some questions regarding a phD in the chemical sciences

Generally you need a 2.1 at undergrad level to apply for PhDs but having a masters won't hurt.

a) Would it be wise to apply for a masters course, (UK or elsewhere) before I make an application to a phD program? I'd love to hear phD students in chemistry and allied fields weigh in on this..
or, in other words: what is the relative proportion of people applying with or without masters degrees, or rather what is the relative proportion of successful applicants with or without masters degrees.

b) Typically, for undergrads who apply without a masters..is expected of them to have some significant experience doing research. (At my university, I'll be working on a project in my final year for my graduation thesis; besides that since I am keen on getting my toes wet I've been trying to look for some other research related opportunities that I might pursue in my second/third year at uni).

c) I am studying at Nagoya as part of the G30 international programs, a relatively new initiative undertaken by the japanese govt. It saw its first graduating class last fall. Does coming from a fresh program, from an otherwise well reputed university disadvantage me in anyway.

Hi! Thanks for your input. I am aware that you need a 2.1 at undergrad to apply for a phD, and I was wondering how would GPAs on 4.3 scale be converted to that system? I do find it a little bit confusing. (should've put it down with my original list of questions)Any thoughts on that? Is there a universal set of rules, or do different institutes do it differently? (I've been led to believe that it is the latter..)

Hi! Thanks for your input. I am aware that you need a 2.1 at undergrad to apply for a phD, and I was wondering how would GPAs on 4.3 scale be converted to that system? I do find it a little bit confusing. (should've put it down with my original list of questions)Any thoughts on that? Is there a universal set of rules, or do different institutes do it differently? (I've been led to believe that it is the latter..)

And yeah, thinking about applying to both masters and phD programs. Will be working on getting some research experience, not just for my resume's sake..i am really keen on getting my toes wet and see if I am cut out for it..

That's a relief. About getting in touch with supervisors..say 6 months before i apply ought to do it? or maybe 8-12? Don't want to leave it till the very last minute, but would contacting them too early might look bad? (idk..they might feel I am wasting their time, or something along those lines.

Don't try and convert your GPA. Contact the uni and see what they have to say. Different unis will view your qualifications differently. 6-8 months in advance is good for contacting supervisors. They are busy people and it shows that you're keen. That also gives them enough time to think about funding if they're really interested or have something in the pipeline.

Just a heads up - you may end up in a discussion with admissions people regarding your degree if Honours isn't automatically added onto it after the completion of a research project.

What kind of a discussion would that be? I don't think "Honours" is added to my degree after completing a research project, or at all for that matter.

Some background information. I graduated from a North American university, where cum laude was not awarded to degrees, and Honours are only added onto a degree if an undergraduate thesis was defended.

When I applied for a Master's program, both the course coordinator and I knew that I had the grades to get in. The course coordinator is also an academic and knows how the degree system worked in North America. However, since I did not have Honours attached to my degree, the admissions people raised a stink, arguing that since I didn't have Honours I didn't qualify. It took some discussion to change their minds.

Hi getafix, first many congrats for getting onto the Nagoya Global 30 program, that does sound interesting.

for the MSc/Phd options: in mainland EU it's thought (in general) that an initial bachelors degree is nice, but to actually get a job in engineering/finance etc you really need the continuation of studies to MSc level.
For the doctoral path , this is to consider should you wish (instead of working) to continue on in academia, perhaps eventually to teach or teach and research, or just for people to call you 'doctor'

I've got many friends with both doctorates & masters , the doctorates can sometimes make you *hate* the subject of your thesis never to return! as they are so narrowly focussed & so deep e.g. a physicist with a doctorate in optics might instead work in applied electromagnetism or particles.
The masters is usually entirely aligned with your preferred directions in your career. Sometimes the institution offering the course give a choice in what you actually will do, or sometimes everything is pre-defined.

I've also looked into eventual MSc at EPFL & ETH in Switzerland, plus many German universities teach at masters entirely in English, there's a great & worldwide choice.

For Nagoya, was the application process straightforward - did the Skype interview - or the real interview in Japan pose any exciting or challenging hard questions? I'm considering the Japanese Global 30 program perhaps next year!

Well it does depend on your subject, a professor that I was talking to said she considered that a doctorate should only be started/finished a whole decade after a masters!. (This was specifically in the field of Psychology however, and the prof at Warwick Uni said that maturity was needed and expected for the doctorate, I think that decade doing real things might be more important than an MSc?)

For Chem & Bio Engineering, you could try to reverse engineer some of the 'prestigious posts' - for example http://www.embl.de/training/eipp/index.html and start a chat with a few people who could suggest what they think about their most interesting encountered paths to research. [European Molecular Biology Laboratory "Training" in case links don't work] - they offer their own doctorate, which is rare, but after a quick look I couldn't find the criteria for application other than "competitive"

buona fortuna

Well, fair enough that seems reasonable. haha



that's a mighty fine suggestion my little plumber friend. haha Thanks, I will look into it. And hit me up if you need anything..hope to see you in Nagoya sometime then? What department are you applying to?