US PhD vs. UK PhD

At the top research universities in the US, you should expect to be fully funded and provided a stipend in exchange for some teaching duties. My friend was doing a PhD in History at Stanford and received $20,000 per year, in addition to paying no tuition fees. That's pretty standard. And it's not given based on nationality, so an international student has the same funding as an American one. The thing is, they tend to have fewer PhD students as a result of this, and many universities only accept the number that they can fully fund. There is no research council to apply to either, as the funding comes directly from the university.

The 5 vs 3 year thing isn't completely accurate either. If you have a relevant MSc/MA when you are accepted to a US PhD program, you will be exempt from the taught portion of the degree. In the US, most people go to a PhD straight from a bachelors, so that is why the length of time is longer, as you graduate with an MA/PhD at the end.

Hello to all,

From the bit of skim reading I've done, I've found out the following two facts:

a) The US PhD is 5 years, whereas the UK PhD is 3 years.
b) The US PhD has more of an emphasis on taught modules, culminating in research, whereas the UK PhD is purely research based.

Not a fantastic amount, to be honest. However, can anybody add any information or direct me to any good websites? I'd really love to go to the US; some of the best institutions are located there. However, I am not sure at the level of financial support that is given to international students there, nor of the teaching style at US universities.

Any information would be much appreciated, and perhaps your reasons for choosing one over another, whichever they may be (serious ones)

Thanks in advance.

There is no set date in the US (another difference from the UK). The amount of time to get a Ph.D. differs from program to program and college to college. For example, a Ph.D. in Physics or Math can often take 3 years, while a Ph.D. in History often takes 10 years. I believe the median is somewhere around 5.5 years, but if you have the desire, you could pretty much finish any Ph.D. within four years.

To get a Ph.D. in the US, you usually have to take about 2 years of classes, then take comprehensive exams, and then start your research (in the UK, I believe you only take a few research methodology classes and start your research immediately afterwards).

Most elite and most state (i.e. government-funded) colleges offer stipends to all of their Ph.D. students. Whether you're a domestic or international student doesn't really matter. But be warned that many good private colleges (but not the best ones) tend to fund only a portion of their doctorate students. In the UK, very few students (whether domestic or international) get funding, though the cost of the degree to EU citizens is fairly low (usually $1,000-2,000 a year plus room and board).

Assuming you can get in the right colleges, getting a Ph.D. in the US will cost you less than a Ph.D. in Britain. Don't forget you need a GRE for most of them by the way.

Thank you very much. Can the GRE, in some circumstances, become an overriding factor in a college's decision?