What is a PhD?
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What is a PhD?#
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Before we can discern whether to pursue a PhD or learn how best to navigate it, we must first understand what it is. Beyond its literal definition as an academic degree, I conceptualize a PhD as an apprenticeship in creating, validating, and communicating ideas. This definition differentiates the PhD from a purely information-based degree (like a Bachelor’s), emphasizes the PhD’s central relationship (advisor–advisee), and identifies the core purpose of a PhD (participation in the economy of ideas).
A PhD as an academic degree#
At its most literal, a Doctor of Philosophy (typically abbreviated as PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil) is a doctorate degree awarded at the highest level of academic achievement.
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A PhD as a purposeful experience#
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