₦airaland Forum

Julivas:
Some is three years, while in some other countries it may be four years

smellingmenses:
at the UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN POLITICAL SCIENCE DEPT 8-12 YEARS ON THE AVERAGE

candy:
Mostly 3-5 years for full time, 5-7 for part time. If you have the passion, go for it. Get a topic that interests you and don't ever work with a supervisor that is frustrated...he/she will make sure you share in his frustration.

bmos:
Having told me all these, So what is PhD? I mean what does the abbreviation stands for?

Julivas:
WHAT A PHD IS AND WHAT IT IS NOT

After having completed a PhD degree myself, and having supervised, co-supervised and examined a number of PhD students over the years, I would like to offer some humble advice and pointers to those aspiring to pursue a PhD degree themselves. I find that many students misunderstood the purpose of getting a PhD degree and the commitments and sacrifices that it calls for.

A PhD is the highest academic and research degree from a university. I have seen both remarkable successes and disappointing failures amongst students pursuing this academic accolade. It takes more than just brain power to complete a PhD.

A degree by research is very different from a degree by coursework. A course degree whether at the undergraduate or masters level is heavily structured. A student just have to be disciplined and rigorous in following this predetermined structure regimentally, without much creativity required from him or her. Of course, creativity is demanded from the student in completing assignments and projects but the demand is nothing close to what is required for a PhD degree.

The most important prerequisites for pursuing a successful PhD program are passion, inquisitiveness, creativity, discipline, persistence, perseverance and meticulousness (or attention to detail). I did not mention intelligence not because it is not important, but because it is less important than the other attributes I mentioned. At least, it is in my book. Others may feel differently.

Of those many attributes, I consider passion the most important. Some students start out enthusiastically but loses steam halfway through or towards the end. They lack passion or the love of knowledge. Ever heard of the saying, "when the going gets tough, the tough gets going?" Success in a PhD is simply that. The harder it becomes, the harder you will strive. Sometimes, you do not see the light at the end of the tunnel but you still keep looking for it because you know it is there. When you love what you do, failure is not an option.

Some people do PhD for the wrong reasons. Some take up postgraduate because they could not secure a job after their first or second degree. Some do it because the jobs they have taken up require them to acquire a PhD, for e.g. an academic or a research post. These cannot be the sole reason for pursuing a PhD. You cannot force yourself to do a PhD. You must want to do it badly enough. You cannot force yourself to love something; you must love or want something bad enough to force yourself to get it.

The PhD is an academic journey. There will be failures but mainly successes along your way. You may encounter some foes but mainly friends in the same boat as yourself. It always help to be in a group of students to share both your setbacks and achievements. Working alone in a silo is the worst you can do to yourself. There are certain things you want to discuss with your fellow students that you cannot discuss with your supervisor; matters that are either academic or personal.

Your supervisor is your mentor, guide and consultant, not your teacher. He cannot teach you your PhD knowledge, you have to teach yourself through his guidance and wisdom. He is more your friend than he is your master. He does not dictate to you what you must do, he merely points you in the right direction. At the end of your PhD journey, you would have been more knowledgeable on the subject of your research than your supervisor. I have heard of students not being able to complete their PhD because they could not get along or see eye to eye with their supervisor. This is the worst scenario that can happen to you. If you do not have a supervisor you can work with, you will not get your PhD no matter how good you are or how hard you work. So, choose your supervisor well, not just the university you want to do your PhD in. Just a few months back, I met a doctoral graduate who told me that to be supervised by this one professor carries more prestige among his peers in the working world.

A PhD degree needs sacrifices, especially when you are a family person; a wife, mother, husband or dad. Family is always important and should always be your priority. However, you and your family members must be willing to make sacrifices that are necessary. There can be no gain without pain. That is why when you finally get your PhD degree, your family members can even be happier and more proud of you than you yourself, because it is as much their accomplishment as it is yours. Their sacrifices must be duly appreciated.

So what does it mean when you have a Dr. before your name? Does it mean that you are an expert on a certain subject matter? Hardly so, I think. It means that you are both a seeker as well as a generator of knowledge. It means that you have enriched the world and added on to the vast body of knowledge through your PhD contribution. The world has become a slightly better place from the knowledge that you have contributed through your PhD thesis and publications. The world now knows more on a subject than before you completed your PhD. Your work get referred and cited by other researchers in your field, as they absorb your new knowledge to generate new knowledge of their own.

Your PhD is an end that should be justified by its means. The research methodology, the analysis and the interpretation should justify the conclusion. The new knowledge must have been tested and challenged by your peers and rigorously defended by you. It is an accomplishment unequal by any other feat. Once you have obtained a well-deserved PhD degree, you become your own teacher as self-teaching becomes common practice. You are always curious and tends to read a lot, not just on your subject matter but on everything. You will find doing new things, exploring new frontiers and taking up new challenges more scintillating. In other words, it will change your life and your outlooks forever.

I hope I have inspired some of you to pursue a PhD degree if what you read here is what you really want from a PhD. On the other hand, I hope I have also discouraged others who have a misconception of what a PhD degree entails, so that you will not go down the road of failure. A PhD is not for everyone.

You may share this post if you think it would help people you know in deciding whether pursuing a PhD degree is the right path for them to take.
By Prof. Dr. Jamal Hisham
#PhDJamal

bmos:
Having told me all these, So what is PhD? I mean what does the abbreviation stands for?

BrightForYou:
Yeepa. No be small thing oo

Julivas:
Yes you are right.....but the beauty of this is that there are numerous scholarship opportunities to do it abroad with mouth watering packages

Julivas:
Yes you are right.....but the beauty of this is that there are numerous scholarship opportunities to do it abroad with mouth watering packages

smellingmenses:
at the UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN POLITICAL SCIENCE DEPT 8-12 YEARS ON THE AVERAGE

babyfaceafrica:
Lol....this country is the wrong place to have a PhD

aminu790:
Phd is training of mind to think and reason.

dayowunmi:
At the end of the article reads "by Prof Dr Jamal Hisham"

Why would somebody be Prof and Dr together? Prof is superior to Doctor nw! It's like you boasting of your B.sc certificate when you now have a masters degree!

Mendula35:
My desideratum for PhD no be today...



Am still a fresh graduate

baum1:
If any working professional is viewing this thread, you can contact me if you're interested in earning a PhD while working. We have a team of dedicated experts that can guide you and ensure your dream comes to pass..But we don't have insight into how things work in Nigerian schools at the postgraduate level, so we can't help if you intend to do the PhD in Nigeria..

Our service charge per year is a million Naira. You get a dedicated researcher who is relatively accomplished in the field and will guide you well. The tuition fee for the school you end up is a different matter and not included in the service charge. We can help you scout for schools with affordable tuition fees

You don't have to leave your big job in Naija. You will only visit the country of PhD once or twice a year and discuss with your supervisor via skype.

I agree that this service might be expensive for many people, but if you earn a good salary a year and have the aspiration to get a PhD and be intellectually accomplished, I believe we can help you. Please reach out via PM if interested. Only those interested in business, accounting, management, finance, economics, business admin, please

donnaD:
every lady should endeavour to have PHD because it's very important.PHD-P,pikin H,husband D,degree

alezzy13:
Was the OP written by a professor?? The grammatical potholes are just too many for comfort.

For what its worth he did give some useful insight into the world of the PhD.

Secondly I see some comments claiming one can get a PhD in 3yrs!! Na winch?? The minimum, on paper, in most universities, is 4yrs, but in reality you usually need a much longer time.

cowleg:
PhD in Nigeria??

Lmao

How many Professors in Nigeria can boost of a semi-equipped laboratories to conduct a research. What we have are mostly theory oriented professors who do Copy and paste chewing out outdated information's.

How many universities in Nigeria has an equipped standard laboratories. China is already testing an unmanned drones that can carry humans yet here in Nigeria PhD holders and professors can't utilize their knowledge to solve real world challenges. Its just a bunch of worthless certificate in Nigeria.