Which are, in your opinion, the pros and cons of doing your PhD in a small department as opposed to a large department? The department I'm going to do my PhD in has 40-50 PhD students. I find it quite a lot but the staff is also quite numerous (20-25 lecturers and researchers). As I have not started yet I can only imagine which the pros and cons of working in a large department might be:

-More competitivity, less chances of teaching undergraduates (but if the department is so large and has also a large number of undergraduates, there might be need for more teaching assistants).

-Wider range of research interests both among staff and PhD students enabling richer approaches to your own topic (but maybe too confusing if you intend to focus on a very specific area and you are easily attracted and distracted by other's research topics - like me!)

-Less visibility in the department, more chances of remaining "anonymous" (which is not necessarily a bad thing nor a good one).

Which are your views on that? Thanks.

I belong to a large department but we are sub-divided further into various research groups so it doesn't really feel that large.

i have worked in both a small and a large department. i prefere the large. doing a phd can be a very isolating experience and being around other phd students can be a great help for both companioniship and for motivation.

Your project and interests are what matters and not the size or reputation.