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**. In many European countries the courses and the actual research training are split: you can only start a PhD after completing an MSc, the MSc is two years long and contains all of the advanced courses as well as a ~6 months research internship, and the PhD lasts typically 3 years for scientific fields (longer in humanities, mostly because of funding issues) and almost entirely consists in practical research work.
Earning a PhD means you completed the program's academic requirements, wrote a doctoral dissertation, and successfully defended it. That means that a commitee of experts in the field you worked on for 3+ years validated your contribution and acknowledged your ability to engage in original research in that field rss full form.
To make a comparison, it's very much like earning a black belt in a martial arts. It doesn't mean that you are a master, it merely means that a panel of people who are very good at it acknowledge that you are… adequate, and got the basics right. And that now, the real learning can begin. (And yet, many people outside of academia - or martial arts - will think you are a master and be awed or confused about it.)
(* In some countries, like France and Germany, t it is not really the highest degree; there is another degree, “habilitation”, that is necessary to be a PhD advisor by yourself, and also to be become a full professor. But it's something you pass after years of already being an academic, it's more a “bonus stage” than a degree of its own, even if it demands work and time. It's usually prepared over one year.)
(** That's my external understanding of the typical US (and similar countries) postgraduate studies system. Please feel free to suggest improvements, comment or message me if I'm wrong!)
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**. In many European countries the courses and the actual research training are split: you can only start a PhD after completing an MSc, the MSc is two years long and contains all of the advanced courses as well as a ~6 months research internship, and the PhD lasts typically 3 years for scientific fields (longer in humanities, mostly because of funding issues) and almost entirely consists in practical research work.
Earning a PhD means you completed the program's academic requirements, wrote a doctoral dissertation, and successfully defended it. That means that a commitee of experts in the field you worked on for 3+ years validated your contribution and acknowledged your ability to engage in original research in that field rss full form.
To make a comparison, it's very much like earning a black belt in a martial arts. It doesn't mean that you are a master, it merely means that a panel of people who are very good at it acknowledge that you are… adequate, and got the basics right. And that now, the real learning can begin. (And yet, many people outside of academia - or martial arts - will think you are a master and be awed or confused about it.)
(* In some countries, like France and Germany, t it is not really the highest degree; there is another degree, “habilitation”, that is necessary to be a PhD advisor by yourself, and also to be become a full professor. But it's something you pass after years of already being an academic, it's more a “bonus stage” than a degree of its own, even if it demands work and time. It's usually prepared over one year.)
(** That's my external understanding of the typical US (and similar countries) postgraduate studies system. Please feel free to suggest improvements, comment or message me if I'm wrong!)
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