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What should I do to pursue a Phd in the United States ?
I completed my MBA here in India and work for a corporate company but would like to be a researcher and to pursue that I would like to do a Phd in the United States
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3 answers
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aditi’s Answer
Many universities in the US accept students with Bachelor’s degree for their PhD programs. Unlike in other countries, here a master’s degree is not mandatory for admission to PhD programs.
16 years education: The first thing to keep in mind before opting for a PhD program in any US university is that a majority of the universities in the USA require the student to have a minimum of 16 years of education before applying for PhD. Therefore, the candidate must have completed at least 4 years of education (graduation or diploma) after 10+2.
Master’s : Students who have completed their master’s degree are also qualified to apply for PhD programs in the US. In fact, it is the standard norm in many universities. It is, therefore, ideal for a student to choose a specialized program in which he has graduated in.
Tests: Admission procedure for PhD in the USA is more or less the same as in the case for MS in the US. The candidate needs to sit for the same standardized tests. Listed below are the exams needed before applying for PhD.
GMAT: GMAT is taken for admission to management studies. Business schools use this test as a criterion for admission into a wide range of management programs.
GRE: GRE is mandatory for almost all graduate level programs in the USA, including management studies. While all universities require GRE general test score, some universities also ask the student to take GRE subject tests.
TOEFL: TOEFL is an English proficiency test for students from non-native English speaking countries. TOEFL is conducted more than 50 times a year at 4,500 test centers in 165 countries.
IELTS: IELTS is also an English proficiency test for students from non-native English speaking countries. IELTS test measures a candidate’s English language command on 4 different parameters- Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking.
However, not all universities require GRE or GMAT scores for PhD. Most of them, in fact, require a summary of the previous work the candidate has done.
16 years education: The first thing to keep in mind before opting for a PhD program in any US university is that a majority of the universities in the USA require the student to have a minimum of 16 years of education before applying for PhD. Therefore, the candidate must have completed at least 4 years of education (graduation or diploma) after 10+2.
Master’s : Students who have completed their master’s degree are also qualified to apply for PhD programs in the US. In fact, it is the standard norm in many universities. It is, therefore, ideal for a student to choose a specialized program in which he has graduated in.
Tests: Admission procedure for PhD in the USA is more or less the same as in the case for MS in the US. The candidate needs to sit for the same standardized tests. Listed below are the exams needed before applying for PhD.
GMAT: GMAT is taken for admission to management studies. Business schools use this test as a criterion for admission into a wide range of management programs.
GRE: GRE is mandatory for almost all graduate level programs in the USA, including management studies. While all universities require GRE general test score, some universities also ask the student to take GRE subject tests.
TOEFL: TOEFL is an English proficiency test for students from non-native English speaking countries. TOEFL is conducted more than 50 times a year at 4,500 test centers in 165 countries.
IELTS: IELTS is also an English proficiency test for students from non-native English speaking countries. IELTS test measures a candidate’s English language command on 4 different parameters- Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking.
However, not all universities require GRE or GMAT scores for PhD. Most of them, in fact, require a summary of the previous work the candidate has done.
Updated
Betty’s Answer
Hi Paul,
This question highly depends on the area of study you've chosen and which academic institution you want to enroll in. I work with plenty of software engineers from India and China and certainly their degrees do satisfy education background requirements for the job. Also, it's perfectly fine to pursue a PhD after obtaining your MBA. My suggestion is that you look at 1-2 universities in the US where you may want to pursue your PhD and inquire about the PhD admission requirements. They may have specific things you might need to satisfy on top of your MBA, but the best source of information would come from those universities since the admission requirements vary from school to school.
This question highly depends on the area of study you've chosen and which academic institution you want to enroll in. I work with plenty of software engineers from India and China and certainly their degrees do satisfy education background requirements for the job. Also, it's perfectly fine to pursue a PhD after obtaining your MBA. My suggestion is that you look at 1-2 universities in the US where you may want to pursue your PhD and inquire about the PhD admission requirements. They may have specific things you might need to satisfy on top of your MBA, but the best source of information would come from those universities since the admission requirements vary from school to school.
Updated
Sreedhar’s Answer
Hi Paul, These are very specific to individual and areas of specialization done during your Under graduate and Post graduate and the areas of interest. PHD would require you to provide some specialization and your work experience could add value to your profile when your profile is being evaluated. If you are looking for a specialization around your work experience, your probability of completion is much better. PHD does provide scholarships and internship which can cover some of the cost incurred.
Identify the university of specialization
Identify the minimum criteria required to enroll for the course
Look for Scholarships and internships opportunities
Look for the location and proximity to the nearest hub for the area of specialization
Sreedhar recommends the following next steps: