A Link Explaining the Ph.D. Degree

Check out this link. I agree with some points and not with others. You may find the article interesting.

Ph.D. Degree

 

Thanks!
Very informative.

 

Thanks, BlackBird!

Roscoe

 

This article was a good source of information but since Purdue University is in the United States it only explains how the process works for schools in the USA. Schools in the UK/ZA/AU most doctoral dissertations are thesis and research only and do not require a battery of tests or formal coursework, there are a few exceptions to this rule (my field is theology and philosophy so someone more versed in the hard sciences might be able to shed additional light). In Germany, there is a dissertation and an oral exam that covers the field in which you are studying (called Rigorosum). However, an additional dissertation called the Habilitation which is of higher quality than your doctorate which permits one to teach at a university in Germany (Switzerland and Austria).

This article also speaks to the something that is often overlooked and that is motivation for studying for a doctorate in any subject. If you are just wanting a title and a piece of paper to hang on your wall then when the going gets tough in the process one might falter. But if your goal is to learn to do research then the Ph.D is the route to go.

 

What points do you disagree with?

 

I assume Dr. BlackBird disagreed with "only one percent of the population" has Ph.D or Doctorate degree.