PhD in US or UK????

[Rachel]

At the moment doing my MRes in Neuroscience and will def. be doing a PhD.....i know a PhD in the states takes around 5-7years compared to the UK which is 3. Any other advantages/disadvantages???

[Kim]

I am in California. So I may have prejudices.

In my opinion, if you want to build a career in the US, you should do your PhD in the US, unless your advisor overseas is an academic superstar or a Nobel Prize winner.

I am assuming that you are British or Indian since M Res is not a typical US degree. M Res is a very British term. I do not know about the situation in the UK. But in many other areas in the world, for example, Asia, a US PhD degree is worth a lot more than an indegenous PhD degree because US is far ahead in basic science research than most Asian countries.

[Rachel]

Hi kim,

No, i'm from the uk and an MRes is a masters by research instead of the taught programmes - its just been introduced. Anyway, i think in terms of research it def. isn't a case of a better standard between the us and uk......just wondering if there was anything else.
Cheers

[John Fetzer]

One factor hinted at is connections. If you plan a career in the UK, then stay there as your network will build. but if you want a more open-ended career or one in North America, a PhD in the US will open many more doors. Your research advisor or other professors in the department will know others in the field, be involved in conferences (so that you can present your work to a more prestigious audience), and even your fellow students will become useful in your network. From my grad school days, a couple of those people are now well-known and on editorial boards. These connections get you asked to write reviews or present at meetings.

John