Hiya,

As a generalisation, doing a PhD in any discipline, can one expect to do exams, or do PhD's generally tend to be ongoing written work with several presentations to be done?

Please advise.

Hello

The brief and general answer to your question would be "it depends where you do your phd, and in what field/programme you are in" For some programs, it looks like this:

1. The first two years are usually when the students complete a coursework. This may be theory-focused, method-focused, or even writing-focused. Each course requires examinations, in which you get a grade. In some places grades are no big deal, publication is the big deal. I don't know how computer science phds do theirs.

2. Most students use the first two years to prepare their papers. So they compose their lit reviews, narrow down the research, etc...

3. After the first two years, you go the quals, or make your transer to continue to the followong years as a phd.

4. There's teaching work, assistantship work, etc...

5. There are conferences to be attended, with different schedules. Some conf occur in the spring, some in winter.

6. You do all these while you write your thesis. So writing up is your main work, and you do 1-5 as you go along.

Hope this is useful.

Cheers JJJ.

I am hoping to do a PhD in a medical related field. (very tired of exams now).

Are exams generally heard of when doing a PhD?

Regards

My PhD has been completed as part of my uni's graduate education programme. So not exams per se but a required number of modules and associated assignments (usually 5000 word essay) to complete. The PhD still fails or passes on the thesis alone but you have to amass the credits in order to be able to submit.

Presentations at conferences is generally part of the process but usually not compulsory. Publications are advisable but really your PhD is the thesis. Everything else is extra.

In the UK the system doesn't involve course work, and PhDs are completed much quicker than in the US where that system applies.

We don't have written exams, but there are often oral exams to get past, so upgrade vivas etc.

Did I miss something out of JJJ's response? I'm assuming this is North American (USA & Canada) PhDs you're describing and certainly not UK PhD style

Hello Patseya,

You are right, it is "certainly not a UK PhD style."
I tried to help by giving a specific answer to a general question, which was posted with no references on the subject (initially) and geographic area of interest.

Congrats on your viva :-)

I'm not in North American or Canada and I've had a good bit of course work.