phd for beginners

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10 things you need to know before starting a PhD degree

So you want to do a PhD degree, huh? Here we've got everything you need to know about getting started.

So you want to do a PhD degree, huh? Are you sure about that? It’s not going to be an easy decision, so I’ve put together a list of 10 things you need to know before starting a PhD degree. Oh, and don’t panic!

I have recently graduated from the University of Manchester with a PhD in Plant Sciences after four difficult, but enjoyable, years. During those four years, I often felt slightly lost – and there was more than one occasion on which I didn’t even want to imagine writing up my thesis in fear of delving into fits of panic.

On reflection, I realise that – to quote a colleague – commencing my PhD was like “jumping in the deep end with your eyes closed.” If only I’d known to take a deep breath.

1. Are you sure you want to do a PhD degree?

Let’s be under no false impressions, completing a PhD isn’t easy. There will be times when you feel like Wile E Coyote chasing after the Roadrunner – a little bit out of your depth a lot of the time. It’s four years of your life, so make sure it is what you really want to do.

If you want to pursue a career in science, a PhD isn’t always necessary.

It is possible to make great inroads into industry without a doctoral degree. That said, a PhD can also be a very useful qualification with many transferable skills to add to your CV.

By the time you’ll have finished, you can include essentials such as time management, organisational skills, prioritising workloads, attention to detail, writing skills, presenting to an audience – and most importantly – resilience, to name but a few.

2. Choose your project, and supervisor, wisely.

This is  very  important.

Time after time, our experienced scientists at EI, including Erik Van-Den-Bergh (and I agree) say, “ make sure you’re extremely passionate about exactly that subject. ” When I saw the PhD opening that I eventually was offered, I remember being demonstrably ecstatic about the project before I’d even started it.

I was always interested in calcium signalling and organised a meeting with my potential supervisor immediately, which (to quote Billy Connolly) I leapt into in a mood of gay abandon.

Not only does this help you to keep engaged with your project even through the painstakingly slow times, it also greatly enhances your ability to sell yourself in an interview. If you can show passion and enthusiasm about the project and the science then you’ll be that one step ahead of other candidates – which is all the more important now that many studentships are competitive.

You have to  be the best  out of many, often exceptional candidates.

However, as important as it is to be passionate about your project, make sure that the person who will be supervising you is worthy.

Does your potential supervisor have a prolific track record of publishing work? What is the community of scientists like in the lab you may be working in? Are there experienced post-doctoral scientists working in the lab? Who will your advisor be? Is your supervisor an expert in the field you are interested in? Is the work you will be doing ground-breaking and novel, or is it quite niche?

There is nothing more frustrating – and I know many PhD degree students with this problem – than having a supervisor who is rarely there to talk to, shows little interest in your work, and cannot help when you are struggling in the third year of your project and some guidance would be much appreciated.

Personally, and I was very lucky to have this, I think it’s incredibly useful to have two supervisors. My PhD degree was split between the University of Manchester and the Marine Biological Association in Plymouth. Between my supervisors, I had two people with expertise in different fields, who could give me some fantastic advice from different perspectives. This also meant that I had two people to check through my thesis chapters and provide useful comments on my drafts.

Make sure you are passionate about your subject before taking it to PhD level. And by passionate I mean  really  passionate.

For a start, you will most likely have to write a literature review in your first three months, which if done well will form the main bulk of your thesis introduction and will save you a lot of stress and strain when it comes to writing up.

At the end of your first year, you will have to write a continuation report, which is your proof that you deserve to carry on to the end of your three or four years. This doesn’t leave much time for lab work, which means time management is incredibly important. If you think you’ll be able to swan in at 11 and leave at 3, think again.

Fundamentally, never, ever rest on your laurels! As tempting as it may be to slack-off slightly in the second year of your four year PhD, don’t.

4. Be organised.

This is a no-brainer but still, it’s worth a mention. Take an hour on a Monday morning to come up with a list of short-term and long-term goals. You’ll probably have to present your work at regular lab meetings, so it’s always worth knowing what has to be done (lest you look a pillock in front of the lab when there’s nothing to show for your last two weeks.)

It’s always good to have a timeline of what will be done when. If you have a PCR, maybe you can squeeze in another experiment, read a few papers, start writing the introduction to your thesis, or even start collecting the data you already have into figures.

The more good use you make of your time, the easier it’ll be to finish your PhD in the long run. Plus, it’s lovely to sit back and look at actual graphs, rather than worry about having enough to put into a paper. Once you’ve typed up your data, you’ll realise you’ve done far more than you had anticipated and the next step forward will be entirely more apparent.

5. Embrace change – don’t get bogged down in the details.

Felix Shaw – one of our bioinformatics researchers at EI – put it best when he said, “ it felt like I was running into brick walls all the way through [my PhD]… you’d run into a brick wall, surmount it, only to run straight into another. ”

You’ll find that, often, experiments don’t work. What might seem like a great idea could turn out to be as bad as choosing to bat first on a fresh wicket on the first day of the third Ashes test at Edgbaston. (Yeah, we don't know what that means either - Ed).

Resilience is key while completing your PhD. Be open to change and embrace the chance to experiment in different ways. You might even end up with a thesis chapter including all of your failures, which at the very least is something interesting to discuss during your  viva voce .

6. Learn how to build, and use, your network.

As a PhD student, you are a complete novice in the world of science and most things in the lab will be – if not new to you – not exquisitely familiar. This matters not, if you take advantage of the people around you.

Firstly, there are lab technicians and research assistants, who have probably been using the technique you are learning for years and years. They are incredibly experienced at a number of techniques and are often very happy to help show you how things are done.

There are postdocs and other PhD students, too. Not only can they help you with day-to-day experiments, they can offer a unique perspective on how something is done and will probably have a handy back-catalogue of fancy new techniques to try.

There are also a bunch of PIs, not limited to your own, who are great to talk to. These people run labs of their own, have different ideas, and might even give you a job once you’ve completed your PhD.

Don’t limit yourself to the labs directly around you, however. There are a massive number of science conferences going on all around the world. Some of them, such as the Society of Biology Conference, take place every year at a similar time in different locations, attracting many of the leaders in their respective fields.

If you are terrified by the prospect of speaking at a full-blown science conference and having your work questioned by genuine skeptics, there are also many student-led conferences which will help you dangle your fresh toes in the murky waters of presenting your work.

One such conference, the Second Student Bioinformatics Symposium, which took place at Earlham Institute in October 2016, was a great place for candidates to share their projects with peers, who are often much more friendly than veteran researchers with 30 year careers to their name when it comes to the questions at the end of your talk.

Another great reason to attend conferences, of course, is the social-side too – make the most of this. You never know who you might meet and connect with over a few drinks once the talks are over and the party commences.

7. Keep your options open.

You should be aware that for every 200 PhD students,  only 7  will get a permanent academic post , so it’s  incredibly unlikely that you’ll become a Professor  – and even if you make PI, it probably won’t be until your mid-forties.

You may also, despite having commenced along the academic path, decide that actually, working in a lab environment isn’t for you. Most PhD graduates, eventually, will not pursue an academic career, but move on to a wide range of other vocations.

It might be that Science Communication is more up your street. This was certainly the case for me – and I made sure that I took part in as many public engagement events as possible while completing my PhD. Most Universities have an active public engagement profile, while organisations such as STEM can provide you with ample opportunities to interact with schools and the general public.

You might also consider entrepreneurship as a route away from academia, which might still allow you to use your expert scientific knowledge. There are a variety of competitions and workshops available to those with a business mind, a strong example being Biotechnology YES.

I, for example, took part in the Thought for Food Challenge, through which I have been able to attend events around the world and meet a vast array of like-minded individuals. Many of the participants from the challenge have gone on to set up successful businesses and have even found jobs as a result of the competition.

8. Balance.

Remember that you still have a life outside of your PhD degree – and that this can be one of the greatest opportunities to make amazing friends from around the world.

A science institute is usually home to the brightest students from a variety of countries and can provide a chance to experience a delightful range of different people and cultures. Don’t just stick to the people in your lab, go to events for postgraduate students and meet people from all over campus.

There are usually academic happy hours happening on Fridays after work where you can buy cheap beer, or some lucky institutions even have their own bar. At Norwich Research Park, we not only have the Rec Centre, along with bar, swimming pool, calcetto, samba classes, archery, and a range of other activities, but there are also biweekly “Postdoc pub clubs” which are very fun to join on a Tuesday evening.

Maintain your hobbies and keep up with friends outside of your PhD and you’ll probably find it’s not that gruelling a process after all.

Plus, the people you meet and become friends with might be able to help you out – or at least be able to offer a sympathetic shoulder.

9. Practical advice.

If, after reading all of this, you’re still going to march forth and claim your doctorhood, then this section should be rather useful.

Firstly, make sure your data is backed up. It’s amazing how many people don’t do this and you’d be bonkers not to. Keep your work saved on a shared drive, so that if your computer decides to spontaneously combust upon pressing the return key, you won’t have lost all of your precious work – or have to go through every one of your lab books and type it all up again.

Secondly, don’t leave your bag in the pub with your half-written thesis in it. I did this, the bag was fine, I was in a state of terror for at least half an hour before the kind person at Weatherspoons located said bag.

Thirdly, read. Read broadly, read anything and everything that’s closely related to your project – or completely unrelated. It’s sometimes amazing where you might find a stroke of inspiration, a new technique you hadn’t thought of … or even in idea of where you might like to go next.

Finally, ask questions – all of the time. No matter how stupid it might sound in your head, everyone’s probably been asked it before, and if you don’t ask, you don’t get.

You’ll probably look far less stupid if you just ask the person standing next to you how the gradient PCR function works on your thermal cycler rather than standing there randomly prodding buttons and looking flustered, anyway.

10. Savour the positives.

At the end of all of this, it has to be said that doing a PhD is absolutely brilliant. There’s no other time in your life that you’ll be this free to pursue your very own project and work almost completely independently. By the time you come to the end of your PhD, you will be the leading expert in the world on something. A real expert! Until the next PhD student comes along …

Related reading.

A PhD, is it worth it? Just ask our students

The realities of doing a PhD

My advice for PhD students? See what bites

COVID and my PhD: to lockdown and back

How does a PhD work and how to find the right one

Building the confidence to take on a PhD

PhD life, 10 things we learned in our first six months

What’s the third year of a PhD like? Tips for navigating your PhD

PhD by experience

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The Savvy Scientist

Experiences of a London PhD student and beyond

PhD FAQs – A Complete Beginner’s Guide to Doctoral Study

Tempted to do a PhD but have lots of questions? Hopefully this collection of popular PhD FAQs will help you to tick a few off the list!

Note – If you’re already sure that you want to do a PhD, and are looking for guidance on the applications process, check out my post on How to apply for a PhD which includes advice from successful PhD applicants. My post-PhD reflections on the things I regretted from my own PhD may be useful for you too, you can find that post here .

Let’s start with the absolute basics of PhDs!

What does PhD stand for?

PhD stands for Doctor of Philosophy. Doctor of Philosophy ? No matter which subject area your PhD is in you’ll become a Doctor of Philosophy because philosophy derives from Greek to mean “Love of wisdom” which make a bit more sense.

What is a PhD?

A PhD is a type of research degree classified as a doctorate. You get a PhD by doing original research into a topic, typically for at least three years.

There are loads of other types of doctorate and a PhD is simply the most common. EngD is another which is relatively common for industry-funded engineering students here in the UK.

PhD & DPhil what’s the difference?

There is no real difference between a PhD and DPhil, they’re both Doctor of Philosophy qualifications. A small number of historic institutions in the UK such as Oxford and York offer DPhils but the degree itself is equivalent.

How common are PhDs amongst the population?

Approximately 1% of the working population (25-64 years old) have a PhD. This varies a lot by country:

Can you call yourself Doctor with a PhD?

Yes you can. Though to avoid confusion with medical doctors, rarely will PhD-holders use the “Dr” title outside of their workplace.

Sometimes PhD-holders will add the abbreviation PhD after their name if they want to make it clear they are a non-medical doctor, for example “Jeff Clark PhD”.

What have I done about my title since getting my PhD? Nothing so far!

Why do a PhD?

Unlike a lot of other degrees, most PhD students get paid to study . Read more in the finances section below.

There are lots of potential reasons to want to do a PhD. The PhD students from our monthly PhD Profiles series said the following:

Sara found research the most enjoyable part of her undergraduate degree and a PhD was a way to carry on with research.

Ornob wants to pursue a career in evolutionary biology so began with a PhD in the field.

Vivienne has aspirations to be a professor so a PhD is a job requirement to progress in academia.

Jeff (me!) had an interest in the field and enjoyed research. I wrote a whole post with a deep dive on why I decided to do a PhD here .

Floor had enjoyed research during her Masters and didn’t think that she wanted a career in industry, so decided to do a PhD.

It’s important to mention that you don’t need to have a desire to stay in academia to do a PhD. In fact, even if you do want to go into academia afterwards, it’s probably good to know early on just how competitive it can be. Many people sadly cannot make a career out of academia long term.

Enjoy the subject matter and want to spend a few years researching it? That is reason enough to do a PhD. I’ve also now written a whole post about the benefits of having a PhD .

Applying for a PhD

Do you need a masters degree to do a phd.

No you don’t necessarily need a Masters degree to do a PhD as long as you can demonstrate you’d be suitable for a PhD without it.

For a more in-depth answer see the separate post here :

Can You Get a PhD Without a Master’s?

If you don’t have a Masters, I’d recommend checking out Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs) which offer combined Masters + PhD courses. We have discussed CDTs with a graduate in Floor’s post here .

What grades do you need to do a PhD?

Entry requirements for PhDs can vary. In regards to the UK system usually you’d generally be expected to have at least a 2:1 from your undergraduate degree, plus some research experience.

My experience : I (narrowly) got first class honours in my undergrad (MEng) which certainly does help. But if you can demonstrate aptitude in research you usually don’t need a 1:1. It would be expected for you to have done well in any research projects. If you can get your name on a publication then even better!

The easiest way to find out what is expected is to check the PhD advert for entry requirements. For details on applying for a PhD, including how to find PhD adverts, check out my guide here :

How to apply for a PhD

I work in industry, can I come back and do a PhD?

Absolutely! I worked for almost four years between finishing my first degree and starting my PhD.

A PhD is more similar to a job than any other point in your education, so if you’ve spent time in a structured role it can provide you with a good work ethic. If your time in industry adds relevant skills and experience to your application, even better!

I’ve met loads of people older than me who are pursuing PhDs. If it’s your dream, it’s never too late to start a PhD!

What is the social life of a PhD student like?

Let me get this out the way first: PhD students should be able to have a life outside of the lab! If a PhD student has no time away from research I would personally suggest that they were doing things wrong.

Even if you really enjoy your project, it is good for your mental health to have a social life!

No matter the size of your research group there are often departmental and university-wide events. Plus, besides everyone you may meet through your research and department, PhD students can still join societies and sports clubs through the students’ union. I spent one of my birthdays during my PhD on the beach in Morocco with the surf club, don’t let being a PhD student put your off getting involved!

Check out the full post I’ve written: Do PhD Students Have a Social Life? Sharing My Experiences Making Friends and Avoiding PhD Loneliness

If you do go on to do a PhD, make sure to make the most of all the opportunities ! Your time as a PhD student is fantastic for personal growth.

How much holiday do PhD students get?

Sadly unlike undergraduates, PhD students don’t follow fixed semesters. This means no more three month long summer holiday, sorry!

However most departments recommend PhD students take 7-8 weeks of holiday a year , which is more than practically any job outside of academia.

I kept track of all the time off I took during my PhD and you can find the details here , including a month by month breakdown:

Do PhD Students Get Holidays? Sharing How Much Annual Leave I Take

Getting a PhD

How much work is a phd.

For a month I tracked how many hours I was working and what I was working on, so you can see a breakdown of my calendar here . I found I was working for roughly 40 hours a week. Now that I’ve recently finished my PhD, I’d say that that amount of hours was pretty representative of the whole PhD.

How Much Work is a PhD?

I do of course know some people who worked much longer hours, but most PhD students were on a similar schedule to me. Working roughly 9-5 on weekdays. Treat it like a job and you’ll be fine. PhD students don’t need to be slaving away long hours.

I managed to be strict with my time, largely avoiding work late nights or going in at the weekends. One of the main perks of doing a PhD is that you have autonomy and can be flexible with when you work. As long as you get the work done, any reasonable supervisor won’t mind when you’re there.

Yes I’ve heard stories of PhD students having to clock in and out with an expectation that they spend a certain number of hours in the office. I personally think this is stupid and doesn’t build trust. Try to speak to current PhD students from the group when choosing a supervisor .

How is a PhD assessed?

What you submit at the end of your research varies between universities and countries. Sometimes it’s a thesis and other times it can be a bunch of published papers. In all situations you give some kind of presentation and answer questions about your work.

In the UK you usually submit a thesis in preparation for a viva voce . The viva is an oral exam where you discuss your research with several academics and at least one will be an expert in your field. My viva wasn’t as scary as I thought it might be, but nonetheless it was five hours ( FIVE HOURS! ) long. At the end of your viva you’ll get told the outcome of your PhD with any changes to be made to your thesis.

There is often no requirement , to publish your work in journals during a PhD in the UK but it does help.

In other countries you may have to publish a certain number to pass your PhD and effectively these can be submitted instead of the thesis. This approach makes much more sense to me.

How long does it take to get a PhD?

In the UK, typically between three and four years to complete your research and submit the thesis. It can then take a few months for the exam (viva voce) to take place and then for any corrections to the thesis to be made.

Nosey about my PhD? For me personally, I started the PhD on 1st October 2016, submitted my thesis on 17th February 2020, had the viva on 25th March, submitted my minor corrections on 30th March and had the email to say it was officiated on 1st April 2020. Yep, April Fool’s Day…

When you realise your degree certificate will forever say your PhD was awarded on April Fools Day! #academiclife @imperialcollege pic.twitter.com/hKsGFyuc0x — Jeff Clark (@savvy_scientist) April 14, 2020

We cover all the stages of a PhD here, including putting the length of a PhD in the perspective of a whole career:

How Long Does It Take To Get A PhD?

Are PhDs really difficult?

No, well not how you might think.

You don’t need to be a genius, but you do have to be smart with how you work. Here I go into how a PhD is pretty different to all the prior years spent in education:

How Hard is a PhD?

Check out my new post covering academic challenges and failures relating to my own PhD: Overcoming Academic Challenges and Failure During a PhD

Money-Related Questions

How much does a phd cost.

If you have funding, which is explained below, all your fees are paid for by the funding source. If you are looking to self-fund, then you’ll have to pay bench-fees/tuition fees, which are usually approximately £4,000 a year for home students in the UK.

Fees vary massively depending on both the country the PhD work takes place in and where you’re from. For example, I believe Australian universities charge around $100,000 in fees to overseas PhD students. Of course ideally you have funding which covers both this and pays a stipend!

Do PhD students pay taxes?

In the UK, PhD students do not pay income tax, national insurance, council tax and student loan repayments. This means that if you can secure funding, even though you may earn less than friends in typical jobs, you get to keep all your earnings!

Do PhD students get paid?

Most PhDs, at least in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) get a stipend: basically a tax-free salary.

How much do PhD students get paid?

At the time of writing, most PhD students in the UK get around £16,000 a year . Doesn’t sound like a lot, but:

• As mentioned above, you don’t pay income tax, national insurance, council tax or make any student loan repayments. My most popular post is this one , comparing the income of PhD students vs grad jobs and the difference really isn’t that big. Plus it’s only for 3 to 3.5 years!
• You’re getting paid to learn science, working on something you’re really interested in. It’s amazing.
• You have a lot more freedom than practically any “proper job”.
• You’re getting paid, to be a student…

PhD Salary UK: How Much Do PhD Students Get Paid?

In summary, PhD stipends are really not that different to grad starting salaries. Please don’t be put off from a PhD simply because for a few years you might be earning a bit less than if you were working in another job.

Depending on what you want to do with your career, having a CV may lead to higher salaries. What is 3 years of lower wages out of a 40+ year career? The answer: nothing!

Where do I find PhD funding?

Getting funding will likely be the biggest hurdle for you to secure a PhD. I have a post here detailing the different types of funding and how you can find a project with funding attached.

How to Find PhD Funding in the UK

Can you self-fund a PhD?

Yes you can self-fund a PhD, and some students are in a position to do so. Just be careful that you account for university fees and not just your living costs.

Are you allowed to have another job at the same time?

Most universities encourage you to get involved with work within your department as a graduate teaching assistant (GTA). Some countries even insist that you work a certain number of hours as part of a contract for your monthly stipend.

Working as a GTA you might be invigilating exams, helping in tutorials, marking coursework etc and at Imperial you usually earn around £15-£26 an hour.

If you’re looking to work a full time job in tandem with your PhD (and doing the PhD full time), it is best checking your university’s policy. Some may have regulations against you working over a certain number of hours which could impede you from concentrating on the PhD.

There are extra ways to make money on the side which I address here :

How to Earn Money Online for Students

Can you get a mortgage as a PhD student?

Since I did my PhD in London I didn’t even consider buying somewhere during my PhD. I’m not interested in being tied into a massive mortgage for 25 years to buy a shoebox!

If I’d accepted my PhD offer for a CDT at Leeds I certainly would have tried to buy somewhere with my partner. I found this page useful when doing research. Buying a property with a partner who has a normal job would definitely make the mortgage application a whole lot more successful.

Will a PhD help your career?

This depends on what you want to do with your career. Some example scenarios:

• Staying in academia – a PhD is usually required
• Certain technical jobs in industry – a PhD may be required or a big bonus
• Non-technical jobs – a bonus

I do not imagine any scenarios where having a PhD is worse than not having one. It is true though that for certain careers there may be other things you could do which would be a better use of your time, for example gaining more direct work experience.

If you want to do a PhD that shouldn’t stop you though, and considering the length of your career taking a few years out for a PhD is inconsequential.

Whichever career path you fancy taking, if you are at all interested in doing a PhD I think you should at least apply.

PhDs in London

Can someone afford to live in london as a phd student.

Yes! I lived in London for my PhD and actually was able to save money every single month while taking many holidays and not living in a tent.

I have a few posts sharing my experiences living in London which you may find useful:

For a month last year I tracked all my expenses to get an idea of my costs living in London as a student, you can find it here .

Sharing my monthly living expenses as a student in London: September 2019

Related to reducing costs, I learned to cycle in London and loved it. It saved me about £100 a month too!

Learning to cycle in London: my first 1000 miles

On top of that, for the whole of 2019 (third year PhD) I tracked my money, and the report is here :

My personal finances report for 2019

Where is good to live in London?

I’ve lived in three different houses during my PhD in London and have a pretty good idea now of good places to live in London. You can read this whole post talking about living in London as a student and the associated costs including a breakdown of rent :

London student accommodation: Breaking down the cost of living in London for students

Bonus: Read the journeys of PhD students

Before I started my PhD I had a ton of questions and nobody who I could ask about their experience. The reality is that many of these PhD FAQs have a variety of answers as everyone’s PhD story is different. Therefore if you’d like to hear first hand from people who are going through the journey check out my series of PhD profiles , with a new profile every month. You can also discover some of their top tips for applying!

If you’d like personalised help with your PhD application I am now starting to offer a small number of one-to-one sessions. Please contact me to find out more or click here to book a call.

Is there anything else you’d like to know to help with a potential PhD application? Let me know and I’ll write about it! You can subscribe to stay up to date here:

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Related Posts

PhD Salary UK: How Much Do PhD Students Get Paid Compared to Graduates?

5th February 2024 5th February 2024

The Benefits of Having a PhD

7th September 2022 30th January 2024

My top PhD regrets: 10 lessons learned by a PhD grad

21st April 2022 25th September 2023

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• CAREER COLUMN
• 06 November 2018

Twenty things I wish I’d known when I started my PhD

• Lucy A. Taylor 0

Lucy A. Taylor earned her zoology PhD from the University of Oxford, UK. She is now a postdoctoral researcher at Save the Elephants in Nairobi, Kenya, and a visiting researcher in the Department of Zoology at Oxford.

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Starting a PhD can be tough. Looking back, there are many things I wish I’d known at the beginning. Here, I have curated a list of advice from current PhD students and postdoctoral researchers from the Department of Zoology at my institution, the University of Oxford, UK, to aid new graduate students.

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doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-018-07332-x

This is an article from the Nature Careers Community, a place for Nature readers to share their professional experiences and advice. Guest posts are encouraged. You can get in touch with the editor at [email protected].

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Doctor of Philosophy

The PhD programs advance scientific discovery by training and supporting students doing in-depth research that solves the world’s biggest public health challenges. At the forefront of efforts to benefit the health of people worldwide, the School offers students the opportunity to join in shaping new ideas in public health and implementing them effectively. PhD students benefit from collaborations across public health disciplines and a broad range of academic fields through connections with other Harvard faculties.

All PhD students conduct research through a dissertation, in addition to other avenues of discovery. All PhD programs at Harvard University are administered by the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS), and applications are processed through the GSAS online application system . Choose from one of four PhD programs offered collaboratively between Harvard Chan School and GSAS.

• Abbreviation : PhD
• Degree format : On campus  
• Time commitment : Full-time  
• Average program length : Varies between 4 to 7 years based on program

When applying to the PhD, applicants must choose one of the following specialized fields of study. Eligibility requirements vary by program and field of study.  

• Biological Sciences in Public Health
• Biostatistics
• Health Policy
• Environmental health
• Epidemiology
• Global health and population
• Social and behavioral sciences

Career outcomes vary based on field of study and research, but in general, PhD graduates will be prepared for a career in academia, health policy, government agencies, consulting, the pharmaceutical or biomedical industry, and generally improving lives through qualitative and quantitative research.

Admission information

Like all PhD (doctor of philosophy) programs at the School—and the University—the PhD in health policy is offered under the aegis of the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS). Applications are processed through the GSAS online application system located at gsas.harvard.edu/admissions/apply .

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Essential PhD tips: 10 articles all doctoral students should read

Phd advice: from choosing the right topic to getting through your thesis.

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If you’re still deciding whether to study for a doctorate, or even if you’re nearing the end of your PhD and are thinking about your next steps, we’ve selected 10 articles that you really should take a look at.

They cover everything from selecting your topic to securing a top job when your years of hard graft come to an end.

14 essential PhD questions answered Welcome to the  Times Higher Education  PhD surgery with Tara Brabazon, professor of education at Charles Sturt University , Australia.

The PhD experience: this far, and no further Five students on how doctoral study changed them and their futures.

10 steps to PhD failure Top tips on making postgraduate study even tougher (which students could also use to avoid pitfalls if they prefer).

How not to write a PhD thesis If you want failure, this is your road map to getting there.

Realistic expectations keep you on the path to a PhD Isolation is part of the experience, but peer support groups and co-working can combat loneliness and quell students’ self-doubt.

10 truths a PhD supervisor will never tell you There are some important dos and don’ts to bear in mind when choosing someone to oversee your doctoral thesis.

Me and my PhD supervisor: tales of love and loathing Academics discuss how supervisors shaped their teaching.

How to get students through their PhD thesis Tara Brabazon shares her 10-step regime for steering emotionally drained postgraduate students through the final stages of their thesis.

Choosing a PhD subject A well-chosen doctoral thesis will have a focus that can be explored in the appropriate time and built on in the future.

How to get ahead with a PhD Postgraduates do not to realise how employable they are. Pat Cryer explains how to get a well-paid job.

Read next:  visit the THE PhD advice page

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• Studying For A PhD

find your perfect postgrad program Search our Database of 30,000 Courses

Studying for a phd: the basics.

PhD study gives you extensive knowledge and expertise in a specialised field that interests you, and provides you with a solid foundation for career progression. 

If you are considering postgraduate study, you may be wondering what it’s like to study for a PhD. Here you will find some of the most commonly asked questions about PhD study to help you decide whether a PhD is right for you. Find out everything you need to know before becoming a PhD student , how to get a PhD , and more.

What is studying a PhD like?

Whilst extremely rewarding, studying for a PhD can be hard work and time consuming. You’ll need to be good at managing your workload and balancing your schedule. You’ll need time for research and data analysis, attending lab and lecture sessions as well as collaborating on research with other students. While this might seem intensive, good time management and planning should make it easier to handle. 

How long do you study for a PhD?

PhD study will typically take three to four years full time. Studying part time can take up to six years. Most students complete their thesis in the third year, although some intuitions allow you to extend your thesis deadline by up to four years if you need to. 

Read our article on  how long is a PhD? for more information.

Is it hard to study for a PhD?

Studying for a PhD can be hard and also very stressful, but very much worth the effort. A PhD is a significant personal and financial investment that requires you to be motivated and organised over a number of years. Taking on a PhD is no easy task, but it can also be highly rewarding and open doors to career advancement.  

As a PhD graduate, you’ll be able to demonstrate advanced knowledge in your field, as well as a huge range of valuable skills, including time management, independence, drive and research skills. 

How do you study for a PhD?

PhD study involves original research into your chosen field. It is important to research your chosen field before making your PhD application.

With a full-time PhD the first year is spent researching your topic and planning how you will conduct your research. The second year is spent conducting research and analysing data until you are ready to present your findings in a written thesis. 

Find out more about what's involved in our related article: What is a PhD? 

Things to consider before embarking on a PhD

Before embarking on a PhD program it’s important that you think carefully about the reasons why you want to study a PhD. Although it will be a fulfilling academic experience, it is also likely to be a big financial commitment and require a lot of your time. 

Here are five essential points to consider before you start a PhD program.

1. Why do you want to study a PhD program?

The first thing you need to do is consider why you want to study a doctoral program. If your motivation is dissatisfaction with your current career this may not be ideal for giving you the focus you will need to succeed in your doctorate. If, however, you are motivated towards doctorate study because you really want to improve your future career prospects  and gaining this qualification will fit in with the bigger picture of your life plan - then great! This should help give you the focus and motivation to achieve a successful end result.

2. Do you know which PhD subject you want to study?

In order to enjoy and be successful in your PhD program you should have a clear idea of what it is you want to specialise in. Although it is not essential to know your topic exactly, you do want to be clear enough in where your interest lies and feel confident that the topic will hold your attention for the duration of the doctorate program. Also, bear in mind that the clearer you are about your field of interest in your application - the more chance you have in successfully gaining a place on the program.

Explore subjects here at Postgrad.

3. Can you fund a PhD?

Undertaking PhD study can be quite a big financial commitment. Despite numerous bursaries and scholarships , financial aid and the availability of student loans with favourable rates - the PhD tuition fees can be high and the chances are you will finish your doctoral program in some debt, or at the very least less financially comfortable then you were before embarking on it. However, if you’ve done your calculations and worked out that it is a financially viable option for you, think of it as an investment in your future. Once you are established in your new profession you should be more than able to pay back any loans you have had to take out. 

Find out more about PhD loans .

4. How will PhD study improve your career prospects long term?

Obviously the answer to this question very much depends on your chosen subject matter. Once you’ve worked out what doctoral program you want to follow - you need to work out how this will help your career long term. For some PhD courses (ie Law ) it is obvious that doctorate study can only enhance your career. However non-vocational fields of doctorate study  (ie 18th century poetry) may be less likely to alter your career path or financially improve your future earning capacity.

However, intellectually of course, the reward will be just as good. And in either case, studying a PhD demonstrates your commitment to your subject and your willingness to apply this knowledge in your future career.

5. Are you prepared for the application process?

Once you are sure you want to do a PhD program, you need to consider the application process . You need to take your time choosing the right doctoral program  and institution , and bear in mind that it will take time to gather together the information you need - professional references, personal statements - to help ensure your application is successful.  Check the individual institution’s website for application deadlines and make sure you give yourself plenty of time to prepare.

Related articles

Dos and Don'ts Of A PhD Interview

What Is A PhD Student? A Definition

How To Get A PhD

How To Find A PhD

What Is A PhD?

Why Study A PhD?

Where Should You Study Your PhD?

Common PhD Myths

What? Where? Why? When? How? Is A PhD Right For Me?

5 Things To Ask When Looking For a PhD

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Five tips for starting (and continuing) a PhD

On 4th September 2020

In Advice for other students

Lots of the specific stuff you learn as a PhD student, as well as general approaches to your work, begins with informal advice rather than formal training. I’ve received lots of advice from others during my PhD, since the very early stages of my project. This has helped me both build a PhD project that I’m happy with, and actually enjoy my life while I do my PhD (the two, of course, being closely but not entirely linked!). As it’s the start of the academic year I want to share a few of my own tips along those lines, to help get your PhD off to a good start, and keep it on a trajectory you’re happy with:

1. Keep notes on everything you read

My PhD, like many, kicked off with lots of reading of textbooks and academic papers. My reading has ebbed and flowed, but not really stopped, since then. Reading is a big thing during your PhD. It’s useful to keep track of what you’ve been reading because you won’t remember all of it, but you will want to come back to a lot of it.

My system for keeping notes on my reading is highly unsophisticated, but it works: I have (currently) three Word Documents, called Reading_[insert year here] stored on Dropbox so I can access them anywhere. I’ve got a separate one for each year of my PhD because 1) each document is a bit more manageable than one scary enormous one, and 2) I find it surprisingly easy to remember when-ish I was reading different stuff because my reading has gone through some quite distinct phases (e.g. more stuff relevant to study design early on, more stuff about analysis later) so it seemed like a reasonable and simple way to organise my notes.

The  notes I make on what I read vary a lot: at my laziest, I just copy and paste the paper title, first author and abstract into the doc, and I’m done. If I’m feeling enthusiastic, I make more extensive notes on the paper and my thoughts on it, or copy specific sections that are especially interesting or relevant to my work. I make sure that each paper title or reference is formatted as a heading so that I can scan through the document easily, and create a contents page for each document.  Now, if I want to find a specific paper or read publications on a particular theme, I can Ctrl+F to find key words in my Reading documents.

2. Read a couple of theses

I’m going to disagree with tip #2 in Five Tips for Starting Your PhD Out Right and say you don’t need to read them cover to cover – I don’t think this is necessary in the early stages in your project, unless you really want to do so, or if you feel that every chapter is highly relevant to your own PhD. But I do think it’s helpful to flick through and see different thesis structures (trends in how to structure a thesis evolve over time, and also vary by subject area, so look at recent graduates in your field for ideas of what’s likely to be appropriate for you).

Theses might also contain some specific content that you didn’t realise you’ll need to add to your own thesis (such as more detailed methodology than you usually see in a published paper) or useful references if the PhD is closely related to your own work. I think it works well to look through the theses of recent graduates in your research group, your supervisor, or others working on similar stuff to you. But you can also search for theses online, for example by using EThOS .

3. Start a Word document called “Thesis”

You can use other people’s theses (see previous tip) as a guide to add appropriate headings and subheadings to this document which will act as your own thesis structure / outline. Okay, I did this in third year, not first year, but I reckon it would have been helpful to start this earlier. Since I started this document, I’ve made good progress on actually organising my thoughts and even writing a few things down. And if you’ve got this document ready from early on in your project, you can populate it with notes and ideas whenever they occur to you at any point during your PhD.

Recently, I’ve been going through my Reading documents (remember tip #1) page by page and copying across notes from papers that I have read (and often forgotten about) into the appropriate sections of my Thesis document. It’s surprising how quickly my rough structure has been populated with ideas and material for literature review and synthesis, and how this has helped me link different ideas together i.e. stuff I read in first year and forgot about, with stuff I’ve been reading recently, with stuff that’s coming out of my own analysis. Actually, now that it’s getting quite full, I’ve split my Thesis doc up so that I’m just working with one document per empirical chapter. In first year, a simple thesis structure in a single document is a good place to start.

4. Think about how to make the flexibility of your PhD (and your control over it) work best for you

This one’s quite big-picture, and I’m kind of cheating the list-of-five by squeezing several tips into one. But I think that the general principle of this tip is important, and can be interpreted in different ways to suit different people: PhDs are often inherently flexible, in how you set your daily, weekly and monthly schedule, and I think that you should make the most of that.

The nature of your PhD flexibility and your control over it depend on the details of your project, how you’re going to be working with your supervisors and institution. But there are usually opportunities for flexibility, even if you have to be in the lab most days. PhD-life-flexibility can be exploited for your professional or personal development, to maximise your productivity, to create opportunities that are fun or useful now, or allow you to flex creative muscles you haven’t had the opportunity to flex before.

Below I list the kinds of things you can think about to best use the flexibility of your PhD. These are all things that can work alongside the core research / write / defend thesis requirements of your PhD, and while you definitely don’t have to make any firm plans on day one, I think that it’s really valuable to think about ideas like this (and any more you have) early in your project. It’s all about what you want to get out of your time whilst doing your PhD , including but not limited to the PhD itself, and how you want to structure that time:

• How do you want to set your daily schedule, where do you want to work? What’s going to be most pleasant and productive for you, and fit in with your home life?
• What things do you want to do outside of your PhD (sports, reading non-PhD-related books, joining local clubs and groups, always protecting weekends off) to actively maintain a healthy work-life balance (which is better for both your wellbeing, and the state of your thesis)?
• Are there times when you’re going to be working extra hard (like fieldwork)? How do you want to balance that with rest and recuperation afterwards (an extended post-fieldwork holiday…?)?
• Do you want to take an interruption from your PhD for an internship or job?
• Do you want to practise writing by starting a blog or try a bit of science journalism ?
• Do you want to get involved with science outreach?
• Do you want to build a professional profile and network by making a website or getting on social media?
• Do you want to teach undergraduates or Masters students?
• What training courses would you like to do (and where do you find out about them)?
• Do you want to try turning one or more of your chapters into academic papers?

5. Talk to people, lots, in both general and specific ways

Starting a PhD can be overwhelming, and knowing where to start, or where to go next, can be really tough. Having conversations with other PhD students about what they are working on, how they are finding their PhD, what kind of training they have received, might point you to interesting new research topics, training opportunities, or just give you a bit of a general feel for what it’s going to be like doing a PhD in your new department. These general conversations are important because they can provide you with nuggets of wisdom you didn’t know you needed and, crucially, help you feel connected to and supported by your colleagues and peers.

Asking your supervisor or others specific questions like are there any academics whose work you recommend I look into? / do you recommend any textbooks on [planning a research project], [planning fieldwork], [fundamentals of landscape ecology], [fundamentals of development research] [insert another topic you’re not sure about yet but want to learn about]? / are there any conferences I should look out for? can give you some useful starting points for directing your own learning in the early stages of your project. So, think specifically about what you need at the start of your PhD, and ask for help with it.

…And one bonus tip: read advice from other (ex-) PhD students

There are similar posts to this one with advice on starting your PhD here , and I particularly like the twenty top tips from Lucy Taylor here . There are actual full guides to PhD life like The A-Z of the PhD Trajectory and The Unwritten Rules of Ph.D. Research which can be very helpful to read through at any stage of your PhD (though I guess you maximise your use of them if you read them early!) and to use as reference books as and when you need them. There are lots of people blogging about their past and present PhD experiences, which can offer great advice and comfort at every stage in your PhD. Personally, I love the Thesis Whisperer and like to check in with it semi-regularly. Reading TW feels a bit like my tip #5: it’s about seeking out help and advice, sometimes when you didn’t even know you needed it.

Practical tips on how to be an interdisciplinary individual

It all depends.

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How to Complete a PhD (in Philosophy)

( Another page explains my research. This post offers advice on each stage of the process. )

How do you get a PhD in philosophy? The short answer is this:

• Apply and get into graduate school with a good Phd program.
• Work hard to complete all the necessary aspects of the program, but especially to complete a dissertation.

Before discussing how to do these two steps, a prior discussion is whether you want to or should get a PhD. This page discusses all three major questions and offers advice rooted in my own experience. This advice is necessarily limited, but may be helpful to those who can relate.

Do I Want to get a PhD?

This is the difficult discernment decision. Why go to grad school? Some people say you should avoid a doctorate in the humanities. There are almost no jobs in philosophy. Even if you really like philosophy, an earnest desire is necessary but not sufficient. You need both desire and aptitude.

I’ve heard it said somewhere, I think it was by C. S. Lewis, that you should only go to graduate school if you cannot imagine being happy doing anything else but being a scholar. Graduate school takes a lot of time and stress. You will live below the poverty line for at least 5 years. 50% of people drop out. The degree you earn basically qualifies you to become a researcher, teacher, writer. For a lot of people, that end result not worth the time, money, and stress.

For others the process is a joy: the challenge, the abstract thinking, the camaraderie.

And for those who finish their degree, graduate school is an essential gateway into the world of academia. Scholarship can be an incredibly satisfying career. Scholars impact future generations, get paid to think, and can build a platform to share their ideas with the public and the world. Philosophers engage in the highest level of thinking and problem-solving, up in the airy echelons occupied by scientists, psychologists, pastors, and politicians… at least some politicians.

Furthermore, some of those who study philosophy finish but go on to do other things. Some get a B.A. or even an M.A. before going into business, non-profit, or ministry.

The best method is to know yourself: Ask your teachers and mentors to give you an honest appraisal of your current ability and your future potential. Academic philosophy has room for a vast range of interests and abilities. Nevertheless, you don’t want to kid yourself. Ask yourself what you want out of it . Do you just want the credentials needed to become an academic? Or are you likely to enjoy the journey, despite the sacrifices?

For me, graduate school was an overwhelmingly positive experience. I enjoyed my colleagues, the classes, the teaching requirements. I didn’t enjoy being poor, but being married helped because my spouse worked. I also worked part-time jobs from the 2nd year forward.

How did I decide to get a PhD? The discernment process was long.

As an undergraduate, I enjoyed philosophy, history, art, and psychology.

While teaching in a classical high school, I applied to a psychology PhD. Though I got in, I never attended. It didn’t feel right.

The next year, I took 3 semesters of philosophy and theology MA coursework at Talbot. This gave me good practice writing rigorous analytic papers and also gave me a reference letter from JP Moreland.

I stopped at Talbot and moved to a 3 year masters in theology.

My wife and I got married in 2010. I decided to pursue graduate work, and had finally settled on philosophy. The main reason was that philosophy doctorates have a broad range of application: philosophy professor, administration, classical educator, writer, and more. I wanted to teach but also continue entrepreneurial endeavors and writing.

I got lots of advice from friends and teachers on how, when, where, to apply. I took the GRE (after some study) and did well. I researched schools and jumped in.

We applied to 14 schools. It cost about $1,400 dollars, all told.

I got 10 rejections, and 4 acceptances. Claremont and University of Chicago offered no funding, no tuition remission; University of Dallas offered tuition with no funding; University of Kentucky offered tuition with funding. U.K. was my top choice anyhow because I wanted to work with David Bradshaw. So, I accepted the offer.

We moved to Kentucky in July of 2012.

2. MA or PHD?

Contrary to popular belief, you can go from graduating college straight into an American PhD program. You don’t need an M.A. That said, there are reasons to consider an M.A. first.

Pro – MAs, in general, leverage you up to better PhD programs (if you do well). The end goal is to learn a lot, hone your writing, get good references (for PhD applications) or move on to your career.

Con – an MA program extend your total time to job market from average 7 years to average 9 years.

What about going straight for the PhD?

Pro – PhDs, in general, get you on the job market in average 7 years. The end goal is to become a professor and/or researcher at a university. They often pay you to teach or research along the way to your degree.

Con – unless your philosophical writing is exceptionally good, you may not be able to reach a more prestigious school without an MA, developed research plans, and good references. When I say “exceptionally good”, I mean in your professors’ opinion, not in your opinion.

For me, the time factor was big. Even though I didn’t have a completed MA, I was able to get in to UK on the strength of my writing sample, GRE score, and good references.

3. How do you best apply?

Your philosophical essay is the most important.

Pick your best undergrad essay (or MA essay), re-write it twice, print it, edit it, re-write it again, and polish it. Only then, send it to your favorite and most generous professor to get their notes. Re-write it again. Consider paying someone to proof-read it for you, then make those corrections. Print it out again and read it aloud with a red pen. Find errors in grammar, typing, or thinking, and re-write it again… When it’s very nearly perfect , include it in your application portfolio.

The GRE is necessary for most schools. I don’t consider it a life or death test, because some schools may not need and some may not require much from it. Philosophers tend to do well on the math, but the math is more important for, say, engineering grad schools. You should study harder for the verbal and writing, as this counts more, from what I have heard.

Personal statements? Not sure how important they are. No one has ever told me they make a candidate; but it seems commonsense that they can break a candidate.

Play it safe – just be calm, be yourself, be frank, and say what you want to study. Your aspirations will change; just state what you want to study today .

4. Making Progress

Getting a degree is your job. Treat it like a business. Better, treat it like your own business. You are an entrepreneur whose sole goal is to make yourself ready for the job market – marketable research, strong publications, a wide base of teaching, friendly connections, and the endurance to press through lots (and I mean lots ) of red tape.

At my university – the University of Kentucky (UK) – there were 35 steps from admission to “congratulations Doctor”. So I’ve made a list. You should do the same. I called my list “the Master List.”

A UK, the Master List is 35 or so items, broken into 6 (very dis-proportionally sized) projects:

• Complete 12 classes. (2 years)
• Complete language, logic, and Comprehensive exams 2-3 years
• Complete 5 more classes (1 year)
• Write and defend an Area Proposal. (6 months)
• Write and defend three Qualifying Exams. (3 weeks)
• Write and defend a Dissertation Proposal. (6-12 months?)
• Write and defend a Dissertation. (1-3 years? 5 years?)

This list is different for every school. Even at UK, it’s changed since 2012 when I began. You

Find out from your professors, older students, recently finished, and (more probably) from the department administrative assistant what you need to do . Keep everything in one big list. Don’t be fancy and break it down into multiple places.

And don’t lose track, while simply working on courses, of the bigger picture. Getting to “Dr.” requires taking courses and doing well – but it also requires jumping through a bunch of bureaucratic hoops. Deadlines are hard and fast. Missing one could cost you a semester or a year.

Know what’s coming. What do you need to do by year three? By year two? By end of the year? Right now? Treat each course as a learning opportunity but also as checking a box on your master list. Each “A” or “B” is one step closer to “PHD”.

5. Coursework

The first step was to complete my coursework. I took 2-3 classes per semester for 2.5 years.

My approach is to hit hard early, and ease up later. I took three classes (two seminars) the first semester. This was hard, but you adjust to the work load. Manage your time. It’s like jumping in a cold pool head first. You adjust quicker.

I took three seminars the third semester and that got me ahead, which has been nice.

My program requires a “Teaching Pro-Seminar” to help us be good little graduate TA proletariat wage slaves. I did that the first semester too. My professor made a throw-away class something actually useful.

6. Language, Logic, and Exams?

Pick the language in which you will eventually read primary sources: usually either Greek, Latin, French, or German – but of course sometimes Spanish, or whatever language you might be working in. Also, U. Kentucky requires symbolic logic, so I took that my third year.

Comprehensive exams are required at U. Kentucky but the practice is fading. I studied for a whole semester or summer before the test, reading primary sources and the Stanford Encyclopedia of Internet Encyclopedias of Philosophy. Rest well on the day of the exam, bring snacks, pace yourself, and write like the wind.

7. Picking an Area

Naturally, each school is different. Some have you write a Prospectus or Dissertation Proposal rather than stretching the process out like UK does. We do an Area Proposal, then Qualifying Exams, then a Dissertation Proposal, each of which must be written and orally defended before the committee.

My area proposal was the product of much soul-searching. When I applied to graduate school, I had intended to study Plato. However, my favorite themes in contemporary ethics and metaethics kept cropping up. Every semester I wrote a term paper or three for my courses. In these papers, I noticed that I kept gravitating towards attacking or defending metaphysical naturalism, ethical naturalism, and so on.

I asked my advisor if I should go ahead and make the switch from AOS (area of specialty) Ancient Philosophy to AOS Ethics. He agreed. At that point, I started writing-to-discover. I wrote several drafts of potential area proposals for my eyes only. I narrowed down my interests and honed my arguments. I read widely about naturalism in its various forms, and about the controversies between naturalists and non-naturalists in ethics.

8. Area Proposal

I asked several friends for copies of their successfully defended Area Proposals and also downloaded some random examples from the web. They were all quite different. I decided to go ahead and attempt a draft of a formal, complete proposal.

After several iterations, in conversation with my advisor, I had a complete draft. Looking back, I see that it wasn’t very good – I still didn’t have a grasp of how slippery some of the vocabulary is: terms like “objective”, “naturalism”, “metaethics”, and so on have a wide range of nuanced and sometimes competing meanings. But I had the Area, and that’s the point.

Now I was able to begin researching in my area in order to pass the “qualifying exams.”

9. Research

With a proposal in place, I started reading in force. I downloaded articles from PhilPapers or JSTOR and purchased or checked out books by a few of my favorite authors: John McDowell, Philippa Foot, Alasdair MacIntyre, Iris Murdoch, Rosalind Hursthouse, Alan Gibbard, Michael Thompson, and so on. I read, took notes, and occassionaly attempted the foolhardy task of writing a whole chapter draft. These drafts were pretty universally junk, but writing them helped me think things through.

10. Qualifying Exams

How do you pass qualifying exams (if applicable)? This is simply a matter of doing the reading in your area. Take notes as you go – quotations (with full citation information or you will regret it!) and sentences or paragraphs in your own words. These many, many notes will serve as raw material when you begin writing exams and chapters.

11. Dissertation

How do you write a dissertation? Start by reading this awesome instruction set from Proffessor Robert Paul Wolff

You should also read this post from Chronicle blog:

Before you write a word, make an annotated bibliography. Begin with your primary text. Read through it a second, third, fourth time, painfully closely. Take copious, discursive notes on everything you find most interesting. Then find the five most-cited secondary sources for your subject. For each one, summarize its theses, extract the five most relevant quotes, and write a brief response. Do you agree? Why or why not? When you’re done, mine the bibliographies in those secondary sources for their most-cited sources, and repeat until you have 10 to 15 sources. Take a deep breath, and flesh that “skeleton” out into your first real rough draft, and then leave it untouched for at least a weekend. Now comes your next opportunity for a Dissertation Simulator: With a fresh pair of eyes, read through your “zero draft” as if you are an editor who does not have to make any of the changes you suggest. Mark up the flaws. Be merciless. Think of the meanest faculty member you have ever known, and put that person’s voice in your head. Does mean-you hurt your feelings? Perhaps make you want to cry?

The plan right now is to write one page per day, every day, 7 days a week, until draft 1 is done. “Done” df = 6 chapters, 40 pages each, 12,000 words each, for 72,000 words total and about 280 pages.

One good structure idea:

• 4-6 chapters
• 30-50 pages each
• 120-300 pages total.
• 8,000 - 12,000 words or so per chapter
• 50,000-62,000 words total.

This would look like:

• Chapter 1: Introduction, thesis, key premises, assumptions, methodology, flow of arguments, and outline of dissertation
• Chapter 2: Literature review; background on your topic/authors.
• Chapter 3: Arguments 1
• Chapter 4: Arguments 2
• Chapter 5: Arguments 3, etc
• Chapter 6: Conclusion - Reminder of thesis, summary of arguments.

A bit more detail: Your dissertation will be between 150-300 pages long. It will be minimum 4 chapters, maximum probably 8. Each chapter will be minimum 20 pages, maximum 80 pages. Each chapter will be minimum 10,000 words, maximum 20,000 words. Then you are done.

Example 1 - 250 pages, 6 chapters, 41 pages each, 10,020 words per chapter.

Example 2 - 200 pages, 5 chapters, 40 pages each, 10,000 words per chapter.

Example 3 - 300 pages, 5 chapters, 60 pages each, 15,000 words per chapter.

Example 4 - 300 pages, 8 chapters, 37 pages each, 9,200 words per chapter.

Example 5 - 180 pages, 10 chapters, 18 pages each, 4,500 words per chapter.

Example 6 - 200 pages, 10 chapters, 20 pages each, 5,000 words per chapter

Research Proposals

The University of Kentucky asks graduate students to make three increasingly specific proposals.

• The Area Proposal explains the sub-disciplines of philosophy (metaethics, naturalism, virtue ethics) I am to read in.
• The Qualifying Exams prove I have read quite a bit in these sub-disciplines and am ready to start researching and writing in that area.
• The Dissertation Proposal “pitches” my specific project: to defend an account of virtue, practical reason, and happiness drawing on three contemporary virtue ethicists. (First draft here)

Dissertation Updates

15 oct 2015.

I wrote and re-wrote my dissertation proposal many times. I discussed it with my wife (she has a background in philosophy) and with my advisor. Eventually it was submitted to my advisor.

Dear Keith, I’ve read your proposal and it looks good. There are numerous small points that need correcting, especially in formatting the references and providing bibliographic information… Congrats on making progress. Once you clean up these details it will be ready to go!

He did have some corrections for me to make, which is normal.

With that I began working in earnest. I started writing in Scrivener.

One page a day, seven days a week was the plan and it worked fairly well for me. I usually wrote 2-3 pages about 3-4 days a week. Many of these pages were merely notes, or comments on what I was reading. Others were “sections”, that is, attempts at creating a building block for future chapters (a chapter being composed of 3-5 “sections”).

Between October 2015 and August 2016

I wrote a lot. Read a lot and wrote a lot and re-read and re-wrote. I kept an ever-evolving checklist of relevant books and articles to read, and kept a long list of notes for each one. I followed the arguments, dropped some research lines, and picked up new ones.

16 May 2016 Boot Camp!

My university began hosting a “Boot Camp” writing retreat. We have a private dorm room on campus, unlimited snacks (both healthy and unhealthy snacks, woo hoo!), an endless supply of coffee and soda, and the comforting presence of a community of 40 or so fellow writers.

The Boot Camp is two weeks long. We each commit to write at least 4 hours a day, Monday through Friday, for those two weeks. It’s a time to write, revise, struggle, get confused, commiserate, write more, take breaks, and break through.

It’s been awesome. Though tomorrow is the last day. Sad!

Here’s what I’ve gotten done:

My process is rather messy. Each chapter goes through a stage: (1) draft, (2) revised draft, (3) polished draft, (4) submitted to advisor and approved or revised again.

Chapters 1 and 2 were already at stage (4), approved by advisor.

Chapter 3 was revised and is now polished. Chapter 4 was drafted and is now revised. Chapter 5 was drafted and is now revised. Chapter 6 was drafted and is now revised. Chapter 7 is drafted and I’m revising today and tomorrow.

After that, I only have one more chapter (plus the conclusion)!

Then I will go back and polish 4-8. Then I will submit 4-8 one by one to my advisor, and revise some more.

22 July 2016 Meeting with Advisor

This morning I met with my advisor. I gave him chapters 3 and 4. He said they were mostly good. He said:

My general sense – I think this is actually shaping up very well. Chapter 2 is very impressive. You draw on this extensive literature. Digging into this literature about teleological realism. You deploy that very nicely to create a space for what you want to go on to do. You’ve successfully scoped it down so that it fits within a chapter. Last time you didn’t close the circle of the argument; this time you did. Chapter 3. In terms of the pacing, and the writing. This is very good. I’m very happy with the direction. Chapter 4 follows logically from what comes before. Seems a natural development.

The biggest problem that he had was about the normative force of neo-Aristotelian naturalism. How ethical is the ethical naturalism? And how naturalistic is the ethical naturalism ? This is a good problem to have. That is, his problem is with the premise of the project, not with any detail of my presentation or execution of the project. So that’s happy news.

I asked him about timelines. I have to give him Chapters 5 and 6, and then make the changes to 4 (if they are still needed). The editor I am paying to read and comment on 5 and 6 is still at work on them, but then I’ll make some adjustments and pass them along.

I’m glad I’ve been working on formatting . Now some of that early work is paying off.

Coming soon

Retrospective.

The goal is, when I’m finished, to write a post-op. Possible topics include:

• What was hard
• What was easy
• Deciding where to apply
• How to write a teaching statement
• How to build a CV
• First year coursework
• Second year coursework and comprehensive exams
• Third year coursework
• Administrative hoop jumping and paperwork
• Fourth year research and writing
• Fifth year dissertating
• Applying for jobs
• Finishing and moving
• Starting new job

• Funding Opportunities
• Discussion-Based Events
• Graduate Programs
• Ideas that Shape the World
• Digital Community
• Planned Giving

What You Need to Know Before Getting a PhD in Philosophy

Is a getting PhD in Philosophy an attainable career option in today’s world?

Whether you are interested in influencing academia or becoming a scholar at a think tank, obtaining a doctorate degree in philosophy can be a rewarding and realistic step in your career—if you are willing to work hard.

Even getting into a graduate program can be competitive. Dr. Bill Glod notes that there could be over 200 applicants for every five spots at some of the top schools. But with the proper planning, you can be successful despite the competitive field.

In the podcast below, Dr. Glod walks you how to get into a good PhD program—and what to expect once you enroll—so that you can succeed in this field.

A few things you should think about before getting a PhD in Philosophy:

• Whether a PhD in Philosophy is really right for you, and how to prepare for a career in Philosophy as an undergraduate.
• Different types of programs in Philosophy.
• Different methodologies you’ll encounter within the field.
• How to approach the application process if you are sympathetic to classical liberal ideas.
• How many programs you should apply to, and what you should be looking for in a program.
• What classes to take once you enroll.

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Doctoral Program

Stanford's Ph.D. program is among the world's best. Our graduate students receive their training in a lively community of philosophers engaged in a wide range of philosophical projects. Our Ph.D. program trains students in traditional core areas of philosophy and provides them with opportunities to explore many subfields such as the philosophy of literature, nineteenth-century German philosophy, and medieval philosophy.

Among other areas, we are exceptionally strong in Kant studies, the philosophy of action, ancient philosophy, logic, and the philosophy of science. We attract some of the best students from around the world and we turn them into accomplished philosophers ready to compete for the best jobs in a very tight job market.

The most up-to-date requirements are listed in   t he Bulletin .  

CHECK PHD REQUIREMENTS

From the 2020-2021 edition of Explore Degrees:

Doctor of Philosophy in Philosophy

Prospective graduate students should see the  Office of Graduate Admissions  web site for information and application materials. 

The University's basic requirements for the Ph.D. degree including candidacy, residence, dissertation, and examination are discussed in the " Graduate Degrees " section of this bulletin.

University candidacy requirements, published in the " Candidacy " section of this bulletin, apply to all Ph.D. students. Admission to a doctoral degree program is preliminary to, and distinct from, admission to candidacy. Admission to candidacy for the doctoral degree is a judgment by the faculty in the department or school of the student's potential to successfully complete the requirements of the degree program. Students are expected to complete department qualifying procedures and apply for candidacy at the beginning of the seventh academic quarter, normally the Autumn Quarter of the student's third year.

Admission to candidacy for the doctoral degree is granted by the major department following a student's successful completion of qualifying procedures as determined by the department. Departmental policy determines procedures for subsequent attempts to become advanced to candidacy in the event that the student does not successfully complete the procedures. Failure to advance to candidacy results in the dismissal of the student from the doctoral program; see the " Guidelines for Dismissal of Graduate Students for Academic Reasons " section of this bulletin.

The requirements detailed here are department requirements. These requirements are meant to balance structure and flexibility in allowing students, in consultation with their  advisors , to take a path through the program that gives them a rigorous and broad philosophical education, with room to focus on areas of particular interest, and with an eye to completing the degree with an excellent dissertation and a solid preparation for a career in academic philosophy.

Normally, all courses used to satisfy the distribution requirements for the Philosophy Ph.D. are Stanford courses taken as part of a student's graduate program.  In special circumstances, a student may petition to use a very small number of graduate-level courses taken at other institutions to satisfy a distribution requirement.  To be approved for this purpose, the student’s work in such a graduate-level course would need to involve an appropriate subject matter and would need to be judged by the department to be at the level of an 'A' in a corresponding graduate-level course at Stanford.  

Courses used to satisfy any course requirement in Philosophy (except Teaching Methods and the summer Dissertation Development Seminar) must be passed with a letter grade of 'B-' or better (no satisfactory/no credit), except in the case of a course/seminar used to satisfy the third-year course/seminar requirement and taken for only 2 units. Such a reduced-unit third-year course/seminar must be taken credit/no credit. 

At the end of each year, the department reviews the progress of each student to determine whether the student is making satisfactory progress, and on that basis to make decisions about probationary status and termination from the program where appropriate.

Any student in one of the Ph.D. programs may apply for the M.A. when all University and department requirements have been met.

Proficiency Requirements

• First-year Ph.D. Proseminar : a one quarter, topically focused seminar offered in Autumn Quarter, and required of all first-year students.
• two courses in value theory including ethics, aesthetics, political philosophy, social philosophy, philosophy of law. At least one of the courses satisfying this distribution requirement must be in ethics or political philosophy.
• Two courses in language, mind, and action. One course satisfying this requirement must be drawn from the language related courses, and one from mind and action related courses.
• two courses in metaphysics and epistemology (including metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of science). At least one of the courses satisfying this requirement must be drawn from either metaphysics or epistemology.
• Instructors indicate which courses may satisfy particular requirements. If a course potentially satisfies more than one requirement the student may use it for only one of those area requirements; no units may be double-counted. Students must develop broad competencies in all these areas. Those without strong backgrounds in these areas would normally satisfy these distribution requirements by taking more basic courses rather than highly specialized and focused courses. Students should consult with their advisor in making these course decisions, and be prepared to explain these decisions when reviewed for candidacy; see requirement 6 below.
• Logic requirement:  PHIL 150  Mathematical Logic or equivalent.
• History/logic requirement. One approved course each in ancient and modern philosophy, plus either another approved history of philosophy course or  PHIL 151  Metalogic.
• Students should normally take at least 64 graduate level units at Stanford during their first six quarters (in many cases students would take more units than that) and of those total units, at least 49 units of course work are to be in the Philosophy department. These courses must be numbered above 110, but not including Teaching Methods ( PHIL 239  Teaching Methods in Philosophy) or affiliated courses. Units of Individual Directed Reading are normally not to be counted toward this 49-unit requirement unless there is special permission from the student's advisor and the Director of Graduate Studies.
•  Prior to candidacy, at least 3 units of work must be taken with each of four Stanford faculty members.

Writing Requirement: Second Year Paper

The second year paper should demonstrate good scholarship and argumentative rigor, and be a polished piece of writing approximately 8000 words in length. The second year paper need not bear any specific relationship to the dissertation. It may be a version of a prospective dissertation chapter, but this is not required. The final version must be turned in on the last class of the Second Year Paper Development Seminar in Summer Quarter of the second year. Extensions of this deadline require the consent of the instructor of the Second Year Paper Development Seminar and the Director of Graduate Studies and are only granted in exceptional cases (e.g., documented illness, family crisis). The final paper is read by a committee of two faculty members and it is an important consideration in the department’s decision on the student’s candidacy. 

Teaching Assistancy

A minimum of five quarters of teaching assistancy are required for the Ph.D. Normally one of these quarters is as a teaching assistant for the Philosophy Department's Writing in the Major course,  PHIL 80  Mind, Matter, and Meaning. It is expected that students not teach in their first year and that they teach no more than two quarters in their second year. Students are required to take  PHIL 239  Teaching Methods in Philosophy during Spring Quarter of their first year and during Autumn Quarter of their second year. Teaching is an important part of students’ preparation to be professional philosophers.

Review at the End of the Second Year for Advancement to Candidacy

The faculty's review of each student includes a review of the student's record, an assessment of the second year paper, and an assessment of the student's preparation for work in her/his intended area of specialization, as well as recommendations of additional preparation, if necessary.

To continue in the Ph.D. program, each student must apply for candidacy at the beginning of the sixth academic quarter, normally the Spring Quarter of the student's second year. Students may be approved for or denied candidacy by the end of that quarter by the department. In some cases, where there are only one or two outstanding deficiencies, the department may defer the candidacy decision and require the student to re-apply for candidacy in a subsequent quarter. In such cases, definite conditions for the candidacy re-application must be specified, and the student must work with the advisor and the DGS to meet those conditions in a timely fashion. A failure to maintain timely progress in satisfying the specified conditions constitutes grounds for withholding travel and discretionary funds and for a denial of advancement to candidacy.

• Writing Seminar : In the Summer Quarter after the second year, students are required to attend the Second Year Paper Development Seminar. The seminar is intended to help students complete their second year papers. 
• Upon completion of the summer writing seminar, students must sign up for independent study credit,  PHIL 240  Individual Work for Graduate Students, with their respective advisors each quarter. A plan at the beginning, and a report at the end, of each quarter must be signed by both student and advisor and submitted to the graduate administrator for inclusion in the student's file. This is the process every quarter until the completion of the departmental oral.
• In Autumn and Winter quarters of the third year, students register in and satisfactorily complete  PHIL 301  Dissertation Development Proseminar. Students meet to present their work in progress and discuss their thesis project. Participation in these seminars is required.
• During the third and fourth years in the program, a student should complete at least three graduate-level courses/seminars, at least two of them in philosophy (a course outside philosophy can be approved by the advisor), and at least two of them in the third year. The three seminars can be taken credit/no-credit for reduced (2) units. Courses required for candidacy are not counted toward satisfaction of this requirement. This light load of courses allows students to deepen their philosophical training while keeping time free for thesis research.

Dissertation Work and Defense

The third and following years are devoted to dissertation work. The few requirements in this segment of the program are milestones to encourage students and advisors to ensure that the project is on track.

• Dissertation Proposal— By Spring Quarter of the third year, students should have selected a dissertation topic and committee. A proposal sketching the topic, status, and plan for the thesis project, as well as an annotated bibliography or literature review indicating familiarity with the relevant literature, must be received by the committee one week before the meeting on graduate student progress late in Spring Quarter. The dissertation proposal and the reading committee's report on it will constitute a substantial portion of the third year review.
• Departmental Oral— During Autumn Quarter of the fourth year, students take an oral examination based on at least 30 pages of written work, in addition to the proposal. The aim of the exam is to help the student arrive at an acceptable plan for the dissertation and to make sure that student, thesis topic, and advisors make a reasonable fit. It is an important chance for the student to clarify their goals and intentions with the entire committee present.
• Fourth-Year Colloquium— No later than Spring Quarter of the fourth year, students present a research paper in a 60-minute seminar open to the entire department. This paper should be on an aspect of the student's dissertation research. This is an opportunity for the student to make their work known to the wider department, and to explain their ideas to a general philosophical audience.
• University Oral Exam— Ph.D. students must submit a completed draft of the dissertation to the reading committee at least one month before the student expects to defend the thesis in the University oral exam. If the student is given consent to go forward, the University oral can take place approximately two weeks later. A portion of the exam consists of a student presentation based on the dissertation and is open to the public. A closed question period follows. If the draft is ready by Autumn Quarter of the fourth year, the student may request that the University oral count as the department oral.

Below are yearly lists of courses which the faculty have approved to fulfill distribution requirements in these areas: value theory (including ethics, aesthetics, political philosophy, social philosophy, philosophy of law); language; mind and action; metaphysics and epistemology (including metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of science); logic; ancient philosophy; modern philosophy.

The most up-to-date requirements are listed in  t he Bulletin .  

Ph.D. Minor in Philosophy

To obtain a Ph.D. minor in Philosophy, students must follow these procedures:

• Consult with the Director of Graduate Study to establish eligibility, and select a suitable  advisor .
• 30 units of courses in the Department of Philosophy with a letter grade of 'B-' or better in each course. No more than 3 units of directed reading may be counted in the 30-unit requirement.
• Philosophy of science
• Ethics, value theory, and moral and political philosophy
• Metaphysics and epistemology
• Language, mind and action
• History of philosophy
• Two additional courses numbered over 199 to be taken in one of those (b) six areas.
• A faculty member from the Department of Philosophy (usually the student's advisor) serves on the student's doctoral oral examination committee and may request that up to one third of this examination be devoted to the minor subject.
• Paperwork for the minor must be submitted to the department office before beginning the program.

Interdisciplinary Study

The department supports interdisciplinary study. Courses in Stanford's other departments and programs may be counted towards the degree, and course requirements in Philosophy are designed to allow students considerable freedom in taking such courses. Dissertation committees may include members from other departments. Where special needs arise, the department is committed to making it possible for students to obtain a philosophical education and to meet their interdisciplinary goals. Students are advised to consult their advisors and the department's student services office for assistance.

Graduate Program in Cognitive Science

Philosophy participates with the departments of Computer Science, Linguistics, and Psychology in an interdisciplinary program in Cognitive Science. It is intended to provide an interdisciplinary education, as well as a deeper concentration in philosophy, and is open to doctoral students. Students who complete the requirements within Philosophy and the Cognitive Science requirements receive a special designation in Cognitive Science along with the Ph.D. in Philosophy. To receive this field designation, students must complete 30 units of approved courses, 18 of which must be taken in two disciplines outside of philosophy. The list of approved courses can be obtained from the Cognitive Science program located in the Department of Psychology.

Special Track in Philosophy and Symbolic Systems

Students interested in interdisciplinary work relating philosophy to artificial intelligence, cognitive science, computer science, linguistics, or logic may pursue a degree in this program.

Prerequisites—Admitted students should have covered the equivalent of the core of the undergraduate Symbolic Systems Program requirements as described in the " Symbolic Systems " section of the Stanford Bulletin, including courses in artificial intelligence (AI), cognitive science, linguistics, logic, and philosophy. The graduate program is designed with this background in mind. Students missing part of this background may need additional course work. In addition to the required course work listed in the bulletin, the Ph.D. requirements are the same as for the regular program, with the exception that one course in value theory and one course in history may be omitted.

Joint Program in Ancient Philosophy

This program is jointly administered by the Departments of Classics and Philosophy and is overseen by a joint committee composed of members of both departments:

•         Christopher Bobonich , Philosophy (Ancient Greek Philosophy, Ethics)
•         Alan Code , Philosophy, Philosophy (Ancient Greek Philosophy, Metaphysics)
•         Reviel Netz , Classics (History of Greek and Pre-Modern Mathematics)
•         Andrea Nightingale , Classics, (Greek and Roman Philosophy and Literature)
•        Josh Ober , Classics and Political Science (Greek Political Thought, Democratic Theory)

It provides students with the training, specialist skills, and knowledge needed for research and teaching in ancient philosophy while producing scholars who are fully trained as either philosophers with a strong specialization in ancient languages and philology, or classicists with a concentration in philosophy.

Students are admitted to the program by either department. Graduate students admitted by the Philosophy department receive their Ph.D. from the Philosophy department; those admitted by the Classics department receive their Ph.D. from the Classics department. For Philosophy graduate students, this program provides training in classical languages, literature, culture, and history. For Classics graduate students, this program provides training in the history of philosophy and in contemporary philosophy.

Each student in the program is advised by a committee consisting of one professor in each department.

Requirements for Philosophy Graduate Students: These are the same as the proficiency requirements for the Ph.D. in Philosophy.

One year of Greek is a requirement for admission to the program. If students have had a year of Latin, they are required to take 3 courses in second- or third-year Greek or Latin, at least one of which must be in Latin. If they have not had a year of Latin, they are then required to complete a year of Latin, and take two courses in second- or third-year Greek or Latin.

Students are also required to take at least three courses in ancient philosophy at the 200 level or above, one of which must be in the Classics department and two of which must be in the Philosophy department.

Ph.D. Subplan in History and Philosophy of Science

Graduate students in the Philosophy Ph.D. program may pursue a Ph.D. subplan in History and Philosophy of Science. The subplan is declared in Axess and subplan designations appear on the official transcript, but are not printed on the diploma.

1.  Attendance at the HPS colloquium series. 2.  Philosophy of Science courses.  Select one of the following:

• PHIL 263 Significant Figures in Philosophy of Science: Einstein
• PHIL 264: Central Topics in the Philosophy of Science: Theory and Evidence
• PHIL 264A: Central Topics in Philosophy of Science: Causation
• PHIL 265: Philosophy of Physics: Space and Time
• PHIL 265C: Philosophy of Physics: Probability and Relativity
• PHIL 266: Probability: Ten Great Ideas About Chance
• PHIL 267A:  Philosophy of Biology
• PHIL 267B: Philosophy, Biology, and Behavior

3.  One elective seminar in the history of science. 4.  One elective seminar (in addition to the course satisfying requirement 2) in philosophy of science.

The PhD program provide 5 years of  financial support . We also try to provide support for our sixth year students and beyond though we cannot guarantee such support. In addition to covering tuition, providing a stipend, and covering Stanford's health insurance, we provide additional funds for books, computer equipment, and conference travel expenses. Some of the financial support is provided through requiring you to teach; however, our teaching requirement is quite low and we believe that this is a significant advantage of our program.

Stanford Support Programs

Additional support, such as advances, medical and emergency grants for Grad Students are available through the Financial Aid Office. The University has created the following programs specifically for graduate students dealing with challenging financial situations.

Graduate Financial Aid  homepage :

https://financialaid.stanford.edu/grad/funding/

Cash Advance:  https://sfs.stanford.edu/gradcashadvance

Emergency grant-in-aid :  https://financialaid.stanford.edu/pdf/emergencygrant-in-aid.pdf, family grants:  https://financialaid.stanford.edu/pdf/gradfamilygrant2021.pdf, housing loans:  https://financialaid.stanford.edu/loans/other/gradhousing.html, program characteristics.

Our program is well known for its small size, streamlined teaching requirements, and low average time to degree.

The program regulations are designed to efficiently provide students with a broad base in their first two years. In the third year students transition to working on their dissertations. During the summer prior to the third year, students are required to attend a dissertation development seminar. This seminar introduces students to what is involved in writing a dissertation. During the third year the course load drops to just under one course per quarter.

The rest of the time is spent working closely with a faculty member, or a couple of faculty members, on the student's area of research interest. The goal of the third year is that this process of intensive research and one-on-one interaction will generate a topic and proposal for the dissertation. During the fourth and fifth year the student is not required to take any courses and he or she focusses exclusively on research and writing on the dissertation.

Stanford University

Being a part of  Stanford University  means that students have access to one of the premier education institutions in the world. Stanford is replete with top departments in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. In addition, our professional schools, such as the  Stanford Law School , are among the best. The range of research in a variety of areas, many of which touch on or relate to philosophical issues, is simply astounding. Students have the freedom to take courses across the university. Graduate students also regularly earn joint degrees with other programs.

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How to Make The Most of Your PhD - Tips For Beginner Doctoral Students

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When you start a PhD, there's a lot to think about – so here are our tips on what to do to make the most of your PhD experience.

Get to know your fellow PhD students.

Doing a PhD is sometimes a lonely experience, but it can also be a chance to meet like-minded people. Whenever possible, take the opportunity to get to know your fellows PhD students at lectures, department events, or social events. As well as being a good way to make new friends, you'll benefit from having people to talk to about your PhD experience and to turn to for help or advice.

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Find out about the library, it systems, and university administration..

While there is a lot to think about at the start of your PhD, it will only get more busy as time goes on. So take a few days at some point near the start of your PhD to look into your university library and IT systems. Find out where the buildings are located, what kind of log-in information or card you need, and who you can ask if you run into problems. Also find out about the administrative arrangements and student support for matriculation, funding , and other issues. If you need to use these services later down the line, you'll be glad that you already know where to turn for help.

Organise regular meetings with both of your supervisors.

You need to make sure that you have regular contact with both of your supervisors . Specifics can vary between individuals, but generally you should see your main supervisor at least once every two weeks, and your second supervisor at least once per semester. Set up these meetings early on and be diligent about attending them.

Do attend lectures, departmental seminars, and events.

With so much pressure on, you might feel like you need to spend all of your time getting started on your research project. But you need to learn about your subject more broadly in order to become a good researcher, and you also need to get to know the other people in your department and university. So do attend extra lectures, departmental seminars, and events – particularly at the beginning of your PhD when you have more time than you will later.

Have a plan, but be okay with changing it.

When you start you PhD, you will need a plan of what research you are intending to perform, and the timescale in which you will operate. The more detailed this plan is, the better – for example, for a science PhD, try to think through each stage of literature review, hypothesis formation, experimental design, data analysis, and so on - and make a note of how long you think you should spend on each task. Do be realistic here! This is where it helps to talk to other PhDs or academics, as you can ask them how long certain tasks typically (recruitment of participants, for example, always takes far longer than you imagine it would). Draw up your timetable, however, also remember that this plan is subject to change. Perhaps you come up with a new idea, or your first experiment doesn't work out, and you need to change your plan. That's okay! Your plan should be a guideline, but you need to be flexible about how things work out.

Look for training courses – especially for soft skills.

Soft skills like oral presentation, essay writing, or supervision can be frequently overlooked by PhD students and supervisors alike. However, these skills are essential for you to succeed in your PhD and beyond, so you should make an effort to learn more about them. See if your university or graduate school runs training courses, and sign yourself up if you can – half a day to two days' worth of training on these skills can be incredibly useful throughout your career.

Get a support system in place of friends, family, and fellow academics.

Working on your PhD can be wonderful, but it can be stressful too! You'll need help and support from others to avoid burning out. Make an effort to get to know new people and to keep in contact with family, friends, and former co-workers to ensure that you have people who can give you emotional support when you need it.

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How to Get a Doctorate in Philosophy

Last Updated: May 26, 2024

This article was co-authored by Felipe Corredor . Felipe is a Senior College Admissions Consultant at American College Counselors with over seven years of experience. He specializes in helping clients from all around the world gain admission into America's top universities through private, one-on-one consulting. He helps guide clients through the entire college admissions process and perfect every aspect of their college applications. Felipe earned a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Chicago and recently received his MBA. This article has been viewed 60,801 times.

A doctorate is the highest degree you can earn in the field of philosophy. Earning a PhD in philosophy takes hard work and perseverance. The process of getting your PhD in philosophy varies depending on the university and program. However, almost all programs will require coursework, intense research, and a completed dissertation. Earning your doctorate in philosophy is difficult but with dedication and hard work, you can complete the requirements and get your PhD.

Applying to PhD Programs

• You should have at least an idea of your dissertation subject. Ideally, the PhD program you attend will have a strong background in your subfield. Look for the leading philosophers in your subfield and consider applying to their universities.
• Most philosophy graduate programs are small which means there are many people applying for a few spots. You may want to apply to many different programs to increase your chance of acceptance.

• The GRE’s have a verbal, writing, and mathematics section. The first two are probably more important for a philosophy major, but a strong score in all sections will be necessary to be accepted into the competitive graduate programs.

• If your undergraduate program required a thesis, consider submitting this as your sample. If a thesis was not required, consider writing one for the application. Your sample should be of the highest quality and thoroughly edited and proofread.

Completing the First Two Years of Graduate School

• Most PhD programs will require 3-4 classes a semester for the first two years.
• It is important to get the majority, if not all, of your coursework done during your first two years. The remainder of your PhD program should be focused on researching and writing your dissertation.

• The research proposal should explain what your dissertation will add to the field of philosophy; what arguments your making, and the new theories you are proposing. It should be a relatively specific topic, and you should discuss it with your professors during your first two years of graduate school.
• The research proposal should outline your plans for completing your dissertation. It should explain how your work will build on existing scholarship and outline each step of the dissertation writing process.
• Most PhD programs will require that your proposal be accepted by the department before you progress to writing the dissertation.

• Many programs will award a master's degree after the successful completion of the coursework and exam.
• Some programs will not give you a test but will still require formal approval before you advance to the dissertation-writing stage.

Writing Your Dissertation

• Talk to several faculty members, and try to envision working with them. Make sure you are comfortable working with the professor you ultimately choose, and that they will be available to advise you over the next several years.

• You should also understand the history of research into your field, and how other scholars have contributed to it.
• Your advisor can suggest books and authors to begin your research. Your dissertation should build on the research that has already been conducted.

• You should travel to different archives, libraries, and philosophical institutions. Your research might also include interviews, surveys, and data analysis depending on your topic and subfield of philosophy.
• Your dissertation should not simply be an overview of other people’s work; it should show your arguments and original research.
• Your advisor will be crucial in the research process. Not only can they point you in the direction of sources, but they will help you analyze your research and what it means to your thesis.

• The exact length of your dissertation will vary depending on your university’s requirements and your subject. Typically, dissertations are between 70,000 and 100,000 words long. [6] X Research source
• In addition to your main arguments, your dissertation needs to include a literature review, an explanation of your methods, a summary of your research, and an explanation as to how you arrived at your conclusions.

• In addition to your advisor, have other professors and philosophers review your work. The more people who edit your draft, the fewer changes you will have to make after your dissertation defense.

Completing Your Doctorate in Philosophy

• How the panel is selected varies by institution. In general, there is at least one member of your department present and one expert from outside your department. This expert should still be a philosophy expert; often they are philosophy professors from other schools.
• Usually your advisor is present at the defense, but they are not a member of the panel.

• Generally, the changes that are required are minor. You should make them and then resubmit your dissertation. You will still be awarded your doctorate as planned. If major changes are required, you may have to take more time to implement them fully. This may delay your doctorate being awarded.

Expert Q&A

• Because studying philosophy at an advanced level requires mastery of a specific type of writing and argumentation, it is important to study philosophy as an undergraduate. Doctoral programs will likely not accept students who do not have a broad background in the field; if you have majored in another subject, earning a master's in philosophy before applying to PhD programs might be best. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

• One of the hardest things about earning a doctorate in philosophy is the financial burden that graduate school places on students. When applying to graduate programs, be sure to find departments that provide generous funding to their students, and consider the financial package when choosing your eventual place of study. Thanks Helpful 5 Not Helpful 1

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• ↑ https://theihs.org/blog/getting-a-phd-in-philosophy/
• ↑ https://philosophy.columbia.edu/content/phd-philosophy
• ↑ https://libguides.uwf.edu/c.php?g=215199&p=1420520
• ↑ https://www.findaphd.com/advice/doing/the-phd-journey.aspx

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• Finding a PhD

Find Your PhD, Fast Finding a PhD has never been this easy – search for a PhD by keyword, location or academic area of interest. Search Now

• When looking for PhD research projects, a great place to start is with our comprehensive and up-to-date database .
• Speak with lecturers within your area of interest about potential PhD opportunities they may have.
• Attend Postgraduate Events . Whilst there, speak to current PhD students and career advisors to get an awareness of what PhD projects are on offer.
• Visit the postgraduate section of university websites and the PhD Research Council section of the GOV.UK website

Finding A PhD

Searching for PhD research projects can sometimes feel like daunting process. Often, it’s difficult to know where to find a PhD position or where to even start.

To make this searching process as easy as possible for you, we’ve curated a collection of the best places to search for PhD projects. By using our recommended collection, you should hopefully gain a greater insight into where your interests lie and which programme is best suited for you.

Our Comprehensive and Up-To-Date Directory

We can’t create a list of great resources and not include ourselves! At DiscoverPhDs, our primary aim is to connect great students to great PhD projects. To enable this, we provide a comprehensive database of PhD projects offered from universities all across the UK.

We regularly add to our database to ensure you’re getting the latest opportunities and the most relevant information and programme details. On top of this, we’ve created our database to be as easy to use as possible; all our PhD listings provide a direct ‘apply’ link or contact email address of the lead supervisor. This enables you to:

• Request further information about any aspect of the position,
• Enquire about the specific applications process,
• Connect directly with the supervisor

Universities Websites

Search on the website of the universities you are interested in as some many only be listing PhD research projects internally or may link you to other opportunities such as Professional Doctorate Programmes. As examples, have a look at the research pages of The University of Cambridge , Cardiff University , University of Leicester , Sheffield University and The University of Glasgow .

Your Current Supervisor

If you’re currently undertaking a research project or dissertation as part of your undergraduate or master’s degree, it would be a good idea to speak to your current supervisor. Not only would you have already built a good rapport with them, but having worked with you they will have a good idea on what PhD positions would utilise your strengths or best interest you. In fact, a noticeable percentage of past and current PhD students came into their PhD programme because of being recommended by their undergraduate supervisor. Your supervisor will be well-connected – make sure you take advantage of these opportunities.

Tip: Don’t just limit your discussion to your own personal supervisor. All supervisors are within their field of work because they have a natural passion for research and teaching. As such, most supervisors will be more than happy to help any student who wishes to follow in their footsteps and make their own impact.

Postgraduate Events

Nearly all universities hold regular Postgraduate Fairs and Open Days. As part of these events, current postgraduate students may be on hand to share their experiences of their projects and university. This is a fantastic opportunity to not only find out what PhDs the university is offering but to find out more about their facilities, research labs and library collection, etc. Given that you will be heavily relying on these resources during your PhD, it’s important that you know what’s provided by each university. Hearing student stories about what PhD life is really like, what to expect from supervisors and some of the challenges that current students have encountered can be really useful in your decision making process.

Besides the above, career advisers may also be available at these events. Speaking to them will help you understand what you can do with a PhD, whether a PhD is right for you, what degree class you’re expected to hold and how best to prepare for research projects. Seeing as they would have helped many PhD candidates through the decision-making process before, they will provide you with some invaluable insight that you would otherwise be oblivious to.

To help bring all Postgraduate Fairs and Open Days offered across all universities together, we’ve created a helpful Postgraduate Events page which we highly recommend you check out.

Research Councils

Research councils are nationally funded agencies which offer sponsored PhD research projects (also known as a PhD studentship). Different research councils cover different areas of research, these include:

• The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC),
• The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC),
• Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC),
• The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC),
• Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).

The GOV.UK website has a full list of nationally-funded research councils available online. You can find further details on these councils on the GOV.UK website.

Although our database includes PhD programmes offered by these research councils, it would be a good idea to regularly browse the website of the ones you are particularly interested in case they list some internal only. These councils play an important role in supporting and encouraging doctoral researchers and they regularly hold calls for applications for PhD funding. If you or your potential supervisor have a PhD project proposal defined but need funding, then applying to these calls may become a key first milestone in your postgraduate research journey.

For example, the EPSRC offers a Doctoral Training Partnership programme in which a research student is given funding to pursue postgraduate study with a research question that aligns with the Councils core engineering and physical sciences themes. These awards often have eligibility criteria linked to them, impacting which postgraduate research students can apply; an international student, for example, may not be able to apply to a certain UK based scholarship scheme but there are several other options that can still help you fund your doctoral research; this may involve taking out a postgraduate loan (or more specifically a postgraduate doctoral loan).

To make this searching process as easy as possible for you, we’ve curated a collection of the best places to search for a PhD. By using our recommended collection, you should hopefully gain a greater insight into where your interests lie and which programme is best suited for you.

Further Resources

As you continue your search of PhD research projects, be sure to check our our PhD advice articles, including how to prepare for your PhD application, and interviews with current and past doctoral students. Many of the people we’ve interviewed have completed degrees within a STEM discipline; they offer a wide range of advice on their individual approaches to applied research and independent study, as well as sharing some the impact their work has had. Many have continued the research of their projects within academia after finishing, whilst some have developed successful careers in industry and business sectors.

It’s worth noting that when you apply to undertake doctoral study, you may first be registered as an MPhil researcher, depending on the specific doctoral programme you apply for, officially become a full PhD student after passing an upgrade viva. At the upgrade stage, some students do decide to graduate with an MPhil research degree rather than pursuing further PhD study however this is less common.

We hope the above list will help you find the perfect PhD position and earn your doctoral degree.

If you have any recommendations besides these resources, please let us know at [email protected] so we can look to add it.

If you’re ready to start your search for your PhD, start now with our  PhD database .

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The Philosophy Book for Beginners: A Brief Introduction to Great Thinkers and Big Ideas Paperback – September 7, 2021

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• The major branches —Explore the central questions of metaphysics, epistemology, logic, and axiology as you see how they changed over time.
• A wide range of thinkers —Discover the diverse perspectives of philosophers, from Socrates in the fifth century BCE to modern-day thinkers like Martha Nussbaum.
• Thought experiments —Each chapter focuses on a topic, like existentialism, stoicism, or radical faith, and ends with a related thought experiment for you to ponder.
• Print length 182 pages
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• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Rockridge Press (September 7, 2021)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 182 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1648765327
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• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
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• #106 in Philosophy Reference (Books)
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Open PHD Guiding – Official Website for PHD2

Phd2 is telescope guiding software that simplifies the process of tracking a guide star, letting you concentrate on other aspects of deep-sky imaging or spectroscopy..

• Easy-to-use, “push here dummy” guiding for beginners
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• Easy upgrade/co-installation with PHD1, including many new features
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PHD2 comes with a built-in help file, which is an excellent way to get started with PHD2. You can access the help file from the Help menu in PHD2, or you can view or download the manual here:  HTML   PDF .

For questions about using the application, general troublehooting, bug reports, feature requests, and questions about PHD2 development, please post on the  Open PHD Guiding  Google group.

Please read  How to ask for help with PHD2  for tips on how to ask for help with a guiding problem or to report an issue with PHD2.

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Head to Downloads  for the installation files and release details.

Bruce and Andy have compiled a list of best practices for PHD2.  These aren’t “must-do’s”, but they represent lessons learned from both personal experience and from analyzing hundreds of log files covering a wide range of equipment configurations. Updated Dec 2019.

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PHD2 is now compatible with macOS Catalina. Download here

Ken has put together some video tutorials on the new PHD2 polar alignment tools: Polar Drift Alignment (PDA) and Static Polar Alignment (SPA) They can be viewed here: PHD2 polar alignment tutorials .

Bruce has contributed a new PHD2_Broker package that lets you use PHD2 with the latest CCD Autopilot automation package (v 5.09.8 or later). You can manage your imaging sessions with CCD Autopilot while letting PHD2 handle guiding and dithering in a coordinated way. Details are provided in the help document that’s part of the Broker package. Download: PHD2_Broker download

A tutorial on how to interpret your Guide Log and improve your guiding performance, by Bruce Waddington. Highly recommended!   Download PDF  English Français Italiano 日本

A tutorial on using PHD2’s Comet Tracking tool for off-axis guiding on comets , by Lars Karlsson.

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Recently Andy Galasso sat down with The Astroimaging Channel to discuss PHD2 via Google Hangouts. You can watch the session here :

Andy Galasso has written this PHD2 Log File viewer for quickly visualizing your guiding performance and spotting problems in your PHD2 Guide Log.

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