Graduating around the globe
MIKE SHARPLES & CHRISTOTHEA HERODOTOU
United Kingdom
A PhD in the UK normally takes between three and four years of full-time research, but that can vary greatly. One student at his first supervision session asked for the minimum time to complete a UK PhD. He was told that formally it is two years, but nobody completes it within that time. “I will,” he replied. Precisely two years after registration, he submitted his thesis and passed after minor revisions. For some other students, the opposite is the case: their funding ends, yet the PhD drags on for up to eight years.
Higher education in the UK is complex, not least because the four parts of the UK (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) have different systems with their own funding and policy requirements. However, the PhD process is fairly similar throughout the UK. Overseas students pay considerably more in fees than UK students (fee levels for European PhD students beyond 2022 have yet to be resolved). Many universities offer scholarships and bursaries for selected students. The UK supports four-year funded doctoral
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