Hallo,

this is a general question. What are the possibilities for doing a PhD in relatively short time (1 to 2,5-3 three years)? Having worked at a research institute, I know that usually it takes 4 or 5 years. On the other hand I know that some corporations (e.g. McKinsey) get a some of their employees in special programmes which take only an year. What opportunities have you heard of?

On point that I have noticed is that usually a PhD student spends 30-70% of his time doing teaching and/or industrial related projects. These are not always relevant to his topic. What are the possibilities to cut save this time?

A little background: I am interested in doing a PhD in applied science (most probably a combination of quantitative finance, computer science, and/or math). I have work experience in these fields and plan to finish my M. Sc. by the end of the year. Target institution language: I get well with English, German and most Slavic languages.

Do you happen to know a suitable university/programme?

Thank you in advance!
an optimist