Finding a PhD outside the UK

Finding a PhD outside the UK

advice  · 

This post outlines how PhD study works in countries other than the UK.

Although there is a lot of information out there about PhDs in general, it is often written with the aim of being relevant to any subject (physics, medieval literature, sociology…). This often results in a misleading picture of what a physics PhD looks like, so in this post I have tried to paint a more specific picture.

It follows on from previous posts that talk about what PhD study looks like in a science subject in the UK, and how funding works, and how to go about finding the right project for you, and the application process.

PhD study outside the UK

The structure and duration of PhD study varies greatly between countries, though it is often longer than in the UK. All the advice so far has been aimed at science PhDs in the UK. I am less familiar with the arrangements in other countries, but here are some notes to guide you.

Bear in mind that unless you have residency rights in the country where you are applying for PhD study, you will probably need to apply for a student visa. You should carefully check the requirements when you apply.

If you are keen to study in another country, I recommend you seek out advice that is specific both to physics and to the country you are targeting - but this section flags up some of the differences to look out for. You can find some additional country-specific information about PhDs here and here, although bear in mind that these are not specifically written for physics, so don’t assume everything here is applicable to you. The reality in physics may be quite different to the generalisations here. Ask around and do subject-specific investigations too.

Continental Europe

The duration of a PhD programme varies between countries and institutions, but is often 3-5 years. In many European contries, students may study a 2-year research Masters course prior to PhD study. This is particularly important to understand if you are graduating from a UK university with a BSc undergraduate degree. Even if you are graduating with an integrated MSci from your undergraduate studies, you may still want to investigate how that places you in comparison with other applicants, depending on what country and institution you are targeting. Some European funding bodies may require a standalone MSc research degree before you can undertake a PhD that is funded by them.

Funding varies between countries, but PhD students in the sciences can expect some form of stipend or even a salary with employee benefits (see for example this rather complex breakdown of salary and benefits at one Belgian institution). The stipend or salary level varies strongly from country to country and the source of funding. Universities might offer their own PhD studentships, often with the expectation that those students help with undergraduate teaching. Researchers with European Research Council (ERC) grants often have generous (and highly competitive) funded PhD positions available.

In the UK almost all PhDs are hosted by universities. Across Europe they may also be hosted by independent research centres (e.g. Max Planck institutes, ICFO Barcelona, IMEC Belgium). While the research is predominantly conducted at these centres, the PhD degree will be formally awarded by an affiliated university.

Assessment

In many countries the final assessment of a PhD is a bit different from in the UK. Your PhD thesis will be read and assessed by a larger panel of 3-6 examiners (2 is usual in the UK). This written assessment (sometimes combined with an oral examination behind closed doors like the viva in the UK) is the most important hurdle to clear, which will determine if you are allowed to proceed (with or without corrections) to the oral thesis defense. This final stage is public, and more ceremonial in purpose. It has been described by some as like a wedding ceremony (formal and potentially stressful, but ultimately a celebration of your success)

In some places, a PhD thesis consists of mainly an (annotated) assemblage of material that you have already published publicly in scientific journals (whereas in the UK the thesis will be about that same research you have conducted, but is usually a separate document written specially for the purpose)

Language

Many universities are quite international; teaching and research activities are often conducted in English, and you can probably get started without speaking the local language in many European countries. Typically, the only academic requirement is to translate your thesis abstract (one-page summary) into the local language. Usually a colleague would be willing to give you a hand with that. However, in practice if you learn the local language you will have a lot more fun, and be more engaged with the community, culture and people of the city you are making your home for four years. Often free or low-cost language courses are available.

Travel and visas

Following Brexit, the legal position has changed for UK-resident people applying for PhD study in Europe. You may be required to pay higher fees, and may require a visa and healthcare insurance. Transitional arrangements may still be in place, and evolving, and it is important to research the latest information prior to accepting a studentship.

USA

PhD programmes in the US are significantly longer - often taking 5-7 years to complete. They often include 1-2 years of structured, taught content, at the end of which you must pass exams to be able to progress on to the main part of your PhD research.

There are different types of funding for PhDs. The funding may be described as a teaching assistant role, in which case you will receive a stipend to support your living costs in return for undertaking to contribute a specified number of hours of undergraduate teaching activities each month. Alternatively, a research assistant role does not come with any requirement for you to carry out teaching duties alongside your PhD research. Since international student visas may well not permit you to work off-campus, you will need to ensure that your stipend will be sufficient to cover your living expenses.

The longer duration of US PhDs has upsides and downsides:

An upside is that you can expect to finish with more experience and journal publications, placing you at an advantage compared to your peers who have followed a shorter programme. This is of particular note if you intend to continue on an academic career path, where some prestigious opportunities are only available to applicants with <=X years experience post-PhD.

A downside is that it is not uncommon for funding to be secured in advance by your supervisor for only the first few years of your PhD study. It will be important that you clarify what the financial arrangements are for the project on offer, what the expectation is for funding the later years, what the contingencies are, etc.

In the USA, a viva exam is referred to as a thesis defense and a supervisor is a thesis adviser.

Here you can find copious advice from an Engineering professor about applying to US PhD programmes (click on the “undergraduate” part). Remember that her advice is targeted at people applying for PhDs in the USA, and is not all transferrable to other countries (due to the differences in PhD programme structure and culture).