What is a PhD?
In the UK and US, PhD stands for "Doctor of Philosophy," sometimes referred to as "doctorate." It is the highest degree a student can earn. At some institutions, including the University of Oxford, the PhD is known as the DPhil. The admission requirement, as a rule, is a Master's degree (MA, M. Sc) but some international institutions are open to candidates’ individual assessments. Usually, to be admitted, potential students have to submit a research proposal to the department they have chosen for their studies. Some departments encourage students to present, or discuss, their ideas with a supervisor, who is a specialist in that specific field. Usually, the proposal should outline the goal of the research, its relationship to other research in the field and the methods implemented. A PhD usually lasts two or three years; however, students may often require extra time, due to research difficulties. PhDs by Research are an exception: their duration is linked to that of the dissertation and normally on-campus classes or seminars attendance is not required. This type of PhD involves the completion of a thesis in a given field of global knowledge that the students must carry out independently.
