I wonder why the time it takes to obtain a PhD is so long in the US? 6 to 8 years in average. If the coursework and comps can be completed in 2 years. Why so long to finish and defend the dissertation? Why in the UK it is possible to finish in 3 years? Thanks, Luis
It can take 3 years in the U.S., too. The doctorate is highly variable, not only in design, but also in terms of how long each student takes to finish. Blame the dissertation for that. I'm not sure about your comparison to the U.K., though. Do you have evidence that Ph.D. students in the U.K. take less time than do those in the U.S.?
Research from the National Science Foundation and others has made it clear that there is a large variation in the time that it takes to receive a doctoral degree. One of the major variables appears to be the discipline in which the degree is earned. Doctorates in the physical sciences (including math & computer sciences) and engineering tend to be earned sooner than doctorates in the disciplines of humanities, education and professional fields. This is likely due to the fact that those pursuing the latter degrees are more likely to be employed full-time, while doing their doctoral studies part-time. In the U.K. a "non-taught" research-based doctorates could possibly be completed in 3 years, if the person was ready to begin work on the dissertation immediately. Even in the case of such dissertation-only doctorates, it would be unusual to be able to finish completely in such a short time. Tony Piña, Ed.D. Administrator, Northeastern Illinois University
It is possible, if very unusual, in the UK to finish a doctorate in two calendar years (24 months) of very intensive full-time study. 3-4 years is normal for full-time students, and 5-8 years for part-time students. There are so many variable factors - how much free time a student has, how much (s)he has read / thought / written on the particular area before etc. Regards, P
