Can I complete my degree in another 2 years?

Background: I have a MS in electrical engineering. I spent the 1st year of my PhD program finishing up the required coursework. This January, I take the Quals. In a few weeks, I'll narrow down an advisor. Can I theoretically spend these next 2 years passing the quals, doing research, and finishing my dissertation? Any advice to make that goal reality is welcome.

Hi there,

Have you actually been registered for the PhD for that first year? Most unis require you to have attended for at least 3 years to gain a PhD (in the UK anyway, I'm not sure about abroad). You will often also have needed to have completed a certain number of modules of taught work. Assuming that you have either been registered for that 1st year or that you are not required to attend for 3 years then you COULD in theory do it. In reality I reckon no chance. Most PhDs over run the 3 years, so trying to do it in 2 is very very very ambitious. Why not just do it in three years? Plus, if you're working from January do you not in fact have 2 and a half years? You could then use 6 months of write up time on top to make it three years. It would then be possible IF everything goes well and you really work your @rse off.

Don't plan to try and do it in 2 years, you'll probably not manage that and probably near kill yourself trying.

======= Date Modified 19 Aug 2011 10:25:57 =======
Hi

I totally agree with Screamingaddabs.  Trying to do it in 2 years is very very very ambitious. My PhD is in Mechanical Engineering and I only have to attend once a week laboratory seminar. I had wasted time doing my second Masters, so I was aiming to finish my PhD in 2.5years, including 4 months of company internship/ practical training. But in the end I end up feeling more stressed, which slower down my work and now I aiming to finish in 3 years and 3 months- including the 4 months internship.
The only person in Science stream that I heard finished PhD within 2.5 years (not 2 years) was doing an industrial project, the project was quite established (the equipments are properly set up already), where he did not need to start from scratch and I guess maybe he got a lot of useful input from the supervisor and company (since they have a lot of experience in conducting the study before).

Good luck!(up)

======= Date Modified 19 Aug 2011 14:45:48 =======
I was registered for the PhD program during the first year so it counts. Technically, I've finished up 1 year and was hoping that I needed just 2 more years. (That makes the program a total of 3 years.)

So, 3 more years? (That is, 4 years total?) Ugh. Oh well. Thanks.