Expert: Daniel Mazur - 6/5/2009

Question
QUESTION: Hi,
I have completed my B.Sc in physics from India.
I scored 73% in it.
I took a gap year to study for several entrance examinations of elite institutes in india for MSc in physics.
Now I have come to an end of the gap year but havent passed any of these entrance tests.
I will be rejoining the academics and pursue MSc from the mumbai university  which gives admissions on the basis of the BSc marks.
I am highly interested in the field of fusion.
I want to know what is the scope for me after MSc(2 years) to pursue a PHD abroad in the field of fusion.
Am having trouble to find institutes/universities which  offer PhDs in that field.
Also will my gap year affect the selection procedure abroad? ,seeing that many  students way younger to me are performing par excellence.
Thanks in advance for your reply and time.



ANSWER: Hello Ganpatrao,

your gap and/or age will almost certainly not affect your admission chances at Ph.D programs around the world. Your performance, however, will.

I know hardly anything about how hard it is to pass a Masters' entrance exam at India's top institutions like the IIT or BITS, so I cannot be certain about your level of knowledge. I remember myself when entering university right after high school, I didn't have to take entry exams thanks to high-school scores - and then after 2 years studying physics I took the tests just for fun and found that I would just barely pass. Still, I got successfully up to and beyond Ph.D., so there's a good chance that your difficulty does not disqualify you.

Bear in mind that if you apply for a PhD program abroad, you will most likely have to pass a Ph.D. qualifying exam there - I think they exist in India as well. That is usually a written test in undergraduate physics and relevant maths and its difficulty varies very much between institutions. If you apply for study in the USA, you also need to take the standardized Graduate Record Exam (GRE). This one you take before you apply and the score is sent to the school along with your application. Bear in mind that you will need to start putting your application together early, perhaps 10-12 months before the beginning of your prospected study. I advise that you take time now to gather some information about GRE and some QE, if you can get them from the internet. It will give you a good idea, how well you must prepare yourself for them.

Good luck!
Daniel

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: First of all thanks a ton for the quick reply.
I would also like to know about the admissions in Europe mainland.
What is the procedure there?
Also how and where do I search for the availability of the course I want to pursue in PhD.
As I have mentioned in the previous post, am interested in fusion.
Thank you.

Answer
Hello,

yes, I apologize for not addressing your interest in fusion earlier. Well, one source of information about which school offers a PhD program in fusion are the corresponding departments of Universities. This however may take you some time and you might not find any...

The problem is that the subject of fusion is multidisciplinar - historically fusion was not a doctorate program at all, people working in fusion were recruiting solely from somewhat related fields of physics and engineering. Recently doctorate programs in fusion have started at some universities. I am aware that in 2007 a few European universities have joined up to create so called "Joint European Research Doctorate in Fusion Science and Engineering". I think the best place to ask about it is at Padova University in Italy, the reference person's name is Antonio Buffa (antonio.buffa-at-unipd.it). Or at least it used to be him.

To be taken on, your C.V. will be examined and you will take an oral test. Your placement (the actual lab, where you will work for your degree) will be decided upon availability across all the institutions involved in this joint program. Bear in mind that their "cycle" begins on 1st January, so if interested, you can time your Master's program and admission process accordingly.

Generally, in most European countries your admission for a doctorate will be decided based on a your presentation and interviews, or on a full oral examination. All this requires that you travel, on your own budget usually, to take the exam or interviews and then you may or may not be admitted. The United States system bridges that necessity to travel. You will be accepted based only on the submitted paperwork. On the down side, in the U.S. you must take and pass the QE by your fourth semester, otherwise you will not be assigned a research project and your time (up to 2 years) will be wasted.

I appreciate that you posted the follow-up/reminder. I sometimes happens that a part of the question slips my attention, my apologies.

Good luck!
Daniel