4 year PhD programs

[Jimmy McNulty]

Does anyone know of any education PhD programs in the US that are around 4 years in duration?

The UK looks more attractive to me at the minute, as I could do a PhD in 3-4 years.

I know that many US programs can last 6 years, sometimes even more.

So I'm looking for education programs that are possible to complete in approx. 4 years.

Thanks

[hitomimay]

Hopefully I can shed light on this subject.

USC (University of Southern California) has a PhD in Urban Education Policy, and guarantees graduation in 4 years by May of your 4th year.

They cover tuition plus a 25-30k stipend each year. They also provide 6k summer funding should you work then.

I have more info should you be interested.

[michigan girl]

I know this doesn't answer your question directly, but if you already have a Master of Education or related degree, that could cut your degree time to 3-4 years at the doctoral level.

[Jimmy McNulty]

Hopefully I can shed light on this subject.

USC (University of Southern California) has a PhD in Urban Education Policy, and guarantees graduation in 4 years by May of your 4th year.

They cover tuition plus a 25-30k stipend each year. They also provide 6k summer funding should you work then.

I have more info should you be interested.

Thank you!

I will take a look at their website now; hopefully there are some faculty members that research in my area of interest.

I see, from your sig, that you got accepted into USC. Congratulations!

I know this doesn't answer your question directly, but if you already have a Master of Education or related degree, that could cut your degree time to 3-4 years at the doctoral level.

Thanks, that definitely helps.

I would be entering a PhD program with a Master's degree in education from a UK university. Is it possible that non-US master's degrees would be treated similarly?

If that is the case, then it would open up a lot more options for me.

I really do not want to do a Master's here in Europe, and then have to spend 6 years doing a PhD.

[coaksole]

Does anyone know of any education PhD programs in the US that are around 4 years in duration?

The UK looks more attractive to me at the minute, as I could do a PhD in 3-4 years.

I know that many US programs can last 6 years, sometimes even more.

So I'm looking for education programs that are possible to complete in approx. 4 years.

Thanks

If you are really good, you'll get an American PhD in 4 years even if you just have a bachelor's.

[Jimmy McNulty]

If you are really good, you'll get an American PhD in 4 years even if you just have a bachelor's.

Won't that be likely to cause funding issues? If I focus solely on research at the expense of being a TA...

[ZeChocMoose]

Do you hope to go the faculty route?

One of the negatives I can see with a shorter program is that you'll have less time for articles to be published before you go out on the market. It typically takes about a year to get an article published from initial submission-- some can be shorter or longer depending on the journal and their backlog.

I do have to say that having a master's degree might not cut down the time to degree. It depends on how the school looks at those credits and whether they will "count" in reducing the total credits that you need for the PhD. It is definitely something to bring up if program length is your ultimate concern.

The only other programs I can think of are executive EdD programs that can be as short as 2-3 years depending on the school. They are typically aimed at senior level administrators though.

I am not sure why length is your major focus. Are you concerned your funding will run out?

[coaksole]

Won't that be likely to cause funding issues? If I focus solely on research at the expense of being a TA...

Work as TA and do research on your weekends/late nights.

And don't forget about your classes too.

Don't you want to graduate ASAP? Of course some sacrifice (sleep time/social life/vacation) is required.

If you can transfer some credits, it'll help.

Edited March 28, 2012 by coaksole

[lilgreycells]

I'll echo ZeChocMoose and say that it depends on the institution and how they will count the credit from your Master's degree. There are institutions that you can graduate from in 4 years if the credits line up well (for instance Vanderbilt or Penn). Unfortunately, this appears to be another one of those every institution is slightly different answers. Hope it helped a bit though and good luck with your planning!

[Jimmy McNulty]

Do you hope to go the faculty route?

I am not sure why length is your major focus. Are you concerned your funding will run out?

Partly because of funding. But even then, it's still a secondary concern. There's some personal stuff that makes length an important factor.

I would like to go the faculty route, but I'm also open to other areas of work (policy roles, research outside of university settings, etc).

The long term plan is definitely to work back in Europe; I don't see myself making a permanent move to the US.

Thanks for your reply, it has been very helpful.

I'll echo ZeChocMoose and say that it depends on the institution and how they will count the credit from your Master's degree. There are institutions that you can graduate from in 4 years if the credits line up well (for instance Vanderbilt or Penn). Unfortunately, this appears to be another one of those every institution is slightly different answers. Hope it helped a bit though and good luck with your planning!

Thanks to you too lilgreycells! I should have guessed that there is no clear answer!

Btw, does anyone else know of an institution specifically offering a '4 year' program, like USC does?

[michigan girl]

^ I know UPenn guarantees 4-years of funding for their doctoral students. Most American PhD programs are completed in 4-7 years.