A Ph.D. (or doctorate) in is an academic degree. It's usually the highest* degree in a given academic system. PhD full form , Earning a PhD means completing a PhD program and be awarded the degree. A PhD is, mostly, an apprenticeship in research. A PhD program is a program where you learn the knowledge, techniques and methodologies to engage into research in a given field. A lot of this work is practical work done in a research lab, under the supervision of an advisor, who (at least if he does his or her work correctly) guides you, advises you and mentors you in the complex task of conducting original research. In the typical anglo-saxon academic system, doing a PhD is usually a type of postgraduate studies, which means you can start preparing one after graduating (if you are accepted in a doctoral program). In that case a PhD also contains attending advanced courses about your research field, and typically lasts 5+ years, during which you can often also validate an MSc degree**.