[staratsx]

Hello,

I am a U.S student with potential interest in studying at the University of Nottingham. I was hoping I could hear from somebody who is receiving their Ph.D. by research (or masters) in a related field (i.e. chemistry, materials science, pharmacology, bio med engineering, ect...).

I would just like to hear a little bit about what the typical grad student experiences at this school (or any U.K. university)... i.e. what is expected of you. what is your teaching experience like? anything you would like to share. Degree requirements? (publications, coursework if any, cumulative exams if any...ect)

As I am from the U.S., I know how the programs are structured over here and from what I understand it is quite different over there.

Thanks

[gumball]

(Original post by staratsx)
I would just like to hear a little bit about what the typical grad student experiences at this school (or any U.K. university)... i.e. what is expected of you. what is your teaching experience like? anything you would like to share. Degree requirements? (publications, coursework if any, cumulative exams if any...ect)

Typically, PhD students aren't expected to teach classes, but can be asked to help demonstrate practical sessions (which are normally paid). These are normally voluntary (though your supervisor might... expect you to do it if he can't find people).

Requirements vary wildly. Typically PhD positions go to students with a 2:1 or first, and beyond that previous experience in labs, papers etc. make you a stronger candidate.

[Jake22]

(Original post by staratsx)
Hello,

I am a U.S student with potential interest in studying at the University of Nottingham. I was hoping I could hear from somebody who is receiving their Ph.D. by research (or masters) in a related field (i.e. chemistry, materials science, pharmacology, bio med engineering, ect...).

I would just like to hear a little bit about what the typical grad student experiences at this school (or any U.K. university)... i.e. what is expected of you. what is your teaching experience like? anything you would like to share. Degree requirements? (publications, coursework if any, cumulative exams if any...ect)

As I am from the U.S., I know how the programs are structured over here and from what I understand it is quite different over there.

Thanks

Grad school in the UK is very different from the US. In the UK, typically students specialise during their undergraduate degree much sooner than in the US. Whereas in the US, the first couple of years of grad school would consist mostly of doing taught courses and preparing for quals - in the UK, a PhD student is expected to start their research problem straight away and finish within roughly 3.5 years.

Grade requirements will vary depending on how your chosen university decides to assess the correspondence between US and UK degree scores and how competetive funding is. It could be upto 3.7+ minimum for a funded place.

[Cora Lindsay]

To add to what Jake says, if you are a non-UK national, you may not be eligible for many UK funding sources, particularly Research Council studentships. I'm not sure what the rules are this year, but you need to check very carefully.

Also, there is a bit of a difference between old-style PhDs and Doctoral Training Centres or Doctoral Training partnerships, which have come in over the last few years (longer in some bio- and biomed areas), where the programme is four years, with a fairly substantial taught element, so a it's a model rather closer to the US one.

[poohat]

(Original post by Jake22)
Grad school in the UK is very different from the US. In the UK, typically students specialise during their undergraduate degree much sooner than in the US. Whereas in the US, the first couple of years of grad school would consist mostly of doing taught courses and preparing for quals - in the UK, a PhD student is expected to start their research problem straight away and finish within roughly 3.5 years.

Its true that UK students specialise earlier but afaik the classes US students take during their initial PhD go much further than those in UK undergrad, and are broadly the standard of a UK MSc.

[Jake22]

(Original post by poohat)
Its true that UK students specialise earlier but afaik the classes US students take during their initial PhD go much further than those in UK undergrad, and are broadly the standard of a UK MSc.

This is definitely the case in my subject area.

It is also the case that the 3+1 type PhDs that Cora mentioned in her post (at least the ones in my subject area) generally are not comparable to the US system. The '+1' component is often just like the fourth year of an undergraduate Masters e.g. MSci/MMath.

[Mbob]

[QUOTE=staratsx;37153525]Hello,

I am a U.S student with potential interest in studying at the University of Nottingham. I was hoping I could hear from somebody who is receiving their Ph.D. by research (or masters) in a related field (i.e. chemistry, materials science, pharmacology, bio med engineering, ect...).

I would just like to hear a little bit about what the typical grad student experiences at this school (or any U.K. university)... i.e. what is expected of you. what is your teaching experience like? anything you would like to share. Degree requirements? (publications, coursework if any, cumulative exams if any...ect)

This can all vary from place to place, but in general:

In most hard sciences, people with 2:1 or above are able to get a funded PhD, as along as they are flexible about location and topic. I'm not sure what this equates to in US grades but I sure you can look that up. If you are self-funded, the entry requirements may be slightly lower.

Most people starting a PhD will not have published, the exceptions being people who did a Masters by Research, worked as a Research Assistant or people who got lucky during their undergraduate projects. During your PhD you are certainly expected to publish in a peer reviewed journal and to present at an international conference. Whether or not your publications need to be first author depends on the field quite a lot.

Some Universities require you to take a module or two of taught content, some require a bit more. Taking classes is not usually considered a huge part of a PhD, and you will normally only be required to obtain a pass mark.

The end-point is to submit a PhD Thesis, typically in the range of 100-200 pages in length. You submit an examination copy which is then examined typically by an internal and an external examiner. You then sit a Viva exam where you present your work (sometimes) and then are cross-examined on the content of your thesis. You can, roughly speaking, either Pass, Pass with Minor Corrections, Pass with Major Corrections or Fail. Outright failure is very rare, passing with minor corrections is the norm - it essentially means that you have to correct small mistakes and then your thesis will be accepted. Major Corrections means you need to redo some of your work, possibly taking several months and requiring a re-examination.

In terms of teaching, you are only likely to work as a lab demonstrator, a tutor for example classes/workshops or, a marker for assignments (not exams), or an exam invigilator. Occasionally Phd students may give the odd lecture if it is very strongly related to their research. This work is normally paid and voluntary, although if on a University scholarship it may be compulsory and/or unpaid. Rates are normally quite good at around £15 and hour, and are likely to be untaxed as any other scholarships/funding you have does not use up your personal tax allowance.

As I am from the U.S., I know how the programs are structured over here and from what I understand it is quite different over there.

Yes, its very different. You normally get your PhD in a shorter period of time (3-4 years), and there is usually very little taught content. You also tend to start work on your thesis project much sooner, rather than playing about with introductory projects. Bear in mind how this will be viewed versus a US PhD if you plan on returning to academia in the US (maybe speak to some academics in the US). The shorter length also means that is more difficult to get a good number of publications, but means you are likely to be better off financially.

[staratsx]

Wow thank you all very much, that was very concise.

In regards to funding (my only real concern at this point), my GPA is 3.5 upper-division but 3.0 overall (out of 4.0), so that may hurt me. However I should have my name on two papers by the time I apply for funding so that should help. I have already been accepted onto the project so at this point I am just trying to sort out the funding issue.