benefits of phd in english

Why PhDs are good – for individuals, and for a country

Vice President of the Academy of Science of South Africa and DST-NRF SARChI chair in Fungal Genomics, Professor in Genetics, University of Pretoria, University of Pretoria

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Brenda Wingfield receives funding from the Department of Science and Innovation in South Africa as she holds a DST/NRF research chair. She is a Professor at a South African University and is the vice president of the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf).

University of Pretoria provides funding as a partner of The Conversation AFRICA.

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What is the value of a PhD? Is there a need in a developing world country to undertake a PhD study? It’s expensive (around R1 million per graduate) and in many regards a luxury for students from poor families. Even for those who have better access to money there’s a very real cost in tuition, costs of the research as well as years lost with regards to climbing the career ladder. As students in the southern hemisphere consider their study options for next year, it’s worth revisiting the pros and cons of doing a PhD.

From an individual perspective, there are good and bad reasons to do a PhD.

The good reasons include achieving a significant goal in terms of a research output, publications and in many cases solving an important problem. Doing research towards a PhD allows one to be curious, literally every day.

It’s also the first step in becoming part of the global network of researchers. Becoming part of a global community can be very gratifying.

The bad reasons would include the assumption that having a PhD will earn you a larger salary. This is not always the case. Another is peer pressure which can lead students to register for a PhD. Sometimes the pressure comes from family. Another not so good reason is when people decide to do a PhD because they don’t like the job that they are doing.

Undertaking a PhD study should only be considered if you are really passionate about research and understand that it really takes a huge amount of time and energy. It is after all the ultimate degree – there are none higher.

The value of a PhD

The bottom line is that there is no magic about the qualification. It doesn’t make you a better or smarter person.

However, people who have PhDs have shown a certain capacity and tenacity and have the degree to prove it. Many other people might have the equivalent capacity and tenacity but without the degree it is less easy for employers to identify them.

The South African government has identified that producing people with a PhD degree is an important goal. The Department of Science and Innovation has suggested that universities need to increase their output of PhD graduates to 100 graduates per million people. At the moment South Africa has 46 doctoral graduates per million people, this is one tenth of the figure for Switzerland (465) and United Kingdom (409).

The new target would take the expected output to more than 5800 PhD graduates every year. In 2016 the number of PhD graduates in South Africa was just under 3000 .

The government’s argument is that the PhD degree can be seen as a driver of the academic pipeline. If we focus on getting more PhDs, universities will also increase other graduates in the pipeline. While I support the idea of PhDs being a driver, I think that the current targets cannot be achieved for many years.

One cannot easily change the PhD pipeline quite so rapidly. In 2001 there were 802 PhD graduates, in 2009 this had increased to 1380 and in 2017 this had increased to 3057 , which has been a remarkable achievement. This is especially the case given the current global and local economic climate.

All countries need strong comprehensive universities – institutions that do more than just train students to the bachelor degree level. To have a substantive research output a university must have academics with PhDs. Only people with PhDs can train PhD graduates.

That does indeed mean building a vibrant PhD graduate training programme to support strong research output. South Africa is short of people with the appropriate qualifications (PhDs) to do the training. And it cannot expect to import such graduates to support its economy, because without strong comprehensive universities a country cannot train the range of graduates with skills necessary for sustained economic growth and development.

Quite a bit has been written about an over supply of PhD graduates. But this isn’t a problem in a country like South Africa where I have trained 52 PhD graduates, all of whom have found jobs. Not all are in academic positions, not all are still doing research. None of them have ever suggested that doing a PhD was a waste of time.

We need to train more, not less.

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Ph.D. Program

The Stanford English department has a long tradition of training the next generation of scholars to become leaders in academia and related fields. Our Ph.D. program encourages the production of ambitious, groundbreaking dissertation work across the diverse field interests of our prestigious faculty.

Fusing deep attention to literary history with newer approaches to media, technology, and performance, our department carefully mentors students in both scholarship and pedagogy through close interaction with faculty. Our location on the edge of the Pacific and at the heart of Silicon Valley encourages expansive, entrepreneurial thinking about the interpenetration of arts and sciences.

Program Overview

The English Department seeks to teach and promote an understanding of both the significance and the history of British and American literature (broadly defined) and to foster an appreciation of the richness and variety of texts in the language. It offers rigorous training in interpretive thinking and precise expression. Our English graduate program features the study of what imaginative language, rhetoric, and narrative art has done, can do, and will do in life, and it focuses on the roles creative writing and representations play in almost every aspect of modern experience. Completing the Ph.D. program prepares a student for full participation as a scholar and literary critic in the profession.

Financial Support

We offer an identical five-year funding package to all admitted students with competitive funding available for a sixth year. Funding covers applicable tuition costs, Stanford Cardinal Care health insurance, and living expenses in the form of direct stipend, teaching assistantships or pre-doctoral research assistantships. The department, in conjunction with the School of Humanities and Sciences, is also committed to supporting students' involvement in professional activities and funds many of the expenses for research travel, summer language study, and participation in academic conferences. Student housing is not included in the funding package.

In addition to our standard doctoral funding package, the Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Education (VPGE) provides competitive funding to support individual doctoral students, student groups, and department-based projects. VPGE funding opportunities promote innovation, diversity, and excellence in graduate education. Explore their doctoral  fellowship  and other student  funding  opportunities.

The  Knight-Hennessy Scholars  program cultivates and supports a highly-engaged, multidisciplinary and multicultural community of graduate students from across Stanford University, and delivers a diverse collection of educational experiences, preparing graduates to address complex challenges facing the world. Knight-Hennessy Scholars participate in an experiential leadership development program known as the King Global Leadership Program and receive funding for up to three years of graduate study at Stanford. Two applications must be submitted separately; one to Knight-Hennessy and one to the Stanford English graduate degree program by its deadline. Please refer to the Knight-Hennessy Scholars program page to learn more and apply.

Teaching Requirements

One pedagogical seminar and four quarters of supervised teaching. Typically a student will teach three times as a teaching assistant in a literature course. For the fourth course, students will have the option of applying to design and teach a Writing Intensive Seminar in English (WISE) for undergraduate English majors or teaching a fourth quarter as a T.A..

• 1st year: One quarter as T.A. (leading 1-2 discussion sections of undergraduate literature)
• 2nd year: One quarter as T.A. (leading 1-2 discussion sections of undergraduate literature)
• 3rd/4th/5th years: Two quarters of teaching, including the possibility of TA'ing or teaching a WISE course.

Language requirements

All candidates for the Ph.D. degree must demonstrate a reading knowledge of two foreign languages. One language requirement must be completed during the first year of study. The second language must be completed before the oral examination in the third year.

Candidates in the earlier periods must offer Latin and one of the following languages: French, German, Greek, Italian or Spanish. Candidates in the later period (that is, after the Renaissance) must demonstrate a reading knowledge of two languages for which  Stanford’s Language Center  regularly offers a reading course, administers a competency exam, or facilitates the administration of an American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Reading Proficiency Test (ACTFL RPT). In all cases, the choice of languages offered must be relevant to the student’s field of study and must have the approval of the candidate's adviser. Any substitution of a language other than one for which Stanford offers a competency exam must also be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies.

Other requirements

All candidates for the Ph.D. must satisfactorily complete the following:

• 135 units, at least 70 of which (normally 14 courses) must be graded course work
• Qualifying examination, based on a reading guide of approximately 70-90 works, to be taken orally at the end of the summer after the first year of graduate work.
• University oral examination covering the field of concentration taken no later than the winter quarter of the third year of study.
• Submission of the dissertation prospectus
• First chapter review with the dissertation advisor and the members of the dissertation reading committee.
• Dissertation, which should be an original work of literary criticism demonstrating the student's ability to participate fully as a scholar and literary critic in the profession.
• Closing colloquium designed to look forward toward the next steps; identify the major accomplishments of the dissertation and the major questions/issues/problems that remain; consider possibilities for revision, book or article publication, etc.

Why study a PhD in English literature?

Studying for a phd in english literature is not just a “run-on from an ma”, writes john francis davies, but requires deep introspection and societal awareness.

John Francis Davies

What is the point of a doctorate in English literature? It’s an easy trap to become deterministic about this question: it is no single thing. To my mind, there are two main reasons to spend four years in speech, word, and thought. One is to do with the field of study itself, and the other with the lifestyle it sustains.

The study of English literature is primarily heuristic – so, an enabling discipline. There is no escaping language. It’s everywhere: in the waking and the sleeping, through the loud music, over the desk at work, in the mouths and minds of friend and stranger. It’s the thing that strains in the voice during bickering arguments or vindication against family accusations.

It is in the rhetoric and the row. It’s out there in remote places or in the long-watched painting at the gallery. It forms what we see and what we do and how we feel. The omnipresence of language is the greatest serendipity and the greatest struggle. Given that life is so substantially governed by language, it shall never fail to fascinate us.

Top universities for English literature What can you do with an English literature degree?

A doctorate is not just a run-on from an MA but a genuine effort to make a societal contribution, no matter how small. English as a discipline can be a vivifying force for both individual and social liberty.

One need only to consider great editorial achievements of the 20th century, like Christopher Ricks’ scholarship on Alfred Tennyson or, today, the ongoing 30-volume Correspondence of Charles Darwin , and the progress of digital humanities for open access.

It is clear, too, why academics such as C.S. Lewis became more invested in journalism. Today, we need far more literary critics to step forward to provide not only social commentary but alternative social role models. Words are deeds: they create reality.

More articles on PhDs

What is a PhD? Advice for PhD students Eight habits to help you get through your PhD Finishing studying…and starting again

A PhD in English, with all its constituent parts, facilitates a cerebral life. In a society of people constantly persuaded to look outside themselves, doctoral students are being inspired by deep thought, and become unequivocally satisfied in the value of their work. The feeling of value about one’s work is capricious, but what is immutable is that work’s value to you.

“What we learn from experience,” C.S. Lewis tells us, “depends on the kind of philosophy we bring to it.” That philosophy finds form and depth through what we study. University is not, or at least should not be, some hiatus before resuming one’s place in the world. It’s a way of living.

John Francis Davies is a Doctor of English based at the Oxford Centre for Life-Writing, Wolfson College, University of Oxford

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Highlighting the positive aspects of being a PhD student

Camille bernery.

1 Laboratoire Écologie Systématique Évolution, Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS and AgroParisTech Orsay, France

Léo Lusardi

Clara marino, martin philippe-lesaffre, elena angulo.

2 Estación Biológica de Doñana, CSIC Sevilla, Spain

Elsa Bonnaud

Loreleï guéry.

3 UMR Plant Health Institute of Montpellier, CIRAD and INRAE Montpellier, France

Eléna Manfrini

Anna turbelin, céline albert.

4 Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre Frankfurt am Main, Germany

5 Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute Front Royal, United States

Franck Courchamp

Associated data.

All data generated or analysed during this study came from Twitter API and cannot be shared.

Articles about doing a PhD tend to focus on the difficulties faced by research students. Here we argue that the scientific community should also highlight the positive elements of the PhD experience.

Introduction

Doing a PhD can be both demanding and rewarding. In addition to overcoming the scientific and intellectual challenges involved in doing original research, a PhD student may also have to deal with financial difficulties, an unhealthy work-life balance, or resulting concerns about their mental health ( Woolston, 2017 ; Auerbach et al., 2018 ; Oswalt et al., 2020 ; Evans et al., 2018 ). Despite all this, most PhD students seem satisfied with their decision to do a PhD, mostly because they work in stimulating environments with a high degree of independence and good supervision ( Pommier et al., 2022 ; Woolston, 2017 ).

Paradoxically, however, the fact that most PhD students are positive about doing a PhD is not always apparent to the outside world. For example, the present authors recently analysed more than 90,000 tweets about the PhD experience: almost half of the tweets were positive, and less than a sixth were negative, yet the negative tweets received more likes and retweets ( Figure 1 ). What can be done to counter such misleading and negative impressions? In this article we – a group of PhD students, postdocs and permanent academics – highlight the positive elements of doing a PhD in order to present a more balanced view of the whole PhD experience. We also make recommendations to maintain a positive momentum throughout the PhD. Although these ideas and recommendations are based on our experiences as researchers in ecology working in Europe, we feel that most of the points we make also apply in other disciplines and places.

We retrieved all tweets posted in the English language during 12 consecutive weeks, from September to December 2021, that contained any of the following six hashtags: #phdlife, #phdspeaks, #phdvoice, #phdchat, #phdtips, #phdstudent. We then measured the sentiment (positive, negative or neutral) associated with each original tweet (excluding retweets). Of the 91 229 tweets we retrieved, 43,941 were positive, 12,298 were negative, and 34,990 were neutral. Mann-Whitney U tests were performed to compare the average number of likes and retweets of positive versus negative tweets. Negative tweets received significantly more likes than positive tweets (14.5 vs 12.3; P <0.001); negative tweets were also retweeted more than positive tweets but the difference was not significant (1.7 vs 1.5; P =0.383). The Twitter API and the “rtweet” R package ( cran.r-project.org/web/packages/rtweet/vignettes/intro.html ) were used to retrieve the tweets; the “syuzhet” R package ( rdrr.io/cran/syuzhet/ ) and the Bing lexicon ( Liu, 2012 ) were used for the sentiment analysis; all analyses were performed with R software ( R Development Core Team, 2021 ).

Three benefits of doing a PhD

There are two primary outputs from a PhD: new skills and expertise for the graduate, and new knowledge for the wider world. In this article we focus on the former and discuss the three main benefits of doing a PhD for the individual: (i) the development of specific skills to become an expert; (ii) the ability to work in a collaborative environment; (iii) improved communication skills while sharing knowledge ( Figure 2 ). For each of these benefits we discuss both general aspects that apply to most doctoral students, and specific aspects that depend on the student’s supervisor, field of research, location and other factors.

The three primary benefits of doing a PhD are acquiring expertise (pink circle), learning to work in a collaborative environment (blue), and developing communication skills for sharing knowledge (yellow). For each benefit, general aspects that apply to almost all doctoral students are shown in bold type in the small circle, and specific aspects that depend on, for example, the student’s supervisor or field of research are shown in plain type in the large circle. The large grey area contains more abstract and subjective ideas that are not discussed in the main text. It should be noted that this figure is conceptual, and that the aspects and ideas in it could be grouped in other, equally valid, ways.

Becoming an expert

Throughout a doctoral project, a PhD student will develop many of the skills needed to grow into an independent researcher, while also developing expertise in a given field. In addition to learning a great deal about their own field – and adding knowledge to it – a PhD student will learn how to perform a variety of tasks, and thus acquire new transferable skills. These will include autonomy, critical thinking, organization and planning, resilience, and the ability to design, lead and carry out projects. Furthermore, unlike postdocs and principal investigators, who have to carry out various management and administrative tasks, PhD students are usually free to dedicate their working hours almost exclusively to academic pursuits that they are (or can become) passionate about. This freedom is one of the aspects that make the PhD experience unique, and it should not be overlooked or taken for granted. Unfortunately, not all PhD students benefit from or are aware of such autonomy, but this ought to be an objective for all PhDs.

A PhD does not consist of a number of uneventful years that culminate in a single success. Rather, there are many steps along the way – such as mastering a technique, completing a series of experiments or activities in the field, or finishing the first draft of a manuscript – and the feeling of accomplishment that comes with each completed milestone should be a source of pride to the student.

Working in a collaborative environment

Learning how to work with other researchers is an important part of getting a PhD. The PhD student’s most important working relationship is with their supervisor (or, in some cases, supervisors), but most PhD students will also have the opportunity to collaborate with other members of their research group or lab, or even with researchers from the wider community. Working on other projects from time to time can help the student’s own project through increased productivity and creativity; moreover, it can strengthen lab cohesion, and might even lead to the student being a co-author on a paper. Additionally, supervising undergraduate students – or even new graduate students – is a good way of acquiring management skills.

Conferences are another way to meet and interact with other researchers. In particular, they are an opportunity to discover, discuss and be inspired by the work of other scientists. Conversations at conferences can generate new research questions or ideas for new and improved ways to tackle existing questions. Moreover, presenting results at a conference gives students a chance to receive feedback, to be recognized as active researchers by their peers, and to build a professional network.

Collaboration also can happen through the many virtual communities that PhD students can join for technical, scientific or moral support. For example, the Global PhD Server enables doctoral students to discuss their experience, exchange anecdotes, and offer or seek help. The @PhDForum supports a variety of activities, such as writing sessions for PhD students working on papers or chapters of their thesis, while Stack Overflow is a good place to offer/seek help with coding and statistics.

Developing communication skills

The ability to communicate results is a crucial skill for any researcher. A PhD student will, for example, be required to present their work to other scientists as talks or posters at meetings and conferences. The student will also start learning how to write a scientific article. Moreover, there are many opportunities for PhD students to share their passion and knowledge about their field, such as teaching and mentoring undergraduates and other graduate students. They can also get involved in public outreach, and contribute to awakening new passions or educating citizens on certain topics.

Recommendations

Along the PhD journey, neither the doctoral student nor the supervisor will have full control over what will happen. Some things will go wrong, which is why it is important to remain positive and try to make the most of what is a unique opportunity. Ways for the student to remain positive include going back to old pages in their laboratory notebook to see how much progress has been made, and keeping a note of all the positive feedback from different people. It is also important to remember that one does not become a PhD student by chance – being accepted to do a PhD is an achievement in itself. Additionally, sharing preliminary results with other members of the group and attending social events of a lab can build a supportive working atmosphere and help students to stay positive.

Focusing only on research can sometimes be exhausting, so spending time on other activities – such as supervising students, teaching, or working on outreach – can break the monotony and generate a sense of progress. Finally, it is important to celebrate achievements, such as a first draft, an accepted paper, a conference presentation or the submission of a grant proposal (and, obviously, a successful grant proposal). These achievements can be celebrated in the real world, on social media – or both! By regularly highlighting positive outcomes, it is easier to recognise that past difficulties have been overcome, that progress has been made, and that expertise, skills and knowledge have been gained.

In parallel, it is important to try to limit the impact of the negative aspects of the PhD experience, for they are real and various, and can be crushing if left unchecked. First, it is essential to contextualize them. For example, bear in mind that failure is an integral part of progress, and is often just a temporary setback as opposed to a defeat. This is especially true when a manuscript is rejected by a journal: viewing the rejection as an opportunity to improve the manuscript, and acknowledging that the reviewer reports are about the science, not the authors, can help reframe rejections in a positive light. After all, even the most distinguished researchers have experienced rejection many times. Moreover, as highlighted above, science is a collective adventure, and one is rarely alone when help is sought out. In this regard, talking about the challenges one encounters during a PhD with other students or researchers can also help put these challenges into perspective and to see the positive aspects.

The relationship between the PhD student and their supervisor will likely have a big influence on the PhD experience. However, it is important to recognize that this relationship works both ways, and both stand to benefit if it works well. Among other things, the PhD students can help their own cause by being clear on the type of feedback they want, or by scheduling regular meetings focused on their PhD – and persisting even if their supervisor is busy ( Kearns and Gardiner, 2011 ).

We would also encourage supervisors to be positive in their interactions with their PhD students, and to build a global productive environment that could benefit the PhD student ( Andreev et al., 2022 ). Supervisors could, for example, praise PhD students when the opportunity arises, and ensure that criticism is always constructive – and also encourage other members of their lab to do the same.

PhD students may also face challenges that cannot be overcome with positive thinking. Abusive behaviours such as bullying, harassment or discrimination should be reported to the relevant authorities immediately.

Some PhD students will also be anxious about their future job prospects, especially if they hope to remain in academic research. One way to help reduce such anxiety is to clarify life/career goals and identify the steps needed to reach them. For example, if the student makes a list of all potential funding opportunities (including deadlines) at the start of their last year, it will help them plan for the future and relieve some of the pressure that will build up towards the end of their PhD. Building a professional network can also help with career planning, and attending conferences and establishing collaborations are crucial in this regard.

Finally, if needed, it is entirely acceptable for a PhD student to take a break during their PhD, to refocus on what they really want in life, or to even leave their PhD without finishing it if they realize that it is not for them. However, before making such a decision, we would encourage the student to ask themselves if the doubts they are experiencing are due to a momentary difficulty that will pass, or if a PhD is not really the right career path for them.

Doing a PhD is a unique experience that typically occupies three or more years of someone’s life. Through this experience the student will be enriched by acquiring a range of professional and personal skills, and by gaining a prestigious qualification. In the end, it is in the interest of everyone – the PhD student, the supervisor, their colleagues, their institutions, and academia in general – to make this experience as positive as possible.

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the internal reviewers (Céline Bellard, Eva Delmas, Christophe Diagne and Xavier Fauvergue) for useful recommendations. Work on this paper began during a lab retreat attended by all co-authors. PhD students were funded by the French Ministry of Higher Education (CB, LL, CM, MPL); postdocs were funded by the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (UA), the Biodiversa ERA-Net AlienScenario project (AT), and the AXA Research Fund Chair for Invasion Biology of University Paris-Saclay (EA, CA, EM); Tenured academics salary were funded by the University Paris-Saclay (EB), the CIRAD (LG) and the CNRS (FC). MPL was also funded as an intern by the ENS Paris-Saclay during part of the project.

Biographies

Camille Bernery is in the Laboratoire Écologie Systématique Évolution, Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS and AgroParisTech, Orsay, France

Léo Lusardi is in the Laboratoire Écologie Systématique Évolution, Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS and AgroParisTech, Orsay, France

Clara Marino is in the Laboratoire Écologie Systématique Évolution, Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS and AgroParisTech, Orsay, France

Martin Philippe-Lesaffre is in the Laboratoire Écologie Systématique Évolution, Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS and AgroParisTech, Orsay, France

Elena Angulo is in the Estación Biológica de Doñana, CSIC, Sevilla, Spain and the Laboratoire Écologie Systématique Évolution, Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS and AgroParisTech, Orsay, France

Elsa Bonnaud is in the Laboratoire Écologie Systématique Évolution, Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS and AgroParisTech, Orsay, France

Loreleï Guéry is in the UMR Plant Health Institute of Montpellier, CIRAD and INRAE, Montpellier, France

Eléna Manfrini is in the Laboratoire Écologie Systématique Évolution, Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS and AgroParisTech, Orsay, France

Anna Turbelin is in the Laboratoire Écologie Systématique Évolution, Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS and AgroParisTech, Orsay, France

Céline Albert is in the Laboratoire Écologie Systématique Évolution, Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS and AgroParisTech, Orsay, France

Ugo Arbieu is in the Laboratoire Écologie Systématique Évolution, Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS and AgroParisTech, Orsay, France, the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Front Royal, United States

Franck Courchamp is in the Laboratoire Écologie Systématique Évolution, Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS and AgroParisTech, Orsay, France

Competing interests

No competing interests declared.

Author contributions

Conceptualization, Formal analysis, Visualization, Writing – original draft, Writing – review and editing.

Conceptualization, Writing – review and editing.

Conceptualization.

Conceptualization, Visualization, Writing – review and editing.

Conceptualization, Supervision, Writing – original draft, Writing – review and editing.

Data availability

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The Ph.D. in English is a highly selective doctoral program at a top-ranked private research university that trains students for the academic profession of literary studies while building knowledge and skills relevant to a wide range of careers. As a student in our program, you will enjoy access to outstanding scholars working in a variety of fields and practicing diverse theoretical and methodological approaches.

Through our classes, individual student mentoring, and professionalization practicums, you will gain advanced training in the many facets of scholarship and professional life, including research methods, pedagogy, writing for publication, applying for funding, and the job search. Our faculty are committed to helping you develop your interests, voice, and skills as a researcher, writer, and teacher.

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• Reilly Center for Science, Technology, and Values
• Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study

“As an applicant many years ago, Notre Dame struck me as a place where graduate students were encouraged to find multiple intellectual homes outside their own departments, through centers and institutes that recognize not only the promise of graduate student's intellectual contributions but the precarity of those contributions if left unsupported. I'm happy to say the University delivered, rewarding me time and time again with some of the richest, most rigorous academic conversations and, to boot, the means to pursue the research questions that those conversations generated.” — Arnaud Zimmern, Ph.D. May 2021. Now a Postdoctoral Fellow in the History of Philosophy and Science at Notre Dame

Graduate Minors

As a Ph.D. student in English you might also decide to pursue one of five graduate minors:

• Gender Studies
• Peace Studies
• Irish Studies
• Screen Cultures
• History and Philosophy of Science

International Opportunities

Our Ph.D. program provides exciting opportunities to participate in an array of international opportunities, events, and partnerships. You might, for instance:

• work with scholars in the UK or Germany as part of the “Global Dome” Ph.D. Summer Workshop in History and Literature;
• live and teach at Notre Dame London while conducting your own research;
• participate in the Irish Seminar, joining scholars and students from other institutions for workshops in locations such as Dublin, Paris, or Buenos Aires;
• participate in the International Network for Comparative Humanities (INCH), a series of workshops that bring Notre Dame students together with faculty and students at Princeton and other major universities worldwide.

And, of course, you will have access to support from the department  and a range of other university sources  for research and conference travel.

“As an Irish grad minor, I participated in the Irish Seminar and traveled to Dublin and Kylemore Abbey where I had the wonderful opportunity of learning about Irish literature and culture from renowned international scholars. My participation in the Irish seminar was complemented with my engagement with INCH. For the INCH annual retreats, I traveled to Athens and Rome and got the opportunity to work with scholars and graduate students from various universities in the US and Europe. The international exposure generously provided by the program has significantly enriched my scholarship." — Shinjini Chattopadhyay, Ph.D. January 2022. Now Assistant Professor of Global Anglophone Literatures at Berry College

Have questions about the Ph.D. in English? Contact:

Susan Cannon Harris Director of Graduate Studies Professor of English Email: [email protected]

Blake Holman Graduate Program Coordinator Email:  [email protected]

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The Pros and Cons of Getting a PhD

Getting a doctorate is a decision that will impact both your personal and professional life for many years to come. In this blog, we explore the benefits and drawbacks of attaining a doctoral degree, aiming to provide you with an unbiased view to help you make an informed decision.

Why Consider A PhD?

The benefits of a phd.

When it comes to enhancing your knowledge and contributing to your chosen field, few pathways can match the depth of a PhD. The benefits of a PhD extend beyond mere academic gains – they permeate each dimension of your professional enhancement.

1. Mastery in Your Field A PhD equips you with comprehensive knowledge about a specific area, amplifying your analytical, critical thinking and research skills to a level far beyond what a bachelor’s or a master’s degree could offer.

2. Opportunity for Ground-breaking Research As a PhD student, your primary role is to create new knowledge. The sense of fulfillment derived from contributing something novel to your field can be incredibly rewarding.

3. Networking Opportunities During your PhD program, you'll attend conferences and seminars, presenting you with opportunities to mingle with like-minded individuals, renowned academics and industry professionals, expanding your professional network substantially.

4. Enhanced Career Prospects With a PhD, a broader horizon of career opportunities opens up. You become a university professor, a leader in research organizations, or even a policy-maker influencing critical decisions in your field.

Practical Reasons to Get a Doctorate Degree

1. Societal Impact PhD holders can influence policy, promoting changes that positively impact society at various levels.

2. Teaching Opportunities For those passionate about educating others and impacting future generations, a Doctorate degree is often a prerequisite for higher-level academic positions.

3. Potential Higher Earnings A direct benefit of a PhD is the possibility of higher earnings over the course of your career, although this can vary considerably depending on the field.

The Flip Side: Challenges of a PhD 

Just like any significant endeavor, getting a doctorate comes with its fair share of challenges.

The Cons of a PhD

1. Time and Financial Commitment A typical PhD can take 4-7 years to complete. Not only does this require a substantial investment of your time, it can also strain your finances. While scholarships and stipends may alleviate some costs, there is the foregone income to consider as well.

2. Pressures and Stress Levels The demands of a PhD — meticulous research, endless writing and frequent presentations — are often high. The intense pressure can lead to stress and burnout.

3. Work-Life Balance The long hours often required to complete a PhD can lead to a blurring of lines between work and personal life.

Practical Disadvantages of a Doctorate Degree

1. Over-Qualification Depending on your field, you might find potential employers outside academia who view you as overqualified, thus narrowing your pool of job opportunities.

2. Limited Practical Experience Dependent largely on theoretical work, a PhD sometimes lags in offering industry-specific training, which some employers may seek.

3. Opportunity Costs You should consider alternative achievements you might forego during the years spent on your PhD. This includes work experience, career progression, or even personal life events.

Making an Informed Decision: PhD or Not?

Deciding whether or not a PhD is worth it for you is a deeply personal decision, highly dependent on your long-term career goals and current life situation.

Evaluate your reasons to get a doctorate degree. 

• Are you genuinely passionate about research?
• How essential is a PhD for your career aspirations?
• Are you ready for the financial implications?

Have you considered the opportunity cost? 

Seeking advice from PhD holders, mentors, and career advisors can offer valuable insights in answering these questions.

The decision to pursue a PhD is undoubtedly complex and multifaceted. It requires careful consideration of both the benefits of a doctorate degree and its potential disadvantages. Ultimately, though, it is a personal decision. What is very clear is this: when used as a stepping stone for specific career goals, a PhD can be an exceptionally powerful tool.

learn more about what it takes to get a PhD

Explore our guide How to Get a PhD: A Guide to Choosing and Applying to PhD Programs. 

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Experiences of a London PhD student and beyond

The Benefits of Having a PhD

If you’re on the fence about whether to do a PhD it can be helpful to understand the benefits that come from having one. As someone who completed their PhD just over two years ago I’ve been starting to realise some of the potential benefits but also realise some of the things that having a PhD doesn’t help with!

In this post we’ll cover all of the key benefits to help you decide whether studying towards a PhD would be right for you.

You may also wish to check out my post on whether a PhD is worth it for info on the pros and cons of studying for a PhD. This post you’re reading is about the benefits of having a PhD while the other is about the work involved within a PhD.

Will Having a PhD Help You Financially?

Money, the obvious starting point!

On average someone with a PhD appears to typically earn more than someone without a PhD, in the US at least. Unemployment rates on average are also the lowest of all education levels:

But, that doesn’t mean that this holds true for everyone in every scenario, and I’d urge caution against doing a PhD if your main motivation is financial.

If money is your main driving force and you’re highly motivated, it can often make better financial sense to land a graduate job straight after uni. In those years you’d otherwise be working towards a PhD you could be gaining industry-specific experience and climbing the career ladder. I’ve written much more about this in a few other places:

• Here in the ‘Masters vs PhD: Which is Right For You?’ post
• Here in the ‘Is a PhD Worth It? Should I Do a PhD?’ post

Bottom line: I don’t recommend doing a PhD for purely financial reasons. In fact, even if doing a PhD did always make sense from a purely financial perspective I’d still caution against it for a lot of people since the path to earning a PhD can be pretty involved.

What Are the Benefits of Having a PhD?

While a PhD won’t always necessarily land you a higher paying job, it does provide a series of other very tangible benefits.

For instance, gaining an incredibly in-depth knowledge of certain topics comes with the territory for PhDs. This knowledge can accelerate you towards becoming the world expert. Many PhD-holders use this knowledge, and the clout of having a PhD in it, to become domain experts who are called upon by news organisations, government agencies, and beyond to give opinion on topics of societal importance.

More widely, PhDs set you up for success by providing you with a series of transferable skills which can be applied to whichever career you choose.

In addition, having a doctoral degree can help you to stand out from other job candidates, giving you an edge for competitive positions. While your enhanced network can help you to find and secure such opportunities. Finally, having a PhD can also provide you with greater options, keeping more doors open for you to switch jobs in the future.

Let’s break down each of these benefits in more depth.

Domain Expertise

Having a PhD pretty much automatically makes you an expert in certain topics. How useful these expertise are really depends on what you chose to do your PhD in in the first place. Therefore don’t necessarily expect your new-found expertise to be regularly called upon by friends, family or even employers!

Nevertheless, being an expert clearly helps if it can be applied in a workplace or exploited to either help the world or make money (take your pick). Oftentimes in science and engineering this knowledge is valuable for companies. Providing consultancy to these companies could be a route to share your highly prized wisdom. We’ll come onto other skills you gain during a PhD shortly but I’ll mention them here too: even if your PhD is in a wacky niche seemingly of no use to employers, I’m sure you’ll have picked up loads of other skills which certainly are of value in the marketplace.

Furthermore, being an expert in something can bring responsibility and the power to shape public perception or drive forward policy. This is true for almost every PhD topic from energy to economics. PhD-holders in these domains, and many more, are often called upon by NGOs and governments.

If you want to demonstrate your expertise, you could do things such as publish papers or write content (think Medium or LinkedIn posts). If you’re in need of a helping hand, I have written a whole series of posts to help you write your first paper .

Stand Out in the Job Market

Having a PhD will help you to stand out from other job applicants when applying. This can make all the difference for sought after roles.

In addition to potential domain expertise and skills you’ve picked up, having a PhD demonstrates your commitment and capability to work independently which will be very valuable as an employee.

Can a PhD Ever Make it Harder to Get a Job?

I’ve occasionally seen comments online from people worrying that having a PhD may cause employers to reject them. I think the logic goes that due to having a PhD you may be unlikely to stick around for long in a position that doesn’t provide compensation reflecting that level of experience. Or that you may not be getting challenged enough intellectually.

Either way, I wouldn’t worry. Anecdotally my partner works for a large IT company and has met several people hired through their graduate scheme who have PhDs. Therefore, seemingly if a PhD doesn’t actively enhance your career progression at worst you’ll just be entering at the same level as recent graduates of undergraduate degrees.

I also wouldn’t worry that having a PhD would make you comparatively old since many people will work elsewhere before entering a grad scheme. My partner herself joined the grad scheme several years after leaving university.

While I can’t promise that every hiring manager will see a PhD as an asset, in general extra skills and experience should always be a bonus.

Many companies with grad schemes will use such schemes to find top talent with the hope that some will stick around to take on leading roles. There is therefore a large emphasis on your potential and having a PhD can demonstrate significant potential due to the skills we’ll cover next.

Gain Transferable Skills

Great researchers typically display the following characteristics, as covered in more depth here .

• Organisational Skills
• Open Mindedness
• Determination & Persistence
• Acting Logically
• Trustworthiness – acting with integrity
• Self-reliance
• Co-operation

If you’re interested in working towards a PhD you probably display many of these characteristics already and through studying for a PhD you’ll hone skills pertaining to several others.

On top of these characteristics and “soft skills” such as networking and communicating, there are all of the other skills involved with a PhD such as research, data analysis and presentation.

These transferable skills will be an asset to whatever role you choose to go into.

Let’s cover five of these skills in more detail.

Critical Thinking

Displaying open mindedness, curiosity and acting logically will all help to develop your critical thinking skills. A good PhD supervisor will give you enough freedom and support to allow your critical thinking skills to grow throughout your PhD. By the end you should be thinking independently and critically about your research domain.

Communication

Working co-operatively with other researchers, writing papers and presenting will help to enhance your communication skills. As an introvert I understand that putting yourself forward for presentations doesn’t come naturally to everyone, but I’d really suggest getting out of your comfort zone to improve your communication skills. A PhD is a nice supportive opportunity to get better at communicating with very little risk.

Time Management

Learning to stay organised during your PhD will help you to build skills in time management. If you aren’t already good at managing your time a PhD pretty much forces you to get better. Unlike undergrad coursework there is no way that you can complete a PhD with a series of all nighters!

Perseverance

Related to the last point about time management, PhDs are a marathon not a sprint. In order to reach the end you will need to display determination, persistence and patience. Overcoming these challenges leaves you well equipped with the know-how and resilience to tackle any future obstacles, no matter which career path you take post-PhD.

Proactive Mindset

Working independently and being self-reliant during your PhD will provide you with a proactive mindset. You’ll know how to take the initiative to do a task without being asked and that will be a fantastic asset in your future career.

Greater Career Options

You may decide to leave research to pursue a career in industry and that’s completely fine. The majority of PhD graduates do end up leaving academia and often make use of the transferable skills mentioned above to be successful in industry.

But choosing to do a PhD gives you the option to choose either way and should you decide that you wish to progress towards being a lecturer, or even one day a professor, you’ll already have the necessary qualifications and foundations for the experience you’ll need.

It’s important to note that jobs in academia are highly competitive, so there’s no guarantee that pursuing a PhD will mean you will definitely get a job in academia, but it is a prerequisite should you wish to do so.

A PhD also sets you up well for becoming a subject matter expert if you’re keen to pursue a specialised career in a particular field.

Enhanced Network

Working towards a PhD provides a brilliant opportunity to grow your professional network. Whether you choose to stay in academia or take the leap into industry this can prove invaluable. PhD-holders tend to go on to a hugely varied range of careers so can make for useful contacts.

Personally I’ve known people who’ve become academics and started their own labs, formed companies, worked at NGOs and gone into politics, alongside the more traditional career paths within industry. Yes, this pretty much describes many of the people you could meet during other types of degree but it seems that PhDs can turbo-charge the potential for impact for many of the reasons we’ve already covered.

I know of friends who have secured internships, and even permanent roles, after reaching out to former lab-mates who were able to recommend positions at their new companies. A personal reference goes a long way towards a company taking a chance on you.

Some PhD students also work with industry partners during their studies which can open doors to future roles and opportunities.

PhD Benefits Summary

In conclusion, while a PhD may benefit you financially under certain conditions it does have a whole host of other benefits which everyone can realise:

• Making you a subject matter expert with evidenced credibility
• Stand out from other job candidates
• Gain transferable skills
• Keep your career options open
• Grow your professional network

As for whether this makes studying a PhD worthwhile that will always be a personal choice.

For further insights I’d highly recommend having a read of my post ‘ Is a PhD Worth It?’ to learn the pros and cons of pursuing doctoral study.

Hopefully this post has helped you get one step closer to deciding whether to pursue a PhD. If you have any further queries on benefits of having a PhD just pop a comment below.

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4 Comments on “The Benefits of Having a PhD”

I am a teacher educator who have finished a BSc in science and a master in education management . What areas of topics are available for doing a phd in education and science related?

Thanks for your comment and interest in PhDs. I am sorry to say that I am not an expert in that field so do not know what exact topics may be available. They will of course vary a lot also depending on which supervisor, department and university you are interested in. My suggestion is to speak to the department where did your Masters to see what topics they suggest for a PhD as a starting point, and also to reach out to other universities and departments which may offer related degrees, for instance this one may be related to what you’re interested in? Although the course I link to is a Masters, they may know of supervisors who are looking for PhD students. I hope that helps. Best of luck

Hi I am an govt servent in Judicial Dept. I have completed BA MSW from KU Dharwad University. How the PhD helps if I’m pursuing….

Thanks for your comment Eranna. It is difficult to say for certain that a PhD will help with any particular job. Some job positions may require a PhD (which they will state in the job advert); Other positions may benefit from the skills acquired during the PhD (either technical or “soft” skills); Whilst for other positions the PhD may offer no benefit and time would be better spend gaining work experience. If career progression is the goal the person would be better off spending those 3-4 years working outside of academia rather than pursuing a PhD. So it really depends on the job and your career priorities. I hope this helps. Thanks, Jeff.

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What is a PhD?

• Types of Doctorates
• A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) is the highest globally recognized postgraduate degree that higher education institutions can award.
• PhDs are awarded to candidates who undertake original and extensive research in a particular field of study.
• Full time PhD programmes typically last three to four years, whilst part time PhD programmes typically last six to seven years.
• A PhD can lead to an academia teaching role or a career in research. A PhD can also equip you with skills suitable for a wide range of jobs unrelated to your research topic or academia.

Definition of a PhD – A Doctor of Philosophy (commonly abbreviated to PhD , Ph.D or a DPhil ) is a university research degree awarded from across a broad range of academic disciplines; in most countries, it is a terminal degree, i.e. the highest academic degree possible.

PhDs differ from undergraduate and master’s degrees in that PhDs are entirely research-based rather than involving taught modules (although doctoral training centres (DTCs) offer programmes that start with a year of lecture-based teaching to help develop your research skills prior to starting your project).

In most English-speaking countries, those that complete a PhD use the title “Doctor” (typically abbreviated to Dr) in front of their names and are referred to as such within academic and/or research settings. Those that work in fields outside of academia may decide not to use the formal doctor title but use post-nominal letters (e.g. John Smith PhD); it’s unusual though for someone to use both the Doctor title and post-nominal letters in their name.

PhD vs Doctorate

A PhD and a professional doctorate are both research-based terminal degrees.

However, where a PhD focuses on original research mostly around theoretical concepts, a professional doctorate focuses on examining existing knowledge to solve real-life, practical problems.

While there is much crossover between the two, a PhD is generally better suited for an individual to wants to advance the knowledge and understanding in their field, and a professional doctorate degree is better suited to a working professional who wants to better be able to apply knowledge and understanding to their field.

What Are the Entry Requirements for a PhD?

To be accepted on to a PhD programme, students usually need to hold at least a high ( 2:1 and above ) undergraduate degree that is related to the field of research that they want to pursue. A PhD candidate may also be expected to hold a Master’s degree , however, this does not mean you must have one, as it is still possible to enrol into a PhD without a Master’s .

Self-funded courses may sometimes be more relaxed in relation to entry requirements. It may be possible to be accepted onto a self-funded PhD programme with lower grades, though these students typically demonstrate their suitability for the role through professional work experience.

Whilst a distance learning project is possible , most PhD candidates will carry out their research over at least three years based at their university, with regular contact with two academic supervisors (primary and secondary). This is particularly the case for lab-based projects, however, some PhD projects require spending time on-site away from university (e.g. at a specialist research lab or at a collaborating institution abroad).

How Long Does a PhD Take?

Typically, full-time PhDs last 3-4 years and part-time PhDs last 6-7 years. However, at the discretion of the university, the thesis writing-up period can be extended by up to four years.

Although most doctoral programmes start in September or October, they are generally much more flexible than taught-courses and can start at any time of the year.

How Much Does a PhD Cost?

Tuition fees for UK and EU students vary between £3,000 and £6,000 per year, with the average tuition fee of £4,712 per year for 2023/24 programmes.

Tuition fees increase considerably for international students, varying between £16,000 to £25,000 per year, with an average tuition fee of £19,600 per year .

Nonetheless, most students will secure PhD funding in the form of studentships, scholarships and bursaries to help pay for these fees. These funding opportunities can either be partial, which cover tuition fees only, or full, which cover both tuition fees and living expenses.

UK national students can also apply for Doctoral Loans from Student Finance England if they are unable to secure funding.

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

What Does a PhD Involve?

To be awarded a PhD, a doctoral student is required to produce a substantial body of work that adds new knowledge to their chosen field.

A PhD programme will typically involve four key stages:

Stage 1: Literature Review

The first year of a PhD involves attending regular meetings with your supervisors and carrying out a search on previously published work in your subject area. This search will be used to produce a literature review which should set the context of the project by explaining the foundation of what is currently known within the field of research, what recent developments have occurred, and where the gaps in knowledge are. In most cases, this will be an extension of your research proposal should you have produced one as part of your application. The literature review should conclude by outlining the overarching aims and objectives of the research project. This stage of setting achievable goals which are original and contribute to the field of research is an essential first step in a successful PhD.

The supervisor is the main point of contact through the duration of a PhD – but remember: they are there to mentor, not to teach, or do it for you . It will be your responsibility to plan, execute and monitor your own work as well as to identify gaps in your own knowledge and address them.

Stage 2: Research

The second year (and prehapse some of your third year) is when you work on your research. Having identified novel research questions from your review of the literature, this is where you collect your data to help answer these questions. How you do this will depend on the nature of your doctoral research: for example, you may design and run experiments in a lab alongside other PhD students or visit excavation sites in remote regions of the world. You should check in regularly with your supervisors to update them and run any ideas or issues past them.

Have the structure and chapters of your thesis in mind as you develop and tackle your research questions. Working with a view of publishing your work will be very valuable later on.

Stage 3: Write up of Thesis

The next key stage of a PhD is writing a doctoral thesis , which typically takes from anywhere between three months to one year. A thesis is a substantial body of work that describes the work and outcomes of the research over the previous two to three years. It should tell a detailed story of the PhD project – focusing on:

• The motivations for the research questions identified from the literature review.
• The methodologies used, results obtained, and a comprehensive analysis and discussion of the findings.
• A detailed discussion of the key findings with an emphasis on the original contributions made to your field of research and how this has been impactful.

There is no universal rule for the length of a PhD thesis, but general guidelines set the word count between 80,000 to 100,000 words.

For your thesis to be successful, it needs to adequately defend your argument and provide a unique or increased insight into your field that was not previously available.

Stage 4: Attending the Viva

A viva voce , most commonly referred to as just a ‘ viva ‘, is an interview-style examination where the PhD student is required to engage in a critical appraisal of their work and defend their thesis against at least two examiners. The examiners will ask questions to check the PhD student has an in-depth understanding of the ideas and theories proposed in their thesis, and whether they have developed the research skills that would be expected of them.

The viva is one of the final steps in achieving a PhD, and typically lasts at least two hours, but this duration can vary depending on the examiners, the university and the PhD project itself.

Once you have done the viva – you’re on the home stretch. You will typically be asked to make some amendments to your thesis based on the examiner’s feedback. You are then ready to submit your final thesis for either:

• PhD – If you pass the requirements you will be awarded a PhD degree (most common outcome),
• MPhil – If you failed to meet requirements for a PhD, you may be downgraded to an MPhil degree (uncommon outcome),
• Fail – No award is given, typically for cases of plagiarism (extremely uncommon outcome).

What Is It Like to Undertake a PhD?

We’re often asked what it is like to undertake a PhD study. Unfortunately, this isn’t a simple answer to this question as every research project is different.

To help give insight into the life of a PhD student, we’ve interviewed PhD students at various stages of their programmes and put together a series of PhD Student Interviews . Check out the link to find out what a PhD is like and what advice they have to offer you.

What Are the Benefits of A PhD?

A PhD is the highest globally recognised postgraduate degree that higher education institutions can award. The degree, which is awarded to candidates who demonstrate original and independent research in a particular field of study, is not only invaluable in itself, but sets you up with invaluable skills and traits.

Career Opportunities

First, a PhD prepares you for a career in academia if you wish to continue in this area. This takes form as a career in the Higher Education sector, typically as a lecturer working their way to becoming a professor leading research on the subject you’ve studied and trained in.

Second, a PhD also enables the opportunity for landing a job in a research & development role outside of the academic environment. Examples of this include laboratory work for a private or third sector company, a governmental role and research for commercial and industrial applications.

Transferable Skills

Finally, in possessing a PhD degree, you can show to employers that you have vital skills that make you an asset to any company. Three examples of the transferable skills that you gain through a PhD are effective communication, time management, and report writing.

• Communication – presenting your work in written and oral forms using journal papers and podium presentations, shows your ability to share complex ideas effectively and to those with less background knowledge than you. Communication is key in the professional environment, regardless of the job.
• Time management – The ability to prioritise and organise tasks is a tremendous asset in the professional industry. A PhD holder can use their qualification to demonstrate that they are able to manage their time, arrange and follow a plan, and stick to deadlines.
• Report writing – Condensing three years of work into a thesis demonstrates your ability to filter through massive amounts of information, identify the key points, and get these points across to the reader. The ability to ‘cut out the waffle’ or ‘get to the point’ is a huge asset in the professional industry.

Aside from the above, you also get to refer to yourself as a Doctor and add fancy initials after your name!

What Can I Do After a PhD?

One of the most desirable postdoctoral fields is working within independent Research and Development (R&D) labs and new emerging companies. Both industries, especially R&D labs, have dedicated groups of PhD graduates who lead research activities, design new products and take part in crucial strategic meetings. Not only is this a stimulating line of work, but the average salaries in R&D labs and emerging start-ups are lucrative. In comparison, an undergraduate with five years of experience within their given field will, on average, likely earn less than a new PhD graduate taking on a R&D position.

It’s a common misunderstanding that PhDs only opens the door for an academic career such as university lecturers and training providers. Although obtaining a PhD opens these doors, the opportunities extend far beyond educational roles. In fact, recent data from the UK’s Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) indicates only 23% of PhD graduates take a position in educational roles . This low percentage is primarily because PhD graduates have a wide range of skills that make them suitable for a broad spectrum of roles. This is being seen first hand by the increasing number of PhD graduates who are entering alternative roles such as research, writing, law and investment banking.

How Do I Find a PhD?

We appreciate that finding a PhD programme to undertake can be a relatively daunting process. According to Higher Education Student Statistics , over 22,000 PhDs were awarded in 2016/17 within the United Kingdom alone. Clearly there are a huge number of PhD programmes available. This can sometimes be confusing for prospective doctorates, particularly when different programmes are advertised in different places. Often, it is difficult to know where to look or where to even start. We’ve put together a list of useful sources to find the latest PhD programmes:

• A great place to start is with our comprehensive and up-to-date database of available PhD positions .
• Assuming you are still at university, speak to an existing PhD supervisor within your department.
• Attend as many postgraduate open days as you can. Whilst there, speak to current PhD students and career advisors to get an awareness of what PhDs are on offer.
• Visit the postgraduate section of university websites and the PhD Research Council section of the UKRI website.

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The Pros and Cons of Getting a PhD

Find your perfect postgrad program search our database of 30,000 courses.

• by Charlotte King
• In Courses , PHD

Are PhDs  only for those looking to stay within the world of academia?

If you’re feeling unsure whether a PhD is the right route for you , then check out our list of pros and cons below...

Pros of Getting a PhD:

You can indulge in the luxury of having Dr as your title . Yes it may sound a little superficial, but some of us like that kind of thing!  

You’ll learn how to be tough (mentally tough that is) from all the grilling, criticizing, and second guessing you will have to endure when you present your research proposal .  

Your analytical skills will sky rocket. This really depends on the type of PhD you pursue, but it is a given that you will learn to sharpen your analytical skills, and will then be able to apply these skills to subsequent ventures.  

It is the highest possible degree that you can achieve. If you strive for greatness, and nothing short of being the best will do, a PhD will definitely fulfil your intellectual satisfaction.  

You will be a recognized expert in your field, and you will have a piece of paper to prove it. Who knows, you may even be lucky enough to win a Nobel Prize one day!  

Some jobs actually require you to have a PhD or equivalent, and no, they are not all academic jobs .  

You will be able to use your PhD experience to quickly learn new areas within your chosen field, as well as adapt to the differing demands of the workplace .  

Confidence. Studying for a PhD is a surefire way to boost your self confidence and belief. You will finally get the chance to discover that there is no secret source of knowledge that you’re being denied access too.  

The joy of learning. If you pick a field that you enjoy (which is always advisable) the love of the pursuit will be enough.

Cons of Getting a PhD :

A PhD won’t necessarily help you get a job, unless it is research related that is.  

Living, breathing, and thinking of nothing but your field of study for a prolonged period of time can make you think that this is all there is too life.  

All your friends and colleagues are already on their second or third promotion by the time you’ve finally finished studying for your PhD.  

Prospective employers may view you as overqualified and under experienced, especially if you try to venture outside of your field of research.  

You will need to have a partner that understands you will be not only physically but also mentally absent as you attempt to make a breakthrough in your chosen field of study.  

• You won’t have the luxury of a full time income , and once you graduate you will have a lot of catching up to do.

This blog was written using content from Jane Chin .

Related articles  

The ABCs of PhDs Applying for a PhD course Top tips for surviving a PhD

Terman Sept. 28, 2021, 8:12 p.m.

I am looking for a PhD by publication, where my published works are related with the medical physics (MP) or statistics applied to MP. I see many of universities with this type of programm are of UK. Can you help me in my search??

Charlotte King Oct. 13, 2021, 9:03 a.m.

Hi Terman – many of the the top UK universities such as UCL and University of Exeter offer this type of program. I recommend you research into the PhD supervisors at the universities that you're interested in to help narrow down your choice. Good luck.

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The Advantages Of Getting A PhD In 2024

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Going Beyond the Status Quo with Your PhD!

Pursuing a PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) degree is a long and challenging journey, but the rewards are numerous and can have a significant impact on one's personal and professional life. Now, you might wonder about the benefits of getting a PhD; there are actually many PhD benefits, and we are going to discuss just that! So, let's dive right into it!

What Is A PhD & What Are Its Requirements?

A PhD is the highest academic degree that can be achieved and demonstrates mastery of a subject area and expertise in research. It is a globally recognised postgraduate degree that is awarded to students who have submitted a thesis or dissertation based on thorough and original research in their field of choice. To apply for a PhD, here are it's general requirements.

1. Employment/academic references

2. Language proficiency

3. Personal Statements

4. PhD research topics and proposals (You have to explain everything about the topic of your PhD and how you will be doing your research)

If you want a roadmap on how to apply for a PhD, then here is a the perfect roadmap on how to apply for a PhD

Questions To Ask Yourself

Before you start finding your topic to apply for a PhD, there are a few questions that you need to ask yourself! If you don't ask these questions yourself, you might find yourself struggling to complete your PhD.

1. Am I passionate about it?

You need to remember that a PhD is a 3-4 year course, and if you are not passionate about it, then you will start struggling, but if you feel excited about spending 3-4 years on a particular subject, then you are ready for your PhD!

2. Am I ready for college again?

One question you need to ask yourself before applying for a PhD is whether you are ready to spend even more time in university since you have just completed your Bachelor's and Master's; attending university again can sound a bit dull and tiring since many prefer a change!

3. Can I afford it?

One final question that you need to ask yourself is whether you can afford to get a PhD since it can get a bit expensive, and if you are moving to a new country, things can become even more difficult. Fortunately, there are various scholarships available that help sponsor your PhD. Here are some of the best scholarships for PhD students !

What Are The Benefits Of Getting A PhD?

Holding a Doctorate can be a prestigious achievement for students and professionals working in their respective fields. Holding a PhD also gives you the prestige of adding the Dr tag in front of your name. To answer your question about the benefits of having a PhD, here are some of the best PhD benefits that you must know

1. Career advancement 2. Increased earning potential 3. Personal growth 4. Networking opportunities 5. Access to advanced research 6. Contributions to society 7. Increased knowledge and understanding 8. Improved critical thinking 9. Enhanced ability to conduct research 10. Helps you inherit transferable skills 11. Opens the door to career opportunities

1. Career Advancement

A PhD degree can greatly enhance your career prospects , particularly in academia, research, and science-related industries. The advanced skills and knowledge gained during the PhD program can make you a more competitive candidate for senior-level positions and can increase your earning potential. One of the main PhD benefits is career advancement. A PhD does not simply prepare you for careers in academia, as is a popular misperception, making it one of the best PhD benefits!

2. Increased Earning Potential

The majority of PhD students receive financial support for their research in the form of a three-year studentship that pays their tuition and provides them with a respectable living allowance. In this regard, pursuing a PhD is comparable to working for three years at a salary . In many industries, a PhD student earns an average of 20% more than those with a Master's degree. This increased earning potential is one of the major PhD benefits..

3. Personal Growth

Pursuing a PhD requires a great deal of hard work, determination, and self-discipline. The process of completing a PhD can be incredibly empowering and can help build self-confidence and increase your sense of self-worth. Personal growth is one of the important PhD benefits.

4. Networking Opportunities

The benefit of having a PhD is that it provides opportunities to meet and collaborate with other researchers, academics, and professionals in your field. Another of the PhD benefits is that it creates networking opportunities . Whether you are looking for a career or not, getting to know lecturers in your current or desired profession is a fantastic chance. These relationships can be valuable for future career advancement and can provide opportunities for ongoing collaboration and mentorship, making it one of the benefits of a PhD. You can read our blog to learn the best networking tips and tricks .

5. Access To Advanced Research 

Another one on the list of PhD benefits is access to advanced research. By pursuing a PhD, you can make a major contribution to your field of study and to society as a whole. Research findings and insights can impact public policy and help to solve important social and scientific problems . 

6. Contributions To Society

Pursuing a PhD provides a deep and comprehensive understanding of a particular subject. The research experience and training you gain during the PhD program can help you develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and it also helps develop creative solutions to complex challenges. This is one of the PhD benefits which contributes to society. The knowledge and expertise gained by studying can help you contribute to the greater humankind and society.

7. Increased Knowledge And Understanding

The research experience and training gained during a PhD program can improve your critical thinking and problem-solving skills . This can be valuable in both personal and professional settings. Gaining vast knowledge and competence in your profession is one of the benefits of a PhD. You can help others by imparting your knowledge , which is not merely theoretical but also helpful in problem-solving. Because you are an authority and specialist in your field of study, friends, coworkers, and even the media will greatly appreciate your informed opinion.

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8. Improved Critical Thinking

Pursuing a PhD provides advanced training in research methods and techniques, which can help to improve one's ability to conduct research effectively. This can be valuable in both academic and non-academic settings. Critical thinking is one of the PhD benefits which will help you professionally as well as personally.

9. Enhanced Ability To Conduct Research

One of the major benefits of getting a PhD is that it can provide opportunities for further education and career development, both within and outside of academia. It can also help to open up new opportunities for research, teaching, and mentorship. Enhanced ability to conduct research is indeed one of the important benefits of a PhD

10. Helps You Inherit Transferable Skills

One PhD benefit is that you will acquire transferable skills while pursuing your PhD in addition to specialised knowledge in your subject, which you can use for any career route you decide to choose. Learning effective research techniques and note-taking techniques is a crucial skill you can apply in most work settings. 

Additionally, you will pick up crucial writing and presentation abilities, which is another benefit of a PhD. Candidates for jobs who excel at writing and who are at ease presenting the knowledge to coworkers are highly valued by employers. Every workplace demands effective communication, which consistently ranks among the top talents for successful workers.

11. Opens The Door To Career Opportunities

You will find that the benefit of having a PhD is that it offers prospects in industries or places where having an advanced degree is advised or necessary because it gives you credibility in the industry and incredibly valuable transferable abilities . Depending on the area of study you choose for your PhD, you could be prepared to start a career in any industry . You have the option to look at careers in your preferred industry or a higher-level job in your current profession, while you can still choose to pursue a career as a professor or researcher at a university, making it one of the best benefits of a PhD.

Benefits Of A PhDs Outside Of Academia

There are many benefits of doing a PhD outside academia as well! PhD benefits can be synonymous with academia, but here are some of the benefits of a PhD or life skills you can expect outside academia!

1. Learning From Failures

As a PhD student, you not only have to do research and experiments to get your answers, but on the journey of finding your answer, you fail multiple times but still get up and retry everything you have done to get the correct answer! This is easily applied in real life because failure is something you will face anywhere!

2. Ability To Deal With Negative People

This might be a surprise PhD benefit because a lot of people don't realise that while doing a PhD, there are chances you might encounter a negative professor who doesn't provide enough information or is plainly rude! Learning to deal with these people gives you a valuable life skill where you will be able to deal with negative people whenever you encounter one! 

3. Knowing Uncertainty Is Alright

One major benefit of a PhD is that once you are done with your PhD is that you know that without uncertainty, there would be no discovery because you deal with uncertainty throughout your program since your thesis could be rejected at any time or if your project has an answer at the end or not! You learn that uncertainty is alright!

4. Ability To Create Information

As a PhD student, you have to add something new to a field and doing that is one of the most daunting tasks! Everyone can learn something and use that knowledge, but adding something new is often seen as something impossible because you have to create information to bring knowledge. This type of innovation and perseverance is something that is not seen every day, making it one of the best benefits of doing a PhD.

In conclusion, a PhD degree can have a significant impact on one's personal and professional life along with enhancing your student resume, and there are many advantages of a PhD. The advanced skills and knowledge gained during the PhD program can help to enhance one's career prospects, improve critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and provide opportunities for further education and career development.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it worth having a phd, what are some of the benefits of phd, which is the most in demand phd, is a phd difficult to study, is increased salary one of the benefits of phd.

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Is a PhD the right option for you?

Too often starry-eyed students rush into a PhD without knowing what it entails or how useful it will be. Daniel K. Sokol discusses what you need to consider before taking the plunge.

• PhD or no PhD, explore a range of exciting careers on Guardian Jobs

Embarking on a PhD is a big decision. Not only will it consume three to five years of your life but, in some UK institutions, the failure rate exceeds 40%. During that time, the 'great work' (ie the thesis) will hover above the candidate like the sword of Damocles, even in moments of supposed rest. So when students say they are thinking of doing a PhD, I ask them why.

For most jobs, a PhD is unnecessary. I, and many of my PhD friends, dropped the title soon after our release into the real world. The initial buzz of having Dr before your name dims with time, and using the title in a non-academic context exudes more than a whiff of self-importance.

People also equate the prefix with a medical degree. On a plane back from Australia one year, I heard the call dreaded by doctors and title-wielding PhDs alike: "is there a doctor on the plane?" Sensing that my knowledge of grounded theory would do little to assist the feverish passenger, my wife, a medical doctor, volunteered to save the day.

If future income is a consideration, a PhD is worth little more than a master's. According to Bernard Casey, who published a study on the economic contribution of PhDs, male PhDs earn 26% more than those who could have gone to university but did not. However, men with a master's degree earn almost as much, with a 23% increase. For women, the difference is smaller still. Variations also exist within individual disciplines. Casey concludes: "PhDs in social sciences, languages and arts do not enhance earnings significantly for either sex."

When I enrolled on my PhD, I didn't care about so distant an issue as future income. Armed with three years of funding, I cared only about my subject and pushing the frontiers of knowledge, however modestly.

Enthusiasm fills the heart of most prospective PhD students, but this enthusiasm can soon fade. The drop-out rate for PhDs is high. In the United States, only 57% of PhD students obtained their PhD 10 years after enrollment. In the humanities, the figure dropped to 49%. In my department, four of us enrolled on the PhD programme in medical ethics; two completed it. Contrary to popular belief, a PhD is not intellectually difficult but it calls for discipline and stamina.

A PhD, especially in the humanities, is a lonely affair. Days are spent alone in front of a computer. Antidotes to the common ailments known as PhD fatigue and PhD blues are, first, choosing a subject that can sustain interest for several years. Often students realise after a few months that their topic is not as gripping as initially believed. An additional consideration, when selecting a topic, is whether the choice will bolster an academic career. Some topics lie on the fringes of the field and may raise eyebrows in reviewers of articles and conference abstracts and in interviews for lectureships. An obscure PhD is also poor preparation for teaching a broad curriculum to undergraduate students.

The second antidote is choosing good supervisors. Knowledge aside, a good supervisor should be willing to devote time to the thesis. Beware the elusive professor, however stellar his or her reputation. It is worth talking to a supervisor's past or current PhD students before making your request.

Sadly, stories of disastrous PhD experiences abound. Unsupportive or bullying supervisors, lack of institutional support, late or radical changes of topic, poor advice, unfair viva voce examinations – the list of potential woes is long. So common are such problems that, after representing an aggrieved PhD student at an appeals hearing, I founded a service to help university students appeal unfair decisions. A frequent fault of students is allowing problems to grow rather than nipping them at the bud; early intervention is key. When I ask eager students their reasons for enrolling in a PhD programme, I do not seek to dissuade them. My own PhD experience, and those of countless others, was positive. Meetings with my supervisors were regular and enjoyable. The viva (or oral examination), which lasted three hours, went smoothly. Although academic jobs were scarce, I was lucky to obtain a lectureship immediately after the PhD. My thesis may even have contributed, microscopically, to the field.

Too often, however, starry-eyed students rush into a PhD program with scant knowledge of what it entails or how useful it will be in the future. The drop-out rate would be reduced, and much misery avoided, if prospective students possessed a more balanced view of the challenges, as well as the joys, of the PhD.

Daniel K. Sokol PhD is honorary senior lecturer in medical ethics at Imperial College and director of Alpha Academic Appeals

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English PhD Stipends in the United States: Statistical Report

By Eric Weiskott

This report presents the results of research into stipends for PhD candidates in English conducted between summer 2021 and spring 2022. The report surveys the top 135 universities in the U.S. News and World Report 2022 “Best National University Ranking,” plus the Graduate Center, City University of New York. Of these universities, 80 offer a PhD in English and guarantee full funding for five or more years. Graduate administrators at three universities declined to grant permission to have current or historical stipend amounts published, citing legal concerns (appendix A). The remaining 77 institutions form the data set. Stipend amounts are expressed in absolute dollars (table 1), in cost-of-living-adjusted dollars (table 2), relative to endowment size for universities with institutional endowments of $3.5 billion or less (figure 1), and broken down by type of university (public or private) (tables 3a–3b) and by region (tables 4a–4d).

The stipend data were gathered by consulting program websites and, if no URL is cited, by canvassing departmental faculty and staff members responsible for administering English PhD programs, often holding the title “Director of Graduate Studies” (DGS). 1 In some cases, the standard stipend must be expressed as a dollar range rather than a fixed amount, for reasons specified in the notes.

All figures given in this report are gross pay, reflecting neither tax withholding schemes nor any mandatory student fees. All figures are rounded to the nearest dollar. All figures reflect the base or standard stipend offer, not including supplemental funding offered on a competitive basis at the department, college, or university level. All figures represent twelve-month pay, regardless of whether the program distinguishes between academic-year stipend and any summer stipend, provided both are guaranteed. While every effort was made to procure academic year 2021–22 or 2022–23 figures, in a few cases this was not possible. A limitation of the data therefore is that they mix current and recent stipend amounts. For some programs, the standard stipend increases or decreases during the course of the degree. Where the changes in pay occur in specific years, they are accordingly factored into the numbers given in the report, which represent a five-year average in these instances. However, where the changes depend on the unpredictable completion of program requirements, or reflect differential pay based on past degrees earned or not earned at the time of matriculation, I express the standard stipend as a range. Because programs with a stipend range are ranked and averaged according to the average of the low and high ends of the range, the report may slightly overstate or understate the total value of the stipend over the length of the degree depending how candidates tend to move through those programs, or depending on the academic background of the candidates who matriculate into them.

Cost-of-living comparisons were made using Nerdwallet ’s cost-of-living calculator (“Cost”), checked against the standardized cost-of-living rating on BestPlaces (“2022 Cost”).  Nerdwallet ’s calculator has the advantage of splitting up geography into medium-sized benchmark areas, often roughly corresponding to a commutable radius around a town or city, as opposed to the jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction comparisons of BestPlaces and other cost-of-living calculators, which would be more pertinent to real estate purchases. However, use of the Nerdwallet tool entails limitations, occasionally acute. Some university campuses are located closer to available Nerdwallet benchmarks than others. Certain rural and suburban campuses are located in jurisdictions with somewhat higher or lower cost of living than the closest available Nerdwallet benchmark, often a city. These limitations were corrected for in the more severe cases and to the extent possible by averaging multiple benchmarks selected for geographic proximity and comparable cost of living (as given on BestPlaces ) to the location of the campus, as noted in each case in table 2. The possibility of PhD candidates’ commuting to campus from a distance greater than the radius of a Nerdwallet benchmark, not to mention the possibility of their living farther afield when teaching remotely in the COVID-19 pandemic or dissertating, further complicates a direct benchmark-to-benchmark cost-of-living conversion.

It was particularly difficult to determine the cost of living for one campus, Rutgers University, New Brunswick. This is because Rutgers is within commuting distance of New York, the highest cost-of-living metropolitan area in the United States, coupled with the fact that the Nerdwallet benchmark to which the city of New Brunswick belongs, “Middlesex-Monmouth,” covers two New Jersey counties that include many towns as distant from New Brunswick to the south and west as Brooklyn and Manhattan are to the north and east. That is, New Brunswick is inadvantageously situated in its Nerdwallet benchmark for the purposes of stating an average cost of living that captures patterns of commuting to and from campus. Commutes from south and west of campus are included, while commutes from north and east are excluded. In the Midwest and West, where Nerdwallet tends to have fewer benchmark areas, suburban and smaller urban campuses within commuting distance of a large city often are benchmarked to that city—for example, the University of Colorado, Boulder, to the Denver benchmark and the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, to the Detroit benchmark. It would therefore seem to be inconsistent to omit to factor New York into the cost-of-living-adjusted value of a stipend paid by Rutgers University, New Brunswick, particularly as the difference between the cost of living in New York and New Brunswick is so much greater than the difference between the cost of living in Detroit and Ann Arbor, or between Denver and Boulder. My solution, to average the average of the Nerdwallet results for Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens together with the results for Middlesex-Monmouth, is an admittedly provisional one that risks overstating the cost of living of pursuing a PhD in English at Rutgers, which, after all, is not located in Brooklyn, Manhattan, or Queens. In a private communication, the DGS reports that a little over one quarter of current Rutgers English graduate candidates reside in Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, or adjacent Jersey City, NJ. I consider this proportion large enough to confirm my initial expectation that the very high cost of living in New York should factor into an estimate of the cost of living associated with a Rutgers English PhD in some way. I have not systematically polled DGSs about where candidates live. If nothing else, I hope the difficult case of Rutgers illuminates the limitations of representing cost of living with a single standardized number in an age of urban agglomeration, rapid transport, and a prevailing tolerance for work commutes of up to one hour or so.

Endowment figures (figure 1) were drawn from the fiscal year 2020 statistical report on North American university endowments published by the National Association of College and University Business Officers ( U.S. and Canadian Institutions ).

This stipend report is not a substitute for a holistic assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of an individual PhD program and is not intended to guide prospective PhD applicants toward or away from any given program. The report does not take account of such significant variables as relative strength of the program in the applicant’s area of specialty; any competitive fellowships and stipends available; exam requirements burden; teaching and service expectations; cultural life and nearby off-campus intellectual institutions; the number of years of full funding guaranteed past five, if any; or record of placing graduates into full-time academic employment. The report isolates the stipend as one important factor among several shaping the experience, opportunity cost, and financial, intellectual, and professional benefit of pursuing graduate study in English. Graduate candidates are workers as well as students, and the stipend is their salary. It is hoped that by understanding these data, program administrators, graduate administrators, department chairs, current PhDs, and prospective PhD applicants can form an evidence-based impression of what the English PhD pays around the country and in divergent institutional and regional settings.

For completeness, appendixes list the universities among the 135 that either offer the PhD in English but do not guarantee full funding for five or more years (appendix B) or do not offer the PhD in English (appendix C). Note

1 I thank Anna Chang for assistance gathering updated stipend amounts at a late stage of the project.

Works Cited

“Best National University Rankings.” U.S. News and World Report , 2022, www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities .

“Cost of Living Calculator.” Nerdwallet , 2022, www.nerdwallet.com/cost-of-living-calculator .

“2022 Cost of Living Calculator.” BestPlaces , 2022, www.bestplaces.net/cost-of-living/ .

U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 Endowment Market Value and Change in Endowment Market Value from FY19 to FY20 . National Association of College and University Business Officers , 2021, www.nacubo.org/-/media/Documents/Research/2020-NTSE-Public-Tables–Endowment-Market-Values–FINAL-FEBRUARY-19-2021.ashx.

Table 1. English PhD Standard Stipend Nationwide Comparison

Table 1 Average: $25,006

Table 1 Median: $25,000   

Table 1 Notes

1 The figure reflects a stipend of $30,800 for the first year and $36,570 thereafter, averaged over five years.

2 gfs.stanford.edu/salary/salary22/tal_all.pdf . I obtained this figure by tripling the standard arts and sciences per-quarter rate to reflect Stanford University’s three-quarter, nine-month academic year.

3 The figure reflects an academic-year stipend of $27,605 ($3,067 per month), plus a summer stipend that is the average of the 2020–21 summer stipend of $5,300 ($1,767 per month) and three months of the 2021–22 academic-year rate—namely, $7,251 ($2,417 per month). Brown University is phasing in a summer stipend to match the academic-year stipend over the next year.

4 www.tgs.northwestern.edu/funding/index.html .

5 gsas.yale.edu/resources-students/finances-fellowships/stipend-payments#:~:text=students%20receive%20a%20semi%2Dmonthly,2022%20academic%20year%20is%20%2433%2C600 .

6 The figure reflects an academic-year stipend of $28,654, plus a summer stipend of $6,037 for the first four years, averaged over five years.

7 today.duke.edu/2019/04/duke-makes-12-month-funding-commitment-phd-students#:~:text=students%20in%20their%20guaranteed%20funding,54%20programs%20across%20the%20university .

8 english.rutgers.edu/images/5_10_2021_-_Fall_2022_grad_website_updated_des_of_funding_for_prospectives.pdf . The figure reflects an academic-year stipend of $25,000 for the first year and $29,426 thereafter, plus a summer stipend of $5,000 the first summer and $2,500 each of the next two summers, averaged over five years.

9 The figure is anticipated for 2022–23 following an admissions pause in 2021–22.

10 The low figure is a teaching assistant offer; the high figure is a university fellowship. While funding in excess of the rate for teaching assistants is competitive, it is also de facto guaranteed: for 2021–22, all eight offers of admission exceeded the rate for teaching assistants.

11 policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-1238 . The figure reflects a stipend of $25,000 with $1,000 in summer funding in year 3 and $4,500 in summer funding in years 4-5, averaged over five years.

12 The figures reflect a stipend range of $18,240–$25,000 for the first year and $23,835 thereafter, averaged over five years.

13 The figure reflects a stipend of $25,166 for the first year, $24,166 for the second through fourth years, and $19,000 for the fifth year, averaged over five years.

14 grad.ucdavis.edu/sites/default/files/upload/files/facstaff/salary_21-22_october_2021.pdf . I obtained this figure by halving the standard teaching assistant annual rate to reflect the rule that PhD candidates at the University of California, Davis, may work no more than half time.

15 Lehigh University guarantees full funding for five years for candidates classified as full-time. This includes all candidates except a few who are nontraditional students and bring an outside salary or other outside funding to the degree.

16 miamioh.edu/cas/academics/departments/english/admission/graduate-admission/graduate-funding/teaching-positions/index.html .

17 The figures reflect an academic-year stipend of $17,100, plus a summer stipend range of $2,500–$5,000.

18 The figures reflect a stipend of $23,688 for the first year and a range of $19,480–$20,250 thereafter, averaged over five years.

19 hr.uic.edu/hr-staff-managers/compensation/minima-for-graduate-appointments/ .

20 The University of Utah guarantees full funding for five years for those entering with a BA but four years for those entering with an MA.

21 Among the doctoral degrees offered by the English department at Purdue University, West Lafayette, the one in question is the PhD in literature, theory, and cultural studies.

22 The University of Florida guarantees full funding for six years for those entering with a BA but four years for those entering with an MA.

23 These figures reflect the range between FTE .40 at level I (BA holder, precandidacy) and FTE .49 at level II (MA holder, advanced to candidacy). See https://graduatestudies.uoregon.edu/funding/ge/salary-benefits for a schedule of salaries.

Table 2. English PhD Standard Stipend Nationwide Comparison, Adjusted for Cost of Living (Expressed in Boston-Area Dollars)

Table 2 Average: $33,060

Table 2 Median: $31,718

Table 2 Notes

1 I used the benchmark for Philadelphia, which, although geographically distant from State College / University Park, has a more comparable cost of living than other benchmarks for Pennsylvania.

2 For programs located in New York City—in this listing, Columbia University; New York University; Graduate Center, City University of New York; and Fordham University—I averaged the results for Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens.

3 I averaged the results for Austin and Houston.

4 I averaged the New York City triborough average with the results for Middlesex-Monmouth, NJ. This reflects Rutgers’s liminal geographic location: it is much closer to New York City, without being in the city, than any other campus on this list, and a substantial minority of Rutgers PhD candidates commute to campus from the city.

5 I averaged the results for San Francisco and Oakland.

6 I averaged the results for Bakersfield and San Diego. While Los Angeles is closer geographically, it has a much higher cost of living than Riverside and is just outside of convenient commuting range.

7 I averaged the results for Boston and Pittsfield.

8 I averaged the results for Queens and Albany, a better approximation of the cost of living on eastern Long Island than averaging the cost of living in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens.

9 I averaged the results for Los Angeles and San Francisco.

10 I averaged the results for Washington, DC, and Bethesda-Gaithersburg-Frederick, MD.

Table 3a. English PhD Standard Stipend Nationwide Comparison: Private Universities

Table 3a Average: $28,653

Table 3a Median: $28,967

Table 3b. English PhD Standard Stipend Nationwide Comparison: Public Universities

Table 3b Average: $22,230

Table 3b Median: $21,500

Table 4a. English PhD Standard Stipend Comparison: West and Southwest

Table 4a Average: $25,661

Table 4a Median: $25,500

Table 4b. English PhD Standard Stipend Comparison: Midwest

Table 4b Average: $23,234

Table 4b Median: $21,966

Table 4c. English PhD Standard Stipend Comparison: Northeast

Table 4c Average: $26,741

Table 4c Median: $26,235

Table 4d. English PhD Standard Stipend Comparison: South

Table 4d Average: $22,438

Table 4d Median: $20,881

Appendix A. English PhD Programs Declining to Have Stipend Data Published

Appendix b. english phd programs not guaranteeing full funding for five or more years.

Appendix B Notes

1 The department will “attempt to fully fund all students admitted to the PhD program for five years” ( english.columbian.gwu.edu/graduate-admissions-aid#phd ).

2 Guarantees full funding for four years.

3 “All admitted students receive a multi-year funding package” ( www.humanities.uci.edu/english/graduate/index.php ).

4 Guarantees full funding for four years.

Appendix C. Universities Not Offering the PhD in English

Appendix C Notes

* Offers a terminal MA in English.

1 Offers a terminal MA in literature, culture, and technology.

2 Offers a terminal MA in English literature and publishing.

3 Offers a PhD in rhetoric and professional communication.

4 Offers a PhD in communication, rhetoric, and digital media.

5 Offers a PhD in communication and rhetoric.

6 Offers a PhD in literature. The University of California, Davis, and the University of Kansas also offer a PhD in literature, yet, unlike the University of California, San Diego, or the University of California, Santa Cruz, the Davis and Kansas degrees are housed in English departments and retain an explicitly anglophone focus.

7 Offers a PhD in rhetoric and writing.

*Campus-specific endowment information is not available in the National Association of College and University Business Officers report.

Eric Weiskott is professor of English at Boston College, where he directs the English PhD program. His most recent book is  Meter and Modernity in English Verse, 1350–1650  (U of Pennsylvania P, 2021).

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The University of Manitoba campuses are located on original lands of Anishinaabeg, Ininew, Anisininew, Dakota and Dene peoples, and on the National Homeland of the Red River Métis. More

University of Manitoba

University of Manitoba Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada, R3T 2N2

English (PhD)

Students in the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in English program will develop a higher degree of specialization and advanced training in research and application in English literature.

Program details

Admission requirements.

• Faculty of Arts • Faculty of Graduate Studies

• PhD in English

Expected duration

Study with us.

Our department offers programs covering a wide range of periods, genres, media and theoretical approaches.

One of the major strengths of the faculty is its commitment to teaching excellence, with three of its members having been honoured with the University’s highest teaching award, and several others having been honoured with Merit Awards, Graduate Teaching Awards and UMSU Certificates of Teaching Excellence.

Visit our faculty page for more information on the diversity of our research interests.

Areas of study

Our department offers coursework and supervision in a wide range of topics. Areas of study include but are not limited to:

• Literature and criticism (medieval, early modern, restoration and 18th century, romantic, 19th century, modern, 20th century and contemporary literature; British, American, Canadian, post-colonial and world literatures; critical theory, bibliography and book history)
• Film (world film, American and Canadian film and film theory)
• Theatre (Canadian, Irish and British theatre)

Research facilities

University of Manitoba Libraries have extensive holdings in literature, film studies and theatre. The Libraries provide access to both local and remote databases.

Our department benefits from close affiliations with the University of Manitoba Institute for the Humanities, the Arts Media Lab and the Centre for Creative Writing and Oral Culture.

The Department of English, Theatre, Film & Media offers a program of study leading to a PhD in English.

Expected duration: 4 years

The PhD program consists of coursework, candidacy exams and a thesis component.

Tuition and fees:  Tuition fees are charged for terms one and two and terms four and five. A continuing fee is paid for term three, term six and each subsequent term. (Refer to Graduate tuition and fees .)

The first year of full-time PhD study will normally include:

• At least 12 credit hours of graduate seminars in English literature at the 7000 level
• 6 credit hours of ancillary coursework at the 3000 level or above in English or in a related discipline

Candidacy examinations, consisting of a paper on the student’s period of specialization and a paper on the research area, will normally be written in the second year of PhD study. Each paper will be followed by a one-hour oral examination. Students must also prepare and successfully defend their thesis.

Second Language Reading Requirement

Students are required to have some knowledge of a language other than English.

For a PhD degree, a grade of C+ or better in, normally, 6 undergraduate credit hours of (2000 level or equivalent) courses satisfies the requirement.

Sample course offerings

• ENGL 7050: Studies in Canadian Literature (3 credit hours)
• ENGL 7030: Studies in American Literature (3 credit hours)
• ENGL 7090: Studies in Contemporary Literature (3 credit hours)
• ENGL 7140: Studies in International Literature (3 credit hours)
• ENGL 7160: Studies in Modernism (3 credit hours)
• ENGL 7180: Studies in Old English Poetry (6 credit hours)
• ENGL 7190: Special Topics in Literary Figures (3 credit hours)
• ENGL 7300: Creative Writing (3 credit hours)
• ENGL 7880: Studies in Literature and Film (3 credit hours)
• ENGL 7860: Topics in Cultural Studies (3 credit hours)

For full course descriptions, please visit the Academic Calendar .

The following are minimum requirements to be considered for entry into the program. Meeting these requirements does not guarantee acceptance into the program.

Admission decisions are based on the qualifications of the applicant as well as the ability of the Department of English, Theatre, Film & Media and the University of Manitoba to serve the applicant’s intended program of study and area of specialization.

To be considered for admission to the PhD in English program, you must hold a Master’s degree in English with a GPA of at least 3.5 in your work at the MA level.

In addition to the admission requirements described here, all applicants must meet the minimum  admission and English language proficiency requirements of the Faculty of Graduate Studies .

How to apply

The PhD in English program accepts applications for Fall entry only. Applications must be completed online and include several parts:

• $100 application fee (non-refundable)
• Unofficial copies of transcripts and degree certificates
• A sample of the student’s scholarly writing (maximum 20 pages)
• A detailed proposal (approximately 1000 words) explaining the student's intended research focus
• Two letters of recommendation (must be requested from within the application)
• Proof of English language proficiency , if required

Please read the Faculty of Graduate Studies online application instructions  before beginning your application.

Application deadlines

Applications are reviewed on a  committee basis . The Admissions committee for English reviews applications in February.

Applications open   up to 18 months prior  to start term.

Applicants must submit their online application with supporting documentation and application fee by the deadline date indicated.

Start or continue your application

Department of English, Theatre, Film & Media

Our department offers programs covering a wide range of periods, genres, media and theoretical approaches. Plus, meet our faculty and staff.

Tuition and fees

Learn about tuition and fee requirements for graduate studies at UM.

Financial aid and awards

Find the variety of awards and funding options available to help you pay for school as an English graduate student.

Academic Calendar

Explore program requirements and detailed descriptions for required and elective courses throughout the English program.

Explore the Faculty of Arts

Discover the wide-ranging opportunities in humanities, social sciences and interdisciplinary studies offered by the Faculty of Arts.

• Arts research
• Programs of study
• Student experience
• Arts financial aid and awards

Explore the Faculty of Graduate Studies

Discovery happens here. Join the graduate students and researchers who come here from every corner of the world. They are drawn to the University of Manitoba because it offers the opportunity to do transformational research.

• Funding, awards and financial aid
• Graduate student experience

Keep exploring

Discover more programs

With over 140 programs across multiple faculties, schools and colleges, the University of Manitoba offers more learning, teaching and research opportunities than any other post-secondary institution in the province.

• Master’s in English, Theatre, Film & Media
• Doctor of Philosophy in Economics
• Doctor of Philosophy in Linguistics
• Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology and School Psychology
• Doctor of Philosophy in English, Theatre, Film & Media

Join the students and researchers who come here from every corner of the world.

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Be adventurous, challenge yourself and make a difference.

Opportunities for Indigenous students

Experience a world-class education in the heart of Canada.

Why international students study with us

We offer state of the art facilities with 140 years of history.

Our campuses

Admission and application inquiries.

Faculty of Graduate Studies Room 500 UMSU University Centre 65 Chancellors Circle University of Manitoba (Fort Garry campus) Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2 Canada

[email protected] Phone: 204-474-9377

Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Program inquiries

Department of English, Theatre, Film & Media, Faculty of Arts 625 Fletcher Argue Building 15 Chancellor's Circle University of Manitoba (Fort Garry campus) Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2 Canada

[email protected] Phone: 204-474-9678 Fax: 204-474-7669

Visit the Department of English, Theatre, Film & Media

Meet English, Theatre, Film & Media faculty and staff

The Advantages of a Ph.D.

Why Pursue a Doctorate Degree?

A PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) involves hard work, rigorous critical thinking skills and a lot of invested time, money and research. However, you receive many benefits and rewards for having a doctorate degree, whether it is for personal satisfaction, social status, employment or for the sake of education and knowledge itself.

Career Aspects

With a PhD degree, you may have more career choices. At the same time, you can gain a higher salary and position within the company compared to candidates who do not have the same educational level as you. Furthermore, your expertise in the field also gives you the opportunity to acquire teaching positions at a college or university.

Professional Networks

Going through years of study for a PhD degree also means that you will have built up a reliable and diverse set of professional networks. You will have worked with renowned experts and scholars in the field and will have made important contacts during conferences, all of whom can serve as excellent career references for any job positions.

Prestige and Recognition

A PhD degree generally commands prestige and recognition anywhere you go. You can take pride in your hard work and achievements because doctorate degrees are difficult to obtain and are recognized and appreciated at all levels of society. In fact, you can become part of a well-educated group of individuals in the upper middle class, a fact that affects your lifestyle as well as your income.

Finally, a PhD also means that you have a lot of knowledge and information about your field. Your knowledge is not only theoretical, but also of practical use, and you can share it with others for problem-solving. You are an expert and specialist in your area of study, and your educated opinion will be highly valued among friends, colleagues and even the media.

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• U Of T Career Center: What Can You Do With a PhD
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Benefits of a Ph.D 2024

Naman Puri ,

Mar 4, 2024

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Benefits of a Ph.D such as Knowledge, Becoming a Valuable Asset, and Positive Thinking and a few others that usually requires three to four years of full-time study leading to a thesis that uniquely contributes to respective field as it's the highest level of academic qualification.

Let's start with the fact that a Ph.D is a lengthy course. It takes a lot of time to complete. However, there's a catch. A Ph.D is a long-term investment as well as a long-term degree. A Ph.D is a doctorate research degree that usually requires three to four years of full-time study leading to a thesis that uniquely contributes to your field. It is the highest level of academic qualification you may obtain. 

Benefits of a Ph.D

There are several benefits of doing a Ph.D. Enrolling in a Ph.D programme unlocks many doors, each one brimming with benefits that will help you succeed in the real world. So, let's hop in the car and begin our journey to find an answer to the question, "What are the benefits of doing a Ph.D?"

The first and most important benefit of doing a Ph.D in management, literature, or any other profession is the factual information gained while researching the subject. You may apply this information when writing your thesis and in your daily life when solving issues and making decisions. This information will also assist you in generating ideas on numerous themes and crafting judgments on diverse subjects. Overall, the knowledge gained from this degree is extensive, and it will undoubtedly qualify you as a specialist or professional in your respective field.

Become a Valuable Asset

Only a tiny percentage of India's population holds a Ph.D. This fact implies that if you are considering pursuing a Ph.D in a preferred field, you should do so since it will transform you into a valuable asset. It will bring you to a small group of Indians who have shown to be valuable contributors to society.

Positive Thinking

When pursuing a Ph.D, an individual conducts several experiments without knowing whether or not they will yield a satisfactory result. This exercise enables people to think optimistically even in the face of adversity. You'll begin to perceive the ambiguity and uncertainty of events as a chance to learn new things rather than a burden or a stumbling block. This optimistic attitude will benefit you while working in the real world, engaging with real people, and solving and dealing with real problems.

Information Creation

When writing a Ph.D thesis, you're not replicating other people's work; you're also creating your own. You generate information that is both novel to the world and beneficial to those studying similar subjects to you. So, if you have a Ph.D, you have developed your works and knowledge, which indicates that you are an expert in your field. This is one of those benefits of doing a Ph.D that allows you to stand out.

Search-Oriented

A Ph.D scholar is a search-oriented individual because they research numerous topics, conduct in-depth studies to understand better, and watch documentaries and series to gain more information about the subject. It cultivates the habit of fully comprehending a thing before forming an opinion. This degree necessitates a significant amount of research, which aids the individual in becoming a specialist in a particular area.

Financial Freedom

The majority of Ph.D scholars are supported by a decent sum from the institute pursuing their Ph.D. This sum usually covers the cost of this academic degree's tuition and provides enough money for the scholars to live on. It makes it much simpler for students from low-income families to pursue this degree as a scholar since they will get a research scholarship to help with educational and personal expenditures.

Qualified for a Job

A Ph.D applicant is far more competent and fit for a particular profession than someone with a master's degree in the same discipline. When you finish your Ph.D, you'll be among the top ten candidates a company would choose for itself.

Network Building

Assume someone is obtaining a Ph.D in Management at an Indian university. To accomplish specific research, that individual must speak with various professors, experts from multiple states, and even nations. To conduct a survey and have a deeper grasp of a topic, they will engage with multiple audiences. All of this will be used to evaluate their ability to construct a global network that will aid them in producing the thesis and the future. When a person completes a Ph.D and enters the corporate world, these sorts of networks assist them in getting a job and guide them in living their life.

Popular Ph.D courses

One can decide to enrol in a Ph.D course in a multiple numbers of streams. In this degree, aspirants are required to select a topic, perform detailed research on it, answer all the probable questions related to their respective subject, and then write a thesis on it. Mentioned below are some popular Ph.D streams one can pursue:

Business and Management

• Ph.D in Accountancy
• Ph.D in Business Management
• Ph.D in Commerce
• Ph.D in Management
• Ph.D in Commerce and Management
• Ph.D in Aviation
• Ph.D in English
• Ph.D in English Literature
• Ph.D in Economics
• Ph.D in Social Work
• Ph.D in Humanities  
• Ph.D in Arts
• Ph.D in Chemistry
• Ph.D in Physics
• Ph.D in Bioscience

Engineering

• Ph.D in Engineering
• Ph.D in Civil Engineering
• Ph.D in Mechanical Engineering
• Ph.D in Genetic Engineering
• Ph.D in Information Technology
• Ph.D in Chemical Engineering

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Phd in english: requirements, salary, jobs, & career growth, what is phd in english.

A PhD in English is a postgraduate degree that focuses on the study of English language, literature, and culture. The PhD in English program is typically intended to prepare students for careers in research and teaching in the field of English studies.

A PhD in English program often includes advanced study in literary theory, critical analysis, research technique, and linguistics. Furthermore, students are frequently required to complete a substantial research project or dissertation under the supervision of a faculty advisor.

Some common areas of specialization within a PhD in English program include:

• American literature
• British literature
• Comparative literature
• Cultural studies
• Creative writing
• Linguistics
• Rhetoric and composition

How much money do people make with a PhD in English?

The pay of someone with a PhD in English can vary depending on criteria such as their area of specialization, region, and job type.

Academics, such as professors and researchers, can expect to earn between $70,000 and $120,000 per year, depending on their level of expertise, institution, and topic of study. However, compensation for adjunct or part-time faculty employment may be lower.

Working in sectors such as publishing, writing, or journalism may be further choices for someone with a PhD in English. Salaries in these sectors can range greatly, with some employment earning less than $50,000 per year and others receiving six figures.

What is expected job growth with PhD in English?

Individuals with a PhD in English may face varying job development prospects based on their area of concentration and the career route they pick.

However, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicts that job growth for postsecondary teachers, including those in the subject of English, will be 9 percent from 2020 to 2030.

This expansion can be linked to rising demand for higher education, which includes courses in English and other liberal arts disciplines.

However, competition for tenure-track posts at colleges and universities can be fierce, and many PhD English graduates may find work in non-academic industries such as publishing, writing, or journalism.

What can you do with a PhD in English?

A PhD in English can lead to a wide range of professional prospects in academia and beyond. Here are a few examples of possible job paths:

1. College or university professor: One of the most typical job routes for those with a PhD in English is to become a college or university professor. Teaching English literature and language courses, conducting research, producing scholarly articles and books, and mentoring students are all part of the job.

2. Writing and editing: Individuals with a PhD in English may pursue employment in writing or editing. Positions in journalism, technical writing, grant writing, or working at publishing houses are examples of this.

3. Research and Analysis: Individuals with a PhD in English may engage in research and analysis professions such as market research or data analysis, as their strong research skills and ability to critically examine texts can be useful in a variety of sectors.

4. Arts and Culture: Some graduates may work in the arts and culture sector, such as museums, art galleries, or cultural organizations.

5. Government and Non-profit: Graduates with a PhD in English may also work in government or non-profit organizations in fields such as education, policy, or advocacy.

What are the requirements for a PhD in English?

The specific requirements for obtaining a PhD in English can vary depending on the institution and program, but generally, the following are common requirements:

1. Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree: Applicants to most PhD programs in English must have a Bachelor’s degree from a recognized university. Although it is not usually required, certain schools may accept applicants with a Master’s degree in a related discipline.

2. Academic Transcripts: Applicants are usually expected to present certified transcripts of their undergraduate and graduate education, which demonstrate their academic performance and achievement.

3. Statement of Purpose: Applicants are typically expected to provide a personal statement or statement of purpose detailing their research interests, academic ambitions, and reason for pursuing a PhD in English.

4. Standardized Test Scores: Applicants to many PhD programs may be required to submit scores from standardized tests such as the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or other related assessments.

5. Letters of Recommendation: Applicants to PhD programs in English are frequently required to provide letters of recommendation from academic or professional sources who may speak to the applicant’s academic talents, research potential, and eligibility for a PhD program.

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How long does it take to get a phd in english.

The length of time it takes to earn a PhD in English varies based on the school, the speed of the particular student, and other considerations. A PhD in English usually takes between 5-7 years to complete.

The first 2-3 years of a PhD program are often spent studying English literature, theory, and research methodologies. Students will often take comprehensive tests during this time to demonstrate their understanding in these topics.

After completing their coursework, students will typically spend the next 2-3 years working on their dissertation. Conducting original research, analyzing data, and writing a lengthy and detailed dissertation are all part of this process.

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Do you need a masters in english to get a phd in english.

A master’s degree in English is usually not required to apply for a PhD program in English. Many English PhD programs accept applicants with a bachelor’s degree in English or a related discipline, however others may demand extra coursework or research experience.

However, having a master’s degree in English may be advantageous for some individuals because it might demonstrate a higher level of knowledge and preparedness for the additional coursework and research necessary in a PhD program.

What are the Best PhD in English Degree programs?

1. harvard university 2. university of california, berkeley 3. university of chicago 4. stanford university 5. columbia university 6. yale university 7. princeton university 8. university of pennsylvania 9. university of michigan 10. university of california, los angeles (ucla), leave a comment cancel reply.

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