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I am a physics undergrad, and plan to pursue a PhD in mathematical physics (string theory?). I have heard from a lot of people, who have personally seen the research scenario at universities both in the US and Europe, that it is much easier to get a PhD from a European university, that it takes about 3-4 years in a good university in Europe, while more than 5 years in American universities. Another thing I have been told is that in Europe you get your PhD after 4 years atmost by default, even if you have not done any original research. Is it true?

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Short answer: No. Long answer: Determining the minimum bar for which a PhD can be awarded is a bad exercise. If you are merely working towards the minimum you will not successfully complete a PhD.

One thing to note is that PhDs in the US tend to be open ended (to the extent you can continue to get funding) while in Europe they tend to have fixed durations. This means in Europe the bar comes whether you are ready or not while in the US you get to chose when you defend. Neither is easier, just different.

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Good points. Even a minimal PhD isn't worth so much these days. – Dave Clarke Sep 30 '12 at 16:32
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The duration between US and Europe are not usually the same, mostly because in the US, you only need to have a Bachelor degree to enrol for a PhD (and you can get a Master during the PhD), while in Europe, it's usually required to have a Master degree before enrolling for a PhD. Since it can take two years to get a Master, you also need about 5 years after your Bachelor to get your PhD.

I don't know if you always get your PhD after a number of years, no matter what, but the point in Europe is that a PhD is not necessarily an advantage on the market, w.r.t. a Master (at least, that's true in France), and is mostly required for working in Academia. In Academia, nobody cares that you have a PhD (because, well, almost everybody got one), so your publications, references, contacts, your CV in general will make a difference, not your degree. Hence, it might be possible that you can get the degree after a while, knowing that it's useless anyway if you haven't done any original research (although in many places, it's now required to have a given number of publications before being able to submit a PhD thesis). But I wouldn't claim in any way that it's a common practice, and I know several persons who have dropped (or been suggested to drop ...) their PhD program.

As for your main question, I don't know if one can tell whether it's easier to get a PhD in Europe than in the US, because it's hard to define what is "easier". If your question is whether you can come to Europe, enrol to any PhD, just wait 4 years and get your PhD, the answer is no.

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@EnergyNumbers: fixed, but I'm not sure there are many academic positions in Europe where you can apply without a PhD. – Charles Morisset♦ Sep 30 '12 at 15:55
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These days you wouldn't get far without a PhD. Those in high positions without a PhD are only there for historical reasons. – Dave Clarke Sep 30 '12 at 16:31
@EnergyNumbers: I reckon it changed over 10 years ago. Things are so much more competitive these days. Without a PhD, you will not make it far. That said, some people can get into the system purely as a teacher, but their prospects are limited, as the do no research. (Whether or not this is right is another matter.) – Dave Clarke Sep 30 '12 at 16:45
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@EnergyNumbers: I certainly would not encourage potential researchers to try to get into research without doing a PhD. (And the fact that you obtained an appointment without a PhD leaves out many facts: what kind of appointment, degree of experience, ...) – Dave Clarke Sep 30 '12 at 19:49
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@wonea: At least in France, a Master is mandatory for "regular" students (i.e., for students who come straight from university, it can be different for professionals who want to validate research experience acquired by experience). AFAIK, I thought it was pretty much the same in Europe, but I don't know in details all regulations :) – Charles Morisset♦ Oct 1 '12 at 8:41
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up vote 8 down vote

  1. Remember that Europe is a big place, comprised of lots of different countries. It doesn't make sense to talk about a European "PhD". The mechanism and typical PhD lengths between countries can be completely different.

    The next few comments relate to the UK PhD system.

  2. You don't get a PhD automatically after 4 years. I can introduce you to a few people who will testify to this!

  3. In the UK, a PhD doesn't involve a "taught" aspect. I believe that in the US, the first two(?) years typically involve examinations.

  4. In most Universities I'm familiar with, PhD students do not have a heavy teaching load. In my department, PhD students are allowed to take some tutorials/marking for additional money, but this is on top of there usual PhD working week. The number of hours a PhD student can work is closely monitored. In particular, it's incredibly rare for a PhD student to take undergraduate lectures.

    I believe it is common in the US for PhD student to run a lecture course.

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I will testify to 2. with regards to German doctorates. – crash Oct 1 '12 at 15:25
up vote 5 down vote

There are tough (read respectable) and relatively easy (read weaker) schools and PhD programs in both sides. You could find a comparatively easy US university v.s. top school in Europe, and vice versa.

I suggest to set your goals a bit higher than you think you can reach rather than wasting time (read life) shooting for an "easy" PhD track.

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