phd candidate list

The misuse of PhD(c)

Why a designation used by some students is seen as unethical

By Amy Novotney

September 2016, Vol 47, No. 8

Print version: page 36

• Degrees and Programs

A few months ago when University of Louisville counseling psychology professor Mark Leach, PhD, read an email from a psychology student on a listserv he belonged to, he noticed that the sender had put "PhD(c)" after her name. He reached out to her right away.

"I contacted her because the "c" stands for candidate, but is not officially recognized and has the potential to mislead the public," Leach recalls.

The PhD(c)—also sometimes written as PhD-c or PhDc—has been popping up more often over the last several years in curricula vitae and email signatures. The designation is meant to indicate that the person has completed all of his or her requirements for a PhD except for the dissertation—akin to "ABD" (all but dissertation) that many also use.

Students say the term's use has become common among their colleagues, leading others to think that it is an appropriate way to highlight one's career path. But many psychologists say it's important to understand how these designations might be perceived outside of their use in casual conversations between psychologist friends and colleagues.

"Within academic circles we understand it, but my concern is that as soon as you send something out in an email, it can go anywhere in the world," Leach says, including into the hands of nonpsychologists and nonacademics.

The concern is that this designation comes off as deceptive and has the potential to mislead others regarding training and experience and undermine the public's trust in psychologists, says Lindsay Childress-Beatty, JD, PhD, of APA's Ethics Office. In fact, APA Ethics Code section 5.01—Avoidance of False or Deceptive Statements—specifically addresses the issue of designations, stating that "Psychologists do not make false, deceptive, or fraudulent statements concerning (1) their training, experience, or competence; (2) their academic degrees; (3) their credentials..."

"Would the general public be able to make the distinction between someone in training using these designations and a psychologist who has completed the degree?" she asks. Probably not. Many consumers don't understand the psychology field and the training and credentials necessary to become a psychologist. "The responsibility falls on psychologists and psychology students to educate them by accurately portraying their degrees and qualifications," Childress-Beatty says.

Using PhD(c) and ABD is also a bad idea because these letters can be confused for other degrees, points out Nabil El-Ghoroury, PhD, of the American Psychological Association of Graduate Students. For example, ABD could easily be mistaken for a doctorate of business administration, he says.

Rather than using PhD(c) and ABD next to one's name, he recommends that students use "advanced graduate student" to describe themselves and include a sentence in their cover letters that explains they have completed all their coursework but are still writing their dissertations.

"That's what a cover letter is for," he says. "But when it comes to your resume, email signature or even an online application, only list the degrees you've earned because we all have a responsibility to be ethical and to protect the public."

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Your Guide to a Strong Ph.D. Application

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Rarely is there discussion of how to prepare for doctoral programs in professional master’s programs. So when I came across a workshop on preparing Ph.D. applications by Assistant Dean for Graduate Student Development J. Alan Kendrick , I jumped right into it even though it was scheduled to be around midnight in my time zone. (Yes, graduate school remotely from Pakistan is tough and disorienting, but that is a topic for a different blog post.) Here was someone who, in addition earning a Ph.D. himself, has years of experience in selecting Ph.D. applicants, so there could not have been a better opportunity to get introduced to the process! In this piece I’ll touch upon some major points highlighted by Dr. Kendrick to explain what it means to aim for a Ph.D. program and build a solid Ph.D. application.

THe Master's Versus the Ph.D.

Starting off, it is crucial to know the difference between a master’s program and a Ph.D. program. Whereas a master’s degree will generally be more specific than an undergraduate degree and usually span one to three years, a Ph.D. program usually entails a more focused set of question(s) within a discipline and usually spans five or more years. In a Ph.D., the cost of attending is often covered through a combination of fellowships and stipends. Schools are more likely to look for applicants who secured funding from external sources, but this it is not always necessary.  So, a good yardstick to measure your readiness and commitment for a Ph.D. program is your willingness and ability to work consistently for years on the academic inquiry you wish to pursue to push the frontiers of existing human knowledge. Scholars in STEM fields such as microbiology or solid-state physics usually spend most of their time in labs, so it is essential to get to know the work environment, culture, and expectations in your prospective labs.

A Strong Application

After getting clarity on what a Ph.D. program demands, let’s get into some major elements of a strong Ph.D. application. Broadly speaking, a Ph.D. application consists of previous academic grades, competitive examination scores, work experiences, letters of recommendation, and a personal statement. For a Ph.D. program, all previous academic grades are weighted and assessed including undergraduate transcripts, while standard examination scores (i.e., the GRE) are now becoming optional at many institutions. And while top-tier grades are a great foundation, they are not decisive as each application is looked at holistically with all its elements to give a better picture. Letters of recommendation from previous academic supervisors are weighted heavily along with your personal statement.

One thing Dr. Kendrick emphasized was to not just get recommendations as mere “character profiles” but rather what he called “ strong recommendations.” Before you ask for faculty recommendations, share your résumé with them, sit down with them over a Zoom call (at least during the pandemic) and share your aspirations and objectives, and then ask for strong recommendations. Additionally, you should waive your right to review recommendation letters in your applications as doing this will indicate that the referee has been candid in your assessment for the admissions committee.

Mastering the Personal Statement

Finally, I come to the part where the ball is really in your court: the personal statement! I say this because while other elements of your application—grades and transcripts, previous work experiences, etc. are no longer alterable—the personal essay is your space to unapologetically express your true self and how you have evolved to be the person you are today. You can explain how your intellectual life has brought you to your specific academic area and where you see yourself going forward. Your statement should make it clear why you are interested in the field, the institution and program you are applying for as well as your research and career goals. Your essay should be tailored to the institution and/or program. Red flag here: if you end up with an essay where you can just replace institution names, then you haven’t met your goal. Additionally, your statement should include details about your background that can help the faculty better understand your motivation for pursuing their program. This can be anything—people, events, challenges, and achievements that have aided your growth and add to your fitness for the program. Additionally, you should address any noticeable discrepancies or gaps in your profile or transcripts that are worth mentioning.

While the personal statement is crucial to your application and speaks on your behalf in a room full of faculty who are judging your application, it is important to understand that there is no standard format or template that you should follow. This space is supposed to be personal, and it is supposed to be yours. It is also equally important to understand that the faculty judging applications are humans like us and often have diverging opinions about different profiles. Also remember that funding and positions for Ph.D.s are often limited and hence a rejected profile does not necessarily make it an incompetent or ineligible one.

In a nutshell, for a strong Ph.D. application, you need academic questions that keep you up at night and the discipline to follow the guidelines Dr. Kendrick shared, so that you can demonstrate your willingness and ability to work under supervision to answer those academic questions. This session with Dr. Kendrick brought me much-needed clarity to tackle my Ph.D. applications, and I hope this post does the same for you!

Editors’ note: You can find additional resources on preparing a strong application on The Graduate School’s website.

Soman ul Haq

Master's candidate, Environmental Management, Nicholas School of the Environment

Soman is a Fulbright Scholar from Pakistan and a first year Master of Environmental Management candidate at the Nicholas School of the Environment concentrating in Energy and Environment. He is currently focused on energy access in developing countries, sustainable development, energy transition, and behavioral changes with energy transition and access. Prior to joining Duke, Soman worked with the German International Development Cooperation (GIZ) as a technical advisor for energy access in off-grid areas and energy transition in industrial sector in Pakistan. As a mechanical engineer, he has experience consulting commercial and industrial sectors in developing energy efficient practices to achieve their sustainability goals. He tweets at @somaanulhaq

PhD Admission Guide

Gain admission to your dream school, guide to phd admission.

While some students swear off further education after undergrad, some love the thrill of intellectual discovery and research. For these students, graduate school is a natural choice. Graduate degrees are separated into “professional” and “academic” categories. Professional degrees are JDs and MDs, while academic degrees are PhDs (literally “Doctorates of Philosophy” regardless of what field you actually study).

Whether or not you need to pursue a PhD depends entirely on what career you wish to have. Some require higher education, while many others do not. In this guide we’ll go over how to apply to PhD programs, what they are looking for, and how the application process works. This guide is focused on the US and Canada; Europe has a system which is simultaneously similar and very different.

What PhD Programs Look For

PhD programs want to make sure you are prepared academically for the rigors of the program, and that you have a concrete research goal in mind. PhD programs culminate with each student answering a research question they devise, contributing new knowledge to the world in the process. 

Thus these programs seek to evaluate your intellectual ability, research goals, previous research experience, and how you will contribute to their program. To determine this, they ask for the following:

Letters of Recommendation

We’ll go through each of these in turn, and explain what graduate programs are looking for from each.

Your GPA in undergrad is the single most important factor in PhD admissions. If your GPA is too low your application will be dismissed out of hand. While there are no hard limits, we suggest a minimum GPA of 3.5 for serious contention, especially at top schools. If your GPA is below 3.0 then you will likely not get admitted into any PhD programs.

The reason for this is that PhD programs are a lot of work. Being intelligent is necessary, but is far from sufficient alone. Everyone in PhD programs is intelligent, and everyone is also willing to do the work. Your GPA is seen as the primary indicator of your willingness and ability to do academic work to a high standard, and your preparation for the rigors of a PhD program.

Along with your overall GPA, schools request your major GPA. This is your GPA when calculated only using courses in your major. This is usually expected to be higher than your overall GPA. Your major GPA should be over 3.5.

While taking harder courses in undergrad is a great experience, they can also harm your overall GPA. Of course, the best approach is to take very hard classes and do well in them, but this is not always possible. We recommend taking a blend of courses, so you are never overloaded, and able to give each the attention it needs to do well.

Academic Preparation

Your GPA and transcript is also used to judge your academic preparation for the program. You should have a solid grounding in the field, and have taken advanced courses as well. Taking graduate level courses in undergrad can exemplify this. 

Some PhD programs also require research languages. This is more common in the social sciences and humanities, but all students will benefit from knowing other languages well enough to do research in them. You should look up language requirements when researching programs to apply to.

The Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) is a standardized test meant for students who intend to apply to graduate programs. Both MA and PhD programs ask for GRE scores. Much like the SAT or ACT in college exams, the test is meant to be a standardized measure of academic preparation and logical skill.

The test consists of six sections. The first is writing, next are two on verbal reasoning, then two on quantitative reasoning, and finally a research or experimental section, meant to test new questions. The entire test is offered on the computer, with one minute breaks after each section, and a ten minute break after the third section. While there is also a paper-based test, almost all testing is now done on a computer. Due to the pandemic, both testing centers and at-home testing are offered. The GRE is a multi-stage test, and how well you do on earlier sections determines the difficulty of later sections and questions. 

The verbal sections each consist of 20 questions, to be answered over 30 minutes. The whole is scored on a scale of 130-170. The quantitative section is scored the same, and consists of two 20 question sections, each of which should be completed in 35 minutes. The writing section is scored from 0-6. For this section, you write an essay on a given issue in 30 minutes, and offer a response critiquing a provided argument for 30 minutes.

Your total score from the GRE is given from 130-170. While the exact scores you need to enter graduate school vary, higher is better. In addition, some programs only care about your verbal score, while others only care about your quantitative score. How much weight each program puts on GRE scores varies greatly.

We recommend studying for the GRE for some time before testing. You can take the GRE up to five times per year, but must wait at least 21 days between testing dates. Only scores from the past 5 years will be released or considered by graduate programs.

Curriculum Vitae

This is akin to a resume, but is dissimilar enough that the two cannot be used interchangeably. The purpose of a CV is, like a resume, to detail what you have accomplished academically and in your career. It is far more focused on academics however, and is widely used for academic careers.

We recommend finding a template for a CV online, or asking your college’s advisors for help in creating one. If you already have a resume, then you will easily be able to convert it into a CV.

What admissions officers are looking for in your activities is primarily signs of research. This should be in whatever field you intend to pursue a PhD in. Publications are also incredibly valuable. All of academia runs on publication, and getting an early start helps your career at every step.

You should try to do research while still in undergrad. What this looks like depends entirely on what field you are pursuing. While the research does not have to exactly line up with what you wish to pursue, it should teach you skills which are cross applicable. Higher level academic research has its own set of methods and language which must be learned, and students who are already familiar with the forms and structures of research have a leg up in graduate school. 

Publication is not required, but is nice to see. If you have completed a master’s degree, you should have some publication history; of your thesis if nothing else. Speak with your academic advisors about getting your work published.

Each graduate school you apply to will ask for an essay. You will be able to use the same basic form for each, but will need to edit it to be about the particular program you are applying to. Most schools only require a single essay, although some programs ask for a second on diversity.

The purpose of this essay is to explain your research interests, what you have studied, your intended area of specialization, and what your focus will be on. Every PhD student is asking and trying to answer a very specific research question. This question forms the basis of their dissertation, and will be the focus of your life for several years if you are accepted.

Thus the essay is the most important part of your application. Your grades and GRE are required to see if you are academically ready for graduate school, but the essay lets readers know if you are a match for their program, and serious about your research.

Your essay should begin by stating which program you are applying to, and why. Next, go through your previous academic experience in the field, both coursework and research. You don’t have to go through every class, but cover the ones most relevant to your desired research topic.

You should discuss any prior research you have done in the field. If you completed a thesis for your undergraduate degree or a master’s program, cover that here. If you have any publication credits, cover those as well. This should relate directly to the field you are trying to enter. If you wish to pursue lab work, discuss your previous experiences; if instead you are pursuing field work, talk about your experiences there.

Next you should talk about the research you specifically wish to pursue through a PhD. You don’t need to have an exact research question worked out, but it is helpful to have some idea; you should at least know the subfield you will be focusing on. The more specific you are, the better. Having some discussion of methodology can be nice, but is not always necessary.

If there are any ongoing research projects ongoing at the school you wish to work on, cover those next. You should discuss how these projects specifically relate to your own research interests. Finally, you should talk about which professors you wish to work with. Professors take on graduate students to advise, and you ideally want one with a specialization at least tangentially related to your field of interest. The more closely related the professor’s studies are to your own, the better.

You will be able to leave much of this essay the same for each school you apply to, changing only the name of the program, the research projects, and the professors you wish to work with. 

This essay should be a page and a half to two pages long, single spaced. You should go into sufficient detail for those reading it to understand the research you want to pursue. These essays are reviewed by the faculty who run the department, and they make the admissions decisions for PhD programs. There are many more applicants than there are spaces, and admissions rates are low. The more specific and detailed you are in this essay, the better the faculty will understand your research aims, and the better your chances will be.

Diversity Statements

Not all programs ask for these, but you will likely be able to reuse the same essay for those that do. The purpose of the diversity statement is to see what unique points of view and experiences you will be able to contribute to the program. PhDs are about learning, and the more viewpoints and ideas within a program, the broader the experience will be.

If you are a member of an underrepresented group, an immigrant, come from an underprivileged background, or come from an area which is generally underrepresented, we suggest discussing that in this essay. You should not write an essay about your interactions with members of these groups, or a study abroad experience.

Above all, this essay should be authentic to you and your experience. The goal is to show how your background has shaped you as a person, and how it impacts your view of the world.

As with college applications, letters of recommendation are required for PhD admissions. These tell admissions committees who you are as a student and researcher, and give their opinion on how you will perform when doing graduate level work. Academic fields are small and often insular, and the professors writing your letters will often be known by those reading them, either by reputation or in person.

Programs ask for two to four letters. These should primarily come from professors who know you and your work well. If you had a thesis advisor, they should write one of your letters. If you’ve worked doing research for some time, then a mentor or lab director can also be a good source of a letter, even if they haven’t taught you in class. Letters should not come from non-academic sources, unless you have worked professionally in that field. 

While you have the option to read the letters that are written for you, you should always waive that right. If you don’t trust your writers to craft good letters for you, then you shouldn’t be asking them for letters. Asking to see letters is considered a sign of lack of trust, and is gauche. Many professors will decline to write letters if you insist on seeing them.

You should ask for letters well in advance of when they are due; we recommend at least a month or two. If you are asking non-tenured faculty for a letter, more leeway is recommended, as they have more on their plate, and are often more stressed. You may need to send a reminder as deadlines approach. You should also share a copy of your essay with letter writers, so they know exactly what subfield you intend to pursue, and can discuss this in their letters.

Finally, you should be aware of politics when asking for letters. Some professors do not like each other at all. If you are seen as the protege of a professor who others detest, this can impact your admissions chances. Always discuss which schools and programs you are applying to with your letter writers. You should also discuss your choices of writers with an advisor (for example a thesis advisor) familiar with the field. Academic politics are incredibly petty, but if you plan to pursue a PhD you need to be aware of the game, and how it is played.

If your application passes the first review, you will be invited to do an interview. This will be with faculty in the program you are applying to. This is to further get to know you, and to understand your research objectives. 

You should be able to clearly explain what you want to research, and how this program will help you do so. The people talking to you will all be familiar with the field, though not necessarily your specific subfield. They are looking for your ability to communicate and explain your view. Be prepared to answer some questions about the specifics of your goals, though it’s ok if you don’t know everything right now.

Interviews are generally in person, though due to the pandemic, virtual interviews have become more common. This is also your chance to ask any questions you have about the program you were unable to find answers to online. You can practice for this interview with an advisor or mentor; many schools have career centers which hold mock grad school interviews as well.

When and How to Apply to Grad School

There is no unified platform for PhD applications. Instead you must apply to each program individually, through the school’s website. This will mean filling out information multiple times, but they fortunately don’t ask for much. Once you have your documents in order, the rest is personal, demographic, and contact information.

You will need to pay to have your GRE scores sent to each school you apply to. Even though this is all electronic, they still charge dearly for it. 

Applications are generally due in December or January, with interviews held over the next few months. Applications open in September or October. We recommend getting your applications in before the due date, though most programs don’t use rolling admissions. Each program sets their own deadlines, so you should track when each of your applications is due carefully to make sure nothing gets overlooked.

Paying for Grad School

PhD programs are for the most part fully funded. This means you will not be paying tuition, and will also get funding to live on. This funding is generally contingent on academic standing, and doing work TAing, teaching, or on ongoing research projects (or most commonly, all of the above). Many grad students also work full or part time to support themselves. 

While you will not need to take on additional debt to pay for graduate school, you will not be well paid either. While the exact amount graduate students receive varies by school and program, it is generally in the range of $20-30,000 annually. This goes towards food, housing, and supplies.

While you are in a PhD program, you will not have to make payments on any government loans you took out to pay for undergrad, though they will continue to accrue interest. Making payments on them during grad school is difficult, but will greatly cut down on the amount you need to pay back later.

There are also outside scholarships available to help pay for graduate studies. While the amounts offered by these vary, most are small. They can help greatly with paying for the necessities however, and applying to them is usually worth the time investment.

Grad School Admission FAQ

Now we’ll answer some of the most common questions about applying to PhD programs.

Can older students apply?

Yes. Many professionals return to school for a PhD long out of undergrad. We suggest taking some courses at a local university in the field you plan on entering before you do this however. Academic research advances quickly, and this will familiarize you with the latest developments. Further, this will introduce you to professors who can provide you with letters of recommendation.

What are my odds of acceptance?

This depends on both your field and program. Generally, however, it is quite difficult to gain admissions to a PhD program, and admission rates hover around 10%. Only the best students get accepted, and this is even more the case at the top schools and programs.

When should I start thinking about applications?

When you choose your major, you should decide what level you want to reach within that field. Some majors lend themselves to PhDs if you want to work in that field, while others allow employment at various levels.

Where should I apply?

You should find programs with professors who are dedicated to your particular subfield. A prestigious institution which does not focus on your area is far less useful, regardless of how famous its name is. You are looking for someone who will be able to advise you, and help you perform worthwhile research. Further, professors are looking for students studying fields similar to their own when they admit graduate students.

How long are PhD programs?

Generally programs last 4-5 years, though this can vary based on field. The exact structure of the programs also varies a lot based on field and program.

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The European Synchrotron, the ESRF, is an international research centre based in Grenoble, France.Through its innovative engineering, pioneering scientific vision and a strong commitment from its 700 staff members, the ESRF is recognised as one of...

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The Optimization of Machine Learning Systems Group (Prof. A. Lucchi) at the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at the University of Basel is looking for several PhD students and post-do...

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About the positionA 100 % position is available at the University of Agder, Faculty of Engineering and Science as a PhD Research Fellow within Civil and Structural engineering, for a period of three years. The position is affiliated with the Depar...

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How to prepare a strong phd application.

Doctoral candidates and departmental coordinators at the Wharton School outline a few tips to help you navigate the PhD application process.

It’s no secret the application process can be intimidating. Where do you start? What exactly are schools looking for on your application? What materials do you need to submit? Doctoral candidates and departmental coordinators at the Wharton School have outlined a few tips to help you navigate the process.

Don’t Delay the Process

A successful PhD applicant starts thinking about their application months or even years before the deadlines. For Alejandro Lopez Lira , a third year student in Finance, the application process began a year before he actually submitted the paperwork. He said, “I spoke to my advisors way before, like one year before, about my letters of recommendation, where to apply, everything involved in the process.”

Each program has different requirements, which can make for a tedious process. Karren Knowlton , a third year in Management, said, “I took a little while to draft a personal statement. I had my mom, who teaches creative writing, and a few other people that I trust just read over it. Then you have to tweak it for different schools because they want slightly different things.”

Taking time to prepare your application is critical. Starting the process sooner rather than later gives you several advantages:

• It allows your letter of recommendation writers enough time in advance to thoughtfully prepare a letter that speaks to who you are as a PhD candidate.
• It gives you more time to review your materials, fix any errors, and proofread, proofread, proofread.
• Finally, it means a lot less stress when the deadline starts rapidly approaching. By planning ahead, you’ll have a much smoother process applying.

Get Letters of Recommendation

Prof. Matthew Bidwell , who previously served as the doctoral coordinator for the Management program , said a common mistake he sees are letters of recommendations from employers. Although he said it is impressive to see work experience, having an employer write a letter is not the best choice.

“We don’t pay very much attention to those because rightly or wrongly, we worry that they’re not looking for the kinds of things that we’re looking for,” he said. “If you have one, it’s not a disaster, but when you see people with two or three — most of their recommendations coming from their work — that kind of heightens our concern. You’re committing to a fairly specialized career, do you really know what that career entails?”

Instead, he suggests getting to know an academic who will be able to write a recommendation attesting to your ability to manage doctoral-level research and work.

Include Research/Work Experience in Your Field

Each program has a unique set of criteria to evaluate applicants, but several doctoral coordinators agree that some research and work experience in your field of interest will strengthen your application overall.

Prof. Fernando Ferreira , doctoral coordinator for the Business Economics and Public Policy and Real Estate programs, thinks work experience can be useful in demonstrating an applicant’s abilities. He said, “Any work experience after undergraduate school is important. If that experience is more related to research it’s even better, but work experience in general is always good.”

Prof. Guy David , doctoral coordinator for the Health Care Management & Economics program , thinks that work experience benefits applicants in terms of giving them a broader view of business. “Work experience creates retrospection about how the world works, how organizations make decisions, and how people function in various situations,” he said.

However, he warns that spending too much time away from an academic setting can have its drawbacks too. “It may lead people to start their PhD later when they are not in the habit of immersing themselves in rigorous studies and have a shorter horizons to develop a name for themselves,” he said.

Although having both research and work experience can strengthen your application, you will not be denied entry because you are lacking either.

Prof. Bidwell said, “I think research experience does give us some confidence that people have some idea about what it is that we do. In terms of work experience, I think we don’t have a strong view. We quite like work experience, but we also take people straight out of undergrad.”

Prepare for the Standardized Tests

Most PhD programs require students to take the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE). Having high test scores is a key part of an application as it tests skills learned over the course of many years in school. Quantitative skills are especially important when applying to doctoral programs in business areas. Much like any other standardized test, the GRE requires preparation.

Karren, who took the GRE twice to ensure her scores were high enough, offered advice to those who may be struggling. “I would absolutely recommend practicing the writing beforehand. Look up examples and have your outline structured,” she said. “So much of it is just getting the right structure and how you formulate your arguments so knowing what they’re looking for is key.”

Test prep can be time-consuming, but like anything else, practice makes perfect. There are multiple text books and online sites to help you prepare for the exam. Karren aimed to improve her math scores the second time she took the GRE and recommended this site to help strengthen math skills.

Taking advantage of resources to help you study can limit the number of times you need to take the GRE while ensuring you score high enough to remain in the applicant pool.

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Posted: August 4, 2017

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Whether you’re just starting your research on PhD programs or you’re ready to apply, we’ll walk you through the steps to take to become a successful PhD candidate.

Deciding to get a PhD

You might be surprised to find out what you can do with a PhD in business.

Is an Academic Career for You ? What Makes a Successful PhD Student

Preparing for the Doctoral Path

The skills, relationships, and knowledge you need to prepare yourself for a career in academics.

How the PhD Program Works How to Become a Successful PhD Applicant

Choosing the right program

What’s the difference between PhD programs? Find out how to choose one that fits your goals.

What to Consider When Choosing a Doctoral Program What Differentiates R1 Universities?

Starting an application

Tips for a successful application process.

Application Requirements Preparing Your PhD Application

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This page contains a list of the Stevens Doctoral Program's current job market candidates for the 2024-25 academic year.

For our Economics candidates, please email Malaina Brown , Eric Budish , and Matt Notowidigdo . For our Finance and Joint Program in Financial Economics candidates, please email Stefan Nagel . Please contact Malaina Brown for all other job market candidates. You can find candidates by area: Accounting , Behavioral Science , Econometrics and Statistics , Economics , Finance , Joint Program in Financial Economics , Management Science and Operations Management , and Marketing . Note that candidates entering the Marketing job cycle are currently live.

We also invite you to review job market candidates at the University of Chicago’s Kenneth C. Griffin Department of Economics . You can find full details about current and past PhD student Career Outcomes here.

Jonas Piero (Jonas) Dalmazzo

Job Market Paper: "The Effects of Alternative Data on Misreporting" Research Interests: Disclosure, Capital Markets, Misreporting, Regulation, Banking Dissertation Committee: Phillip B. Berger (Chair), Christian Leuz, Delphine Samuels, João Granja Personal Website Email CV

Behavioral Science

Check back in the Fall for candidates in Behavioral Science.

Econometrics and Statistics

Job Market Paper: " Inference for Two-stage Experiments under Covariate-Adaptive Randomization " Research Interests: Econometrics, Causal Inference, Design and Analysis of Randomized Experiments Dissertation Committee: Christian Hansen (Co-chair), Azeem Shaikh (Co-chair), Tetsuya Kaji, Max Tabord-Meehan Personal Website Email CV

Job Market Paper: "Statistical Learning and Optimization under Distribution Shift" Research Interests: Distribution Shift, Transfer Learning, Probabilistic Graphical Models, and Federated Learning Dissertation Committee: Mladen Kolar (Co-Chair), Cong Ma (Co-Chair),Tengyuan Liang, and Sanmi Koyejo Personal Website Email CV

Job Market Paper: "Regulatory Uncertainty Pricing in Digital Economy" Research Interests: Asset Pricing; Applied Econometrics; Financial Regulations Dissertation Committee: George M Constantinides (Co-chair), Jeffrey R Russell (Co-chair), Lars Peter Hansen, Chad Syverson Personal Website Email CV

Job Market Paper: "Never-Realized Capital Gains" Research Interests: Public Economics, Household Finance, Law & Economics, Innovation Dissertation Committee: Marianne Bertrand (co-chair), Mikhail Golosov, Magne Mogstad (co-chair), Eric Zwick Personal Website Email

Job Market Paper: "Learning is in the Air: Clean Air as an Experience Good" Research Interests: Environment; Development; Health Dissertation Committee: Marianne Bertrand (Chair), Fiona Burlig, Josh Dean, Michael Greenstone Personal Website Email CV

Rayhan Momin

Job Market Paper: "Effects and Design of Central Bank Corporate Credit Facilities" Research Interests: Asset Pricing, International Finance, Macro-Finance, Monetary Policy Dissertation Committee: Raghuram Rajan (Co-Chair), Zhiguo He (Co-Chair), Stefan Nagel, Quentin Vandeweyer, and Fabrice Tourre Personal Website Email CV

Joint Program in Financial Economics

Manav chaudhary.

Job Market Paper: "Regulator Beliefs" Research Interests: Asset pricing and Macroeconomics Dissertation Committee: Ralph Koijen (Co-Chair), Stefan Nagel (Co-Chair), Niels Gormsen, Lars Hansen. Personal Website Email CV

Federico Mainardi

Job Market Paper: "The Impact of Fiscal Policy on Financial Institutions, Asset Prices, and Household Behavior" Research Interests: Asset pricing, macro-finance, public finance Dissertation Committee: Ralph Koijen (Chair), Lars Hansen, Rohan Kekre, Stefan Nagel, Eric Zwick Personal Website Email CV

Job Market Paper: "The Pricing of Earnings News" Research Interests: Empirical asset pricing, Behavioral and institutional finance Dissertation Committee: Stefan Nagel (Chair), Ralph Koijen, Niels Gormsen, Lubos Pastor, Lars Hansen Personal Website Email CV

Management Science and Operations Management

Ebru kasikaralar.

Job Market Paper: " Dynamic Scheduling of a Multiclass Queue in the Halfin-Whitt Regime: A Computational Approach for High-Dimensional Problems " Research Interests: Queueing theory; Applied AI; Computational methods for solving high-dimensional stochastic control problems Dissertation Committee: Baris Ata (Chair) Personal Website Email CV

Dilara Sonmez

Job Market Paper: "A Proactive Approach in Primary Care" Research Interests: Data analysis, healthcare, optimization, machine learning Dissertation Committee: Daniel Adelman (Chair) Email CV

Rafael Batista

Job Market Paper: "Words that Work: Using Language to Generate Hypotheses " Research Interests: Consumer Psychology, Judgment & Decision-Making, Financial Decision-Making, Language, Lab and Field Experiments, Algorithmic Behavioral Science Dissertation Committee: Abigail Sussman (Co-Chair), Sendhil Mullainathan (Co-Chair), Jean-Pierre "JP" Dubé, Ayelet Fishbach Personal Website Email CV

Nicholas Herzog

Job Market Paper: "Misestimating Credit Card Balances: The Effect of Right-Digit Recall Errors on Spending " Research Interests: Financial Decision-Making, Consumer Behavior, Moral Psychology Dissertation Committee: Daniel Bartels (Chair), Berkeley Dietvorst, Stephanie Smith, and Abigail Sussman Personal Website Email CV

Job Market Paper: "Generative Brand Choice" Research Interests: AI, Product Design, Decision Making Dissertation Committee: Sanjog Misra (Chair), Eric Budish, Pradeep Chintagunta, Giovanni Compiani Personal Website Email CV

Job Market Paper: "Outward vs. Inward Thinking Use Different Heuristics: How Reframing Prevalence Influences Consumers’ Impact Judgments and Choices" Research Interests: Cues and Heuristics, Product Packaging, Labeling, Consumer Inferences Dissertation Committee: Oleg Urminsky (Chair), Daniel Bartels, Shereen Chaudhry, Kristin Donnelly Personal Website Email CV

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Doctoral Studies

The doctoral experience.

We offer six types of doctoral degrees in over eighty fields of study. Most of our doctoral degrees are PhDs; we also offer a Doctor of Education, Doctor of Environmental Science and Engineering, Doctor of Public Health, Doctor of Musical Arts, and Doctor of Nursing Practice.

COMPLETE COURSEWORK AND OTHER REQUIREMENTS

Doctoral programs vary widely in the number of required courses as well as additional requirements. Most programs use the first year to prepare students for their chosen field. Some programs conduct an end-of-the-year exam for each first-year cohort, while others evaluate student by courses, papers, and projects completed in that first year. In addition to being assigned a Student Affairs Officer (SAO) by your program, you’ll also mutually choose your Faculty Advisor. Generally this is a natural process where a student’s and a faculty member’s interests and areas of specialization align. This relationship is an important one, which lasts well beyond a student’s tenure at UCLA. In your first year, you’ll take courses with a wide variety of faculty and make lasting friendships with your cohort.

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FIND FORMS FOR DOCTORAL STUDENTS

We’ve assembled all UCLA-wide forms that may be useful to a graduate student on a Master’s track in one place:  Forms for UCLA Doctoral Students . Your specific program may provide additional forms for your use. Here are some of the most common.

• Language Petition
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KNOW YOUR PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

To keep on track, a Doctoral student must meet specific requirements for a student’s program.

Type the name of your program to jump straight to its requirements:

Your Program Requirements cover most things a current student needs to know in order to graduate on time.  Our FAQs  answers a few common questions about program requirements. Any outstanding questions can be answered by your program through their website or from your Student Affairs Officer (SAO).

If your program offers a Master’s Degree along the path toward a Doctorate, you’ll be required to initiate a specialized process and meet criteria specific to your program.

NOMINATE YOUR DOCTORAL COMMITTEE

During your second or third year, you’ll begin assembling (nominating) your Doctoral Committee. Your committee is comprised of 4 or more faculty members (3 or more faculty members for professional (non-Ph.D.) doctoral committees) who are experts in your field who can guide you in your research. Some committee members will be on-campus while a few may be located at another academic institution. All committee members will be responsible for reviewing your work periodically, advising you on your direction and independent research, assessing your university oral qualifying exam, and approving your dissertation.

On occasion, your committee will fall out of compliance, in which case you’ll be required to  reconstitute your Doctoral committee . Common reasons include when one of your committee members leaves her or his post at UCLA or when you or a current committee member decides that you’ll benefit more by working with a different faculty member.

For more about your doctoral committee, see the Graduate Council’s guide  Graduate Student Academic Rights and Responsibilities  and  Standards and Procedures for Graduate Study at UCLA .

• Minimum Standards for Doctoral Committee Constitution
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• Nomination of Doctoral Committee
• Reconstitution of the Doctoral Committee and/or Change in Final Oral Examination Requirement

ADVANCEMENT TO CANDIDACY

Becoming a doctoral degree candidate is not a given. The first phase of your doctoral program is supervised by a faculty advisor or guidance committee. Your program will administer the written, and in some cases the program’s oral qualifying, exam after you complete courses and other preparatory work recommended or required by your program

Your doctoral committee may also require additional written exams. Only upon satisfactory completion of the written and oral qualifying requirements may you advance to candidacy. A student must also have met language requirements for advancement. This accomplishment generally happens between your second and fourth year.

CONTINUE PROGRESS TOWARD YOUR DOCTORAL DEGREE

With the guidance of your Doctoral Committee, you’ll conduct fieldwork, research, writing, and independent study all the way up through your dissertation.

While you’re completing your degree, keep an eye on your future. Be sure to participate in the great career and professional development events and resources at UCLA.

DEFENDING YOUR DISSERTATION

Some programs require you to present your dissertation to your doctoral committee in a time-honored event called the final oral examination (or final defense). To find out if your program has this requirement, consult your program requirements for the year you were admitted (see KNOW YOUR PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS above).

FILE YOUR DISSERTATION

You will complete an approved doctoral dissertation that demonstrates your ability to perform original, independent research and constitutes a distinct contribution to knowledge in your principal field of study.

CELEBRATE YOUR GRADUATION

Doctoral Degrees are awarded four times a year, and are integrated into a single commencement—called the Doctoral Hooding Ceremony—held once each year at the beginning of June.  UCLA Graduate Commencement for Doctoral Students  is where you’ll find info about tickets, locations, schedule, parking, and dress code (including caps and gowns). For information on commencement ceremonies hosted by various graduate departments and programs, search for your program on this year’s schedule .

YOUR FUTURE

Once you graduate, our support continues. You’ll find great resources, guidance, career support, and opportunities to network with fellow graduates through  UCLA’s Alumni Association .

To network with fellow alumni and learn about meetups and events, like our UCLA Alumni Facebook page . and follow UCLA Alumni on Twitter .

ANS: Published by Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins

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How to list your credentials and title when you publish

Updated resource (Sept. 12, 2019) APA “Misuse of the PhD(c) “

Here is a topic that is not often discussed, but remains a persistent issue for many!  “What is the proper way to list my credentials?  Which should come first, RN, PhD, MS?”  Most folks have very strong opinions about this and will most certainly object if you list their credentials in an order other than what they prefer.  They will typically give you very good reasons for why they feel one credential or another should be first.  Therefore, as an Editor, my guideline for this is that each person’s credentials should be listed exactly as they prefer them to be listed!

However, there is one “credential” that is frequently indicated that we will not use — the non-credential “PhD(c).”  I am not sure how this convention started, but it is one of my particular pet peeves.  And in many formal and informal polls of other editors, by far the majority agree — this is not an acceptable credential.  Yes, the little (c) does indicate that a person has passed

into “candidacy,” meaning that the person has completed all coursework requirements, and (in a U.S. system of doctoral education) the person now only has to complete the dissertation to be awarded the degree. This is also known as the “ABD” – “All But Dissertation!”  Perhaps the trend to use the little (c) was an attempt to overcome this negative connotation.

There are many problems with using any designation to indicate candidacy as a credential.  The foremost  is that simply put, it is not a credential. It is simply an institutional right of passage.  If a person surpasses the time limit to complete the dissertation, their journey in pursuit of an actual degree ends, and they are left with whatever other credentials they had when they entered the doctoral program.

Do not get me wrong here … we are delighted when an author has achieved this right of passage.  You should acknowledge this, but in an acknowledgement, not as a credential.   If you are a master’s or a doctoral student, or candidate, indicate your status in your acknowledgements and also include the name of the institution where you are enrolled.  But do not include any initials like “PhD(c).”  Another detail that I encourage you to consider — name your primary faculty advisor or advisors – the people who are giving you encouragement and guidance.

Do you have other opinions or questions about this issue?  Leave a comment here!  I am always delighted to hear from you!

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Recently someone challenged my position on the use of the PhD(c) designation, so I looked into the matter further. It is true that some Universities do sanction the use of this designation by those who have reached candidacy, but none that I found award this as a degree. A few do award a Candidate in Philosophy (C.Phil) designation, also referred to as an “intermediate degree” but this designation is only good for 7 years, which is the typical time period after which any “candidacy” expires. There is no indication that I can find that affirms the use of this designation as a title. If it is the practice of an institution to use the designation internally, then certainly a doctoral candidate is well advised to use it in that context. However, given that candidacy does expire, its use on a published work, which will survive the time frame of the designation, my policy not to use the designation in article published in ANS remains in place.

I agree that PhD(c) is not a credential and should not be used. I know someone who was a PhD(C) for 10 years, and only because her dean threatened her with firing did she finally write her dissertation and finish her PhD.

Also, candidacy typically expires after 7 to 10 years, at which time any designation involving this status would no longer be valid. Bottom line, there is no justification for using this, particularly in the context of publishing. Published works extend far into the future, and well beyond the time frame of candidacy!

I agree with Peggy. I am seeing this used quite a bit. In fact it is confusing to students. One person who uses PhDc even allows students to refer to her as Dr. I think this is devalues those who earned their PhD. But, most of all this is unethical.

I couldn’t agree more that this is a non-credential and its use needs to be halted immediately if not sooner. It makes us look foolish trying to inflate credentials to give the impression that one has achieved a status, ranking, or degree that has not yet been accomplished. We simply cannot legitimately fabricate credentials or titles at will or it all becomes meaningless. It is incumbent upon faculty to provide good direction to students in how to present themselves and their accomplishments. Perhaps it will stimulate more expedient completion of the degree and subsequent use of the legitimate title! Thank you for bringing much needed attention to this troublesome tradition in nursing.

Thank you so much for this feedback! I am not sure how to halt this practice, but I do hope that by brining attention to this matter more and more people will be discouraged from its use!

I concur. I’m a PhD student myself. I never really understood why people use the ABD designation anyway. I saw the PhD(c) for the first time today also, and stumbled across your page. I vociferously concur with your statements and reasons. I list my Masters in my credentials, but don’t list anything with my PhD degree because I haven’t earned it yet.

Thank you so much for your feedback, Johnathan! Please stay in touch with ANS – we may have some issue topics you might consider for publishing as your work develops!

I also agree with not using this designation. In the 8 years of part-time work it took me to complete my PhD, I never once thought of advertising or informing others where I was in that process through some kind of designation. This was way back in the 1980’s [last century!] so I don’t think anyone thought about doing this designation. 🙂

Are we talking about American or Europe? I am in my 50s and those who hold a Doctoral Degree are referred to as Dr. So and So. When they write their credentials after their name, it is usually listed as Joe Smith, PhD or Sue Smith, M.Ed, etc. Whatever the abbreviation for their degree is. I have NEVER heard of a PhD as someone who has NOT completed their Doctoral degree.

I disagree with the positions here. I will be the devil’s advocate, as is my wont. I feel that the PhD (c) designation clarifies the position and social standing of the individual. I am not advocating posturing for a fraudulent claim rather recognizing a social reality. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to get to the point of a PhD (C) and this is no way deters from the value and prestige of those who have been accorded the prestigious honor. I therefore argue that the use appropriate with one caveat, the individual must actual be actively working upon and seeking the degree and be a registered student t a recognized institution. This abbreviation is particularly useful in a business environment where individuals are judged according t their academic progress as long as the truth is clearly indicated and no misrepresentation is intended I see no harm.

Please avoid ad hominem attacks and exhibit the same respect I have shown you

JW PhD (c) Expected graduation 2016 MA American Military University Summa cum laude MA University of Oklahoma magna cum laude BS University of Maryland University College magna cum laude AA Adirondack Community College

thanks for your perspective, and of course, it seems that you have occasions when you can use this to good advantage. But in the publishing realm, journal Editors (myself included) will not accept this designation as a degree. You can accomplish the same thing by indicating in your affiliations that you are a PhD Candidate at such-and-such an institution. This is actually a more complete acknowledgement of your position and social standing, in that it also designates the institution where the degree is being earned. Your published article will far outlive your designation as a candidate for a degree – candidacy is not permanent. I might also mention that the PhD is not a designation of an honor – it designates an earned degree. An honorary doctoral degree is always indicated by an abbreviation showing that it is honorary, not earned. Best wishes, Peggy

Phdc is acceptable for me . There is a diffrent between studying in Europe and USA . In Europe, U.K., New Zealand, I’m required to study two or three courses, but I don’t have any examination! I do present my thesis once a year to show the progress , nothing more and to get comments to improve my work or repeat a few parts.

I don’t see it non ethical at all. There should be a difference between a MA holder and a PhD holder. A PhDc is for sure studying more.

I think it’s either you have it or you don’t. If you are unable to finish the PhD course, you don’t have it yet. So writing PhD (c) would be inappropriate and can be misleading. The last part in any program (e.g., dissertation is there because it is part of the whole, thus it is a necessary part of having the degree. At the same time, it doesn’t give you more credibility if you write attach (c) after, it just mean you are not finish yet.

Well Stated! Thank you for adding to this dicussion!

I think PhD(c) seems extraordinarily misleading to those of use who haven’t the slightest what the (c) stands for (until reading it here). How would you like to have a surgical consult with an MD(c) and not have the slightest that the fellow went to school but somehow just decided to claim the credential; however, he never took or passed the board exams. Perhaps the person was not even suitable or capable of it! Whereas us plain folk wouldn’t know the difference in the credential, for the sake of impressing other scholars like themselves the person just went on and used it while in a professional capacity. It’s fraudulently misleading to do so! While a person may be a dissertation away from the PhD, perhaps they are just not capable. The PhD MEANS YOU ARE, not that you ALMOST ARE!!! This goes along with what Kathy mentioned, “back in the 1980’s [last century!] so I don’t think anyone thought about doing this designation,” whereas today people want to be whatever they want whenever they want whether it is earned or not, it’s just not soon enough or to their liking and they feel entitled. Tsk tsk.

thank you Melissa! Great points about this still-vexing issue!

I read all the comments with keen interest and noticed that there was real mention that, in essence, using the (c) in the PhD invites more curiosity in the person’s ability to (c)omplete the degree. Absent a drop of the “c” one would wonder if the candidate failed and should now use PhD(f)

I am going to add a new dimension… DNPc. Since there is no dissertation I am confused by this designation. Dr Chinn can you comment?

Any “c” as part of any degree designation is totally inappropriate. Especially when it is used in a document that is permanent- as in a published article. It is not a degree. And you are correct, I am not aware of a point in time when a DNP student becomes a “candidate.” Candidacy is determined by the graduate school of a University – the graduate school also awards the PhD degree. The DNP is a professional degree that does not have oversight by the graduate school – the oversight of the degree is only the resopnsibility of the School or College awarding the degree.

Dr. Chinn, I am happy to see the DNP addressed here as that is what brought me to the discussion. I agree that a PhD and a DNP are not equivalent in education or stature, but it is a terminal degree (much like a JD, or MD). While I am not sure about the concept of “candidacy” the DNP that I am working toward IS awarded by a graduate school. When I graduate I will be hooded, wear a tam, and have three stripes on the sleeves of my robe, like any other individual that has earned a doctorate degree. I will have earned the right to refer to myself as “Doctor”, and use the honorific “Dr.” in front of my name. Yes, the DNP is a clinical degree and, unless I am misunderstanding your use of the term “graduate school”, it does have oversight by the graduate school.

Hi Peggy, here is another perspective to Always keep in mind … since you are discussing PhD candidates. Up and down the West Coast, while visiting some “interesting” locations, I have came across multiple Individuals that are/were offering services as: Counselors, Life coaches, Yoga instructors, Feng-shui, Ayurveda practitioners, etc, etc. All claiming a PhD degree, but couldn’t provide an answer as to which higher institution they attended, others mentioned “schools” I’ve never heard of. It wasn’t until later, that I found out that they were purchasing “Degree’s” from a On-line company. I believe that there should be a Public Law against this type of deception, don’t you? DSM

Of course there should be such a law. The bottom line is that there are 2 things we all can do – be aware of practices of deception and check out all credentials, and second, be clear about our own credentials and how we represent them to others to assure them of our legitimate standards.

What is the proper way to list an honorary affiliation such as “visiting Research Fellow or honorary lecturer” in a publication??

Good question – these are not credentials, but they are, as you note, affiliations that tupically appear on the line following your name and credentials. So my “signature” for example, is Peggy L. Chinn, RN, PhD Professor Emerita, University of Connecticut Editor, Advances in Nursing Science

My name is followed by my credentials on the same line, my affiliation with the Unviersity of Connecticut on the second line, and my Editorship of ANS on the third line.

What is the proper way to list an honorary affiliation such as “visiting Research Fellow or honorary lecturer” in a publication??

Many apologies – your question got lost in a string of comments. But I found it -and here is my answer – just list it on a line below your name – much as you would indicate your employment or professional affiliation in your signature block. Example: Peggy L Chinn, RN, PhD Professor Emerita, University of Connecticut

I disagree. A DNPc has reached a point where they have completed their defense successfully and earned that title

To stand by your opinion on this, you need to provide a reasonable argument that completing the defense bestows a titile on the person. Is there a certificate of completion that is awarded by the institution? Is this title permanent? As far as I know, both of these questions yields a “No” response. One does not use the “c” title once the requirements for the degree are completed, at which time the institution awards the degree. Completing the defense is the same thing as passing a course that is required for the degree – it is indeed an accomplishment, and might even lead to more accomplishments! But it is not a degree, and it is not a title.

What about if you have multiple degrees and professional credentials? How do I list them and what do I omit when I submit for a journal publication?

PA, AT, MMS, MSEd

Yes, particularly if the degrees all represent a different focus. I do not recommend listing all the degrees in the same field such asBS, MS, PhD all in nursing; you can but it is typically only the highest degree that you list. If you have two graduate degrees in two different fileds, you can list them as follows: PhD (nursing), PhD (education) for example.

How would one enter their credentials if they have a PhD in Education with specialization in Nursing Education with a MHA, MSN, and BSN.

How you list your credentials (in which order, even which credentials to include) varies depending on where you are listing them, for what purpose. The important point is making sure that you indicate each credential correctly – the exact credential(s) you were awarded. A PhD is a research/theory degree/credential – meaning the degree focused on the theory and research methods that are central to the development of knowledge in the discipline. The area in which the PhD was earned (e.g. nursing, education, sociology, anthropology, etc.) is not indicated as part of the credential. An EdD is both a degree and an indicator that the doctorate is a professional degree focused on the application of knowledge in the discipline, and appropriate approaches to teaching the knowledge of the discipline. However, these conceptual distinctions are imprecise – the main point to know is the accurate representation of any credential that you earned.

Hi, there. I’m not sure this post will still receive responses. I’ve only recently stumbled across it, so I’m going to take a chance.

I am actively in pursuance of a dual master’s degree that will be completed within the year. I am also currently publishing chapters in two textbooks and freelancing/contracting on other projects. I was recently discussing my credentials with a colleague, and she suggested I find a way to include my dual master’s degrees in my upcoming publishings. I brought this suggestion to two of my professors and both felt that it was a good idea for my career outlook. Is there a way to appropriately and professionally include this information in a transparent way that clearly identifies these degrees are in progress and that I don’t currently hold these degrees?

I appreciate your responses. Thank you.

Excellent question,Kayla! Once the degrees are both complete you can list both of them with the discipline in parenthesis – like this: MS (Nursing), MS (Sociology) – for sure both need to be on your CV. And you can show both when this is relevant. But until they are completed, you can use the “author information” section for a published article, or for a presentation, to say that these are in process.

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PhD | Students on the Job Market

Students On The Job Market

Ready for rigorous research challenges and teaching positions at the top schools.

2023-2024 Job Market Candidates

Eunkyung An

Ph.D. Candidate in Marketing    Advisors : Masakazu Ishihara (Co-Chair), Raluca Ursu (Co-Chair), Tulin Erdem, and Xiao Liu Paper : "Habit Formation and Financial Rewards Through Digital Fitness" Research Interests : Healthcare, Online/Mobile Consumer Behavior, Structural Model, Machine Learning

Melanie Friedrichs

Ph.D. Candidate in Economics   Advisors : Stan Zin (Chair), Venky Venkatswaran and Ricardo Lagos Paper : "Inside Money, Employment, and the Nominal Rate" Research Interests : Macro

François Miguet

Ph.D. Candidate in Economics    Advisors : Venky Venkateswaran (Chair), Virgiliu Midrigan, and Simon Gilchrist Paper : "Household Balance Sheets and Firm Dynamics" Research Interests : Macroeconomics, Finance, Firm Dynamics, Monetary Policy

Olivia Foster-Gimbel

Ph.D. Candidate in Management    Advisors : Taylor Phillips Paper : "Authentic Allyship? Feeling authentic increases allyship behavior via greater psychological standing." Research Interests : Allyship, diversity, inequity, inclusion

Ph.D. Candidate in Operations (TOPS)    Advisors : Joshua Reed (Chair), Peter Lakner Paper : "Reflected Brownian motion with drift in a wedge" Research Interests : Probability theory and its applications (e.g. OR, Machine Learning/Deep Learning, stochastic modeling, etc.); with differential geometry methods and their interactions and applications to probability theory.

Weiqing Zhang

Ph.D. Candidate in Marketing    Advisors : Masakazu Ishihara (Co-Chair) Paper : "The Value of Content Inclusiveness: Evidence from a Social Media Platform" Research Interests : Structural Models, Causal Inference, Natural Language Processing, Field Experiments, Empirical IO

Stephanie Dong

Ph.D. Candidate in Accounting    Advisors : Eli Bartov (Chair), Viral Acharya, Christine Cuny, Vivian Fang Paper : "Strategic Disclosure of Recession Risk" Research Interests : Disclosure, macroeconomic and firm risks, risk incentives, blockchain and fintech.

Anuraag Aekka

Ph.D. Candidate in Economics    Advisors : Venky Venkateswaran (Chair), Michael Waugh, Jess Benhabib Paper : "Customers, Suppliers, and Firm Dynamics in India" Research Interests : Macroeconomics, Firm Dynamics, Development

Julia Selgrad

Ph.D. Candidate in Finance    Advisors : Alexi Savov (Chair), Robert Richmond,          Philipp Schnabl, Bruce Tuckman Paper : "Testing the Portfolio Rebalancing Channel of Quantitative Easing" Research Interests : Asset Pricing, Monetary Policy, Macro-Finance

Quinn Maingi

Ph.D. Candidate in Finance    Advisors : Holger Mueller (Chair), Alexi Savov, Philipp Schnabl, Simone Lenzu, Daniel Waldinger Paper : "Regional Banks, Aggregate Effects" Research Interests : Financial Intermediation and Banking, Applied Macroeconomics, Spatial Economics, Industrial Organization, Climate Finance

Shuqing Huang

Ph.D. Candidate in Accounting   Advisors : Ilan Guttman (Co-chair), April Klein (Co-chair), Chongho Kim, Xiaojing Meng Paper : "The Effects of Mandatory Environmental Disclosures on Environmental Alliances" Research Interests : Disclosures, Regulations, ESG, M&A

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• Capella University Blog
• PhD/Doctorate
• From a to z: doctoral degree glossary

From A to Z: doctoral degree glossary

August 19, 2015

As you consider a PhD or professional doctorate program, you might find you need to learn a new language just to understand the doctoral degree process and outcomes. Here are the most common terms (and their definitions) you might encounter.

ABD: “All but dissertation.” An unofficial phrase which describes a PhD candidate who has completed all the requirements of the degree program except for the final dissertation—and without the dissertation, the PhD cannot be awarded. It is NOT a recognized credential.

Accreditation : A quality assurance process that certifies educational institutions or programs for achieving and maintaining commonly recognized high standards. There are several career areas where graduating from an accredited program can make a difference in the type of career and the rate of pay graduates can earn. Learning about industry standards in your chosen field and what accreditation(s) are available are important points of research.

Colloquia/colloquium: See Residency

Comprehensive exam (also called qualifying, general, preliminary, or major field exam): Comprehensive exams (often simplified as “comps”) allow students to demonstrate competency within their program, and serve to ensure they are prepared to move into the dissertation phase of the degree.

Programs may also require students to complete qualifying or preliminary exams. These may be similar to comprehensive exams and may be taken in lieu of or in addition to comprehensive exams. Comprehensive exams are generally distinguished by their breadth of focus, and are designed to ensure students can demonstrate knowledge and readiness for the dissertation.

Dissertation : The dissertation is the final step in the PhD process after successful completion of the comprehensive exams. The actual project depends on the program, but regardless of the field of study, there will be a large research component that is meant to be developed into a final degree deliverable that will increase the body of knowledge in the chosen field, either by adding new contributions or by expanding and deepening previous studies. It will take the form of a written project that evaluates and interprets the research the PhD candidate has completed, usually in a five-chapter format that can run several hundred pages. It’s an independent project that’s the most intensive form of research and writing a doctoral candidate will undertake.

Dissertation advisor: Students will have a dissertation advisor to turn to for help in overcoming obstacles, managing time, writing advice, and planning for the dissertation. Generally an advisor is assigned by the university early in the student’s doctoral process, although some universities allow the student to select their own advisor. The advisor can guide a student through selecting coursework that will be the foundation needed to approach writing a dissertation. The advisor can also assist in navigating university policies and processes, and providing career advice or resources.

Dissertation milestones (phases of research): There are generally three primary stages of writing a dissertation (although at Capella University, there are 16 milestones along these three stages, to keep the process in small, manageable pieces):

• Proposal. By the time students complete coursework and colloquia, they should have selected a topic. Preparing the proposal involves developing the research plan and methodology; and obtaining approvals of the topic and research plan from the mentor, committee, and the Institutional Review Board (IRB).
• Data collection and research. The student takes the approved research plan and begins research.
• Writing. Once the research is complete, it’s time to write the dissertation. Generally, a dissertation will have five chapters: an outline of the full background of your study; a comprehensive literature review supporting your research; a discussion of your choice of research design, data collection, and analysis, and details of the research steps; the actual data analyses and results; and the final evaluation and interpretation of your results. (Some universities may require a sixth chapter of conclusions.)

IRB (Institutional Review Board): An IRB is a standing committee at a university that examines potential research projects to ensure that humans involved in the research are protected and the appropriate safeguards are in place. Dissertation research is always subject to IRB approval.

Mentor : Depending on the university, a mentor is either assigned to a student or chosen by the student early in the PhD process and is the first point of contact for questions and concerns about the program. They’re able to advise the student as to his/her academic progress and recommend resources, but they also provide emotional support and resources for managing non-academic issues that may be obstacles for the student, such as work-life balance, family issues, etc. In many cases, the mentor may help with career advice as well as academic guidance. They will guide the student through the research and dissertation process, often providing a more personal relationship.

PhD : The most common type of doctoral degree awarded in the U.S. The PhD prepares students to conduct research and contribute new knowledge in their field, with career outcomes usually focused on continued high-level research or entry to academia.

Professional Doctorate : A doctoral degree with a primary focus on applied research; considered a more career-focused degree. Professional doctorates will apply knowledge in the field rather than continuing research or teaching, or they will conduct research that will solve real-world problems in their specific field.

Qualitative research: Qualitative research focuses on examining a topic via cultural phenomena, human behavior, or belief systems. This type of research utilizes interviews, open-ended questions, or focus groups to gain insight into people’s thoughts and beliefs about certain behaviors and systems.

Quantitative research: Quantitative research involves data-gathering across a wide range of participants in order to uncover relationships, trends, or other characteristics across groups. This type of research involves statistical analysis of demographic, survey, experimental, or similar numerical data.

Research methodology : Working towards a PhD requires a dissertation, which requires research that studies a problem or gap in knowledge. There are several research methodologies available, but the most commonly used are the qualitative and quantitative methods (see above).

Residency: A transition step between coursework and the dissertation, residencies are meant to prepare the student for the dissertation work. Residency formats vary from school to school, but in general, there’s an in-person component that’s different from regular coursework. The content varies depending on your degree program, but students will likely learn how to identify a research problem and topic, conduct a literature review, develop a well-formed research question, select the correct research methodology and design, and begin developing a research strategy.

NOTE: Some universities may call this step colloquia. Additionally, it’s important to know that, depending on the context, a “residency” may have an entirely different function (such as a PsyD residency, which has different goals and objectives and is likely to include hands-on training in the field).

Scientific Merit Review (SMR): For a researcher to conduct ethical research, the research must demonstrate potential benefits that can offset potential risks to participants. Part of the IRB process is to consider the scientific merit of the study and determine if it has a reasonable risk/benefit ratio. The greater the risk a study presents, the more attentive the IRB must be to study design and scientific merit.

A study lacking in clear design or scientific merit has little benefit to justify participant risk. In contrast, a carefully designed study with clear potential for benefit may justify some degree of participant risk, presuming such risk is disclosed and minimized to the extent possible.

There are three criteria a dissertation must meet to receive approval on scientific merit:

• Will the research advance the scientific knowledge base?
• Will the research contribute to research theory?
• Does the research meet certain hallmarks of good research methodology?

Terminal Degree: A PhD or professional doctorate are considered a terminal degree—the highest academic achievement that can be attained.

Capella University offers PhD and professional doctorate degrees in programs ranging from business to education and health to technology. Learn more about Capella’s doctoral degree programs .

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November 25, 2019

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Graduate Students

John Abughattas PhD candidate

Mustafa Aziz PhD candidate Research Interests: Greek Philosophy, German Idealism, Phenomenology

Bethany Cates PhD candidate Research Interests:  Legal and Political Philosophy, Ethics, Meta-Ethics  

Justin Cavitt PhD candidate Research Interests: Set Theory, Mathematical Logic, Philosophy of Mathematics, Philosophy of Science

Luke Ciancarelli PhD candidate Research Interests:   Moral psychology, history of philosophy, ethics as first philosophy  

Britta Clark PhD candidate Research Interests: Moral And Political Philosophy (especially intergenerational justice and the ethics of climate change)

Megan Entwistle PhD candidate

Rachael Goodyer PhD candidate Research Interests: Ethics, Political Philosophy, 19th and 20th Century European Philosophy

Veronika Hammond PhD candidate Research Interests:  Philosophy of Mind, Cognitive Science, Epistemology

Shelby Hanna PhD candidate Research Interests:  Metaethics, Philosophy of Language

Denish Jaswal PhD candidate Research Interests: Epistemology, Philosophy of Mind, Feminist Philosophy, Emotions

Lucy Johnson PhD candidate  

Yunhyae Kim PhD candidate Research Interests: Social and Political Philosophy, Moral Philosophy

Matt Macdonald PhD candidate

Ian Martel PhD candidate Research Interests:   Metaphilosophy, History of Philosophy

Michael Mitchell JD/PhD candidate Research Interests: Moral, Political, and Legal Philosophy

Malcolm Morano PhD candidate Research Interests: Metaethics and Moral Psychology; analytic flavors of Marxism and Existentialism.

LaKeyma Pennyamon PhD candidate (AAAS) / MA candidate (Philosophy)  

Eden Sayed PhD candidate Research Interests: Philosophy of Science, Metaphysics

Ezra Schwartz PhD candidate  

Isaijah Shadrach PhD candidate  

Ryan Sirk PhD candidate

Asa Zabarsky PhD candidate Research Interests: Philosophy of mind, Philosophy of action, Moral psychology, Ethics

Email signatures for PhD students (content, tips and examples)

A lot of communication in academia occurs via email. Therefore, the power of a concise and effective email signature should not be underestimated. Find out how to create a professional email signature, and what to include, as a PhD student.

Why PhD students should have professional email signatures

Therefore, a professional email signature in academia is a must. PhD students are no exception to this rule.

An all-around academic profile includes professional networks and relations with colleagues and partners within and outside of academia. Think of joining an academic network, collaborating with policymakers, working with communities, or partnering with a private enterprise.

When getting in touch with people via email, you should make it as easy as possible for them. A proper email signature reminds them who you are, how to find out more about you, and how to contact you.

Don’t take that chance. Instead, help the readers of your emails out by providing them with a proper email signature to establish legitimacy.

Key elements to include in email signatures for PhD students

That said, there are key elements to include in every email signature as a PhD student:

Tips for creating a convincing email signature as a PhD student

#1 know your audience when creating an email signature.

Therefore, start thinking about your ambitions before creating your email signature.

#2 Keep your email signature short and simple

While a nice design is appreciated, don’t go crazy when creating your email signature.

#3 Include hyperlinks in your email signature instead of long web addresses

One way to reduce the text in an email signature is with hyperlinks.

Highlight the word CLIMATE with your cursor, then click on the link symbol:

#4 Should I include a picture in my email signature as a PhD student?

Think carefully about whether or not to include a picture in your email signature.

I think that the trend goes toward not including photos in email signatures. However, if you are unsure, ask some people from your university and your field what they think about it.

How to create an email signature as a PhD student

Creating an email signature in outlook.

Then you click on ‘ all settings ‘. A popup window will appear.

Creating an email signature in Gmail

If you use Gmail (www.gmail.com), you also click on ‘ settings ‘ in the righthand corner. Next, you click on ‘ see all settings ‘.

Making use of email signature templates

Templates can be a great way to create nicely designed email signatures, also as a PhD student.

4 examples of email signatures for PhD students

In the first example, Jane Doe decided to include her credentials and explains the subject area of her PhD. She also includes her phone number and email address and provides links to her list of publications and her online university profile. Jane’s ORCID ID and social media accounts are shown via symbols, which also include hyperlinks. Thus, readers can simply click on the symbols and reach her profiles.

In the fourth example, James Doe went for a more traditional look and decided to include the university’s logo. He defines his position as ‘PhD student in Sociology’ and indicates his participation in a research project, which is linked to the project’s website. Different to the previous examples, James also included his most recent publications. However, instead of providing the full references which would result in a very long email signature, he opted for a short title and included hyperlinks again.

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What's my professional title while working full time on my PhD?

After encountering a few official forms to fill out (tax, medical, LinkedIn, job applications), I don't know what my official job title is during my PhD. There doesn't seem to be a standard for this. I don't think "student" accurately reflects my role, because I'm doing research and getting a small stipend for it. What should I put down as my occupation?

• united-states

• 3 Do you mean your official title for immigration, tax forms, your business card, professional webpage...? Is this more for Europe or the US? –  smci Commented Feb 22, 2015 at 8:46
• 7 "Apprentice ninja" –  JeffE Commented Feb 22, 2015 at 15:54
• @smci For the US, and how I represent myself to non-academic entities –  Josh Hibschman Commented Feb 22, 2015 at 17:58
• 5 I don't understand how people were able to answer without any information about location or the precise status.... –  user9646 Commented Feb 22, 2015 at 18:22

6 Answers 6

Your professional title is Ph.D. student, or doctoral student, or just student.

• 2 What about doctorand(us)? –  Patric Hartmann Commented Feb 22, 2015 at 21:34
• 3 @PatricHartmann I've never head anybody use those before. Apparently, Doctorandus is a title in the Netherlands and Belgium, but I been have a number of colleagues from both countries and have spent time in both, and have never heard anyone actual use the word. Even in the ultra-formal procedures of the Dutch thesis defense where I served as an examiner, we called the candidate "waarde promovendus," and not doctorandus. –  jakebeal Commented Feb 22, 2015 at 22:43
• I can't speak for those places but my institution, which is located in Switzerland, uses these titles on a regular basis, also as an address during defence. –  Patric Hartmann Commented Feb 23, 2015 at 20:01
• 1 In Belgium the title doctorandus (f. doctoranda ) is definitely used to refer to a PhD student. At least in social and human sciences. –  Bram Vanroy Commented Apr 20, 2017 at 17:46

There's really three different things mixed up here.

Your job title , as an employee, is whatever it says on your paychecks. Maybe "Teaching Assistant" or "Research Assistant" or something similar. This is what you should list on job applications, etc, under "employment". No choice here.

Your educational status is "graduate student", "PhD student", or the like. You could also use language like "PhD (in progress)" or "PhD (expected completion 20xx)". You might be a "PhD candidate" but defer to your institution's rules as to if and when they consider you to have that status.

Your occupation is just a word to describe the field you are in and the type of work you do. So you could list "biologist", "historian", "physicist", etc, as appropriate. You could also choose something more generic like "researcher", "educator", "scientist".

For tax forms in particular, I don't think it makes a lot of difference how you describe your occupation. I don't actually know how they use this information (maybe a good question for Money.SE), but I've always assumed it was mainly that if you gave your occupation as "oil baron" or "railroad tycoon" and then reported a tiny income, they'd probably audit you.

• 2 Occupation usually means your job or being a student. Maybe profession is a better word for your third point? –  Kimball Commented Feb 22, 2015 at 9:13
• 1 I would consider it a stretch for a graduate student to declare that they are already a scientist, educator, etc: they are studying to become such, but are not yet there. –  jakebeal Commented Feb 22, 2015 at 15:01
• 5 What's a "paycheck"? Oh, you mean those annoying pieces of paper we used to have to take to the bank? They never include my job title. –  JeffE Commented Feb 22, 2015 at 15:53
• 2 @jakebeal I've published papers, attended conferences, and contributed to science before starting a PhD program. I don't see why one would lose the status of "researcher" after starting a PhD program. –  Azor Ahai -him- Commented May 3, 2019 at 21:30

During the time I was studying for my PhD, I put "Student" as my occupation on my income tax forms, even when I was being paid as a TA or GSR. That was after my industry career, so I had a more complicated financial situation. The returns were prepared by a tax-specialist CPA who agreed with "Student".

I had a lesser form of the "oil baron" issue Nate Eldredge mentioned: the change in occupation from "Computer Architect" to "Student" explained both the disappearance of the relatively high wages I had been reporting, and the appearance of educational expenses.

Your department may employ you as a "graduate teaching assistant" or "graduate research assistant" . In the US, at least, these title will be understood to imply that you are a student.

• 1 In this vein, in my graduate university students were "graduate student researchers", or GSRs. –  eykanal Commented Feb 22, 2015 at 2:26
• 2 It might be understood by academics but it won't be understood by anyone else. For example, every time I travel to the US, the immigration guys ask what I do for a living. I tell them I'm a researcher at a university (I'm a postdoc) and they invariably reply, "Oh, you're a PhD student?" because I didn't say I was a prof and the only people at universities are profs, grad students and undergrads, right? Also, "graduate research assistant" sounds, to my British ears, like a postdoc-type role for somebody who doesn't have a PhD. –  David Richerby Commented Feb 22, 2015 at 8:39
• @DavidRicherby: I fail to see any distinction between doctoral research and "postdoc-type role for somebody who doesn't have a PhD". –  Ben Voigt Commented Feb 22, 2015 at 23:16
• 1 @BenVoigt Doctoral research gets you a PhD; a postdoc-type role doesn't. –  David Richerby Commented Feb 23, 2015 at 1:00
• @DavidRicherby: Being in a doctoral degree program and completing its requirements gets you a PhD. The research is just one of the requirements, and the associated tasks are really no different from the postdoc-type role you mention. –  Ben Voigt Commented Feb 23, 2015 at 1:02

Since you mention title for tax purposes and similar, if I were you I would assume the title of whatever your "job" functions are. Generally, in the case of a PhD candidate, you are usually either a "Assistant Lecturer" or "Doctoral Candidate Research Assistant." Otherwise, you are a Doctoral Candidate, which I would use to explain my job title, rather than student.

You may not like it, but it is: student.

• I served three stints as my department’s grad program director. Graduate students were simply that until they passed the several qualification requirements for admission to PhD candidacy. Those who passed were then PhD candidates. And have an upvote, what the hell. –  Ed V Commented Dec 28, 2021 at 21:59

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PhD Students

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Research : Statistical methods for addressing critical questions in evaluating adverse birth outcomes among mothers with HIV

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Year : 2   |  Advisor : Andrea Foulkes Research : High-dimensional statistics, SARS-CoV-2 and long COVID

Jerry (Chia-Rui) Chang

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Year : 3   |  Advisor : Rui Wang Research : Robust weghting method to handle multilevel missing outcomes in cluster randomized trials

Kevin Lee Chen

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Year : 3   |  Advisor :  Rachel Nethery Research : A space-time causal inference analysis of the differential impacts of COVID-19 lockdowns on PM2.5 levels in the United States

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Year : 3   |  Advisor : Xihong Lin

Research : Statistical genetics, polygenic risk scores

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Year : 3   |  Advisor :  José Zubizarreta Research :  Matching techniques for generalization and individualization

Ellen Considine

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Year : 2   |  Advisors : Francesca Dominici & Rachel Nethery Research : Environmental health, spatial statistics, measurement error Personal Website: https://ellenmconsidine.wixsite.com/mysite

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Year : 4   |  Advisors : Brent Coull & Finale Doshi-Velez Research : Variable selection in Bayesian neural networks

Rebecca Danning

[email protected] Year : 2  | Academic Advisor : Xihong Lin

Wenying Deng

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Year : 5   |  Advisor : Brent Coull Research : Machine learning, robust statistics

Julie-Alexia Dias

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Year : 1 Research : Statistical Genetics, Cancer Epidemiology

Dominic DiSanto

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Year : 1   Personal Website : https://domdisanto.github.io/

Patrick Emedom-Nnamdi

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Year : 4   |  Advisor : Jukka-Pekka Onnela Research : Approaches to digital phenotyping in patients with spine disease

Anuraag Gopaluni

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Isabella Grabski

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Year : 4   |  Advisors : Giovanni Parmigiani & Rafael Irizarry Research : Statistical methods for single-cell data, and Bayesian multi-study machine learning for genomic applications

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Year : 4   |  Advisor :  Tianxi Cai Research : Semi-supervised inference and distributed learning using electronic health records and optimal trial design Personal Website : https://larrylehan.github.io

Intekhab Hossain

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Year : 3   |  Advisors : John Quackenbush & Rebekka Burkholz Research : Using neural ODEs to predict the dynamics of gene-regulatory networks

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Year: 3   |  Advisor:  Peter Kraft Area of Research: An inference of the negative-selection level for cancer genomics and a fast Bayesian screen to identify pleiotropic loci and describe pleiotropic profiles

Gopal Kotecha

Year : 4   |  Advisor : Lorenzo Trippa Research : Uncertainty directed factorial clinical trials

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Year : 4   |  Advisor :  Xihong Lin Research : Hospital volume, standardized infection ratio, and CMS reimbursement

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Year : 3   |  Advisor : Xihong Lin Research : Evaluation of heritability estimation methods with application to UK biobank data

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[email protected] Personal Website : janewliang.github.io

Gabriel Loewinger

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Jonathan Luu

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Year : 3   |  Advisor : Rui Wang Research : Estimating the treatment effect in randomized trials with correlated time-to-event outcomes

Lara Maleyeff

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Year : 3   |  Advisor :   Rui Wang Research : The effect of clustser size variability and intracluster correlation estimation on statistical power in HIV-prevention studies

Sean McGrath

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Year : 3   |  Advisor :   Rajarshi Mukherjee Research : On undersmoothing and sample splitting for nonparametric functional estimation

Madhav Sankaranarayanan

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Corriene Sept

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Year : 3   |  Advisor : Martin Aryee Research : Method development for epigenomics

Shuting Shen

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Year : 4   |  Advisor : Xihong Lin Research : Hypothesis tests for homogeneous stochastic block model

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Year : 4   |  Advisor :  Rui Wang Research : Methods for Meta-Analysis and Modeling of HIV Viral Rebound

Octavious Talbot

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Jeanette Varela

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Year : 4   |  Advisor :  Giovanni Parmigiani   Research : Multi-Study Ensemble Learning Methods

Stephanie Wu

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Year : 3   |  Advisor :  Michael Hughes Research : Development of a nested case-control study for correlated binary outcomes

Catherine Xue

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Year : 3   |  Advisors : Jeffrey Miller & Scott Carter Research : Statistically robust model selection for mutational signature discovery

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Year : 4   |  Advisor : Francesca Dominici   Research : Causal inference methods to address outcome misclassification and other types of bias using environmental health data

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Year : 3   |  Advisor : Sharon-Lise Normand Research : Modernizing risk adjustments for comparing hospitals

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Year : 4   |  Advisors : Martin Aryee &  Rafael Irizarry Research : Statistical and computational methods for spatial genomics

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Doctoral Degrees

A doctoral degree requires the satisfactory completion of an approved program of advanced study and original research of high quality..

Please note that the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and Doctor of Science (ScD) degrees are awarded interchangeably by all departments in the School of Engineering and the School of Science, except in the fields of biology, cognitive science, neuroscience, medical engineering, and medical physics. This means that, excepting the departments outlined above, the coursework and expectations to earn a Doctor of Philosophy and for a Doctor of Science degree from these schools are generally the same. Doctoral students may choose which degree they wish to complete.

Applicants interested in graduate education should apply to the department or graduate program conducting research in the area of interest. Some departments require a doctoral candidate to take a “minor” program outside of the student’s principal field of study; if you wish to apply to one of these departments, please consider additional fields you may like to pursue.

Below is a list of programs and departments that offer doctoral-level degrees.

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• Common PhD Interview Questions
• Applying to a PhD

In this guide, we’ll share 11 common PhD interview questions and our suggestions on how to answer them.

A PhD interview is an essential step in securing a doctorate position. This is because it enables the prospective supervisor to get to know you better and determine whether you’d be a good fit for the project. Equally, it provides you with the opportunity to learn more about the project and what the university offers. Although being asked to attend an interview by the admissions committee can be daunting, it’s actually a positive sign. It means that based on your application and academic qualification, the academic department believes you have the potential to make a good PhD student for the position.

Whilst most questions you’ll be asked during your PhD interview will focus on your proposed research project, a handful of generic questions will almost certainly be asked. To give yourself the best chance of succeeding in the interview, we highly recommend that you prepare answers to these generic questions beforehand.

Without further delay, here are 11 common PhD interview questions and tips on how you should answer them.

1. Tell Us About Yourself

It comes at no surprise that this common ice-breaker question is at the top of our list. This question will likely be asked to help you calm your initial nerves and settle into your interview. As this is a warm-up question, aim to give the interviewer a general overview about yourself as opposed to a detailed breakdown. To achieve this, structure your answer into three sections:

• Academic History : start with a summary of your academic background – where and what have you studied? What grades did you achieve?
• Research Topic : go onto explain your research interest in your chosen topic – what do you like about it? Do you intend to pursue a career related to it upon obtaining your degree?
• Why a PhD : Finish with why you want to undertake a PhD – do you want to make a contribution to science? Do you want to get a job in academia?

2. Why Do You Want to Do A PhD?

Although you may have touched on this in your answer to the above, your interviews will want to know more of the detail if they ask this question as a direct followup.

Though it may appear obvious, the interviewer is specifically interested in discovering your personal motivations for undertaking a PhD . Too often, students answer this question by listing the benefits of a PhD. Not only will the interviewer already know the benefits of a PhD, but a generic answer also won’t help you stand out among the other applicants.

To answer this question and leave a lasting impact, try to include an academic or personal experience that has strengthened your passion for research. As well as this, outline what your career aspirations are and explain how the proposed PhD will help you achieve them. The key to selling yourself here is to let the interviewer know how passionate you are about the project without having to say it.

3. Why Did You Choose This Project?

This is your chance to show that you have researched the University, supervisor and project.

First, talk about the project. Is there a particular aspect that you’re interested in? If so, mention it. This will show that you’re engaged in the topic and already have a basic understanding of the field. Besides this, a great way to show that you’ve really looked into the research topic would be to discuss a certain part of the methodology the project could adopt.

Next, talk about the University – there may be several universities offering similar projects, but what makes this one stand out? Is it their resources? Is it the prospective supervisor’s research group? Is it their previous involvement in previous influential studies? Again, show that you’ve adequately researched the University and clearly understand what makes it unique.

Finally, you can mention if your decision to apply to their university has been influenced by the expertise of the proposed supervisor. Given that the supervisor will be highly knowledgeable in the research topic you’re applying to, it’s possible they may have contributed to some significant findings in it. If so, it’s acceptable to acknowledge this by mentioning how you would like the opportunity to work under their guidance. However, be careful not to overdo. Although you may be sincere in your answer, it can go against you if your supervisor feels like you’re trying to flatter him. To avoid giving this impression, focus on how his or her expertise will help you develop into a competent researcher.

4. Why Should We Choose You?

A very blunt question, but your PhD supervisor will want to make sure you’re the best candidate for the position. This is especially true given they’ll be responsible for supporting you over the next few years. Therefore, the primary aim of your answer will be to reassure them you have the skills and experience required to undertake a doctoral study. To achieve this, identify the critical knowledge and skills required for the project and discuss how you meet each of these. Follow up each justification with a short, relevant example to help give your answers more impact.

When asked this question, some students tend to just summarise their academic CV and cover letter . This isn’t an effective way to answer the question as you’re telling the supervisor information they already know about you. It’s fine to reiterate a few key points, however, try to delve deeper into what you can offer going forward as opposed to what you’ve achieved in the past. As part of your answer, identify the soft skills which will be imperative to the doctorate and state how you have each of these. These can include skills such as effective communication, great time management, problem-solving, adaptability and high work ethic.

5. How Did You Come up With This Project?

If you’ve developed your own research proposal , then expect to have to defend it as part of your interview. You should have a thorough understanding of what the current gaps in knowledge are surrounding your research topic and how these could limit the findings of your study. Besides this, you’ll want to show that you’re clear on what the key aims and objectives of your project are and appreciate how they could contribute to your field of research. This last point is essential in convincing the interviewers this project is a worthy pursuit. What makes your project groundbreaking and worth dedicating several years to?

The interviewer wants to know if you have thought out all aspects of your project and so will likely scrutinise the finer details of your proposal. Therefore, be ready to outline the literature you’ve read and discuss how you evaluated different methodologies before suggesting your current one.

If you want an edge over other students, you can also produce a high-level plan, similar to the one below (but with more detail), which outlines the different phases of your research project. This can include stages such as the literature review, undertaking experiments, producing your thesis and preparing for your viva voce. Although they won’t expect your plan to be fully accurate, especially given how dynamic research projects can be, it will show your positive attitude towards being imitative and taking responsibility for your project.

6. What Challenges Are You Expecting to Encounter in This Project?

A common PhD interview question students struggle with is “What difficulties do you think you will face?” This purpose of this question is to check how much you’ve thought about the project. Students who provide a poor answer generally do so as they think admitting to any potential difficulties may make them seem incompetent. This couldn’t be any further from the truth.

Identifying potential difficulties shows the interviewers you’ve given serious thought to the project. This reassures the supervisor that should you run into difficulties during the research, you’re not only capable of identifying them but also mature enough to do so. Not highlighting potential difficulties, whether it’s due to a lack of confidence or understanding the project, suggests your project will be vulnerable to problems which could go amiss.

When answering this question, try to follow up on each potential difficulty with how you intend to address it. This can include measures such as making use of internal development opportunities, enrolling onto external training courses or signing up to specific research master classes.

7. What Are Your Strengths and Weaknesses?

This is a standard question for most interviews, and a PhD interview is no different.

Pick strengths that compliment your PhD programme. For example, if applying to a Physics or Engineering PhD, mentioning you have good attention to detail would be highly beneficial given the amount of data analysis involved. Try to support each of your claims with a relevant example. Using the above case as an example, you could discuss how as part of your Bachelor’s or Master’s dissertation project, your high attention to detail allowed you to streamline some of your experiments or identify potential problems with your data.

Likewise, try to discuss a weakness that won’t be detrimental to your research project. An example of something you would want to avoid would be “I have a tendency to put the hard tasks off until the end until I know I should really start working on them to not miss any deadlines“. Although this may seem like a harmless response, it will seriously concern the interview panel. This is because a model student will need to be consistent in their efforts to meet the challenging workload, even in times of difficulty. As before, follow up your weakness with a plan on how you intend to address it. For example, if you state your weakness as public speaking, a suitable follow up would be to discuss how you would like to work on it by presenting your research to undergraduate students and attending seminars.

Finding a PhD has never been this easy – search for a PhD by keyword, location or academic area of interest.

8. Can You Describe a Time You Encountered a Problem or Challenge and How You Approached It?

A key trait of all successful researchers is the ability to overcome problems independently. Given that even a minor problem can derail a research project, it’s important for your project supervisor to know whether you can adequately address them.

Despite what your example may me, try to cover the below three aspects as part of your answer:

• Identification – How did you identify the problem? Was a check you had in place triggered or did you stumble upon it naturally?
• Deconstruction – How did you break the problem down? Did you identify any assumptions or limitations which could have been associated with it? If so, how?
• Overcoming – How did you identify the solution? If you had several solutions, how did you determine the most sensible one? What did you learn from it?

Your example doesn’t need to relate directly to the research programme you’re applying to, however, it should be kept academic if possible. For example, you could discuss a challenge you encountered during your undergraduate dissertation project, such as limited literature on your research topic or inaccurate experiment results.

The key point to remember here is that a supervisor is there to supervise, not to fix all your problems. Not only will they not have the time do to this, but it will directly go against the ethical requirement of ensuring your work is yours and yours alone.

9. What Are Your Career Aspirations?

Your interviewers will want to see that you’ve considered what you will do after completing your PhD. This is to help them determine what your motivations are and to confirm that you want to enrol onto a PhD for the right reasons. It’s clear that anyone who has thought through their decision will have a long-term plan in mind, even if it’s a handful of well-considered options.

Don’t feel like your answer needs to relate to academia. One of the many benefits of a PhD degree is that it can lead to a variety of career paths. By being open with your true intentions, they can better determine what support and training you’ll require from them.

Despite your long-term goals, research into this and know the route you’d like to take post-PhD. A good understanding of your career plans and how to get there will go a long way in conveying your commitment to the project.

10. How Will You Fund This Project?

The interviewing panel will ask about this if your project is self-funded or conditionally funded (e.g. competitive funding schemes where funding is not guaranteed).

You don’t need to provide a complete breakdown of your savings, nor would they expect you to. The primary concern the interviewers want to address is that you’re fully aware of the costs associated with undertaking a PhD . If you intend to apply for external funding or take on a part-time job, mention this. In doing so, make sure you stress that you will base your part-time work around your PhD and not the other way around. The interviewers want to reassure themselves that you will make your research your top priority throughout the course of your degree.

11. Do You Have Any Questions for Us?

This interview is not only for the supervisors to evaluate you but also for you to evaluate them, the PhD project and University.

Although you will have already researched the position at length, ensure you ask questions when offered to do so. Asking questions will show that you’re engaged and are an individual who likes to make informed decisions. Not asking questions, or not asking well thought-out ones, will send the wrong message.

If you’re wondering what makes a great question, a quick internet search for “What questions should I ask at a PhD Interview?” show’s you’re not alone. Some examples of great questions to ask in a PhD interview are:

• Are there any major developments or partnerships planned for the department? – Although this won’t always be the case, the department may be planning to upgrade its research facilities or partner with another leading institution. Asking about this shows you’re genuinely enthusiastic about undertaking influential research.
• What are the supervision arrangements? – This is a great way to find out if your expectations match that of your potential supervisors. This can include aspects such as how often the two of you will meet and what level of support they intend to provide.
• Will there be any opportunities for teaching within the department? – If you intend to pursue an academic career after completing your research, this will be a brilliant way to show them you’re committed to your long-term plans. Even if you plan on following a different career path, asking will let you know whether there is any opportunity to earn whilst you study.
• What opportunities will I have for presenting my research? – This shows you intend to be an active member within your research field. This won’t be great only for your development but will help the university increase its research network and reputation in the wider community.

Other PhD Interview Tips and Advice to Help You Prepare

• Format – The format of the PhD interview varies depending on the University. If you’re unsure of what format your upcoming interview will follow, get in touch with the department you will interview with. They should be able to give you an idea about what to expect and how long it will typically last. This knowledge will prove invaluable when preparing for a PhD interview.
• Video interview – Some interviews will be conducted as either a phone interview or a skype interview. This is especially true if you’re an international student still within your home country. If so, conduct your interview in a place with a reliable internet connection and a clean backdrop.
• Attendance – Usually, your interview will comprise the primary and secondary supervisor. However, sometimes your interview panel can comprise non-technical staff or the Head of Department.
• Presentation – You may be asked to prepare a PhD interview presentation if you’re proposing your own research topic . If you’re requested to do this, keep it brief, use at least 80% of the time they permit and base it around your research proposal.
• Paperwork – Bring two to three copies of your application form, and if applicable, your research proposal. Although in most cases your interviewers would have bought their own copy, it’s better to be on the safe side.
• Etiquette – If you’re unsure of what to wear to a PhD interview, a good general rule of thumb is to wear what you would to a formal job interview. In other words, keep it formal. Additionally, learn how to pronounce the names of the interviewers and any other staff members you may mention beforehand.
• Practice – There’s a lot of truth in the old saying ‘practice makes perfect’. You will want to practise as many PhD interview questions as you can. Don’t just limit yourself to the ones discussed on here. Find as many PhD questions as you can and prepare draft answers for all of them. In fact, you don’t even need to limit yourself to questions specifically for PhD students. There are many out there that, although written for generic academic interviews or the job market, will be applicable to you. If you find yourself short on resources, try searching for ‘tell us a time when you…’ in google as these will provide great scenario-based questions you can practise with.

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PhD Candidates

Start your career at list.

Do you hold a Master degree related to nanotechnologies and advanced materials , environmental technologies or Information Technologies , and are you now wishing to pursue interesting and rewarding research within an attractive environment? Doctoral and post-doctoral researchers are part of the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology’s (LIST) everyday life . At LIST, we believe that incorporating PhD students is a strategic focus that enables us not only to maintain strong ties to academia, but also to work on cutting-edge topics with a view towards scientific publishing.

More than 80 PhD students are consequently supervised , either with the universities of the Greater Region with which we have had natural academic partnerships for many years, or with the many international universities that work in the same areas as us. More than 50 post-doctoral researchers are also working at LIST in the framework of research projects.

Face new challenges

You are currently pursuing higher education and you need to complete a work placement. At LIST, you can:

• Enter into the world of research
• Be involved in the successful operation of a research project
• Train with highly-qualified specialists
• Access a multicultural company, with links to both academia and businesses, which welcomes numerous students

Why choose LISt for your doctoral training?

Located at the heart of Belval Innovation Campus, which gathers the key Luxembourgish research players on a unique single site , LIST is a challenging hosting multidisciplinary and multicultural institution with coworkers coming from all over the world . LIST PhDs have the opportunity to:

• work in the context of applied research, oriented towards the development of innovative technologies,
• work closely alongside national and international industry
• benefit from state of the art equipment, facilities, tools and capabilities.

By doing your PhD at LIST, you will enter a challenging hosting institution where you can benefit from a tailored offer :

• Personalized support throughout your PhD
• Individual training plan for your personal development
• Complementary cooperation between LIST and your university
• Leading experts and professional supervision.

We can welcome you in one of our three technology departments or into our administrative and support departments , depending on your profile.

Recruitment privacy notice

M-2512 PHD IN PYROELECTRIC ENERGY HARVESTING DEVICE

Materials 

E-2426 PHD IN USING EXPERIMENTAL DATA AND MACHINE LEARNING TO BENCHMARK HYDROLOGICAL MODELS

Environment 

E-2461 PHD STUDENT IN BUILDING ENERGY MODELLING AND PROSPECTIVE LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT

M-2463 PHD IN PRINTED STRAIN SENSORS FOR TIRES

M-2464 PHD IN PIEZOELECTRIC CERAMICS FOR ENERGY HARVESTING

M-2504 PHD IN SURFACE ACOUSTIC WAVE STRAIN SENSOR

M-2506 PHD IN PIEZOELECTRIC SENSORS

M-2511 PHD IN MATERIALS FOR PYROELECTRIC ENERGY HARVESTING

M-2466 PHD STUDENT IN DEVELOPMENT OF NOVEL SEALANT FORMULATIONS FOR TYRE APPLICATIONS

Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST)

5, avenue des Hauts-Fourneaux L-4362 Esch-sur-Alzette

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Shreya Dutt

PHD Candidate

Fields: Development Economics, Macroeconomics, Urban Economics

Advisors: David Lagakos, Benjamin Marx

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PhD programmes

Are you interested in a PhD programme?

PhD Programmes attendance at the University of Bologna is conditional upon passing an examination. The provisions governing the selection procedure are laid down in the Call for applications and its attachments.

• University of Bologna PhD programmes
• Other phd programmes the University of Bologna is involved in
• Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions – COFUND FutureData4EU Programme - 53 PhD positions to train new Big Data talents
• Funded Phd research projects
• How to apply for a PhD programme
• FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions on the PhD Call for applications and selection procedures

Are you a PhD candidate at Unibo?

Consult the Intranet Website for information concerning your career, the opportunities and services available for PhD candidates enrolled at the University of Bologna: PhD grants, tuition fees, exemption, agreements, Co-tutorship "cotutelle" agreement, mobility, requirements for staying abroad, absences, thesis, final exam, etc.

• Intranet Website (restricted access with @unibo credentials only)
• Regulation Governing the PhD Programme Degrees (Third Cycle Programme)
• Internationalisation of the PhD programme
• Certificates for PhD candidates

PhD programmes with firms and bodies

The PhD programme degree may well be a preferential tool for scientific collaboration with the University of Bologna and for exchanging the knowledge and competencies that underpin innovation.

• PhD programme with companies and public institutions
• PhD Apprenticeship Programmes

Attachments

PhD Programmes brochure [.pdf 525 KB]

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• AMS PhD thesis Published
• Recognition of foreign qualifications Published