How to get a PhD: Part 1

Talk at this time of year always seems to turn to what you're going to do next. It's a bit late to be applying for a funded PhD place now but I thought you might like to know the kind of thing to expect if you choose to apply.

Interviews are all finished at MSSL now for the fully funded places. I don't know how it works for other subjects but this is how it worked for science when I applied. It's probably a bit different now but the same principles apply.

First of all you need a Masters (MSc or MSci) to do a PhD in the UK. This can be a bit tricky if your university only offers the Bachelors and you're a UK student, as you can't get a student loan for a stand alone Masters course (that's why most people choose to do an integrated Masters (MSci)). There's one caveat now that you can get on a DTC (Doctoral Training Centre) course, which is kind of a Masters tacked onto a PhD. It has the advantage that you effectively get paid to do the Masters, but they're aren't DTC's in every subject as they tend to be linked to a specific industry. Currently there is no DTC in space physics so this wasn't really an option for me. If you like simulating materials, condensed matter or plastic electronics this might be the best decision for you.

That's the complicated part over. Stay with me...

If you're on target for a 80% in your Master's degree you can expect to get snapped up quickly for a funded PhD with a research council, assuming you can get on with your potential supervisor. That means they will pay both your living costs to you (called a Stipend) and your fees directly to your university. Let me be completely clear here - this is not a loan, you will not have to pay it back! :)

If you're on target for 70% in your Masters you can expect to get an interview for your PhD and fight your corner a little but if you show enough promise you can expect to get a fully funded place. At 60% you'll find it a bit harder. 60% is the cutoff for a fully funded place and most universities won't give you a PhD if you might not make the grade. Less than 60% and you don't meet the  criteria to get a fully funded PhD place so unless you can afford to pay for the PhD yourself (or pay for another Masters (to get a higher grade)) you should probably look at something else. To be honest if you get less than 60% you will probably not enjoy completing a PhD. You have to be sure it's what you want to do - three years is a long time to do a PhD if it makes you miserable.

Once you've got the right qualifications you need to decide where to apply. If you have a specific topic in mind for your PhD you will need to find which university departments have published papers in this field recently. Bear in mind that there is no such thing as a 'general PhD'. If you can't choose one topic you will be happy to look at for the next three years then this probably isn't for you. Also, don't be swayed by the reputation of the university, it's the reputation of your potential supervisor that's important. The experience you have as a PhD student in my experience depends entirely on your supervisor but again there are a few things to consider. If you choose a senior member of the department you will probably find it very difficult to get close supervision but they'll have more contacts in your field, more experience and more credibility. On the other hand if your supervisor is new to the job they will probably have more time for you, but if they're still trying to prove themselves to their supervisors so the situation can get a little tricky for you.

To be continued…

Comic book strip from www.phdcomics.com