Hello!
I would like to ask you a question: I already hold a Phd in History from an European university, and now I`m intending to apply to a Phd in United States. Given these circumstances, do you think that do I have a chance at being accepted for a Phd in USA?

Thank you very much!

I wouldn't neccesarily be looking at whether or not I'd be accepted onto another PhD programme (which I feel is unlikely), but whether or not I'd have any real hope of career progression if I held two PhDs (presumably in a similar area). Doing a second PhD just seems like stagnation and in any career, but especially academia, you need to be seen to be progressing all the time.

Go with your wife to South Florida but think seriously about whether or not a second PhD is a sensible idea.

That said, I doubt they'd offer you a place if you already hold a doctorate.

The function of a PhD is to train you to become an independent researcher. Of course, there are other aspects to it, but from a training/study point of view, that's what distinguishes it from, say, a research assistant position.

Why do you want to do a second PhD?

I think they might offer you a place if you are the one covering the fees the second time around. But I think you'd be very unlikely to get any sort of funding. And then when you look for a job afterwards, I think you'd run into big problems in many ways. For academic jobs potential employers would wonder why you had gone for a second PhD rather than moved your career on, and outside academia it just makes you look even more over-qualified for non-academic jobs.

Bad idea all round I say. There are rare occasions of people doing second PhDs that I think may be worthwhile. For example I know one lady who originally did a PhD in Russian history, who switched over to do research in computer science, and is now doing a part-time PhD in that to cement her new role. But there have to be very good reasons. There are very big potential downsides to it that need to be overcome.

Bogdan,

I understand what you are saying, but to repeat exactly what I said on the other thread, is there not any suitable post-doc you can apply for there instead?

You may find the Uni. does not look favourably on your application if you already have a PhD. There's issues of you denying a new student an opportunity and the perceived image of hiring a continuous or perpetual student.

To add, funding will be very difficult to obtain for a second PhD.

Ian (Mackem_Beefy)