<p>Who decides how long your master’s/PhD takes?
Your grad school adviser?</p>
<p>If you have satisfied all the requirements/courses then you can graduate Master/Phd. Take a look at the curriculum/programs. However, I believe there is a limit for doing Phd. If not completed within six years then you are out of it.</p>
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<p>Not strictly true. For a coursework master’s, this is 100% all you need. For a thesis-based master’s, technically you just need to “fulfill the requirements”, but the point at which you have done enough to write your thesis is not set in stone and will come down to a consensus between the student and the advisor (read: whenever your advisor thinks you have successfully built up the quality/quantity of work to write your thesis). For a PhD, you will be doing research long after your classes end. When you are finished with that is the same sort of situation as for a thesis-based master’s.</p>
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<p>Most programs have a time limit. That time limit though is usually around 10 years, not 6. If the time limit was 6, then probably 30% of PhD students would flunk out. It is quite common to take 6+ years.</p>
<p>I was thinking about 6 years but my bad. BUT, it is not true for 10 years as mentioned by boneh3ad. Tulane only gives 7 (seven) years to complete the Phd. Here is the proof:</p>
<p>The degree of Doctor of Philosophy is awarded to students based on an accumulation of course credits and on superior accomplishments in a field of cell biology, molecular biology, developmental biology and/or neurobiology. A minimum of one year of full-time study in residence at Tulane University is required. The Ph.D. degree must be completed within 7 years from the date of matriculation in the graduate school.</p>
<p>Good luck in Phd programs…doable and fun.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t use Tulane’s biology department as a prototypical example of typical engineering PhD programs. For one, it isn’t engineering.</p>
<p>Most doctoral programs in engineering that I know of have something more like this: a 7-year deadline to finish before being penalized (e.g. by having to pay full, OOS tuition) and a 10-year harder limit before credits start expiring. For the most part, these penalties are more of a penalty on your advisor for not getting you through the system faster since they are often ultimately the ones having to pay for your tuition.</p>
<p>One of the professors in my department did his master’s in 1 year and then his PhD in another 2 years. His undergrad institution was a different university than where he did his master’s and PhD. </p>
<p>How common is that?
And how does that happen? Work really hard?</p>
<p>I checked Tulane for all Phd programs have to be completed within 7 years. Also, here is one from UCI (UC Irvine) Math Dept as follows: The normal time for completion of the Ph.D. is five years, and the maximum time permitted is seven years. Completion of the Ph.D. degree must occur within 9 quarters of Advancement to Ph.D candidacy.</p>
<p>I can go on and go to any other schools but what’s the point? I believe two schools are enough. AND I checked also Economics at HARVARD as follows: In order to remain in good standing, the student must complete the thesis within three years of residency after passing the Oral General Examination. Students are allowed one additional year for leave of absence and/or may apply for a year of grace to extend this time limit. The thesis must be completed, however, within a maximum of five years after taking the Oral General Examination. Students who are not in good standing in the Department will not be allowed to register in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.</p>
<p>So, I know nothing about 10 YEARS…but 7 years seem logical while 10 is too long. I am not interested in Phd but if I would do it, then I would try to get it with four years.AND Vandebilt also has the maximum of 7 years in ENG for doing Phd…so, who says about 10 years…show me the money !!..</p>
<p>That is ridiculously uncommon. The MS usually takes 1-2 years. The PhD usually takes anywhere from 3 to 6 years beyond that. Doing what said professor did takes quite a bit of luck in that you would need to be assigned to a project that is basically all ready to go and runs into no snags so that if you work hard, you can make rapid progress. Even then, I have never heard of 2 years. That is ridiculous.</p>
<p>You almost never see professors who get their graduate degrees at the same school as their undergraduate degree. That is what we like to call academic inbreeding and is generally frowned upon in academe.</p>
<p>I know one guy in here from IIT (Illinois Institute of Tech) and I believe their Phd in ENG. is about 7 years.</p>
<p>I only included that info (that he went to a diff. institution) b/c you can usually get your master’s faster if you stayed at your undregrad institution.</p>
<p>And why is that frowned upon?</p>
<p>Yes, 10 years is too long. 7 years is also too long. There has to be a limit somewhere though.</p>
<p>I’d also like to point out that while yes, 7 years is common, using programs other than engineering is pretty much useless for comparison. Hard sciences like physics or chemistry would be reasonably similar, but in general, comparing PhD requirements from programs in engineering and the sciences to those outside those fields make little sense. The process is much different. Admittedly, I believe time limits are usually set down at a university level, so that part probably is the same.</p>
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<p>Getting all your degrees from the same place doesn’t expose you to the breadth of viewpoints and experiences that most academic institutions would like. You are better off learning from a variety of places so that you have a more complete appreciation and understanding of the material in question.</p>
<p>Here is the info from Stanford Univ- College of Eng-EE as follows: The University requires that all Ph.D. students file the Application for Candidacy by the end of the second year of doctoral study at Stanford. And Candidacy is valid for five years from the date of approval by the department unless terminated by the department (for example, for unsatisfactory progress). All applications for extension must be filed by the student before the conclusion of the program’s time limit. The department is not obligated to grant an extension. Students may receive a maximum of one additional year of candidacy per extension.</p>
<p>So, I guess Stanford EE also has 7 seven years time limit for Phd. But, then again if anyone wants to do Phd, they have to feel for it and make sure they will finish the programs within the time slot. Personally, I can’t stand going to school for a long time.</p>
<p>Most schools I’m familiar with just have a requirement after 7-8 years that you and your faculty member write a short statement as to why it’s taken you an extended period of time to finish your PhD, then you’ll get an extension for a year. Just have to keep doing it every year you stick around. Every grad student knows someone that’s been around 10+ years. My group just graduated someone who had been around for over 15 years.</p>
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It happens, but rarely. A 1-year MS is pretty difficult, 2 years is typical and 3+ more likely than 1. On the PhD, 2 years is really only possible if you do MS/PhD at the same school. Otherwise 3 years is usually the minimum. And yes, the way you do it is to schedule wisely, work very hard, make no mistakes, and have a little luck.</p>
<p>Back to the original question:
It is up to you, your advisor, and your program. The program will have certain milestones you have to meet, and often minimum and maximum times that must be met. Your advisor will have to formally or informally support you at these various milestones - if your advisor doesn’t think you should get the PhD, you don’t generally get the PhD! And, of course, much of it depends on how hard you push to get out.</p>
<p>It is rare to see someone go from BS to PhD in 4 years or less, 5-7 years is pretty typical, 8+ years is frowned upon in engineering. Some advisors will push you to finish quickly, others will want to keep you around a while, and most departments don’t really care how long you take so long as it is within the guidelines and so long as you have your advisor’s support!</p>
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Two things to be cautious of in interpreting these statements.</p>
<p>First, the language varies a little between programs, and time limits are often stated in terms of specific milestones that most outside the program will not consider meaningful. At what point does university A consider you to officially be a “PhD Candidate”, for example? At what point do you enter doctoral study, is it day 1 post-BS or day 1 post-MS? Rarely do you see guidelines clearly stating how long the entire program will take.</p>
<p>Second, most programs allow exceptions to the time limits based on petition. What they do NOT indicate is how easy those petitions are. Some departments will grant an extension 95% of the time - they use the petition process to get rid of those few students who they realize simply will never finish. Other departments are very strict about the time limits and will grant exceptions only for unusual circumstances.</p>
<p>Ultimately, it should not matter that much. Apply to programs, ask potential advisors how long they expect it to take, and make a choice. Departments do not generally set goals that they do not think their admitted students can reach.</p>
<p>I have advised many Ph.D. students in Physics at IIT and, as noted above, the official time limit is 7 years but it is always possible to petition to extend. My students have ranged from 5-7 years after the B.S. degree. I remember that when I was in graduate school at UCSD, the nominal time to degree for physics was about 6.5 years after the B.S. Engineering is more or less the same.</p>
<p>The Masters degree takes about 1.5-2.0 years for a coursework-only degree. A thesis-based degree might take up to a year longer. however, there is really no reason to do a Masters thesis and then a Ph.D. thesis at the same university.</p>