My PhD supervisor is leaving for MIT and wants me transfer along, which could prolong PhD. What to do?

Question

I'm a third-year PhD student in applied mathematics at a Canadian university, focusing on a particular scientific field. Having nearly completed all my coursework and passed my comprehensive exam, I'm at a pivotal point in my program.

Recently, my supervisor received an offer from MIT, suggesting that I transfer there with him. According to the information on the MIT Web site, transferring credits is feasible but seems contingent on a strict one-to-one mapping with MIT's course requirements. The website lacks detailed information on this process. I'm concerned that any degree requirements misalignments might require me to take additional courses, extending the duration of my PhD — a situation I cannot afford due to personal circumstances and finances.

Has anyone here undergone a similar transfer, particularly to MIT? I'm particularly interested in understanding how flexible the credit transfer process might be and whether there's any leeway in aligning degree requirements that don't exactly match. Any insights or shared experiences would be greatly appreciated!

Alternatively, could there be other possible venues that do not involve my transfer and losing my supervisor? I don't want to lose my supervisor near the end of the PhD. I also know that working remotely with my supervisor won't work well, as they are inefficient with remote stuff.

Answer 1

You say:

[T]ransferring credits is feasible but seems contingent on a strict one-to-one mapping with MIT's course requirements.

But in fact this is pretty much the opposite of the truth. The MIT applied mathematics doctoral program is very flexible about coursework requirements. Essentially all that is required is that you take a sufficient number of graduate-level courses (which do not all need to be in math; suitably mathematically sophisticated courses in other fields can also be used), with sufficient breadth beyond just your immediate area of dissertation research. (The details of the applied mathematics breadth requirement are stated here—and I see that while they were pretty relaxed when I started the program a quarter century ago, they appear to be even less strict now.)

What needs to happen is that you advisor needs to talk to his contacts at the MIT Math Department. That may be the department chair, the head of the applied math committee, or the search committee chair who hired them; any of them ought to be able to point your advisor to the right person. Your advisor needs to tell them that there is a senior graduate student that they want to bring along. The MIT people will want to see what classes you have taken already, to see how it matches up with the department's course requirements (described above). Make sure your advisor has that information readily available to pass along. They will also want your advisor to explain your current university's qualifying exam procedures. You may or may not need to retake the exam at MIT, but unless your current institution's exam seems particularly non-rigorous, probably not.

Answer 2

Unable to give you a definite recommendation, I would just offer you some food for thought.

No matter how stellar your present university happens to be (Waterloo, U of T, McGill), your position on the job market will, statistically speaking, be stronger with a PhD from the MIT. Whether you go to industry or finance or academia, an MIT degree will often carry a greater weight in the eyes of those interviewing you.

Although a smart PhD from a less fancy school can make an outstanding career, an MIT diploma oftentimes gives its owner an additional boost.

Also mind the geographical factor. An MIT student has an opportunity to attend seminars and strike collaborations at Harvard (15 min by bike), Boston University (25 min by bike), Northeastern, Brown, and other great schools nearby. This brings additional opportunities, both in research and in the future quest for employment.

Answer 3

Buzz's excellent answer has covered the issue of transferring credits. I would like to cover the scenario of you not transferring to MIT. My supervisor transferred to a different university about one year into my PhD, so I have some experience with this. I kept him as a co-supervisor and have a new main supervisor. I seriously considered transferring with him as I took this PhD specifically to work with him, but decided the upheaval would be too much for me.

You say your supervisor is inefficient with remote stuff, and I'm not sure what that means, but it sounds like keeping him as your only supervisor remotely wouldn't be a great option. I suggest talking to him about a co-supervisor arrangement with him and another academic at your current institution, as part of a discussion about what the options are in terms of you transferring or staying.

If you switch to a co-supervisor type arrangement like I did, it's important to make sure everyone has the same expectations around time commitments. I have a video meeting every two weeks with both my supervisors, and they both give me written feedback on my work. My old supervisor has gradually become less involved in my work, but shows up to at least one meeting a month. If your sense is that your supervisor would not reliably stick to regular remote meetings, I think keeping him as a supervisor without transferring with him is unlikely to work. If you go down the co-supervisor route, someone he already collaborates with is likely to be smoother in terms of communication.

If there are specific parts of your remaining work that would benefit with working closely with your current supervisor in person, would it be feasible to plan a couple of in-person visits lasting a week or two?

I would weigh up the upheaval from moving, how much time is left in your programme, how much input your supervisor currently gives you day-to-day, and how much of that can be replaced by a different supervisor. Really think about how losing the scholarship and job would affect you financially, as even if the transfer is the best option academically, you can't finish your PhD if don't have any money to live off.

Good luck, a supervisor moving part-way through your PhD is really tough!

Answer 4

I'm concerned that any degree requirements misalignments might require

Here is the word "might", which I take to mean you don't know. Find out. Probably it is impossible to state precise rules about what constitutes such a "misalignment", since there are many ways in which universities can organize courses of study. Whether such a misalignment exists in your case can probably only be judged by some authority at M.I.T. who knows exactly what is in your record. So there would be no way to be sure except by submitting your case to whoever that is, with complete information on what you've done so far.

(I know a person who followed his advisor from the University of Minnesota to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore when his advisor got an offer there. He ended up with an M.D. degree and a Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins.)