Is it possible to study abroad in a PhD program?

[bon to the jour]

I have been thinking a lot lately about studying in the UK or elsewhere in Europe --- I would kill for the opportunity, but do PhD programs even let you do that? What about stipends or tuition waivers? Does anyone have any info or experience with this? If it means anything, I'll be studying social/cognitive psychology.

Edited March 31, 2010 by bon to the jour

[pietjekanarie]

I have been thinking a lot lately about studying in the UK or elsewhere in Europe --- I would kill for the opportunity, but do PhD programs even let you do that? What about stipends or tuition waivers? Does anyone have any info or experience with this? If it means anything, I'll be studying social/cognitive psychology.

I don't have experience with this, but I do have a friend from the US who did do some research for his PhD here. I suppose you don't have to worry about tuition fees. You just pay your school and hold the funding package from your school. Your prof might have some friends here in Europe and they might let you do some research here and maybe someone from their department will go to the US for a while.

Also, at least here in the Netherlands, PhD students don't pay tuition fees and just get a salary of about €2000 a month (the same for everyone). If you'd come here, you won't pay tuition either. But as you are here for a few months and for the benefit of your own research, you also don't get a salary. You should pay your living costs with your stipend that you already hold.

[a fragrant plant]

I don't have experience with this, but I do have a friend from the US who did do some research for his PhD here. I suppose you don't have to worry about tuition fees. You just pay your school and hold the funding package from your school. Your prof might have some friends here in Europe and they might let you do some research here and maybe someone from their department will go to the US for a while.

Also, at least here in the Netherlands, PhD students don't pay tuition fees and just get a salary of about €2000 a month (the same for everyone). If you'd come here, you won't pay tuition either. But as you are here for a few months and for the benefit of your own research, you also don't get a salary. You should pay your living costs with your stipend that you already hold.

a salary of about €2000 a month - this sounds very generous. my TA salary in the UK is only £15.00 per hour.

[eucalyptus]

You can certainly do research abroad during your PhD, but you usually need a good reason like fieldwork, collaborating with a specific lab/professor, etc. The good news is that there's a decent amount of money available for this in the form of "international collaboration" or "research travel" grants. From what I hear, these are pots of money that often go unused, so seek them out and take advantage of them!

[eucalyptus]

You can certainly do research abroad during your PhD, but you usually need a good reason like fieldwork, collaborating with a specific lab/professor, etc. The good news is that there's a decent amount of money available for this in the form of "international collaboration" or "research travel" grants. From what I hear, these are pots of money that often go unused, so seek them out and take advantage of them!

Forgot to mention, I did this myself during my Masters (also in psych). I was going to school in the UK and spent 2 months in Texas doing research. It was covered by my PI's grant so I didn't have to get my own money for it, and I had my flights & living expenses covered by the grant.

[pietjekanarie]

a salary of about €2000 a month - this sounds very generous. my TA salary in the UK is only £15.00 per hour.

It is hard to compare completely different systems. From what I understood (and I'm still learning ) are you more of a student than an employee in your PhD if you do it in the US (I'm not really up to date about UK PhDs). You apply like a student and you have to pay tuition fees and all. You are hoping your school will offer you some kind of funding package. But from what I read on this forum, that is not a guarantee. Some people only get partial funding (I don't have a clue what they do? get an extra job or loans I suppose). It seems it also differs per student. Some will get more than others. My friend from the US got something like 15,000 USD a year + tuition waver. That is nothing if you have to live in a city like LA, NY, Chicago. I get the impression that the UK system is a bit of the same, but with even less funding options? I read all the time that students won't do a PhD in the UK, because there is no chance of getting funding?

Here it goes as follows: You apply (which is more a job application than a student application - you do need a research proposal of course), you get hired, sign a contract and you just get this salary. Every year it goes up a little bit. You start at €1900 and end at €2300 a month in your last year. This is the same for every grad student in your department. I have to say that €1900-2300 isn't too much when you are living in Amsterdam. It is not unreasonable, but costs of living in Amsterdam are way higher than in, let's say, Bloomington IN. Also, our PhDs are more research based. In the US, you do 2 years of coursework before you start your research. That is why it takes 5-6 years. We don't do coursework (it is possible to do some, but not so common), so a PhD takes 4 years. On the other hand, we did do coursework in our Masters because it is mandatory to hold a Masters before starting your PhD. A PhD after undergrad does not exist here. But I suppose it is like that in the UK as well.

I think every system has its advantages and disadvantages. Our government is a little more generous in general towards students than the US government is.

However, I think this is not applicable to the TO, since he/she is trying to do just a part of the PhD in another country.

Edited March 31, 2010 by pietjekanarie

[bon to the jour]

Thanks for all the info guys! I figure if I ever want to live outside the States for a while, grad school is the best time to do it. Plus my field is pretty small, and there are some very interesting people overseas. If you have studied abroad before or you are thinking about it, how did you research your schools? Of course there are websites, but each school makes itself sound awesome. Is it best to just ask around your department for school recommendations? Also, it's not really practical to make campus visits in a foreign country --- how do you decide which school is right for you?

[Venetia]

I did both my undergrad and my masters abroad (I'm technically American, but have always lived outside, so everything is abroad to me- but in the specific instance of my degrees they were in places I had never been before). For my undergrad I actually went to the place, sight unseen, based only on the fact that my university adviser at school said her Dad had gone there and it was nice. It was amazing, and completely perfect for me. For my masters, I visited for one weekend before I went, but made up my mind before that, and again it was a great experience. So going with my gut instinct really worked for me.

If you need more substantial proof of suitability before you go, I suppose the best way to gauge if a place is right for you is to really do your research. Look at the website religiously, email a prof you'd be interested in working with, post on places like this forum asking people for info. Also make sure to look at the area the school is in and the culture of the country- if you've not really been abroad for long before I've heard that the culture shock can get intense. Also be aware of the costs- Europe can get very expensive in some instances.

Basically, use that wonderful tool called the internet. It's amazing what a person can find out with a ten minute google search these days...anything fishy about your university and any quirks about its area have probably been mentioned somewhere, either in a forum or a blog post or even a news article.