thinking of doing a phd abroad. Is it typical at all for research universities to be done in English or in the native language in multilingual countries like lets say, Germany, Switzerland, or Hong Kong?

8/14/2013 1:46:00 PM

8/14/2013 1:47:35 PM

many courses are taught in English. just so you know, if you do a PhD abroad, you will probably have to pay for the entire program out of pocket as it is very rare that a foreign institution will give a scholarship to a foreigner without very special (i.e. you're a genius) circumstances. Also, foreign degrees don't carry the same weight as American ones in academic circles. Oxford or Cambridge would be okay, but if you can get into a high caliber US program, that would be favorable.

8/15/2013 11:08:11 AM

what field?

8/15/2013 11:42:51 AM

It is very typical in many countries to teach entire programs in English when it isn't the locally used language. Both my wife and I attended graduate school in Europe and both were completely in English.

Quote :

" just so you know, if you do a PhD abroad, you will probably have to pay for the entire program out of pocket as it is very rare that a foreign institution will give a scholarship to a foreigner without very special (i.e. you're a genius) circumstances"

In my experience, this hasn't been the case. Both my university (and in general, all universities in Sweden) and my wife's university offered fully funded phd slots to non natives of the host country and of the ones that I personally have known, none were any more special than their local counterparts.

8/15/2013 5:19:14 PM

I'd study in Finland

Quote :

"One important aspect of study or research in Finland is considering how to finance your study or research period. You will need to be able to cover your everyday living expences, travel, insurance, etc. Bachelor's and Doctoral level programmes -as well as many Master's level programmes- do not charge any tuition fees, regardless of your nationality.....Scholarships in Finland are mainly available for Doctoral level studies and research only."

http://www.studyinfinland.fi/tuition_and_scholarships

8/15/2013 8:11:57 PM

^ damn, nice

8/15/2013 8:15:34 PM

^^ Thats how it was in Sweden when I was there, and a big reason for picking the school that I did. Unfortunately, they've started charging tuition to non-EU nationals now.

8/15/2013 8:26:32 PM

Thats nothing.

Studying in Ecuador they give you food poisoning FREE (and IVs afterwards).

8/15/2013 11:34:53 PM

is this true with British schools too? I looked into it for a while and read that it was very rare to get scholarships to Oxbridge

8/16/2013 10:57:47 AM

I had one at Cambridge, and my wife had one at Oxford. But yes, most fellowships, even at the graduate level, are restricted to either British or EU citizens. I would say that more are British-only than EU-only, given that it's a typical restriction for any lab, PI or facility funded by the UK Research Councils.

As to the OP question, it varies by country. Most large universities in Western Europe offer a full range of graduate programs in English; France is an exception, as well as some German institutions. Then there are a smattering of very good schools around the rest of the world where this is an option, like Sophia University in Japan, NUS in Singapore, etc. But definitely be aware of what you want to do and where you want to end up after the degree, as to how your PhD will be regarded by your potential employers.

8/16/2013 1:00:07 PM

random and probably stupid question

can you get federal loans to attend a foreign university - not through a study abroad program?

UPDATE: some random website claims you can.

Actually, not so random - it was studentaid.ed.gov

[Edited on August 16, 2013 at 5:12 PM. Reason : ]

8/16/2013 5:03:52 PM

yes, you absolutely can take out federal loans for study at foreign universities (non-study abroad) so long as they participate in the program. My wife was able to take out loans whereas I was not.

8/17/2013 2:10:48 AM

Where'd your wife go?

8/17/2013 2:56:09 AM

Bump. Currently applying to get a masters in Canada. They say they have limited space for international students, but here's to hoping they're just trying to build up their image. *shrug* I hope the latter is the case. Anyone had any experience with having to prove your finances to study abroad? I'm pretty sure they won't consider federal student loans in the determination.

I should have dynamite letters of recommendation and, hopefully, a solid letter of intent. Another plus is the two I'm looking into really only look at the last two years of grades or your major GPA. Not that my overall was poor, but it certainly wasn't as great as what they're looking at. Still self critical and doubt I'll get in, but I figure what the hell do I lose by applying.

[Edited on October 29, 2013 at 6:06 PM. Reason : ]

10/29/2013 6:04:00 PM

Quote :

"many courses are taught in English. just so you know, if you do a PhD abroad, you will probably have to pay for the entire program out of pocket as it is very rare that a foreign institution will give a scholarship to a foreigner without very special (i.e. you're a genius) circumstances. Also, foreign degrees don't carry the same weight as American ones in academic circles. Oxford or Cambridge would be okay, but if you can get into a high caliber US program, that would be favorable."

The funding would certainly be harder to get. As usual it will depend on the demand.

But otherwise, I see the point that there's often not much career value for doing this.

10/29/2013 6:07:14 PM

[Edited on October 29, 2013 at 6:40 PM. Reason : nm]

10/29/2013 6:39:52 PM

getting a student work permit in canada is pretty straightforward, so maybe you can show intent to work or something?

http://www.cic.gc.ca/ENGLISH/study/index.asp





canadian international graduate tuition is still less than NCSU undegrad tuition, just fyi

[Edited on October 31, 2013 at 9:29 AM. Reason : ]

10/31/2013 9:28:35 AM

^ Yea, I've definitely been doing a lot of research, so to speak. I'm hoping this works out, because the program is pretty great, plus I can get the hell away from here for a bit.

As far as income while there, the two programs I'm applying to (one as a backup, basically) offer pretty much guaranteed paid co-op options...so that's a plus.

Crossing my fingers!

11/5/2013 3:12:11 PM