hi....im azura from Malaysia, im currently a master by research student and will complete my thesis soon. i plan to further my phd in Germany but there are few matters that bother me! does it take up to 4 to 5 years to complete a phd in Germany? coz i plan to do my phd in 3 years time (since the scholarship i have only provide me for only 3 years....if not i have to find other countries). Even i already have a master......do i need to do another master in Germany before qualify to do a phd? i really need an opinion or advise here.

hi, I also almost chose a phd in germany but changed my mind. It depends on what kind of phd do want to do. Do you already have funding from your country for another 3 years? then you are very lucky. I guess you just need to apply to the universities in germany to find out how long it will take (approximately). Get in touch with your potential supervisors (in germany). Some universities run international phds, these are in english so you probably won't have any problems with language, but others need you to have a decent command of Deutsch. So the whole phd process (plus language etc) may exceed 3 years! I have friends who do their phds in japan for a minimum of 4 years. They struggle with language as well.

To qualify, you may not necessarily need another master. They always publish their requirements for applicants, check these out.

I'm sure you already know this website, you may get loads of information here. www.daad.de
goodluck

Thanks Satchi, for ur advise. Last time im also interested of pursuing my phd in japan but change my mind after several cause. hemmm...i really have to think twice then..... thanks anyway

Well it depends. I grow up in Germany and I am currently doing my PhD research in UK. Even though I might hurt some British feelings (do not intend too...) it is by far harder to start a PhD in Germany. This fact (yes it is a fact) does not refer to the Quality of a PhD but rather has to do with an old antiquated education system which is still changing! Bear in mind that we just have a History of 10 years offering Bachelor and Master.
You coming from Malaysia might also have a Problem with immediately starting the PhD, because several Universities (the majority) simply do not know about the quality of an Malaysian Degree. It could be that you have to do another Master, or more likely you should visit some courses before starting (aprox. 1 year).
Another point is that the cost of Education is extremely cheap in Germany, this means you can not expect any kind of Service from your faculty. You have a 50/50 chance. You get a bad Prof. then you will have to do a lot of minor work and the progress of your PhD will be equal to 0, or you get a good one and everything goes well.
(I know by reading this forum that some may think it is similar to UK, but in UK the Supervisors have to support you in some way to do a progress, even if it is little. In Germany no one is checking the Prof, so from the experience of my friends I can undoubtedly say that I did the right choice pursuing my PhD in UK.

May I ask why not in the UK? As far as I know, many Universities here have requirements for Malaysian Students and it is even easier for students from Malaysia than from China.

Concluding I can guarantee you, that you will not finish in 3 years. 4 years is realistic. Please note that the average is above 5 years!

thanks mamatt, actually my very first choice is pursuing in UK (UMIST actually) but now a day, the government (who sponsored me) has limited the quote to only the top 10 universities (Harvard, oxford...etc) soo....i have to find other places instead of UK. Yes, currently im from USM (Universiti Sains Malaysia) and most of the universities in germany does not recognize my university. Last time my friend has send an application to IKV aachen and it came back asking him to do another master instead of Phd. i realise the trouble i have to face if i choose to go to germany but...some of the research they have done there really impress me. i was also consider to go to japan....but from my friend experience end up sleeping, bathing, even eating in the lab...if not...he came around 8am and go back at 3am even weekends and the supervisor always checking on you on what you do, where you go and ....i dont want my life to be miserable as he was (but he came back with tons of international publication but still i dont want my life to be that way)....hemmmm.....really headache here? Do you have any friends who is doing their phd now in germany?

You are very lucky to be sponsored by your government. However, your command of english still needs to be improved. I hope you get admitted to one of the top 10 universities! all the best

I have two friends studying on PhD-level in Germany. Both are happy about their choice. Well it is how it is, if you study home in an environment you are used too, and you do not mind it than you are happy. Costs in Germany range from 150 - 800 Euro for half a year. So paying the fees should not cause any problems because there are plenty of part-time jobs.

In which field do you intend to do your PhD? Engineering, Chemistry, Physics are the top fields in Germany.
Starting with finding a supervisor who does not mind supervising you in English will be hard but achievable. You can start looking
at the private Universities, they usually cope with foreign students and have plenty ressources to make your research life easier.
For that you certainly have to pay (fees comparable with UK). Nothing is impossible, so give it a try, but dont tie yourself to the goal
of finishing your PhD in 3 years. As a foreigner you should take your time when going abroad to a none-english-speaking-country.

My Father did his Dr. many years ago. He had to start from the scratch! Doing his master AGAIN than going on to Dr. in Chemistry.
Things have changed, by how far? I do not know.
Good luck!