Getting my Ph. D

[Astray]

My life-long goal is to obtain my Ph. D in Computer Engineering.

At the moment, I am only 20 and nearly completed my associates degree in computer drafting and design.

I have no idea what steps I need to take to begin the painfully long process of getting my Ph. D, I've tried googling and contacting a few schools but all they seem to provide me with are the requirements for Ph.D's only, such as the dissertation.

Could anyone please outline for me, everything that's needed, from start to finish, the steps required to do this? Or even refer me to someone, or some place, that can help me out.

Thanks,
Astray

 

[erub]

go to the best school you can get into for CompE undergrad, do well, then apply for M.S. & Ph.D. programs

 

[iwantanewcomputer]

Originally posted by: erub
go to the best school you can get into for CompE undergrad, do well, then apply for M.S. & Ph.D. programs

that would be the obvious answer now wouldn't it...

 

[gopunk]

Originally posted by: iwantanewcomputer

Originally posted by: erub
go to the best school you can get into for CompE undergrad, do well, then apply for M.S. & Ph.D. programs

that would be the obvious answer now wouldn't it...

is there any other?

 

[hypn0tik]

Originally posted by: gopunk

Originally posted by: iwantanewcomputer

Originally posted by: erub
go to the best school you can get into for CompE undergrad, do well, then apply for M.S. & Ph.D. programs

that would be the obvious answer now wouldn't it...

is there any other?

Not that I know of.

Bachelors -> Masters -> Ph.D -> Post Doc -> What now?

 

[gopunk]

Originally posted by: hypn0tik

Originally posted by: gopunk

Originally posted by: iwantanewcomputer

Originally posted by: erub
go to the best school you can get into for CompE undergrad, do well, then apply for M.S. & Ph.D. programs

that would be the obvious answer now wouldn't it...

is there any other?

Not that I know of.

Bachelors -> Masters -> Ph.D -> Post Doc -> What now?

academia... i'm not sure if post doc helps with industry much

 

[KarmaPolice]

you have to get a BS, then a masters, and then you can get a Ph. D

There is no go straight to Ph. D card...

 

[hypn0tik]

Originally posted by: gopunk

Originally posted by: hypn0tik

Originally posted by: gopunk

Originally posted by: iwantanewcomputer

Originally posted by: erub
go to the best school you can get into for CompE undergrad, do well, then apply for M.S. & Ph.D. programs

that would be the obvious answer now wouldn't it...

is there any other?

Not that I know of.

Bachelors -> Masters -> Ph.D -> Post Doc -> What now?

academia... i'm not sure if post doc helps with industry much

I was merely listing the degrees that I know of and in what order they are done.

I doubt that Ph.Ds would help very much in industry either. I don't know of very many people who are out in industry holding a Ph.D. They usually end up in academia somehow.

 

[gopunk]

Originally posted by: KarmaPolice
you have to get a BS, then a masters, and then you can get a Ph. D

There is no go straight to Ph. D card...

phd programs usually let you get a masters along the way, so you don't have to apply to both a masters and phd program

 

[JohnCU]

psh... in engineering, unless you want to teach, and even then, experience >>>>> PhD

 

[gopunk]

Originally posted by: hypn0tik

Originally posted by: gopunk

Originally posted by: hypn0tik

Originally posted by: gopunk

Originally posted by: iwantanewcomputer

Originally posted by: erub
go to the best school you can get into for CompE undergrad, do well, then apply for M.S. & Ph.D. programs

that would be the obvious answer now wouldn't it...

is there any other?

Not that I know of.

Bachelors -> Masters -> Ph.D -> Post Doc -> What now?

academia... i'm not sure if post doc helps with industry much

I was merely listing the degrees that I know of and in what order they are done.

I doubt that Ph.Ds would help very much in industry either. I don't know of very many people who are out in industry holding a Ph.D. They usually end up in academia somehow.

post doc isn't a degree... i thought you were just outlining a career path. there are plenty of phds in industry... any large tech company has its share of them (ibm, google, amazon, ms, yahoo, etc)

 

[KillerCharlie]

It sounds like you are completely clueless about computer engineering, to be honest. I thought it was obvious that you get a Cpr E degree from a 4 year university. Engineering degrees are 4 years bachelors degrees - an associates degree in anything won't help you a bit. You've got a minimum of 7 years of school left, but more likely 8.

 

[dullard]

Wow, a lot of helpful results here. :roll:

1) You'll need a bachelor's degree to get into grad school. You can get your bachelor's degree in any school and in any field. Which school really doesn't matter - I certainly wouldn't waste $100k to "go to the best school you can get into". If you have a PhD, the school you got your bachelor's at is meaningless. Clearly, your graduate work will be shorter if your bachelors degree is related to Computer Engineering, but even that isn't absolutely required.

2) Do well in your bachelors degree and do well on the grad school entrance exam.

3) Apply to good grad schools - which school depends on what you want to do for a living. If you want to be a professor, you must go to a prestigious school (remember for professor jobs prestige matters not education or skill). If not, the school selection is not as critical.

4) Often, you can go right into the PhD without getting an MS degree, but this is not always the case. In fact, to get the best grants/assistantships you often have to declare that you want a PhD from the start (they don't want to invest a lot of $$$ into someone only getting an MS).

5) You'll have ~2-3 years of classes and a couple years of research.

6) Get the MS if you choose along the way around the 2 year mark. Some schools/degrees let you get an MS based solely on a heavy courseload. Some require you to do a master's thesis on a small research project.

7) Apply to be a PhD candidate. And pass the qualifing exam.

8) Do research. Write a dissertation.

9) Defend your disseration (oral presentation/questions).

10) Get your diploma.


<- Got mine in ChemE 2 years ago.

 

[ZoomStop]

Needing a college education on computers all a myth. Get MCSE certified and you'll make 200+k a year

</sarcasm>

 

[Astray]

Wow, thanks alot for all the replies, this certainly helps me, I was getting frustrated because Ididn't want to start applying until I knew exactly what needed to be done first.

Thanks alot.

I plan on going to MIT, They offer most of the classes I'm going to need to take, if not, all of them. ...Now to get the money...

Though a Ph. D isn't exactly required for the field, I want to do this for myself, and to make sure my family never has to worry about anything, ever...

 

[jlbenedict]

Originally posted by: AcidBath
Needing a college education on computers all a myth. Get MCSE certified and you'll make 200+k a year

</sarcasm>

Haha!!
Where do I sign up?

 

[miniMUNCH]

Originally posted by: KarmaPolice
you have to get a BS, then a masters, and then you can get a Ph. D

There is no go straight to Ph. D card...

Not true...several institutions have direct Ph.D. entry for engineering and science degrees.

At Carnegie Mellon, most engineering programs have direct entry Ph.D. tracks.

I'm on direct Ph.D. track in chemical engineering, as are most grads in chemE...I'm in my third year of five total. I have already given my thesis proposal and I'm done with all my course work. It just research from here on out!

 

[Darien]

During your undergrad years, start researching the topics of interest to you, and find the people involved in those areas. Figure out what schools those people are at, and contact them. They'll probably tell you what it's like to be a PhD student at whatever school they're at, among other important things. If you're dead set on going to grad school, take the GRE, and a subject GRE if the school requires it.

Applying for schools is a matter of filling out forms, sending transcripts and getting letters of recommendation, so if you've taken a class with a famous professor and did well, ask them! (+ points if you know they can write well)

Before you decide on which school to go to, it wouldn't be a bad idea to go to several campuses and ask the grad students that work with the prof you want to do research on what life is like. The professor you want to do research with will end up as your advisor, the person who will guide you on how to do research and on getting your first job once you're done. You DO NOT want to be stuck with someone you do not like and can't work with.

Once you're in, you have a few more courses to take, and depending on the program, a few major exams. The first would be the screening exam, which will test you on most big areas in your field. If you pass that, eventually you will have to take a qualifying exam. Beyond that point, you just continue on the research you discussed in your qualifying exam, write a dissertation and then obtain your doctorate.

...which will probably take you 5+ years to complete.

So make sure you're dead set on wanting a PhD. Grad school is a completely different beast than undergrad, and you're expected to perform very well. You'll be surrounded by very smart people and YOU WILL have to get used to failure and frustration. Your peers that you grew up with and all your buddies will easily be making much more than you while you're in school. Eating ramen and hunting for free food isn't something that stops once your undergrad career is over. Your free time will diminish quite quickly, so you should really enjoy the subjectmatter. If you can't take those things, along with the thought of being mediocre, you're probably not ready to get a doctorate.

But if you don't mind, and are dead set on wanting to do research for the rest of your life, then GL :beer:

 

[Astray]

What about any studying/research I should do? I always like getting a early start on what lies ahead, what would be the best topics that would be most relevant to computer engineering, and help me out on the major exams I'm going to have to take?

 

[Darien]

Originally posted by: Astray
What about any studying/research I should do? I always like getting a early start on what lies ahead, what would be the best topics that would be most relevant to computer engineering?

Try and do any kind of relevent research as an undergrad. Research experience is pretty much the norm when you apply for a doctorate.

And with regards to your second question, you'll be exposed to those things after your initial wave of comp. eng. coursework.

 

[miniMUNCH]

OP: First things first...transfer to a solid undergrad program, work your ass off and get awesome grades.

My advice would be not to break the bank unnecessarily for your undergrad education...your profile is not enabled so I don't know what state your in, but if the state schools are good then try to transfer there.

The most important thing is to get good grades: A 3.2-3.3 GPA is an absolute requirement for any Ph.D. engineering program worth going to... you really need more like a 3.5+. If you are shooting for a top 10 / top 20 school then a 3.8+ with some summer research or applicable working experience is needed.

 

[miniMUNCH]

OP: If you get into MIT on a transfer and it won't cost you a fortune to go there...then go.

But realistically... AFAIK, generally does not except many transfers and your JC grades have to be perfect... I mean, you'd have to be "the cat's meow".

But don't fret...the undergrad CompE is fairly uniform at most universities worth their salt... they more or less all have to meet the same standard set by ABET.

 

[Astray]

the more I think about it now the more I'm starting tot think a Ph. D might not be worth it.

I do want to live some sort of life, so maybe a Masters would be best for me, especially since I don't exactly have money to burn, I'll be saving up/getting alot of loans to do this, I wouldn't want to waste it...

 

[gopunk]

Originally posted by: Astray
the more I think about it now the more I'm starting tot think a Ph. D might not be worth it.

I do want to live some sort of life, so maybe a Masters would be best for me, especially since I don't exactly have money to burn, I'll be saving up/getting alot of loans to do this, I wouldn't want to waste it...

phd programs don't cost any money, you'd generally get a stipend to live on, in fact

 

[dullard]

Originally posted by: Astray
the more I think about it now the more I'm starting tot think a Ph. D might not be worth it.

I do want to live some sort of life, so maybe a Masters would be best for me, especially since I don't exactly have money to burn, I'll be saving up/getting alot of loans to do this, I wouldn't want to waste it...

You will have many times to evaluate it along the way. You can change your mind after the bachelors or after the masters degree.

The vast majority of engineering graduate students are PAID for grad school. Typically you'll get free tuition, minimal health insurance, and ~$15,000-$20,000 a year. You get paid for (a) being a teaching assistant or (b) a research assistant. I perfer option (b) since you get paid for the research you are doing anyways for your degree. Of course, $20k a year goes a lot further in Iowa than it does in Boston for MIT. But, either way, you'll be able to survive without many loans.

So, with the exception of your bachelors degree, don't let money decide your life's path.