Questions tagged [graduate-school]
On schools that award advanced academic degrees, such as masters and doctoral degrees. This tag is mainly for questions about the structure and organization of a graduate school or the fundamental experience of being a graduate student. Do not use this tag for questions about research in graduate school (use [research] instead), coursework in graduate school (use [coursework] instead), gaining admissions to graduate school (use [graduate-admissions]), etc.
2,183
questions
17
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7answers
5k views
How do I get my committee to agree on a defense date?
I am doing my master's in Canada and my grant has already ended (7 months ago). I am paying my tuition fee and my expenses from my part-time job and my savings. My supervisor agreed that I should have ...
7
votes
4answers
2k views
What does it mean for a (assoc.) professor to have very few first-author publications while directing a lab/group?
I've stumbled upon various professors (R1 universities in CS) having almost no first-author publications for multiple years while directing (or co-directing) their research groups/labs.
From the ...
2
votes
2answers
71 views
Would you include in review/forthcoming articles in graduate level course reading?
I'm preparing a graduate level module for the next semester. With a more senior professor I have co-authored a book chapter that covers much of the material we'll be covering in class, so I'd like to ...
0
votes
1answer
67 views
MSc admission in Canada [closed]
Is meeting the entry (minimal) requirements of MSc in pharmacy in Canada enough to get accepted into the program? (For extracurricular activities: I have dozens of certificates of online webinars I've ...
1
vote
2answers
99 views
What are the computer science skills used (if any) in HEP experimental or observational cosmology programmes?
I am currently an undergrad junior majoring in physics and mathematics and will likely apply for a high energy experiment or observational cosmology PhD programme after graduation. I have heard quite ...
5
votes
4answers
312 views
How to get feedback from my supervisor about me
I'm a first year PhD student in mathematics. One day I was having some conversation with my supervisor and we got to a point where he casually mentioned about his other students and said that one of ...
2
votes
4answers
148 views
What is the role in Admissions of a Graduate Coordinator in a Department [closed]
What is the role of a graduate coordinator or graduate chair (I have seen faculty called both) of a department in admissions ? Do they make the final decision or have the final say in all decisions ? ...
6
votes
1answer
196 views
Is it appropriate and/or reasonable to ask for period leave to a potential PhD advisor?
I'm a female undergraduate student applying to graduate school in the US this year, and I am in the process of contacting potential PhD advisors to enquire about positions in their labs, the nature of ...
4
votes
3answers
1k views
Is it possible to be admitted to a PhD program with a course based Masters Degree?
I did an undergraduate degree in one engineering discipline (electrical), and a course based masters in the same discipline of engineering (electrical) and another course based masters in another ...
2
votes
1answer
179 views
Is there a book equivalent to « Good work if you can get: How to succeed in academia » but for European / UK academia?
I found Jason Brennan’s book very useful when applying to my PhD and planning long term about my academic career.
However I am doing my PhD in Europe and although I’d like to explore US academia at ...
0
votes
1answer
147 views
How can I find an American university that has an education department that appreciates homeschool? [closed]
I feel that most often the master's programs in education focus only on instructor-led curricular learning. How can I find a school in the U.S. that offers masters degrees in education that emphasize ...
4
votes
2answers
456 views
Am I taking the purposes of seminars too seriously?
I'm a grad student pursuing to Master's degree. My major is Applied Mathematics. Here I call my advisor Mr. Iggy. (Not the real name)
The branch of math that Mr. Iggy researches is Algebraic Topology. ...
2
votes
2answers
189 views
If I decline to join a Master's program, can the university deny admission to me if I apply on the next year?
Suppose I get selected for an American/Canadian University for a masters in computer science as an international student for fall 2022 , but I decline to join the university due to some personal ...
1
vote
1answer
86 views
Best way to evaluate different MA/PhD programs?
This is connected to my post from yesterday. I'm a rising junior and an English/Philosophy double major from the United States, and I've decided to get a jump on looking into programs I might apply to ...
1
vote
2answers
88 views
Eligibility of pursuing graduate school in English with only a minor in the subject?
Background: I’m a rising (undergraduate) junior transferring to a different school starting with this upcoming semester. At my previous school I was an English/Philosophy double major, but I took way ...
3
votes
1answer
251 views
Do 2 bachelor's degrees look bad for PhD admissions?
I am currently doing my second bachelor's degree after having gotten very sick towards the end of my first and not being able to take the classes that I wanted, or the sufficient research experience ...
2
votes
1answer
122 views
German Fachhochschule (university of applied science) degree validation in USA and other countries
I'm currently trying to start a bachelors in Germany as an international student. However, I have to decide between going to a normal university or a so-called Fachhochschule. According to what I have ...
1
vote
3answers
64 views
Would it be necessary to justify in my SOP, a course which I had withdrawn?
Our university has the option where a student can withdraw from a course within the first month from the commencement of the course. This would lead to 'W' grade and is generally not equated with a '...
1
vote
2answers
146 views
Is it normal to attend an MSc program after the completion of a PhD program?
This is just for an example: suppose, someone finishes a Ph.D. in Biology. Now, for some reason (maybe a hobby, to invent something new, etc), he wants to study Electrical Eng. So, he gets admission ...
45
votes
6answers
9k views
Regret after not being able to solve a problem that my supervisor did easily
I'm a first year PhD student and I was asked to think about a problem last week and I tried to work out some examples, did some computations, but I wasn't successful. Basically, I didn't really make ...
5
votes
3answers
899 views
Perfect TOEFL reading/writing/listening scores but low speaking score due to stutter. How will this affect PhD admissions?
I am fairly comfortable with English as a second language and have been studying at schools with English as the primary language for the last 9 years. I also have multiple semesters worth of ...
0
votes
0answers
42 views
Assistant professor vs lecturer in the UK [duplicate]
I have been looking at various graduate programs in the UK, and noticed a lot of people under the title "lecturer" taking incoming PhD students. I've completed some graduate studies on a ...
51
votes
6answers
10k views
Is it common to drop 50% of PhD students in a program?
I recently spoke to a graduate coordinator of a mathematics PhD program I was planning to apply to. I asked about admission, requirements to complete the degree and such. The program coordinator ended ...
0
votes
1answer
69 views
3 Letters of Recommendation for Bio Grad School [duplicate]
I'm a rising senior in college and I'm looking into grad programs in biology. For the Letter of Recommendation requirement I have found that usually 3 are required.
Currently I can only think of 2 ...
0
votes
1answer
223 views
Grad School Failure and Drop out
During the end of my first year of grad school we have to take a comprehensive exam (I am majoring in Microbiology and Immunology) Due to personal problems I failed my exam, now I get to retake it but ...
0
votes
1answer
171 views
Can MOOCs help me improve my profile for an MS in Computer Science? [duplicate]
I wish to apply for an MS in CS in the United States or Canada for Fall 2022. I am from non-CS background (engineering physics) and currently work as a software developer.
I had programming experience ...
4
votes
2answers
332 views
Can I include subjects I self-studied in my CV when applying to graduate program?
I am going to apply for a graduate program that requires background in subjects A,B,C. I have not studied those in my uni.
I self-learned them. The application process starts next January. So I have ...
2
votes
2answers
124 views
Should I mention that I am an undergrad researcher for a lab in the postgrad program I want to apply to
So I am currently a rising senior at a college in the US (which I will call "UNI"), and preparing to apply to grad schools. Furthermore, the college I currently go to (UNI) also happens to ...
0
votes
0answers
68 views
Should I switch majors? How will this look on grad school application?
At the school I study at there are several majors for life sciences. I am currently in a program called Life science - origin of diseases specialization. This program is very similar to the general ...
1
vote
0answers
47 views
Working at two labs vs having two advisors in grad school? [closed]
There are two labs that I really want to work as a masters student research assistant but I know that grad school isn't like undergrad and working for two will probably drive me crazy. One is in the ...
0
votes
1answer
253 views
Mature PhD maths student going through a crisis and feeling pretty anxious and depressed about future - advice needed [closed]
So, to provide a bit about my background, I did an undergrad degree in mathematics from 2010-2014, and started a PhD immediately afterwards and dropped out after 9 months due to it not being a good ...
1
vote
0answers
61 views
Should I withdraw from a funded research based graduate program at McMaster? [closed]
I accepted a research-based graduate offer from McMaster University. I applied to other schools but I did not hear back. I assumed I did not get in. So I accepted the offer I had. I know learned that ...
5
votes
2answers
1k views
How can I pursue my intellectual ambitions in physics (specifically quantum foundations) without favorable conditions? [closed]
I'm in a bit of a tricky situation and I'm not sure how to proceed forwards in accomplishing my goals. I think I am a bit of an information addict especially in regards to physics. I can't stop ...
6
votes
2answers
829 views
Advisor wants to put his name on my paper when I did all the work and found the idea
During my master's work, when I was trying to solve the problem the advisor assigned to me, I solved another problem. I got an idea and it worked, I tried to talk to him about it, he refused. So, I ...
0
votes
2answers
165 views
Do people usually pursue a Master's degree in the UK before going to PhD?
I'm a physics-majored undergrad student studying in the U.S. and I'm looking for some graduate programs in the UK. In my university, most graduate students are directly enrolled in the Ph.D. programs ...
1
vote
0answers
141 views
Emailing back at professor after he forwarded my email? [duplicate]
So I emailed a professor regarding graduate research assistantship and he replied by saying if it is ok for him to forward my email to his graduate student. I said yes and its been a week so I'm ...
2
votes
2answers
115 views
Potential side effects of submitting several applications within a single university system in the US?
I'd like to understand if there could be disadvantages to submitting applications to several graduate programs within a single university system (e.g. Texas A&M, University of California, etc)? ...
1
vote
0answers
41 views
Switching Academic Fields for Grad Admission - Europe and Australia
I am a pre-final year Electronics and Communication Engineering Undergraduate. I am very much interested in pursuing higher studies in Radio Astronomy and am working on multiple projects in a specific ...
3
votes
1answer
163 views
Is there a way to do credited graduate level math courses (not a complete program just couple of specific courses) [duplicate]
I have completed my undergraduate (bachelor's of engineering) degree. I am looking to go for a masters, but I lack some prerequisite math courses on my transcript. Is there a way to get credited math ...
2
votes
0answers
38 views
How to identify potential advisors for a masters program in the US
My apologies if this question is asked elsewhere or is extremely trivial, but I couldn't find a satisfactory answer anywhere...
I am currently a math major (US university) in my junior-year, looking ...
12
votes
3answers
3k views
Does 'graduate program' mean MSc or Ph.D.?
What is the actual meaning of a graduate program? Is it Masters? Or Ph.D. or Both? Does the definition vary from country to country?
0
votes
1answer
69 views
Can someone change PhD topic within a department after admission?
Suppose that someone applies for a PhD in the US with publications in topic X, and hence the whole SOP and
the target group both revolve around X. They get admitted, and realise soon after entering ...
0
votes
2answers
119 views
A Question about Pass/No-Credit [duplicate]
I currently finished my undergraduate studies and I plan to apply to PhD programs in the near future. In the mean time I will be starting a masters to get additional research experience and take some ...
10
votes
3answers
3k views
MS incoming student: How to convince my department to give me financial support? [closed]
I am an international student. I have received a MS admit (Fall 2021) from X University (USA) in Y department (STEM). My initial application to this university was for PhD, but I got a reject for PhD ...
1
vote
1answer
203 views
Can I avoid having bad grades and a dismissal show on my record if I transfer colleges? [closed]
I'm considering transferring to a school with a worse CS program to avoid 3 semesters of W's (withdrawal grades) and a dismissal on my record come graduation time. (Or would I just have more ...
0
votes
1answer
61 views
Applying for international graduate school without any prior collaboration with researchers at the new location
I'm finishing my Master's degree in my home country in March of 2022. I've just finished my first year of Master. I have no publications or results yet, but my work is going according to plans and is ...
1
vote
1answer
144 views
Dual major in mathematics and physics
I am doing dual major in mathematics and physics and I want to pursue my future study in theoretical physics, I mean want to do PhD in it.
Although, I am dual majoring but my university provides only ...
4
votes
2answers
134 views
Switching Topics Once in Graduate School
I plan to pursue a graduate school "career" in theoretical condensed matter physics in the US; however, getting into a grad program as a theory student is quite difficult due to limited ...
4
votes
2answers
413 views
Can I get a masters degree if I drop my PhD?
I am an undergraduate right now, looking to apply to Grad schools. I am just confused about the kinds of degrees offered by graduate schools. Some state they have a "M.S, M.S/PhD, and PhD" ...
46
votes
13answers
11k views
I feel like my mathematical competence is fading
Background:
I studied Physics and Mathematics (double major) in my Bachelor, and now I'm working in the field of (theoretical) biophysics (I'm a Master's student). I have had a fair amount of research ...
