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Introduction
The full form of Ph.D. is Doctor of Philosophy (in Latin, Philosophiae Doctor) and is a type of Doctorate that focuses on academics and research. A Ph.D. is a doctoral research degree. It is considered the highest academic qualification. Generally, it takes 4-6 years to complete a Ph.D. degree. A course can be completed in less time only if you have good time management power and work hard with full dedication.
After acquiring this Doctorate, one can apply to be a professor. However, you can also work in the private sector or with the government.
Required Skill Set for PhD
Aspirants who want to pursue a Ph.D. degree need to be hard-working and dedicated. However, they must also possess several other skills to succeed. In this post, we’ll look at the skills that an aspirant needs to pursue a Ph.D. with ease. These skills should be obvious as they will be required well before starting your doctorate-level studies. You’ll have an idea of what field of study to focus on once you know these skills.
PhD Eligibility Criteria
Ph.D. eligibility criteria: Before applying for a Ph.D. program, candidates must meet the Ph.D. eligibility criteria set by the respective admission authorities.
To be eligible to apply for the Ph.D. program, a candidate must have obtained a Master’s degree in Engineering/Technology/Science in any discipline of Science or Humanities.
Ph.D. eligibility criteria vary as per the universities and nature of the research topic. The basic Ph.D. eligibility criteria are that candidates must possess a Master’s degree to apply for a Ph.D. program. Candidates who have done an integrated Masters’s course are also eligible for a Ph.D. course.
Candidates appearing for their final year exam can also apply for a Ph.D. course on a provisional basis. However, they need to submit the final mark sheet of the qualifying exam at the time of admission.
The minimum percentage of marks for eligibility for admission is 50% without any rounding off (45% for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes).
Ph.D. Eligibility Criteria – Qualifying Exam.
To be eligible for a Ph.D. program, candidates must possess either MPhil or MSc degrees in relevant subject areas to apply for a full-time doctoral research program.
In general, candidates should have at least 60% marks (or equivalent CGPA) at graduation and post-graduation levels to pursue a research program in India. Some institutes may prescribe minimum aggregate marks of 55%.
Should I consider doing a Ph.D.?
It would help if you weighed up some very practical considerations before taking the plunge and committing to a Ph.D. Here are some of the main points.
Am I ready?
Think carefully about your reasons for doing a Ph.D. It’s not something you should do just because you can’t think of anything better to do – or because everyone else is doing it. Having a clear idea of why you want to do a Ph.D. will help motivate you through this demanding course of study. Equally, if you know what you want to do after your Ph.D., then having a clear plan for what happens next can give you focus and direction during your studies. Have I got the right qualifications?
Most PhDs require an undergraduate honors degree (usually in the same subject), and many will require a Master’s degree or Master’s-level research experience. Are there any alternatives?
Suppose all the above sounds like it might be too much for you. In that case, there are other options for postgraduate study that may suit you better: taught postgraduate courses such as diplomas and Masters’s degrees (with or without dissertation). You can also look at postgraduate certificates with less intensive study requirements or short research projects with no full-scale PhDs.
Some people believe that unless you’re planning to work as a professor, there’s no point in doing a Ph.D. That couldn’t be further from the truth, and now more than ever, a Ph.D. can play an important role in helping you achieve your career goals.
Conclusion
If you are thinking about applying for a Ph.D. or Doctorate, you will be committing to a program of research that is highly intensive and will require many hours per week of work on your dissertation. For this reason, it’s important to think carefully about both your reasons for applying and how you might fare under the intense pressure of such a challenging research project.
As you can see, there are a lot of benefits to doing a Ph.D., but it is an enormous commitment for the individual and your family. If you have the time, dedication, and interest in your subject, take some time out to explore the possibility of doing an advanced degree.
