Advice - PhD in Engineering

L

Can I complete my degree in another 2 years?

Background: I have a MS in electrical engineering. I spent the 1st year of my PhD program finishing up the required coursework. This January, I take the Quals. In a few weeks, I'll narrow down an advisor. Can I theoretically spend these next 2 years passing the quals, doing research, and finishing my dissertation? Any advice to make that goal reality is welcome.

S

Hi there,

Have you actually been registered for the PhD for that first year? Most unis require you to have attended for at least 3 years to gain a PhD (in the UK anyway, I'm not sure about abroad). You will often also have needed to have completed a certain number of modules of taught work. Assuming that you have either been registered for that 1st year or that you are not required to attend for 3 years then you COULD in theory do it. In reality I reckon no chance. Most PhDs over run the 3 years, so trying to do it in 2 is very very very ambitious. Why not just do it in three years? Plus, if you're working from January do you not in fact have 2 and a half years? You could then use 6 months of write up time on top to make it three years. It would then be possible IF everything goes well and you really work your @rse off.

Don't plan to try and do it in 2 years, you'll probably not manage that and probably near kill yourself trying.

H

======= Date Modified 19 Aug 2011 10:25:57 =======
Hi

I totally agree with Screamingaddabs.  Trying to do it in 2 years is very very very ambitious. My PhD is in Mechanical Engineering and I only have to attend once a week laboratory seminar. I had wasted time doing my second Masters, so I was aiming to finish my PhD in 2.5years, including 4 months of company internship/ practical training. But in the end I end up feeling more stressed, which slower down my work and now I aiming to finish in 3 years and 3 months- including the 4 months internship.
The only person in Science stream that I heard finished PhD within 2.5 years (not 2 years) was doing an industrial project, the project was quite established (the equipments are properly set up already), where he did not need to start from scratch and I guess maybe he got a lot of useful input from the supervisor and company (since they have a lot of experience in conducting the study before).

Good luck!(up)

L

======= Date Modified 19 Aug 2011 14:45:48 =======
I was registered for the PhD program during the first year so it counts. Technically, I've finished up 1 year and was hoping that I needed just 2 more years. (That makes the program a total of 3 years.)

So, 3 more years? (That is, 4 years total?) Ugh. Oh well. Thanks.

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