Phd Abroad: Good or bad?

[natsteel]

Does it also depend on whether you already have a Master's degree in this field or not? Or is it all the same no matter if you already hold an advanced degree in this field or not?

(I'm sorry if I'm asking dumb questions, but I don't know that much about the system in the US)

In the Humanities, it takes three years to complete your coursework and exams. It is only then that you begin fully researching and writing your dissertation, which, on average, takes students 3-4 years. Also, a fair number of programs still require candidates holding an M.A. to complete most or all of the coursework. That's why funding packages at bigger schools are for 4-5 years with a possible fellowship for an additional year.

On teaching in Europe, aren't EU and national laws about non-national workers quite strict?

Edited February 11, 2011 by natsteel

[rsldonk]

Look at the schools, LSE, Oxford, and Cambridge are very well known and viewed as at least equal to the Ivy League, even here in the United States. You can find a job on this side of the pond with those credentials, but you have a lot harder time if you go to say the University of Leeds (which is a fine institution by the way).

[Ennue]

My mom last night was talking and it turned out she thought my PhD was only going to be 2 years! 2 years!!!! Not a Masters, a PhD!! I had to correct her and at first she did not believe me...like why would I lie. Anyways, I think they are longer in the US because of more coursework in the beginning. There is also the qualifying exam you need to pass too after the 2nd year....

Haha, the same thing happened to me, my parents thought it was going to be 2 or 3 years. And I'm moving to the other side of the world for this, so they were kind of disappointed that I would be gone longer than that! Ah well, they're still happy for me

Anyway, I'm coming from Europe and going to the US for my PhD. Partly because I want more international experience, and partly because my research interests aren't very well represented in my home country. The main advantage of doing a PhD in the Netherlands is that you actually get paid and don't pay tuition. I know there are many international PhD students so that shouldn't be a problem taxes-wise. But the UK, for example, is a different story: you don't get paid and it's very difficult to get a scholarship as a foreign student. I'm amazed that many US universities don't want someone who went abroad for their PhD - in the Netherlands, international experience is generally valued highly, independently of the quality of the institution you went to!

[a fragrant plant]

Haha, the same thing happened to me, my parents thought it was going to be 2 or 3 years. And I'm moving to the other side of the world for this, so they were kind of disappointed that I would be gone longer than that! Ah well, they're still happy for me

Anyway, I'm coming from Europe and going to the US for my PhD. Partly because I want more international experience, and partly because my research interests aren't very well represented in my home country. The main advantage of doing a PhD in the Netherlands is that you actually get paid and don't pay tuition. I know there are many international PhD students so that shouldn't be a problem taxes-wise. But the UK, for example, is a different story: you don't get paid and it's very difficult to get a scholarship as a foreign student. I'm amazed that many US universities don't want someone who went abroad for their PhD - in the Netherlands, international experience is generally valued highly, independently of the quality of the institution you went to!

Hi Ennue, I am interested in learning more about the academic market in your country. Are universities in Netherlands happy to hire PhDs from the UK/USA? Do you have to be fluent in Dutch to be employed in Netherlands universities? How is an Oxford/Cambridge PhD regarded in Netherlands?

[Ennue]

Hi Peanut,

I hope I can help! In my experience, it is not unusual for universities here to hire PhDs from the UK/USA. My thesis advisor went to Cambridge, for example. However, they are usually Dutch citizens who went abroad for their PhD. In the social sciences both Cambridge and Oxford are regarded as prestigious and of high quality, so going there would be a bonus. I did not have any professors who did not speak Dutch fluently, but I know that in other fields (the sciences, I am certain about physics) faculty can be foreign. It really depends on your field! If you want more information, just send me a message and I'll see what I can find out about your field