BE Board:Dinner Discussion/5 Things to Gain from a Ph.D.: Difference between revisions
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==5 things to get out of a PhD== | ==5 things to get out of a PhD== | ||
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A little internet searching will give you a general feel for the perception of PhD degrees over the last ten years. Some people believe PhD degrees overemphasize novel individual research which prepares students best for academic positions. But the market appears to be flooding with graduates and the number of academic positions cannot keep up with the demand. Others believe the world needs highly educated scientists and engineers capable of push innovation forward outside of academics as we encounter problems such as fossil fuel depletion, bird flu, and global warming. Both of these perceptions push for a reevaluation of the PhD process so future graduates will have the skill sets and adaptability to fill a variety of roles within academia and industry to combat new problems. | A little internet searching will give you a general feel for the perception of PhD degrees over the last ten years. Some people believe PhD degrees overemphasize novel individual research which prepares students best for academic positions. But the market appears to be flooding with graduates and the number of academic positions cannot keep up with the demand. Others believe the world needs highly educated scientists and engineers capable of push innovation forward outside of academics as we encounter problems such as fossil fuel depletion, bird flu, and global warming. Both of these perceptions push for a reevaluation of the PhD process so future graduates will have the skill sets and adaptability to fill a variety of roles within academia and industry to combat new problems. | ||
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One potential skill postulated to help students adapt and succeed in the ever changing world is a concept called “learning backwards.” It is best described as both critical thinking skills to evaluate a problem and generate solutions as well as information mining skills to find the appropriate resources to evaluated and implement the solutions. (1) Should PhD programs be adding such a concept to their curriculum or is it already an implicit part of the PhD process? | One potential skill postulated to help students adapt and succeed in the ever changing world is a concept called “learning backwards.” It is best described as both critical thinking skills to evaluate a problem and generate solutions as well as information mining skills to find the appropriate resources to evaluated and implement the solutions. (1) Should PhD programs be adding such a concept to their curriculum or is it already an implicit part of the PhD process? | ||
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As graduate students, we spend a considerable amount of time at MIT attempting to better ourselves for the “real world.” But, what should we be getting out of graduate school besides a diploma to frame? What are we be getting out of this experience? Are there skills we should be acquiring now that will be essential as we enter academia, or industry, or change fields entirely? What will the world expect from us after we graduate? Are there defined expectations for a PhD? Should there be? | As graduate students, we spend a considerable amount of time at MIT attempting to better ourselves for the “real world.” But, what should we be getting out of graduate school besides a diploma to frame? What are we be getting out of this experience? Are there skills we should be acquiring now that will be essential as we enter academia, or industry, or change fields entirely? What will the world expect from us after we graduate? Are there defined expectations for a PhD? Should there be? | ||
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<b>Possible skills to get from a PhD:<b> | <b>Possible skills to get from a PhD:</b> | ||
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*Time management | *Time management | ||
Revision as of 15:31, 22 March 2006
This is a draft version of the one page summary for the 2006 BE Retreat.
5 things to get out of a PhD
A little internet searching will give you a general feel for the perception of PhD degrees over the last ten years. Some people believe PhD degrees overemphasize novel individual research which prepares students best for academic positions. But the market appears to be flooding with graduates and the number of academic positions cannot keep up with the demand. Others believe the world needs highly educated scientists and engineers capable of push innovation forward outside of academics as we encounter problems such as fossil fuel depletion, bird flu, and global warming. Both of these perceptions push for a reevaluation of the PhD process so future graduates will have the skill sets and adaptability to fill a variety of roles within academia and industry to combat new problems.
One potential skill postulated to help students adapt and succeed in the ever changing world is a concept called “learning backwards.” It is best described as both critical thinking skills to evaluate a problem and generate solutions as well as information mining skills to find the appropriate resources to evaluated and implement the solutions. (1) Should PhD programs be adding such a concept to their curriculum or is it already an implicit part of the PhD process?
As graduate students, we spend a considerable amount of time at MIT attempting to better ourselves for the “real world.” But, what should we be getting out of graduate school besides a diploma to frame? What are we be getting out of this experience? Are there skills we should be acquiring now that will be essential as we enter academia, or industry, or change fields entirely? What will the world expect from us after we graduate? Are there defined expectations for a PhD? Should there be?
Possible skills to get from a PhD:
- Time management
- Learning to learn
- Learn to think,/problem solve
- Project/UROP management
- Learn to do research
- Teaching
- Communication skills
- Confidence to pick up a new topic and run with it
- Networking skills
- Collaborations
- Finding information you need and assimilating it in a useful manner
References
1. “The value of learning backward” ScienceCareers.org May 31, 2002
http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_development/previous_issues/articles/1680/the_value_of_learning_backward/
