[zilalti]

I'm currently studing for a degree/masters in chemisty in the UK and am thinking of applying for a PhD after I finish. I would really like to study in the US but i'm unsure as to how much it would all cost. Could anyone tell me whether it would be possible to get funding? I have dual UK/US citizenship if that makes a difference?

[Mitch]

PhD programs will pay you, you don't need to find funding.

[zilalti]

 Thanks for the reply. In the UK it looks like I would get £15,000 which is more than enough for me to live on (i have low standards of living) Will the pay for us be comparable to this and would it cover tution fee's etc?

[nj_bartel]

At my university the stipend is ~$22k US if I remember right.

[Grundalizer]

Yeah I hear of 20k-30k US Dollars being the norm for a phD program in the U.S.  When you think about it...you can make more mowing lawns...but the payoff and experience are what I'm looking for, and also because Science is a way of life for me, not just a career path, which I am sure most of you can relate too

[zilalti]

wow that sounds good. Does anyone know whether I would have to be a US resident to be eligible for the money, or would my US citizenship be enough?

[Grundalizer]

It has nothing to do with your citizenship, you are basically "working" for your advisor.  Each person who runs a lab is given money by the school, or by grants from institutions or governments.  They basically take the grant money and pay you with it, so its like you are on an extended work visa or something.  I wouldn't doubt if more FOREIGN people are Chemistry phD candidates than U.S. Citizens, not that that is bad, just saying, probably true...so shouldn't be an issue. 

[zilalti]

hmm I have just read that PhDs in the US typically last for 5+ years and require you to do coursework and examinations for the first 2 years. This seems very different in structure to the typical 3-4 year PhD in the UK and considerably more demading. Is this true for a PhD in Chemistry?

[Grundalizer]

From all the stories I've heard from all my professors (some are relatively young) and a lot of grad students, phD's last between 4-5 years in the US. 6 is not as common.  The first year you usually take classes and TA a freshman lab.  Then, in 2nd year, you take what are called you "cums" or cumulative exams.  Sometimes your 3rd semester is spent taking classes, but by the 4th semester you usually have picked a lab group to join.  They are generally easy to pass, and the grade you get usually doesn't mean anything so I hear (its more like pass/fail).  It's basically a way for the professors in your department to make sure you aren't retarded.  My professor told me that one of his professors put questions that HE didn't even know the answer too, and that he was working on, to see if randomly one of the new phD students could answer it.  My prof told me, some professors like to make it easy, some like to make it ridiculously hard, but I'd say easy is the most common.  I don't think people fail their cumulatives, you also get like 2 or 3 tries per test to pass.  This is all second hand info, I'm just resaying what has already been said.  If you're in the UK, is there not a single U.S. professor in your school?  Or in a nearby one?

[Mitch]

US PhDs are more rigorous than European ones. Being a US citizen is of huge importance, the institution has half as many taxes for US citizens than foreigners and thus strongly prefer US citizens.

[sjb]

Part of the issue is, as we've discussed before in one of your earlier threads, the different curricula. (see http://www.chemicalforums.com/index.php?topic=27526.msg104239 ), so I wouldn't necessarily say that one is more rigourous than the other, after all, they are both meant to get the same level of person out at the end. As to "professors" being young, this too has different interpretations from either side of the pond, so many professors in America may only be the equivalent of lecturers or readers in the UK.