• Question: how long did it take you to get a phd?

    Asked by anon-251728 to William on 29 Apr 2020.
    • Photo: William Glass

      William Glass answered on 29 Apr 2020:

      Hi! It took me about three years to get my PhD. That may seem like a long time, but it does go by very quickly! It also allows you time to really explore your field in depth and make connections with all sorts of people. A lot of a PhD isn’t really about the exact topic you’re looking at, most of it is learning how to be a scientist in a research setting. You gain a lot of transferable skills that are useful both in and out of academia.

Comments

  • Photo: Sarah

    Sarah commented on :

    Mine was about three years of experiments and six months of writing it up into a thesis. This is quite normal – these days the universities don’t want you to spend too long on it. The point really is to get some experience of doing research, and hopefully make a useful contribution. You’re never really finished because there are always more questions that need answers!

  • Photo: Sree

    Sree commented on :

    Hi! I’m still doing my PhD, in my third year right now. I’m hoping to finish in 3.5 years, although in our current situation, it could take longer becauese it’s more difficult to work from home all the time.

  • Photo: Dana

    Dana commented on :

    Hi! for me it took 5 years to complete my PhD. some experiments can take a long time, and when you want to publish your work, this might take longer than expected. I did my PhD in Germany, and I also had a baby while I was a PhD student and took time out to stay at home with her.

  • Photo: NuclearJames

    NuclearJames commented on :

    It took me a full 4 years, which is generally the deadline at UK universities for a full-time student without exceptional circumstances. The time flew by too quickly for me, it was a great few years sharing an office with people who have remained my closest friends.

  • Photo: Wei

    Wei commented on :

    I just finished a part time PhD that took me about 6 years as I was working full time for the first 4 years or so. Not sure I would recommend that approach to other people though!

  • Photo: Nina

    Nina commented on :

    Hi hi123; my PhD took 3 years of full-time research – it goes by really fast when you have a deadline!