Doing a Ph.D. Abroad. Biagio Cosenza, Ph.D. Illustrations by Antonio Di Matteo

Transcription

1 Doing a Ph.D. Abroad Biagio Cosenza, Ph.D. Illustrations by Antonio Di Matteo

2 Disclaimer Ph.D. studentships work differently according to Scientific field Country University Research group Professor This presentation is just an personal view of what a Ph.D. Studentship is ISISLab, Universita degli Studi di Salerno (Italy), April 22nd, 2013

3 Summary Doing a Ph.D. Why What is a Ph.D. Doing a Ph.D. Abroad US, UK, Germany, Austria Staying abroad during the Ph.D. What to do next? ISISLab, Universita degli Studi di Salerno (Italy), April 22nd, 2013

4 Doing a Ph.D. Doctor of Philosophy Highest academic degree awarded by universities in most fields of study Equivalent titles Dottorato di Ricerca, Doktor, Doctorat, Tohtori, Some countries make distinctions between Ph.D. and Doctoral studies ISISLab, Universita degli Studi di Salerno (Italy), April 22nd, 2013

5 The Value of a Ph.D. XXX vignetta? Un idea: "Having a PhD in Italy vs Having a PhD abroad" /oppure "The value of a Ph.D." parte sulle diversita culturali e sul come e' vista al ricerca fuori vignetta divisa in due left (sfondo una citta tedesca): "So, you are doing a Ph.D, cool!" right (sfondo una citta Italiana): "What are you doing? What does exactly Ph.D. mean? So, are you becoming a doctor helping people?

6 Why to get a Ph.D.? An original contribution to knowledge Do something that most people couldn t do Do something that s never been done before Be called doctor when you finish You don t have to search for a real job for a while OK, this is not a good motivation ISISLab, Universita degli Studi di Salerno (Italy), April 22nd, 2013

7 Why DO NOT get a Ph.D.? Not wanting a Ph.D. Happens when we choose to do it as backup solution Get a job before finishing Underestimating what is required Overestimating what is required Relativity theory wasn t Einstein's thesis Having a supervisor which Has no idea about your research Loses contact with you Not having a thesis Estelle M. Phillips' and Derek S. Pugh's, How to get a Ph.D.

8 Unwritten Rules of Ph.D. Research Attending courses Prepare lecture/tutorships Presentations Conferences Reports Annual/monthly/weekly reports and do research ISISLab, Universita degli Studi di Salerno (Italy), April 22nd, 2013

9 Understanding the Academic System Roles Research assistant, Postdoc, Lecturer, Professor Publications Books, Journals, Referred papers, Reports Impact factor Paperwork Funding ISISLab, Universita degli Studi di Salerno (Italy), April 22nd, 2013

10 Important Tips Time Management Do not procrastinate Read Write Do review, get reviewed Present/expose your work To a critic public Work WITH your supervisor Do not hide yourself Do not ignore his advices, bypass his decisions, Networking ISISLab, Universita degli Studi di Salerno (Italy), April 22nd, 2013

11 Doing a Ph.D. in the United States Admission Requirements: Master of Science/Master of Arts Bachelor, for Master en route programs Apply to open positions, usually via online form GRE and TOEFL score Each University has its minimal score Interview Sometime also Skype interview Students usually apply to 2-6 institutions

12 Doing a Ph.D. in the United States VISA Ph.D. Candidacy and final Ph.D. thesis Duration: usually from 3 to 5 years 10 years limitation in some Universities

13 Doing a Ph.D. in the UK Few differences with US Funding In UK mostly P.I. oriented Time to completion In UK, most PhD positions are offered as studentships that are funded from a time limited, specific grant and for a well defined project Courses In UK a PhD doesn t typically involve coursework or exams, but solely researching and submitting a PhD thesis. ISISLab, Universita degli Studi di Salerno (Italy), April 22nd, 2013

14 Doing a Ph.D. in Germany/Austria Strong difference with American University system Required: Master s degree, Diploma, Magister, Staatsexamen For some studies on which thesis should be written in German: TestDAF or DSH Tenured professor and Privatdozent are aloud to make call for Ph.D. students They are called Doktorvater/DoktorMutter Open a positions may be Very specific, if funded by projects E.g. FWF Einzelprojekt (Austria), DFG Sachbeihilfe (Germany) Topics is well defined from the beginning More generic, if funded differently

15 Doing a Ph.D. in Germany/Austria Individual Ph.D. vs structured Ph.D. (Germany) Only structured in Austria Contract may include teaching Duration: 3 to 5 years (by law no more than 6) In Computer Science, for big research group usually 5 years Some groups have specific policies E.g. 4 top conference papers, or cumulative Impact factor > 5.0 Final dissertation ISISLab, Universita degli Studi di Salerno (Italy), April 22nd, 2013

16 Going abroad during the Ph.D.

17 Going abroad during the Ph.D. Co-PhD Co-PhD program that allows students to earn a PhD degree jointly with two different departments/universities Visiting program Country specific In Germany DAAD Scholarship, BMBF Mobility Funding, In Austria see OeAD database Field specific E.g. for High Performance Computing HPC-Europa, DEISA-Prace, HiPEAC Network, May be your Supervisor doesn t like the idea ISISLab, Universita degli Studi di Salerno (Italy), April 22nd, 2013

18 What to do next?

19 What to do next? ISISLab, Universita degli Studi di Salerno (Italy), April 22nd, 2013

20 What to do next? ISISLab, Universita degli Studi di Salerno (Italy), April 22nd, 2013

21 What to do next? 1st degree 4 yrs Exp (No Masters) Masters PhD Aerospace/Defense $48,076 $62,500 $70,000 $87,500 Consulting/Prof. Services $59,535 $72,129 $65,121 $77,415 Energy $42,032 $64,351 $65,074 $70,761 Financial Services/Banking $56,837 $66,231 $62,937 $73,002 FMCG $39,767 $66,528 $45,286 $52,710 Manufact./Automotive $35,417 $64,447 $60,716 $70,466 Media/Entertainment $43,250 $53,637 $46,927 $63,745 Pharma./Healthcare $41,942 $68,182 $71,287 $72,346 Public Sector/Nonprofit $37,569 $66,478 $60,478 $73,188 Retail $39,767 $56,326 $53,541 $72,388 Telecoms/High Tech. $48,647 $57,500 $72,500 $75,000 Transportation $37,592 $50,805 $50,967 $53,933 QS International Recruiter Survey 2007

22 Doing a Ph.D. Abroad

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26 Useful links The Guardian, Higher Education National Postdoc Association Time management nagementtalk.ppt Biagio Cosenza s home page Antonio di Matteo s blog

27 Thanks! Questions?