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PhD After Masters

Posted: Sun Oct 03, 2010 5:04 pm
by roshan2004
Can I directly join PhD in USA after completing Masters in Physics in my own country? How long does it normally take to finish my PhD?

Re: PhD After Masters

Posted: Sun Oct 03, 2010 5:07 pm
by pqortic
yes you can. it takes 4 to 6 years depending on your performance.

Re: PhD After Masters

Posted: Sun Oct 03, 2010 5:14 pm
by roshan2004
Thanks. What are the chances of scholarships? And lastly on what factor does getting scholarship depend upon? Does it depend upon GRE score, GPA or my Master's Thesis?

Re: PhD After Masters

Posted: Mon Oct 04, 2010 12:01 am
by pqortic
it depends on everything. it depends on all of the admission requirements that universities list in their websites. you may lurk around in this forum and read the "prospective students" part of the website of the universities to gain some insights on this process.

Re: PhD After Masters

Posted: Mon Oct 04, 2010 9:16 pm
by geshi
If you finish your masters before starting the PhD, the time to complete your PhD can be shorter. You can look up the statistics (don't care enough to find them myself), but the average length of a PhD in physics is 6 years. As pqor mentioned, you can do it in as little as 4 if you work really hard. However, if you already have your masters degree, some PhD programs will let you place out of some of the courses you have to take. For example, here at Ohio State, I know someone who came in with a masters. The department let him place out of all of the "core courses" (EM, QM, Classical, SM/Thermo) except EM (the prof refused to let him place out of it). So he's nearly done with all his course requirements in his first year. That means he can start focusing on research much earlier than those of us who still have to take ALL our courses. So if your department lets you place out of some courses early on, the average time to complete the PhD is probably lower. This is something that varies by department.

Re: PhD After Masters

Posted: Sat Oct 09, 2010 4:29 pm
by roshan2004
The main Problem for me is I have just finished my Bachelors in Physics which is of 3 Years and going to do my Masters in Physics which is of 2 Years. Does that hamper my prospect of doing PhD in US with scholarship as my Bachelors is of only 3 Years?

Re: PhD After Masters

Posted: Sat Oct 09, 2010 7:30 pm
by geshi
roshan2004 wrote:The main Problem for me is I have just finished my Bachelors in Physics which is of 3 Years and going to do my Masters in Physics which is of 2 Years. Does that hamper my prospect of doing PhD in US with scholarship as my Bachelors is of only 3 Years?
How long your degree took to complete is completely irrelevant when applying to PhD programs.