Earth Science PhD Unfunded. Should I do it?

[Anxs1]

hi,

 

I have read countless articles on why not to do an Unfunded PhD but most were pertaining to humanities. I was accepted for an Earth Science PhD, however, since I would be an international student it would have to be self funded. I am wondering, is it worth self-funding an Earth Science PhD? Are there enough job prospects out there for it that would justify taking out a loan to pay for my PhD? I would have to take out a loan as I do not have the financial resources to pay for it on my own.

 

thank you for any advice.

[TakeruK]

What kind of earth science are you talking about? And what program / school is this at? I've heard of unfunded Masters in earth sciences being a good idea in some cases because of the job opportunities but a PhD is much longer and more expensive degree without that much more job opportunities that would make the cost worth it.

I think the answer could be yes, but most likely "no". However, these are some things to think about (if you don't want to get too personal on the Internet, no need to actually answer them here, just think about them )

1. What subfield would you be studying? What career path are you envisioning beyond grad school? How much will the job pay? How long would it take to pay off your student loans? I think it might be worth it if you are considering careers in industry and very unlikely to be worth it for a career in academia.

2. What school are you considering? Is it a reputable school? Is the program a strong program that will provide the training you need? How many of its alumni find jobs in the career path you desire?

3. Watch out for for-profit universities that will just take your money and provide little or no useful education!! When I read your post, this was the first flag that went up in my mind, because while unfunded Masters are a thing, unfunded PhDs sound a little fishy. I don't know about any good earth science programs that do not fund their PhD students.

4. Are you looking for work in your home country or in the United States? If you're thinking of the US, keep in mind that there are limitations on companies hiring foreign workers so that adds additional risk!

[rising_star]

NOOOO!!! Don't do it! Even as an international student, you should be able to get funding for an earth science PhD. So, no, you shouldn't do an unfunded PhD.

[TakeruK]

I was avoiding directly saying it in the first post, but not really sure why I did it (but see below). Basically, I think one case where perhaps an unfunded PhD in the earth sciences might be a good idea is if you are planning to work in the oil or fossil fuels industry and you're entering a program that has a strong history of placing its alumni directly into these companies where you would be able to pay off all of your loans in just a few years. Companies like ExxonMobil regularly recruit from my department and also offer summer internships. It's a little strange because a lot of people enter Earth Sciences because of our love for nature and desire to conserve and protect it, but at the same time, a lot of the money that is spent in our fields come from oil companies. And a lot of surveying data taken by these companies to look for oil are repurposed by our geophysicists to study seismic activity. So, although oil is a very viable career path for some Earth science PhDs, it's a little awkward to talk about given that these same companies do a lot of damage to the environment as well (and because a major part of our department's research is to advocate for awareness of global warming and how to better take care of our planet!)

However, even if this were the case, you can get a lot of these jobs with a Masters degree so that might be a better investment of time and money. 

[GeoDUDE!]

No. 

[dr. t]

No. Why would you enter a program that doesn't respect you enough to support you in your work?

[Cookie]

Never do a Ph.D without funding (at least partial, preferably FULL). It is already a long and stressful time with approx 50% chance of completion, do you really want to pay for it? 

[juilletmercredi]

I have read countless articles on why not to do an Unfunded PhD but most were pertaining to humanities.

Why would the field matter?

We're talking about six-figure debt any way you slice this. There's also evidence showing that unfunded students, on average, take longer to graduate. Even if there are enough job prospects out there, few of them are going to pay you the kind of salary you would need to repay the $100,000+ of loans you'd have to borrow for tuition and living expenses (and that would be closer to $200,000 if this is a private school).

Don't do it.

[marian24]

What specific field of study? Work is most likely environmental related institutions, geothermal and volcanology departments. You can also get jobs in Research and Development for multinational companies in field like energy.