“Don’t worry. Be happy.”
Some students get worried about pursuing their careers after achieving a master’s degree in a particular subject. Master’s degree is an intense study about a specific field of study, which leads to the research of that study either via MPhil or Ph.D. After achieving the Master’s degree in your academic list, one is likely to pursue an MPhil or Masters of Philosophy.
MPhil or Masters of Philosophy:
MPhil tends to be the first step towards Ph.D., where one has to study with reference to research of other researchers. The course duration is generally 1-2 years, where the student doesn’t need to submit any research paper. MPhil is commonly done by students of Arts & Humanities while includes both coursework & research. Coursework is done only in the first year, followed by a lengthy study on the topic being researched by other scholars. Then, there will be an evaluation of the paper done by the student by internal as well as external examiners. Before qualifying for the last step, the student needs to present a presentation on the research work. The degree of MPhil will be awarded after the student qualifies the viva.
Ph.D. or Doctor of Philosophy:
As we discussed earlier that MPhil leads you to a Ph.D. which is Doctor of Philosophy. Some scholars among the crowd choose a Ph.D. without doing MPhil that doesn’t make them lag behind. Ph.D. is the last milestone in academic life where you need to be determined and efficient about your focus in life. During Ph.D., you need to go through a detailed study of the micro topic and submit a thesis about the research work. The duration of this Ph.D. is a minimum of 3 years to a maximum of 7-10 years. The complete research work is commonly undertaken by a degree holder who is working in a university or a research experience in a particular field. In contrast with MPhil, Ph.D. includes only research throughout an extended period.
Contrast Between MPhil & PhD
| MPhil | PhD |
| The period is about two years | The period is above three years and extended till 7-8 years |
| Students pursuing MPhil don’t receive any stipend. | Students are pursuing a Ph.D. receive stipend from both state and central government. |
| MPhil is the intermediate step between master’s & PhD | PhD is the last step in student’s academic life |
| MPhil is both coursework and research. | PhD is only research work. |
Conclusion
In context with the above article, MPhil can be an option for further studies, but Ph.D. is the ultimate solution for the scope of your future. Commonly, MPhil or Ph.D. depends on the interest of the student. MPhil is not as advanced as Ph.D. because, in MPhil, students have to read a complete research paper to know more about the subject, but in Ph.D., students create new research papers with all the knowledge to make it successful.