A Ph. D. or Doctor of Philosophy has its roots in ninth-century Muslim schools before spreading to European universities. The term originates from Latin as philosophiae doctor, with the first degree awarded in Paris in 1150 to an unknown recipient. Germany developed the doctorate as a terminal teacher’s credential, with Erhard Weigel recognized as the initial holder. Weigel studied at the University of Leipzig and taught at Jena University in Germany as a mathematics professor. He was also an astronomer and philosopher who has a moon crater named after him.
A Ph.D. in most disciplines is a research degree that typically takes three to four years full-time and five to six years of part-time study and research. Generally, the steps to this terminal award are:
- In conjunction with advisors, tutors, and research supporters, you decide on and discuss your proposed project. Your idea may change through further analysis and feedback from scholars.
- A literature review – review of currently published material on your research topic. Upon reviewing publications, articles, and experimental data, you’ll analyze and evaluate the existing literature. After this process, you write a review that could be as many as 10,000 words for STEM subjects.
- The literature review, along with independent research work, is the basis for your dissertation. The paper should address a specific assertion, which you tackle with evidence, documentation, and various research sources to support your proposed theory or hypothesis. Ultimately, you want your thesis to be published in an appropriate scientific journal covering your research area. Articles are usually 10-20 pages; depending on the journal, some can be up to 50 pages.
The conventional route to a Ph.D. in physics is to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees before leaping into a doctorate program. If the institution allows students to bypass the master’s degree, it will save time and money. However, students will face admission competition from candidates with an M.S. in Physics with an impressive transcript. Another advantage of the intermediate degree is that it provides research experience, which is imperative for a doctorate.
Programs that allow students to skip a master’s degree are rare. You have more success finding schools with abbreviated graduate programs that lead to a doctorate. In Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Lehigh University has an M.S. in Physics you can complete in three semesters and one summer session.
The above program’s variation is an accelerated Master of Science in Applied and Engineering Physics at George Mason University’s Department of Physics and Astronomy in Fairfax, Virginia. Undergraduates committed to research might be eligible to complete 139 credits, including the undergrad and graduate courses. Upon finishing, you may apply to a Ph.D. program.
Top five states with the highest employment for physicists with a doctorate: (US Bureau of Labor Statistics)
The College of Science at Northeastern University in Boston (main campus) has a Ph.D. Physics Accelerated Program that allows students to replace undergraduate credits with graduate classes. This format reduces the time to earn a master’s degree for highly qualified students who must commit to the Physics Ph.D. in the last year of their Bachelor of Science program.
The average master’s degree takes two years, and a doctorate typically takes three to four, then a shortened Ph.D. after an M.S. would be less study time than omitting the master’s program. For example, according to its site, the University of Arizona in Tucson has a doctorate in physics you can complete in one year. It is hard to believe that’s possible when the expected time to complete the Physics Ph.D. at the University of California-Berkeley is six years. Berkeley has a mandatory dissertation that candidates submit to the Degrees Staff for review.
Many accelerated programs for a doctorate are in nursing; for example, the online Doctor of Nursing Practice at Regis University has a two-year option. Regardless of the discipline, possibilities for even a one-year Ph.D. program are scarce, and most require a master’s degree and additional documents – transcripts, reference letters, personal statements, and more.
Students looking to reduce the timeframe to receive a doctoral degree should concentrate on accelerated programs. Finding those that permit the omission of a Master of Science in Physics or a closely related field is exceptionally unusual in the United States.
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