal arts program is going to be much more difficult than getting funding in an engineering or scientific field, so keep this in mind.

The thing to remember is this: most respectable PhD programs are going to be a ton of work. On one had, professors will actually treat you well because you're their apprentices; unlike undergrads and even masters students, you're actually on track to potentially become one of their peers in their tiny academic world. Because of this, they're going to work you like a dog: PhD's are probably the most direct reflection upon not just their programs, but their advisors as well. That, and you're also cheap slave labor for them while they have you.

Think of the process as three steps:
1) Learning your specialty inside and out (coursework)
2) Testing to make sure you know said specialty inside and out (qualifiers)
3) Contributing new knowledge to your specialty (dissertation)

In terms of coursework, what I've seen professors usually do is require their PhD students to complete the same tasks as their masters students plus an additional research paper (usually the twenty page variety). They're going to grade you more aggressively because quite simply you're trying to become one of their peers, and as such, they'll hold you to a hire standard. My PhD program required an AB (3.5) or an A (4.0) for all core courses; a B (3.0) would require you to retake it while a C would be grounds to boot you (though a C is pretty much an F at this level).

Quals are going to be rough. It varies university to university, field to field, but typically what I've seen is this: you pick four professors from different fields, and each of them will write an extremely complex or extremely obscure set of questions based upon their specialty, something that requires you to be familiar with pretty much the entire spectrum of literature for that particular specialty. I know some professors that simply gave you a white board and started hurling questions at you. In essence, they're testing to make sure you're knowledgeable on all the significant research done in your specialty so that you're sufficiently grounded to start adding new ideas to the knowledge pool (dissertation).

I really like Shadowrunner's description of the dissertation step, so I'll defer to him here.

Remember that even after you survive this process and get your hood, you're going to be fighting for your life for years until you build a strong reputation and/or secure tenure. Publish or perish is literal in academia, and the competition tends to be much fiercer than in technical fields.

A few of pieces of advice:

Do your research and be VERY careful in picking an adviser: they can literally make or break your PhD effort. Some would say that its the single most important choice you'll make. A bad adviser could basically try and trap you as their own personal slave, holding you hostage through your dissertation. A lazy adviser can kill your PhD efforts because of their tardiness in checking the boxes. An unknown adviser will be unable to help you out much, both in terms of funding and later in finding a job. On the other hand, a supportive adviser can make your life exponentially better. A famous adviser with lots of active research will have plenty of $$$, and a rising star could indirectly lift your own degree's value as their reputation grows. A lot of people pick schools based on the advisor they want to work with (oh, and you should make sure that said professor plans to stick around for a while at their respective school and not disappear on sabbatical or retire while you're there).

Speaking of programs, be sure to aim high. For PhD's and especially in a field like IA, the school you come out of carries a lot more weight than for undergrad or even masters. I would strongly recommend talking with your old MA adviser and maybe your old BA adviser and get their thoughts on which programs would be good for your particular specialty as there are always a few surprises depending on your field of interest: what schools are established, what schools are rising, what programs are declining, etc.

Recommendation letters from professors who did their PhD at the program you're applying to carry disproportionate weight, especially if their adviser is still there, and the person recommending you is on good terms with the school.

As for the IA field in particular, the PhD will give you some advantages. You not only have universities to work for but a wide range of independent think tanks that are always looking for researchers as well. You should look into organizations like RAND (which most of the top professors in the IA field seem to float through at one point or another).

I'm not trying to discourage you by any means, but I want to be upfront about what you're going to go through if you take this challenge on, especially since you already have an MA. A lot of kids go straight into a PhD program from undergrad but drop out and salvage an MA out of their experience; for you, it's all or nothing.

3/27/2009 3:03:36 PM

If you're saying you want to be a professor some day down the road, also consider whether the PhD will be helpful now for the jobs you want to have now, or if it might be better to wait until you've had more work experience in the field and want to start making the transition to teaching to get the PhD. Having some years of good work experience is also a big plus to your application to PhD programs in policy-related fields.

I'm actually at RAND now and have previous experience in private consulting at McKinsey, so I can answer questions about think tanks or consulting firms if those are avenues you're considering.

As RedGuard said, the advisor aspect is quite crucial compared to that of a master's program (if your MA program even had an advisor system). Oftentimes, you should be evaluating programs to apply to based on potential advisors at that institution, and that's something you'll spend a lot of time on when visiting schools. Even if you don't accept an offer at a particular school, talking to potential advisors when visiting is a great way to start cultivating a network in the academic community; I still correspond with some professors at Columbia and Princeton that I spoke with when visiting, even though I ultimately didn't go there.

3/27/2009 3:25:19 PM

My wife was on a full fellowship and decided NOT to complete her PhD program and instead went for a Master's. Prelims were done after a year, and her thesis when completed was as long as most dissertations. Why the change? As others have said, it really depends on your career and personal life goals. Namely, she got what she wanted our of graduate school, and made the choice not to commit another four years and instead move on with her life.

Adding to the comment's on adviser's, this is absolutely true. Your life in graduate school can be great or miserable depending on your adviser. You really need to talk to their former students and some of their current ones to get a good understanding of their communication methods, work style (micromanaged or good luck and on your own or balanced), funding prospects (will you have funding for your project in years 3 and 4?), expectations of their students (60 hours a week or 40 ... are you allowed vacation), etc. Do NOT join under somebody who already has too many students or other projects ongoing. A Distinguished University professor who you must schedule an appointment with 2-3 weeks ahead of time ... would likely make a poor choice. A department head would likely make a poor choice.

And, I'll also add that PhD's usually limit the career choices, not expand them. You are getting a PhD for the wrong reasons if you are doing it primarily to expand career paths. You may want to consider a Master's or Professional degree in a different, complimentary field that suites your interests if you are looking to expand career choices.

3/29/2009 8:05:01 AM

Quote :

"And, I'll also add that PhD's usually limit the career choices, not expand them."

Agreed, I'm not sure where some people get this misconception that a PhD is like getting another masters degree. A PhD is no different from any other doctorate like a MD, DMD, DDS, JD, etc.: you only get said degree if you want to enter a very specific field. Why would you inflict years of poverty and suffering to get a MD if you had no intention of becoming a doctor or a researcher? Same can be said about a PhD: why get one if you're not going to be a professor or researcher?

To be fair though, GoldenGirl did say her ultimate ambition was to become a professor, so I believe she's on the right track. Out of curiosity, what particular aspect of IR were you interested in?

3/30/2009 10:15:11 AM

In the hard sciences a PhD can easily increase your career prospects over a terminal BS or MS. It depends on what subject you specialize in.

Quote :

"entertaining the idea more and more due to the lack of jobs in my career and how the economy is right now. "

The academic job market is really competitive. If you want to be a professor at a research I level school then you really need to be very dedicated to your subject, attend the best universities, and have a lot of flexibility in where you live. On the other hand, it isn't so hard to get adjunct positions but these positions tend to have poor job security, compensation, and benefits.

3/30/2009 9:00:14 PM

one of my best friends earned his PhD in Paleontology from NCSU yesterday... His adviser was Mary Schweitzer... the lady who was in the news for the soft dino tissue.

4/2/2009 10:27:18 PM