How long does it take to get a PhD from UChicago?

[2010Applicant]

Hi, I like the polisci program at Chicago very much and there are professors there who match my interests.

But when I look at the cv of some of their phd students on the job market, it seems that they take like 7-10 years to complete the program.

That's way too long for me. I understand that most people in most programs take 5-6 years. But then again, the sample of cv I look at is kind of small.

Can anyone familiar with UChicago offer me some additional information? Thanks.

[gradcafe26]

That sounds like the average, according to the NRC statistics. http://graduate-school.phds.org/rankings/political-science

[Zahar Berkut]

Also bear in mind that they presumably remove names from their Job Market page once people secure a position. You're kind of in a double bind if it takes longer than 7 years to secure the PhD (and I think that's pushing it already, whether it's typical or not). I strongly suspect there's a bias in some departments against people who take whatever is considered an inordinate amount of time to finish (as an office assistant, I once filed an application checklist that noted "took over 10 years to finish" among a short list of only negative comments), so those who took a long time to get their PhD's are also staying on that Job Market page for a longer time.

In principle, there's no reason why you couldn't finish in 5 years at U Chicago, which still has a top department. That not everybody does just puts the burden on your own self-motivation.

[2010Applicant]

Thanks Zahar. I think your argument makes sense. But then I also notice that the dept webpage says every year they take in 15-20 students. Then I go to the Graduate Student page and find that there are about 155 names there. Unless the dept has decided to shrink in recent years, it really seems they're taking forever to get the PhD.

[hupr]

Folks at Chicago have a reputation for taking a long time to finish. I'd talk to the secretary or DGS to get a better feeling as to why that is and whether it's avoidable.

[catchermiscount]

Bear in mind also that you should be controlling for the philosophy folks, who often take longer to finish since (1) you might have to learn a dead language or two, and (2) the philosophy market is even less awesome than the chronically-unawesome poli sci market in general.