Decoding the Doctorate: the pathway to a PhD
everything you need to know about coursework, candidacy, and defending
09/04/2026
In an increasingly competitive job market, the question of a higher education past the traditional Bachelor’s degree is becoming ever more prevalent, wherein the exact pathways towards a PhD and what it entails is something not as commonly known by students as would be expected. Thus herein, we describe the pathway to a PhD to get a better understanding of what this process is truly like in the US, with special focus on the fields encompassed within STEM.
As is expected, the first step of this process is actually enrolling in a graduate school program in the field in which you are intending to conduct your PhD in. Most students continue where their undergraduate degree left off, picking the same field or an adjacent field, however it is worth noting that it is possible to attain a PhD in a completely different field, albeit this is a process that would likely require extensive commitment in catching up on all prerequisite content. Similar to college applications in high school, graduate school applications open one year before the theoretical enrollment, around the period of August to October, however this time frame does vary based on the individual schools. Additionally, this process is once again highly competitive, thus it is highly advantageous to make the decision of whether or not to go to graduate school early in one’s undergraduate years, as multiple years of concentrated research and/or jobs and internships are indispensable in these applications.
Once accepted, the first couple of years are focused on advanced coursework as well as lab rotations, with the coursework providing the basis
to conduct independent research, while students simultaneously explore different labs to find their home for the next half-decade. The latter does depend on the specific program however, where rotations are more common in the biomedical sciences while fields such as engineering or the humanities go through a direct-match process. Nevertheless, this coursework usually consists of core classes tailored to the specific graduate school program, and then additional electives in order to fulfill credit guidelines. From there, knowledge is tested through a comprehensive exam similar to school finals. Subsequently, depending on the PhD program, students can choose to exit from there with a Master’s degree, while others choose to continue on the route towards a doctoral degree, marking the beginning of the actual PhD process.
This first begins with individual assignment to a dissertation committee, which is filled with a panel of advisors that will advise and evaluate the student throughout their journey. It is during this time in which students compile their independent research question or proposal to which they will spend the next years pursuing. Once ready, the student will propose their idea to their dissertation committee, who in turn will try their best to question and critique the chosen methods, topic, and impact, a process that is often stressful as the student’s prowess in experimental design is heavily scrutinized and gauged. This has three outcomes, the first of which is a full pass, the initiation of the student’s research, and by far the best outcome. The borderline outcome is a conditional pass consisting of major/minor revisions however would be sufficient once addressed. Lastly, the most unfortunate outcome is the full-on rejection of the proposal after which the student can either revise and resubmit, change focuses, or find a new advisor. Assuming a pass, however, the student then moves on to the final and longest phase of their research: conducting the actual research and experiments.At this point, students are designated “ABD,” standing for “all but dissertation.” Over the next 2-4 years, students will dedicate almost all their time, energy, and effort into their research, with the end goal being compilation of a dissertation, averaging 200-300 pages, and containing all noteworthy conclusions from the research and processed data to back it up. In the US, this research is usually funded through Research or Teaching Assistantships (RAs or TAs), or fellowships, which grant students stipends or tuition
waivers in return for assisting professors with teaching or laboratory work. With their thesis in hand, students turn back to their dissertation committee to conduct the final test: the dissertation/thesis defense. This consists of a public presentation for about an hour, open to the public, wherein all findings and conclusions are disclosed. This is followed by the public Q&A, before the public exits and doors are shut, commencing the closed door defense for the next 1-2 hours. This is purely done with the PhD candidate and committee, where the committee once again critiques and questions the research of the student, essentially serving as the equivalent of peer review. Subsequently, the PhD candidate leaves the room, giving the dissertation committee time to deliberate, before giving the final verdict on whether a PhD has been earned or not. There are once again varying outcomes: pass, conditional pass, or fail. The conditional pass is the most common, with minor revisions being suggested, but once addressed, serve as a pass. Then there is a pass with major revisions, the next most common, and finally, the complete fail. This is highly uncommon as PI’s ensure students are at the point in their research where failure is almost an impossibility. Throughout this process, it is important to note that individual experience is highly dependent upon the field, advisor, and institution. Nevertheless, the uniting factor across all these varying factors is that the pathway towards a PhD is in no way a linear one, with struggle being an inevitability, and failed experiments a guarantee. Yet, the growth of skills throughout this process both experimentally but also personally is unmatched, and a doctoral degree will provide unparalleled value in employment.
And thus, the past 4-7 years worth of effort culminates with the Doctoral Hooding Ceremony, wherein PI’s place the traditional hood on their students, signifying the transition from student to peer. From there, students then enter the job market, an entirely separate and intricate topic, with the two most common routes being that of industry or academia.