How to Apply for PhD After Bachelors?

How to apply for PhD in USA after bachelor degree? Candidates seeking admission to PhD programme in USA must have a bachelors degree of at least 4 years. Several universities in USA, UK, Canada, Germany, and Australia offer direct entry to PhD programmes. USA is the most preferred study abroad destination for international students planning to seek admission to PhD after bachelor's in USA. Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Yale University and others are some of the top universities offering PhD after bachelor's in USA.

However, there are certain requirements that one must know on how to the PhD programme after bachelors in USA. To study in USA, students are required to have exceptional academic excellence, involvement in extracurriculars, and standardised test scores, along with English language proficiency. Read the full article to know how to apply for PhD abroad after bachelor's in USA.
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Can Students Apply for PhD After Bachelors in USA?

While it is not the norm, there are quite a few universities in USA that allow students to opt for a PhD after bachelor’s. However, when applying for phd after bachelors, candidates must know that some of these universities do not let students skip their master's degree altogether. In fact, in most cases, the master’s program is clubbed with the PhD.

What is a Combined MS and PhD degree?

While some universities in USA let students apply for a PhD after a bachelor’s, it is, however, a combined master's and PhD programme. Therefore, a student gets a master's degree on his way to a PhD degree. Universities usually have a coursework and then students can pursue their research programme.

PhD Duration: The average course duration for combined PhD degree vary from 5-7 years, which includes 2-3 years of coursework and 2-3 years for research. For more information, students must visit the official website of the selected university.

Top universities for PhD after bachelor’s in USA

Note: If students want to do a PhD after their bachelor’s degree in USA, they must remember that the admission requirements for international students vary by the course of study and university chosen by an individual. When applying for a PhD degree after a bachelor’s degree, applicants must ensure that they have a strong application because they will be competing for a place in a PhD programme with candidates who may have a master's degree. Candidates must also note that not all the programmes offered by the US universities cover combined MS and PhD, and hence, students must check the official websites of the universities for more information.

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This Story also Contains

1. Can Students Apply for PhD After Bachelors in USA?
2. What is a Combined MS and PhD degree?
3. How to Apply for PhD After Bachelors in USA?
4. Top Reasons to Pursue PhD After Bachelors
5. List of Countries Offering PhD After Bachelor’s

How to Apply for PhD After Bachelors in USA?

Often, students have this misconception that applying for PhD after bachelors is not possible. Students with this mentality often wonder that can you get a PhD without a Master or not. Yes, they can but they need to apply right. The application process of how to apply for PhD in USA after bachelor degree is similar to applying for any other degree in the university. The application can be sent online through the university website, but before checking about how to apply for PhD, the candidates need to check a few requirements for PhD.

Admission Requirements for PhD after Bachelors

The entry requirements for a combined MS and Ph.D. program are similar to that of a doctorate, as most applicants for the combined program would not have an advanced degree or journal publications. Admission to a combined degree can also be very competitive with most universities accepting just 3-4 candidates in a session.

Strong GPA: Candidates must have an excellent grade point average (GPA) to qualify for the programs. Students from other boards can find the equivalent of the GPA to assess their eligibility.

Entrance Exams: Candidates are required to have a high standardised test score. Students from non English speaking countries must also provide language proficiency scores. Some of the tests that are required for admission to PhD are:

• GRE
• GMAT
• TOEFL
• IELTS

Letter of Recommendation (LOR): One of the most important elements for admission to direct PhD programmes is a letter of recommendation. The letter of recommendation is an independent assessment of a candidate's potential. Most universities require at least two to three recommendation letters. It is advisable for students to have letters of recommendation written by either their professors or employees

Statement of Purpose (SOP): The statement of purpose is another important element of the application package for admission to direct Ph.D. programs in the USA. It reflects the student's commitment to the Ph.D. program and goals in his life.

Resume: At the Ph.D. level, many universities would require the student to submit a resume along with the application. The resume should contain the candidate's basic information like date of birth, academic qualifications, achievements and details of any previous work in his area of interest.

Research projects: It is always helpful if the aspirant has the Ph.D. as an elective subject in the final year of their bachelor’s. Also, one can get additional points if the application is accompanied by any research or journal publications or any projects in the related field.

Interview: Most of the universities for PhD in the USA offering direct PhD hold a separate interview round for the aspirants. As in most cases, the Ph.D. interviews are conducted by invitation only. The questions are general as well as specific to the subject the candidate wants to pursue.

Top Reasons to Pursue PhD After Bachelors

• Saves Time: Pursuing a PhD is a long time-consuming process and commitment for years. So combining a master's with PhD does not totally skip the master's duration but enables to study without a break period.
• Early chance for Teaching: While continuing this PhD, students can work as assistant professor lecturers at a young age. Candidates can enjoy the benefits of teaching and learning at the same time.
• Expertise in the Field: Rather than focusing time only on the theoretical learning of masters, the candidates get an early chance to research and get experts in their chosen field.

List of Countries Offering PhD After Bachelor’s

Apart from USA, there are many abroad countries that offer admissions to students looking for PhD after bachelors. The University of Oxford, University of Chicago, and The University of Cambridge are among the top universities known for their PhD degree abroad. A list of top countries offering PhD after bachelor's are mentioned below:

Top Countries for PhD After Bachelor's Abroad