MPhil vs PhD: Difference and What to pursue after Masters?

Master of Philosophy is known as “MPhil” and the full form of PhD is “Doctor of Philosophy”. Although both degrees are similar and have a great importance in their respective fields, there are several factors that differentiate them. These factors include the admission procedure, course duration, course structure and many more. While PhD is by far the most popular research degree across the world, students can also explore other research degrees like MPhil, Doctor of Science, Doctor by Judicial Science, and so on.

This Story also Contains

1. What is a PhD?
2. Advantages of PhD
3. Disadvantages of PhD
4. What is an MPhil degree?
5. Advantages of MPhil
6. Disadvantages of MPhil
7. Similarities between MPhil and PhD
8. MPhil vs PhD
9. MPhil vs PhD: How to apply?
10. Should I do an MPhil or a PhD?

Between MPhil vs PhD, many students choose an MPhil degree, which is a 1 to 2 years research based programme and is seen as a first step towards a PhD. However, most students are either not aware or are confused about the degrees and MPhil vs PhD difference. As so many international students often face the dilemma of choosing between MPhil vs PhD. In this article, we explain the basics of both MPhil and PhD degrees and help students in solving the MPhil vs PhD conundrum.

What is a PhD?

The PhD or Doctor of Philosophy is one of the highest levels of degree that a student can achieve in his/her academic credentials. A PhD is a Doctorate degree which can be attained through detailed research on a subject, following which the researcher is required to submit a thesis describing the result of her research. Usually, a PhD can be taken up after Master's and MPhil.

However, in certain cases, students can pursue PhD after bachelors as it is prevalent in the USA. As the name suggests, a PhD is a doctorate degree and is mainly pursued by those who are interested in a career in academics. There is no specific time frame for a PhD However, it generally takes upwards of 3 years to complete a PhD which can go up to 7 to 10 years. A PhD is usually undertaken under an academician, working under a university or otherwise, who is known to have enough research experience to guide the PhD candidate.

Advantages of PhD

A PhD is an extensive degree that offers a vast number of advantages to students. These include:

• Critical Thinking Skills: The extensive nature of a PhD degree helps students develop problem-solving, decision-making, and critical thinking skills.
• Intellectual Freedom: Students doing PhD get freedom for intellectual exploration. This gives them the decision-making skills to select the field that they want to study.
• Professional Networking: Doing PhD allows students to interact with renowned scholars worldwide.
• Career Opportunities: Students doing PhD get a variety of career opportunities and can get better salaries.

Disadvantages of PhD

With so many advantages, there are also a number of disdvantages of doing a PhD for students.

• Mental and Emotional strain: Doing a PhD is a rigorous process that leave students with self-doubt, mental pressure, and anxities.
• No work-life balance: Completing a PhD degree does not allow a student to maintain a proper work-life balance.

What is an MPhil degree?

The Master of Philosophy which is the full form of MPhil is a structured research degree that allows students to take up research-oriented studies for 1 or 2 years. It is an intermediate degree between a Master's and a PhD and is sometimes seen as a first step towards a Doctorate. In MPhil, students learn the fundamentals of research work and may actually investigate the research of others rather than taking up their own research. An MPhil degree is more common in the field of Arts and Humanities, with many universities offering it as a replacement for a Ph.D.

Again, an MPhil degree is not necessarily a research degree. In cases like that of Cambridge University, MPhil replaces the one-year Masters’ degree and has more coursework content. However, in other cases, the MPhil degree's structure is inclined more towards research or the study of it.

Advantages of MPhil

A Master's of Philosophy (MPhil) offers the following benefits to students:

• In-depth knowledge: Doing MPhil gives students access to deep knowledge about a particular subject area.
• Research skills: MPhil is a research-orientated field, and completing it helps students gain an upper hand in research skills such as academic writing, data analysis, and literature review.
• Time-efficient: It is shorter than a PhD that helps students gain an advanced degree without spending much time.
• Get mentorship from experienced mentors: Highly knowledgeable and experienced faculty members guide the students who do MPhil.

Disadvantages of MPhil

With these advantages, there are also some disadvantages to doing MPhil for students. These include:

• Limited Funding: As compared to PhD, there are fewer funding options available for students doing MPhil. This makes it difficult for them to secure financial support.
• Less career options: Students doing MPhil have limited career options, as compared to the ones who have done PhD
• Lack of original contribution: While the research that students do in MPhil holds a lot of value, it doesn't contribute anything new like a PhD thesis.
• Less rigorous evaluation: Students get less comprehensive feedback in their MPhil program as the evaluation is not as strict as in a PhD.

Similarities between MPhil and PhD

MPhil vs PhD

While the inclination of both PhD and MPhil is towards research, both are far from being similar degrees. Two of the major difference between PhD and MPhil are, of course, their lengths and content structure. The table below highlights MPhil vs PhD difference in terms of length, content, guidance and more.

Difference between PhD and MPhil

After Masters Degree What Next: MPhil or PhD?

Generally speaking, pursuing a Master's or PhD depends on the interest of the student. Both are research-oriented programmes and lead to different qualifications. Since an MPhil is intermediate to a PhD, many students pursue it as preparation for a PhD.

It has, however, been observed that MPhil degrees are mostly offered in the field of Arts and Humanities while STEM-related fields focus more on Ph.D. Further, MPhil courses are rare and not all universities offer an MPhil degree while most universities, especially research intensive ones, offer research opportunities in at least some of the subjects.

MPhil vs PhD: How to apply?

• For PhD, the best way to apply is by searching research opportunities in specific departments and writing to them asking for opportunities.
• While Master's is a must for many universities, many even accept bachelor's students, provided the student can show credentials that are impressive enough for the faculty members.
• PhD aspirants are required to submit a research proposal and their doctorate depends on whether the research proposal is accepted and an academician at a university is willing to take the student under her.
• For application to MPhil, the requirements vary along with the universities. Since an MPhil degree does not require a dissertation; students are not required to submit a research proposal for the same.
• In fact, the process of applying for an MPhil is more often the same as for Master's. However, the university will look into your research interest during screening.
• Also, as in PhD, when you apply, it helps to have majored in the same subject that you wish to pursue your MPhil in.

Here are few ways to apply for PhD across the world:

• How to apply for Phd in the UK?

• How to apply for Phd in the USA?

Should I do an MPhil or a PhD?

The decision whether you should do an MPhil or a PhD depends on your career goals, how much time you can devote, and the level of academic achievement you want to attain. If you don't wish to devote a lot of time and advance your career, then MPhil is perfect for you. If you wish to attain the highest level in academics and become a university professor or researcher, then a PhD is perfect for you.