<p>I mean as long as its a proper university and not a diploma mill, does it matter that much where you get your PhD from?</p>
<p>Does a PhD [from the nation with intl recognized standards in education] have its own quality inherent in the product?</p>
<p>It matters very much. Of course, the work you do is more important, but you’re going to have stronger faculty and students at better universities, which will help you secure better post-doc/faculty positions and so forth.</p>
<p>It matters much more than where you went to undergrad. At top programs, not only are the faculty and students stronger, as Sabruis points out, but also the network is more extensive. The prestige of your PhD institution goes a long way toward determining the trajectory of your career. For instance, a PhD from Stanford will get you serious consideration for plum jobs that a PhD from Podunk U will never afford you.</p>
<p>The common wisdom is that you’ll never secure a position at a university that is higher ranked than your PhD program. While there are notable exceptions, this tends to hold true for most people, across all disciplines.</p>
<p>I see.</p>
<p>Had better aim high then.</p>
<p>Form most fields, the place is less important. Earning a doctorate is much more like completing an apprenticeship. Therefore, it is critical WHO you do your doctoral studies with. This is the person who will be introducing you and providing you with the network of colleagues. In addition, the reputation of the entire university is less critical than the reputation of the dept or program-the best programs recruit and retain the best professors.</p>
<p>Who you do it with is MUCH more important than where.
(which is not just true about graduate studies ;-))</p>
<p>I asked my adviser the same question and he says that it matters more than I thought it did. For example, I was thinking about applying to a comparatively obscure institution because it has quite an eminent expert in my field of interest on its faculty. However, according to my adviser, my Ph.D. will apparently not have the same marketability coming from that school as it would coming from a more traditionally prestigious institution.</p>
<p>It also matters what you want to do after. And I think it matters A LOT more in humanities, much more than in the biological sciences, at least from observation and thinking about job prospects.</p>
<p>Who you study matter much much more within your field - the best people are not always at the best schools, and academics know this. However, anyone outside your field (often including department heads, and all deans, university presidents, government agencies, and corporations) will be more impressed by your university. If you studied under a weak professor at a strong university, you have an advantage in non-academic hiring, and possibly an advantage in academic hiring as well - it all depends on who is making the hiring decisions in that department, as a strong department head will know your advisor and get you hired, while a weak one will not and will fall back on school prestige to make the decision.</p>
<p>Generally, you want to attend the most prestigious program (note: not university – program) that accepts you AND that matches your research interests. Once there, you’ll want to excel so you have the opportunity to work with the best advisor in your subfield. </p>
<p>Universities are never equally strong in all graduate programs, so you need to do your research. As several have pointed out, the top faculty members are usually, but not always, found at top programs. And for “most prestigious,” don’t get hung up on specific ranking numbers, since those change given the methodology of the individual list, but rather divide your options by tiers. Besides, a program rated number one by several sources may not have be as strong for you personally as a program rated number ten. Or number twenty. Never go to a program because of a single faculty member since that person can move on or may not be impressed with your work. Then who do you work with?</p>
<p>The issue is this. Without securing a scholarship [if not entirely free ride], my wallet can only stretch so far. Those schools within travel distance from home.</p>
<p>Some are wonderful [inc Oxford], but they charge a lot. Others less great, but affordable to me.</p>
<p>So pray I land a scholarship. :)</p>
<p>The top PhD programs tend to have more funds available to support students than do less selective ones.</p>
<p>Yes, but scholarship competition is fierce. Our unis arent nearly as rich as yours, and so its much harder to get a free ride.</p>
<p>I’m better then good, that’s being honest not arrogant, but I’m not sure I’m top 2% good. [Top 8-10%, yes].</p>
<p>In the academic world, the university name itself does not matter as much as the faculty you do your dissertation and coursework with. Of course, names do carry some meaning overall.</p>
<p>and as pointed out by many other posters, ultimately its what you actually accomplish!
In general, your mentor hopefully will facilitate your efforts, but they cannot create something out of whole cloth! Same goes with the general prestige of the university. It helps getting started, but is insufficient by itself.</p>
<p>2 questions:</p>
<p>What percentage of people have PhD’s. I guess about 1%?</p>
<p>What are the failure rates of PhD’s?</p>
<p>I am not looking to teach at Oxbridge or HYP. Mount Holyoke would do. Also such institutions as Uni of Sussex, Uni of Reading [UK] or smaller city schools [not small schools, there location] like UW @ Madison or Uni of Iowa.</p>
<p>Less than 1%!</p>
<p>I’m looking at Canadian statistics. 2006 census:
number of PhDs:</p>
<p>176,000 out of total population 31,000,000
= 0.56%</p>
<p>I think we are a bit behind the stats than US, though, from reading some news articles, but I don’t know. I would assume it is a bit less than 1% though, 1% seems like a lot, especially when you look at how abysmal some high school grad rates are in US.</p>
<p>True, true.</p>
<p>Lets take 0.5-0.75% as our range.</p>
<p>It would make a PhD is precious commodity.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>LOL! If you are indeed a “dude,” you’ll have a rough time getting a spot at an all-women’s liberal arts college. :)</p>