To Phd or not to Phd.

[int]

Identifying the mode of action by which Manuka honey exerts its effects on the problematic Gram negative organism Pseudomonas aeruginosa

It isn't 100% what I wanted to do however the skills within the PhD are spot on and will help me later on (antimicrobial discovery and development).

Don't think you'll be tied to just that, a lot of PhDs are quite flexible if you happen to come up with something that might be more interesting, as long as it's in the same vein.

'Pay' is between £12-16k a year untaxed, but can go up to £22k, which is rare, afaik.

Funding isn't easily available.

From experience, funding seems readily available through universities and smaller charities (£12-16k). It's the bigger charities such as Cancer Research UK and the BHF who are struggling to fund as many PhDs as they have in the past. I had my funding from the BHF pulled two weeks before I was supposed to start back in 2009!

 

[RomanNose]

Who funds PHDs is it companies or the University?

 

[DanTheMan]

Who funds PHDs is it companies or the University?

Companies and research councils afaik.

 

[sbi5ar]

I bet you write that with your eyes shut?

On a serious note.. hope all goes well!

Yes haha... and thanks

On another note, how much are PhD's these days, is funding easily available?

See below, however you do get an extra bonus of not having to pay council tax which adds up over the year Plus most universities will give PhD students demonstrating roles in undergraduate practicals (talking from experience in Science anyway) which pays nice (on top of your salary).

'Pay' is between £12-16k a year untaxed, but can go up to £22k, which is rare, afaik.

Funding isn't easily available.

 

[.Jay.]

'Pay' is between £12-16k a year untaxed, but can go up to £22k, which is rare, afaik.

Funding isn't easily available.

Meaning a PhD could easily set you back 40-50k? I would imagine to get a decent ROI as well on the years spent studying would take a fair while?

 

[sbi5ar]

Companies and research councils afaik.

Universities can fund them as well. Normally they will fund X per year. All of the departments interested bid on the money (hand in a proposal) and the best one (or more often than not, the lecturer that is connected well with the powers that be) gets it.

 

[Nitefly]

From experience, funding seems readily available through universities and smaller charities (£12-16k). It's the bigger charities such as Cancer Research UK and the BHF who are struggling to fund as many PhDs as they have in the past. I had my funding from the BHF pulled two weeks before I was supposed to start back in 2009!

It will depend on the research area, but generally it's become less and less available. There isn't an abundance of PhD places the last time I heard, at least not compared with 5 years ago.

 

[sbi5ar]

Meaning a PhD could easily set you back 40-50k? I would imagine to get a decent ROI as well on the years spent studying would take a fair while?

It wouldn't set you back anything... Unless you are self funded.

The funding body pays the tuition fees, bench fees (lab fees etc), and your bursary.

 

[DAnDan]

Meaning a PhD could easily set you back 40-50k? I would imagine to get a decent ROI as well on the years spent studying would take a fair while?

It would be extremely rare to be funding the PhD yourself, there's no loans available for it (as far as I know), so you'd have to have the cash to hand, which I doubt many people do!

Get the PhD funded from the university/industry/somewhere else, live off the pay you get, shouldn't set you back too much?

 

[int]

It would be extremely rare to be funding the PhD yourself, there's no loans available for it (as far as I know), so you'd have to have the cash to hand, which I doubt many people do!

Get the PhD funded from the university/industry/somewhere else, live off the pay you get, shouldn't set you back too much?

Almost all science-based PhDs are funded by either an external body or the university. You'll be paid (a stipend, tax free), fees will be paid for you and usually you'll get a consumable budget of around £2000 p/a. It won't set you back at all and in fact if you're paid highly by one of the bigger charities, you can usually start some good savings. It's essentially a research job, with the benefit of getting a second degree out of it.

It will depend on the research area, but generally it's become less and less available. There isn't an abundance of PhD places the last time I heard, at least not compared with 5 years ago.

Perhaps it's the area I'm in (geographically and topically). They seem to be flooding in at the moment, we're running out of room in the labs!

 

[sbi5ar]

It would be extremely rare to be funding the PhD yourself, there's no loans available for it (as far as I know), so you'd have to have the cash to hand, which I doubt many people do!

Get the PhD funded from the university/industry/somewhere else, live off the pay you get, shouldn't set you back too much?

If you do have a rich family member who would fund you it would be the best PhD as you can fully tailor it to do what you want (dependant upon the supervisors available at your chosen university). Most other PhDs are just someone else's idea which can be hard to change as the person funding it wants to find out what they originally set out to do.

 

[sbi5ar]

Almost all science-based PhDs are funded by either an external body or the university. You'll be paid (a stipend, tax free), fees will be paid for you and usually you'll get a consumable budget of around £2000 p/a. It won't set you back at all and in fact if you're paid highly by one of the bigger charities, you can usually start some good savings. It's essentially a research job, with the benefit of getting a second degree out of it.

Mwuhahaha, mine is £5k

 

[int]

Mwuhahaha, mine is £5k

I'm lucky enough to be subsidised on top of my £2k from the university, I get whatever the hell I want

 

[sbi5ar]

I'm lucky enough to be subsidised on top of my £2k from the university, I get whatever the hell I want

Awwwwww

*looks at location*

I knew I should have gone to exeter! Prof Titball was looking for a biochemist at the time though and I'm a microbiologist, no way on hell I was going to do that!

 

[.Jay.]

Well, I'll hold my hand up and say I got the entire system wrong then!

So if you are funded/sponsored/paid to do a research degree, its 3 years paid to research an area supplied by the funding body? Where does the supervisor step into all of this? I imagine to keep you on track with it all, but I guess they have quite a lot of input?

 

[int]

Awwwwww

*looks at location*

I knew I should have gone to exeter! Prof Titball was looking for a biochemist at the time though and I'm a microbiologist, no way on hell I was going to do that!

I think Prof Titball was a member of Peninsula Medical School, where I'm doing my PhD Probably before my time, but his name has cropped up.

Well, I'll hold my hand up and say I got the entire system wrong then!

So if you are funded/sponsored/paid to do a research degree, its 3 years paid to research an area supplied by the funding body? Where does the supervisor step into all of this? I imagine to keep you on track with it all, but I guess they have quite a lot of input?

More often than not, the lead supervisor will have applied for funding for an idea/project that they come up with, either with the university or a funding body. If the university / funding body is interested, they can either a) fund the original idea or b) suggest some minor tweaks to the project before funding. Once the funding is obtained, the lead supervisor will then advertise the position for applicants.

In rare occasions, applicants can come forward with their own ideas and in conjunction with a "lead", they can apply for funding together.

 

[Amp34]

In your field (and most science fields) at the moment you're unlikely to find a permanent job paying much more than a PhD would and a PhD has the benefit of putting you above anyone else who only has a BSc/MSc. Unfortunately so many people have degrees now that it's necessary to get that extra qualification if you want a career in science, even if you have a 1st.

A PhD will do nothing but boost your CV if you're interested in industry. You'll come in at a higher position, typically with a supervisory role once you've got a year or two under your belt. Just because the PhD is in academia, doesn't mean you're going to be pigeon holed into academia.

The only "science" careers I've seen classmates obtain with a BSc/Msc were sales reps for lab suppliers...

Firstly what do you class as a "science" career? One working in a lab? As I said my class all got relevant jobs soon after they completed their MSc's, all working as proper scientists in the companies, certainly not sales or lab suppliers. Not all scientists play with test tubes and things you can't see!

I'd also disagree that a PhD will automatically take you far higher than an MSc, I agree, it will certainly boost your CV over an MSc grad but having spoken to a lot of experienced people in my industry it really doesn't get you that far... Maybe 1-2k extra starting salary that's about it. In my area you don't do a PhD to get ahead in the industry... In fact after a couple of years no one takes any notice at all, even business cards rarely have Dr on, you only realise half the company have PhD's when they talk about their uni life.

EDiT: Also bear in mind, he's doing Environmental science... Unless I missed something that probably means little to no "lab" work, and certainly little Biology/chemistry work. The environmental scientists in my old department were outside most of the day doing their research and testing in the field. There are unlikely to be medical charities wanting to fund him.

It will depend on the research area, but generally it's become less and less available. There isn't an abundance of PhD places the last time I heard, at least not compared with 5 years ago.

As you said, it really depends on the research area. There is plenty of funding if you study in the right areas. Right areas now more than ever meaning commercially interesting, with the reduction in funding from research areas.

 

[.Jay.]

More often than not, the lead supervisor will have applied for funding for an idea/project that they come up with, either with the university or a funding body. If the university / funding body is interested, they can either a) fund the original idea or b) suggest some minor tweaks to the project before funding. Once the funding is obtained, the lead supervisor will then advertise the position for applicants.

In rare occasions, applicants can come forward with their own ideas and in conjunction with a "lead", they can apply for funding together.

So once you have applied for the position, I guess you go through the usual filtering processes (interviews etc). Once you have the place, how the hell do you get started on something that I guess you may not already have a good understanding of?

And you mentioned it's over 3 years, is that 3 years heavy workload?

 

[Salsa]

What area do you want to get into and what area are the PhD's and MSc's in (and what uni)? Important questions from the employment point of view.

The PhD's both broadly come under Geoarchaeology and would likely be a continuation of the work I have already started for my undergrad dissertation on fuel utilisation of pre-industrial Iceland and the transition to modernity. As far as I understand it I would have the freedom to tailor my PhD to whatever I wanted within limits.

I have also been approached regarding a DPhil in Archaeology with Oxford looking at Landscape Identity although this one does not have quite the science aspect I am looking for.

The MSc is a taught soil science MSc based in Aberdeen.

While they would all give me good transferable skills I feel the PhD at Stirling would limit me in that it is a fairly niche area and so would be purely for my own personal interest.

The MSc while probably giving me borader options at the end of it is not specifically my area of interest but likely has the option of tailoring my final project to suit those intrests.

I am leaning more towards simply graduating and then leaving. I can always come back to a PhD or MSc if I really want.

Perhaps a change of direction is what is called for. A 1st class science degree must count for something surely?

/Salsa

 

[int]

Firstly what do you class as a "science" career? One working in a lab? As I said my class all got relevant jobs soon after they completed their MSc's, all working as proper scientists in the companies, certainly not sales or lab suppliers. Not all scientists play with test tubes and things you can't see!

I'd also disagree that a PhD will automatically take you far higher than an MSc, I agree, it will certainly boost your CV over an MSc grad but having spoken to a lot of experienced people in my industry it really doesn't get you that far... Maybe 1-2k extra starting salary that's about it. In my area you don't do a PhD to get ahead in the industry... In fact after a couple of years no one takes any notice at all, even business cards rarely have Dr on, you only realise half the company have PhD's when they talk about their uni life.

EDiT: Also bear in mind, he's doing Environmental science... Unless I missed something that probably means little to no "lab" work, and certainly little Biology/chemistry work. The environmental scientists in my old department were outside most of the day doing their research and testing in the field. There are unlikely to be medical charities wanting to fund him.

I should probably nail it down to biological/medical/chemical sciences. I'm aware there are more subjects that come under science and I shouldn't generalise so widely

So once you have applied for the position, I guess you go through the usual filtering processes (interviews etc). Once you have the place, how the hell do you get started on something that I guess you may not already have a good understanding of?

And you mentioned it's over 3 years, is that 3 years heavy workload?

Yes, they'll go through an interview process. Three years of pretty intense work, considering (as you've mentioned) in some circumstances you'll have little/no experience in the area you're researching. Even if you've done a masters, the chances of finding a PhD in the same area is slim, so you'd still have some new bits to learn.