Doctorate degree programs have many program requirements that students must meet prior to admission. Each PhD program has different specific requirements, but the general requirement is a bachelor or master degree or equivalent. Teaching and master, written, and oral examinations are also required. Students must show a research competency and complete a PhD preliminary exam in the third year. Years 4 and 5 are usually for dissertation research and completion.



To apply for Penn’s PhD programs, students must apply directly to the program of interest. The application is available online for most programs. All applicants must submit scores for the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), a completed application, application fee, college transcripts, other required test scores, and three letters of recommendation. Non-native speakers must submit Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores.

Most students admitted to PhD programs will receive financial packages to cover expenses for four or more years. These awards will vary depending on the student and program. Additional financial aid is available through grants, loans, and scholarships.

Vanderbilt offers a wide variety of doctorate degree programs, which include those in science, such as biology, chemistry, microbiology, and physics. There are numerous doctorate degree programs offered in psychology, with specialties in developmental, clinical, and quantitative psychology. The university also offers the Ph.D. program in French, English, religion, philosophy, history, and various fields in education.

Vanderbilt admissions are competitive, and a student can expect to spend 4 to 6 years pursuing the doctorate degree. Student will complete 2 to 3 years of advanced coursework, and complete comprehensive oral and written exams to gain admission to doctoral candidacy, during which time they will complete their dissertation. Students can expect this dissertation process to take 1 to 3 years. Many students complete a Masters degree prior to admission to the doctorate degree program. To apply for the program, you need a strong GPA in a related undergraduate degree, and high scores on the GRE are needed, as well as letters of recommendation from former professors.

Vanderbilt offers financial aid for students in the various doctorate degree programs, ranging from federal financial aid, fellowships, and a number of graduate assistantships, which provide free tuition and a living stipend in exchange for assisting professors with teaching and research.

Applicants should have at least a minimum GPA of 3.0, and 600 on the (paper-based) TOEFL for students whose first language is not English, and solid GRE scores, which vary by program. When applying, apart from an admission application form, all programs typically require letters of recommendation as well. Students must enroll for at least 90 semester hours, and expect to take 4 to 6 years to complete all degree requirements.

It is important to note that a successful PhD candidate will (apart from 90 semester hours of study) investigate an original research, which will later conclude in a shape of a final thesis. Thesis will be defended in a final oral examination. Residency requirement for all PhD (full-time) candidates is a four semesters study at Rice.

Rice Univeristy offers a wide range of financial aid for students in the doctorate degree programs. Rice offers numerous scholarships, research assistantships and loans to graduate students, which vary greatly between doctorate degree programs and the available funding for each doctorate program.

Full time attendance is expected and completion is anticipated within six years. Part time study is highly discouraged but allowed under special circumstances. Students are expected to assist in teaching at the University. To complete the Doctorate Degree Program all students are expected to submit a dissertation and pass a general exam.

Financial assistance takes the form of fellowships. Each department has its own arrangements but most will offer a five year, twelve month stipend and tuition support. All applicants are considered for fellowships as well as research assistantships, teaching fellowships and traineeships. Additionally the school provides health care services to all students. In order to accept other sources of funding the student must get approval from the department head or dean. Loans and work study programs are also available.

The California Institute of Technology offers Doctorate Degree Programs in various areas of subjects including Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Bioengineering, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Astrophysics, Mathematics, Physics, Applied and Computational Mathematics, Aeronautics, Applied Mechanics, Applied Physics, Bioengineering, Civil Engineering, Computation and Neural Systems, Computer Science, Control and Dynamical Systems, Electrical Engineering, Environmental Science and Engineering , Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, Geological and Planetary Sciences, Computation and Neural Systems, Social Science and many more. University also offers a combined MD/PhD research based program with collaboration of USC (Keck) Medical School.

Apart from admission application form, applicants to the Doctorate Degree Programs must supply transcripts of previous studies, a statement of purpose, three letters of recommendation from past instructors, list of publications (if any) and the results of their GRE with good grade. International students will need to provide proof of competence in English.

Please note that some departments may require a Masters Degree program, before officially entering to a Doctorate Degree Program. However it is not an essential requirement for all subject areas. After achieving the admission, every candidate will be assigned a thesis advising committee for further guidance and assistance. To pass into the Doctorate Degree Program a student must have sufficiently high grades, be involved in research and have begun the process of writing a thesis. With thesis submission, an oral examination will be the final part of this program. Depending on the subject area, examination can be divided into different parts; for example with part oral and part written options. During this course of study, students are expected to be in residence for at least three years.

It is important to note that PhD candidates can pursue financial aid from various channels; research fellowships and research and teaching assistantships. It is also important to mention that internal and external fellowships can run from one to several years. All monies provided by the University require students to maintain an academic level of excellence. All available support doesn’t require a separate application form and will be available on merit. Loans are also available through various channels.

As an admission requirement, you will need an admission application form, admission essay, three letters of recommendations, Transcripts, recent resume, and research-oriented writing sample.

Applicants to this doctorate degree program are expected to have maintained a minimum undergraduate G.P.A. of 3.0 from their sixty most recent credit hours and a minimum graduate G.P.A. of 3.20. A minimum of 80 credit hours of graduate work, which may be applied as credit hours towards required courses, is required before being considered for admission. Applicants should also submit score reports from the GRE or GMAT (and TOEFL for some International students), and a résumé or academic vitae.

Admissions requirements are stringent, and typically require original transcripts of earlier institution attended, Graduate Record Examination (GRE) general and subject tests, three academic and professional letters of references and recommendations, and college writing samples. International students will include recent TOFEL or IELTS results, if English language is not their native language. Current Doctoral degree programs offered by the Brown University include English, Comparative Literature, BioMed, Brain Science, Italian Studies, and Portuguese and Brazilian Studies.

Once the admitted student finishes three years of full-time graduate study, the typical amount of time required to obtain a master’s degree, he or she is eligible to advance to the dissertation phase. It traditionally takes four to five years for the study, research, and writing of the dissertation. However it is important to point out that in most departments, student must need to pass a preliminary examination to reach the candidacy phase. A Brown doctoral student works closely with a selected faculty advisor to not only write the dissertation, but be able to coherently speak about it to others.

Various doctorate degrees programs offer different specializations. Faculty members within each of the disciplines have different specializations. Thus, interested students should look into the faculty as much as the coursework and requirements for the degree.

Students who are interested in American doctorate degree programs at Bowling Green State University can apply online or fill out a paper application. Two official Transcripts of the pervious institutions attended, recent GRE scores, and three letters of professional recommendation are all standard pieces of the application. For non-English language candidates must include their recent TOFEL scores. Most people who apply to doctorate degrees have a master’s degree in the desired area. Additionally, different programs may have slightly different requirements based on the discipline in which you are applying. Often, a statement of purpose or letter of intent is an additional component to the application as is a portfolio.

Boston University attracts applicants from all over the world, and most programs require a number of supporting application materials. Typically, a prospective student must submit Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores, proof of an accredited bachelor’s degree, collegiate writing samples, academic and professional letters of recommendation, and an admission’s essay. It is important to point out that all international students must include their recent TOFEL results with admission application

Applicants to doctoral degree programs with a Master’s from another reputable college or university can sometimes apply straight to the PhD program. A doctoral program at Boston University usually entails close independent study with a faculty member culminating in a dissertation of publishable quality. Those who do not have a Master’s degree related to their field of PhD interest must earn one at the university by taking eight approved courses totalling 32 credits. Depending on the academic major, a student could meet these requirements in one academic year with full-time study. Each student has five years to finish his or her PhD unless special permission is granted.

Barry University is a school catering to the needs of those who would like a cosmopolitan education with worldwide diversity in Miami, Florida. Their wide range of graduate programs ensures that most applicants will find the degree program they seek.

There are several requirements for those interested in enrolling in this doctoral degree program. These include at least a score of 4.0 on the Analytical Writing portion of the GRE as well as the verbal and quantitative portions of that exam. Prospective students must also submit an application, four references - one from a current administrator and three professional references - a curriculum vitae, transcripts from all institutions attended, a letter of intent, and an interview on the campus. Application processing can take up to two months, so applicants are encouraged to send their information in early.

Once in the program, the student can choose either general or licensure concentration. These two programs are very similar with the exception of the ability to become a certified principal after earning a doctoral degree in education leadership with a licensure concentration. Overall, students can expect the program to take two and a half to three years of study, but that amount can be reduced depending upon the number of hours the student takes on a weekly basis.

The only doctorate degree available at Appalachian State University is a doctoral degree in education leadership, but with this, students can become certified to be a principal or get their general Ed.D.

Apart from other graduate and post-graduate programs, the Center for Cardiovascular Sciences (CCS) at the Albany Medical College offers a Doctoral Degree Program to its students, that leads them to the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree.

During the Doctoral Degree Program, the students are made aware about the modern technical research skills, right from molecular techniques to the analysis of animal models of cardiovascular diseases. The students get to know the latest research findings in the fields of cardiovascular physiology, and get prepared for pursuing post doctoral positions or independent research after finishing the course.

In the first year of the Doctoral Degree Program, the students are taught the fundamentals of cardiovascular science and allied sciences, including biochemistry, molecular biology, integrity in science, cardiovascular physiology, respiratory physiology and cardiovascular colloquium etc.

During the second year, the students move on to slightly complex topics such as molecular basis of cardiovascular diseases and bio-statistics. While the students get to choose two elective topics in this year, a lot of stress is put at cardiovascular colloquium too.

After a qualifying exam the students get into third year of the Doctoral Degree Program, and the curriculum for third year onwards consists of cardiovascular research colloquium and thesis research only. After going through a candidacy exam and defending their thesis research successfully, the students complete the program, and are awarded with the Ph.D. degree.

The Average time for current Doctoral Degree Program is 5-6 years. If you are planning to apply for this degree, along with admission application, you need to submit transcripts of your degrees or results, resent GRE scores, (TOFEL scores, if you are an international candidate), statement of purpose with professional letters of recommendations.