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100-649: The society holds monthly scientific meetings in London, and the annual National Astronomy Meeting at varying locations in the British Isles . The RAS publishes the scientific journals Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society , Geophysical Journal International and RAS Techniques and Instruments , along with the trade magazine Astronomy & Geophysics . The RAS maintains an astronomy research library , engages in public outreach and advises

200-508: A Candidate of Philosophy degree at some institutions or may be granted a master's degree en route to the doctoral degree. Sometimes this status is also colloquially known as "ABD", meaning " all but dissertation ". PhD graduates may undertake a postdoc in the process of transitioning from study to academic tenure . Individuals who have earned the Doctor of Philosophy degree use the title Doctor (often abbreviated "Dr" or "Dr."), although

300-402: A peer-reviewed context. Moreover, some PhD programs, especially in science, require one to three published articles in peer-reviewed journals. In many countries, a candidate must defend this work before a panel of expert examiners appointed by the university; this defense is open to the public in some countries, and held in private in others; in other countries, the dissertation is examined by

400-515: A trade magazine for members, Astronomy & Geophysics . The history of journals published by the RAS (with abbreviations used by the Astrophysics Data System ) is: Full members of the RAS are styled Fellows, and may use the post-nominal letters FRAS . Fellowship is open to anyone over the age of 18 who is considered acceptable to the society. As a result of the society's foundation in

500-421: A "sandwich PhD" will be awarded by two universities. It is possible to broaden the field of study pursued by a PhD student by the addition of a minor subject of study within a different discipline. A career in academia generally requires a PhD, although in some countries it is possible to reach relatively high positions without a doctorate. In North America, professors are increasingly being required to have

600-659: A 6-month extension is usually possible upon citing delays out of the control of the student. Some universities also fund a similar scholarship that matches the APA amount. Due to a continual increase in living costs, many PhD students are forced to live under the poverty line. In addition to the more common RTP and university scholarships, Australian students have other sources of scholarship funding, coming from industry, private enterprise, and organisations. Australian citizens, permanent residents, and New Zealand citizens are not charged course fees for their PhD or research master's degree, with

700-542: A PhD in the sciences or humanities. Graduate schools slowly emerged in the United States . In 1852, the first honorary PhD in the nation was given at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania to Ebenezer Newton Elliott. Nine years later, in 1861, Yale University awarded three PhDs: to Eugene Schuyler in philosophy and psychology, Arthur Williams Wright in physics, and James Morris Whiton in classics. Over

800-538: A PhD program. In the US, Canada, India, and Denmark, for example, many universities require coursework in addition to research for PhD degrees. In other countries (such as the UK) there is generally no such condition, though this varies by university and field. Some individual universities or departments specify additional requirements for students not already in possession of a bachelor's degree or equivalent or higher. In order to submit

900-458: A PhD, and the percentage of faculty with a PhD may be used as a university ratings measure. The motivation may also include increased salary, but in many cases, this is not the result. Research by Bernard H. Casey of the University of Warwick, U.K, suggests that, over all subjects, PhDs provide an earnings premium of 26% over non-accredited graduates, but notes that master's degrees already provide

1000-407: A UK university or research institute active in astronomy, who organise and host the meeting. The RAS provides financial sponsorship, advertising, media relations etc. and run some sessions within the meeting. Universities see hosting the meeting as an opportunity to promote their astronomical research and attract undergraduate students in the discipline. However in some recent years (e.g. 2011, 2015)

1100-482: A doctoral programme at a university in Canada typically requires completion of a Master's degree in a related field, with sufficiently high grades and proven research ability. In some cases, a student may progress directly from an Honours Bachelor's degree to a PhD program; other programs allow a student to fast-track to a doctoral program after one year of outstanding work in a Master's program (without having to complete

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1200-399: A graduate student, a candidate must demonstrate truthful and original contributions to their specific field of knowledge within a frame of academic excellence. The doctoral candidate's work should be presented in a dissertation or thesis prepared under the supervision of a tutor or director and reviewed by a Doctoral Committee. This committee should be composed of examiners that are external to

1300-596: A master's degree at the minimum is de rigueur in Washington's foreign policy world, it is no wonder many are starting to feel that the PhD is a necessary escalation, another case of costly signaling to potential employers". Similarly, an article on the Australian public service states that " credentialism in the public service is seeing a dramatic increase in the number of graduate positions going to PhDs and masters degrees becoming

1400-517: A panel of expert examiners who stipulate whether the dissertation is in principle passable and any issues that need to be addressed before the dissertation can be passed. Some universities in the non- English -speaking world have begun adopting similar standards to those of the anglophone PhD degree for their research doctorates (see the Bologna process ). A PhD student or candidate is conventionally required to study on campus under close supervision. With

1500-594: A premium of 23% and a bachelor's 14%. While this is a small return to the individual (or even an overall deficit when tuition and lost earnings during training are accounted for), he claims there are significant benefits to society for the extra research training. However, some research suggests that overqualified workers are often less satisfied and less productive at their jobs. These difficulties are increasingly being felt by graduates of professional degrees, such as law school, looking to find employment. PhD students may need to take on debt to undertake their degree. A PhD

1600-495: A record four times each. Baily's eight years in the role are a record (Airy served for seven). Since 1876 no one has served for more than two years in total. The current president is Mike Lockwood, who began his term in May 2024 and will serve for two years. The highest award of the Royal Astronomical Society is its Gold Medal , which can be awarded for any purpose but most frequently recognises extraordinary lifetime achievement. Among

1700-503: A scholarship to cover them. Completion requirements vary. Most Australian PhD programs do not have a required coursework component. The credit points attached to the degree are all in the product of the research, which is usually an 80,000-word thesis that makes a significant new contribution to the field. Recent pressure on higher degree by research (HDR) students to publish has resulted in increasing interest in Ph.D by publication as opposed to

1800-409: A scholarship to study for their PhD degree. The most common of these was the government-funded Australian Postgraduate Award (APA) until its dissolution in 2017. It was replaced by Research Training Program (RTP), awarded to students of "exceptional research potential", which provides a living stipend to students of approximately A$ 34,000 a year (tax-free). RTPs are paid for a duration of 3 years, while

1900-478: A set curriculum, based upon the trivium and the quadrivium , by the 19th century it had come to house all the courses of study in subjects now commonly referred to as sciences and humanities. Professors across the humanities and sciences focused on their advanced research. Practically all the funding came from the central government, and it could be cut off if the professor was politically unacceptable. These reforms proved extremely successful, and fairly quickly

2000-404: A successful PhD admission application, copies of academic transcripts, letters of recommendation, a research proposal, and a personal statement are often required. Most universities also invite for a special interview before admission. A candidate must submit a project, thesis, or dissertation often consisting of a body of original academic research, which is in principle worthy of publication in

2100-429: A suitable record of publication and research grants. Late in the 20th century, "publish or perish" became increasingly important in colleges and smaller universities. Detailed requirements for the award of a PhD degree vary throughout the world and even from school to school. It is usually required for the student to hold an Honours degree or a Master's degree with high academic standing, in order to be considered for

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2200-444: A time before there were many professional astronomers, no formal qualifications are required. However, around three quarters of fellows are professional astronomers or geophysicists . Most of the other fellows are postgraduate students studying for a PhD in those fields, but there are also advanced amateur astronomers , historians of science who specialise in those disciplines, and other related professionals. The society acts as

2300-455: A university and award PhDs. This led to the formation of the Association of American Universities by 14 leading research universities (producing nearly 90% of the approximately 250 legitimate research doctorates awarded in 1900), with one of the main goals being to "raise the opinion entertained abroad of our own Doctor's Degree." In Germany, the national government funded the universities and

2400-420: A year). According to the article, only the fastest developing countries (e.g. China or Brazil) have a shortage of PhDs. In 2022, Nature reported that PhD students' wages in biological sciences in the US do not cover living costs. The U.S. higher education system often offers little incentive to move students through PhD programs quickly and may even provide incentive to slow them down. To counter this problem,

2500-461: Is also required in some positions outside academia, such as research jobs in major international agencies. In some cases, the Executive Directors of some types of foundations may be expected to hold a PhD . A PhD is sometimes felt to be a necessary qualification in certain areas of employment, such as in foreign policy think-tanks: U.S. News & World Report wrote in 2013 that "[i]f having

2600-538: Is an annual scientific conference of astronomers , usually held in the British Isles . It is sponsored and coordinated by the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS), and functions as the primary annual meeting of the society. NAM is one of the largest professional astronomy conferences in Europe, with typically around 600 delegates attending. Each NAM includes a variety of plenary and parallel sessions discussing

2700-547: Is important to note that programmes with a similar name to 'doctor' should only be included in ISCED level 8 if they satisfy the criteria described in Paragraph 263. For international comparability purposes, the term 'doctoral or equivalent' is used to label ISCED level 8." In German-speaking nations, most Eastern European nations, successor states of the former Soviet Union, most parts of Africa, Asia, and many Spanish-speaking countries,

2800-699: Is second only to that of the Royal Observatory in Edinburgh in the UK. The RAS library is a major resource not just for the society but also the wider community of astronomers, geophysicists, and historians. The society promotes astronomy to members of the general public through its outreach pages for students, teachers, the public and media researchers. The RAS has an advisory role in relation to UK public examinations , such as GCSEs and A Levels . The RAS sponsors topical groups, many of them in interdisciplinary areas where

2900-634: The 1999 solar eclipse , visible from the venue. From 2013 onwards NAM has been held in late June or early July, during universities' summer holidays. Since 1994, each meeting has lasted four or five days. There was no NAM in the year 2000 because the much larger General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union was being held in Manchester and thus was the major UK astronomy meeting of that year. Each NAM lasts four or five days and normally includes: Meetings are usually held in

3000-635: The Baccalauréat is the examination taken at the end of secondary studies. The reforms at the Humboldt University transformed the Faculty of Philosophy or Arts (and its more recent successors such as the Faculty of Sciences) from a lower faculty into one on a par with the Faculties of Law and Medicine. Similar developments occurred in many other continental European universities, and at least until reforms in

3100-679: The Harold Jeffreys Lectureship in geophysics , the George Darwin Lectureship in astronomy , and the Gerald Whitrow Lectureship in cosmology . Each year, the society grants a handful of free memberships for life (termed honorary fellowship) to prominent researchers resident outside the UK. The society occupies premises at Burlington House , London, where a library and meeting rooms are available to fellows and other interested parties. The society represents

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3200-652: The Prussian government . The arts faculty, which in Germany was labelled the faculty of philosophy, started demanding contributions to research, attested by a dissertation, for the award of their final degree, which was labelled Doctor of Philosophy (abbreviated as Ph.D.)—originally this was just the German equivalent of the Master of Arts degree. Whereas in the Middle Ages the arts faculty had

3300-428: The etiquette associated with this usage may be subject to the professional ethics of the particular scholarly field, culture, or society. Those who teach at universities or work in academic, educational, or research fields are usually addressed by this title "professionally and socially in a salutation or conversation". Alternatively, holders may use post-nominal letters such as "Ph.D.", "PhD", or "DPhil", depending on

3400-519: The professional body for astronomers and geophysicists in the UK and fellows may apply for the Science Council's Chartered Scientist status through the society. The fellowship passed 3,000 in 2003. In 2009 an initiative was launched for those with an interest in astronomy and geophysics but without professional qualifications or specialist knowledge in the subject. Such people may join the Friends of

3500-466: The 'out of town' meetings were reintroduced in 1976, but moved to April. They replaced the usual monthly RAS meeting for that month and were usually held during universities' Easter holidays. There was no set format to the out of town meetings, which were originally held over a single day, but during the 1960s some lasted three days. They were often limited in topical scope. Ken Pounds , the President of

3600-467: The 1650s (when they gradually started replacing the MA as the highest academic degree; arguably, one of the earliest German PhD holders is Erhard Weigel (Dr. phil. hab., Leipzig, 1652). The full course of studies might, for example, lead in succession to the degrees of Bachelor of Arts , Licentiate of Arts , Master of Arts , or Bachelor of Medicine , Licentiate of Medicine, or Doctor of Medicine , but before

3700-531: The 2009 event (which was combined with the annual meeting of the European Astronomical Society ) drew a record of 1100 delegates. PhD A Doctor of Philosophy ( PhD or DPhil ; Latin : philosophiae doctor or doctor in philosophia ) is a terminal degree , that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research . The name of

3800-531: The BSc, rather than a research degree. The first higher doctorate in the modern sense was Durham University 's DSc, introduced in 1882. This was soon followed by other universities, including the University of Cambridge establishing its ScD in the same year and the University of London transforming its DSc into a research degree in 1885. These were, however, very advanced degrees, rather than research-training degrees at

3900-585: The Fulbright Program and the Organization of American States (OAS), have been known to grant full scholarships for tuition with apportions for housing. Others apply for funds to CONICET, the national public body of scientific and technical research, which typically awards more than a thousand scholarships each year for this purpose, thus guaranteeing many PhD candidates remain within the system. Upon completion of at least two years' research and coursework as

4000-462: The German universities started attracting foreign students, notably from the United States. The American students would go to Germany to obtain a PhD after having studied for a bachelor's degree at an American college. So influential was this practice that it was imported to the United States, where in 1861 Yale University started granting the PhD degree to younger students who, after having obtained

4100-608: The MA, as the highest academic degree; and in Italy in 1927, when PhDs gradually started replacing the Laurea as the highest academic degree. Research degrees first appeared in the UK in the late 19th century in the shape of the Doctor of Science (DSc or ScD) and other such "higher doctorates". The University of London introduced the DSc in 1860, but as an advanced study course, following on directly from

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4200-441: The Master's). An application package typically includes a research proposal, letters of reference, transcripts, and in some cases, a writing sample or Graduate Record Examinations scores. A common criterion for prospective PhD students is the comprehensive or qualifying examination, a process that often commences in the second year of a graduate program. Generally, successful completion of the qualifying exam permits continuance in

4300-545: The PhD level. Harold Jeffreys said that getting a Cambridge ScD was "more or less equivalent to being proposed for the Royal Society." In 1917, the current PhD degree was introduced, along the lines of the American and German model, and quickly became popular with both British and foreign students. The slightly older degrees of Doctor of Science and Doctor of Literature/Letters still exist at British universities; together with

4400-596: The PhD, such as the Doctor of Musical Arts (D.M.A.) for music performers, Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.) for legal scholars and the Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) for studies in education. In 2005 the European University Association defined the "Salzburg Principles", 10 basic principles for third-cycle degrees (doctorates) within the Bologna Process . These were followed in 2016 by the "Florence Principles", seven basic principles for doctorates in

4500-697: The RAS from 1990-2, proposed expanding their remit into a more general meeting, inspired by the large meetings of the British Association and the American Astronomical Society . The goal was to attract a broad section of the UK astronomy research community and provide a focus for media attention on the discipline. To reflect this newly expanded format, the series was re-named the 'National Astronomy Meeting' (NAM) from 1992 onwards. The meetings continued to be held around Easter until 2012, except in 1999 when NAM moved to August to coincide with

4600-554: The RAS has taken on the full organisation of the whole meeting itself, which is then held at a conference centre rather than a university. The meetings are open to anyone who pays the registration fee; although membership of the RAS is not required, Fellows of the RAS do receive a reduced price. Most attendees are professional research astronomers or postgraduate students , but interested amateur astronomers , undergraduates , school teachers, journalists etc. are also welcome. Typically there are around 500-600 registered attendees, but

4700-657: The RAS, which offers popular talks, visits and social events. The Society organises an extensive programme of meetings: The biggest RAS meeting each year is the National Astronomy Meeting , a major conference of professional astronomers. It is held over 4–5 days each spring or early summer, usually at a university campus in the United Kingdom. Hundreds of astronomers attend each year. More frequent smaller 'highlight' meetings feature lectures about research topics in astronomy and geophysics, often given by winners of

4800-487: The Royal Astronomical Society in 1831 on receiving a Royal Charter from William IV . In 1846 the RAS absorbed the Spitalfields Mathematical Society , which had been founded in 1717 but was suffering from a decline in membership and dwindling finances. The nineteen remaining members of the mathematical society were given free lifetime membership of the RAS; in exchange, their society's extensive library

4900-800: The UK government on astronomy education. The society recognises achievement in astronomy and geophysics by issuing annual awards and prizes, with its highest award being the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society . The RAS is the UK adhering organisation to the International Astronomical Union and a member of the UK Science Council . The society was founded in 1820 as the Astronomical Society of London to support astronomical research. At that time, most members were ' gentleman astronomers ' rather than professionals. It became

5000-480: The United Kingdom, often in collaboration with other scientific societies and universities. The Royal Astronomical Society has a more comprehensive collection of books and journals in astronomy and geophysics than the libraries of most universities and research institutions. The library receives some 300 current periodicals in astronomy and geophysics and contains more than 10,000 books from popular level to conference proceedings. Its collection of astronomical rare books

5100-695: The United States introduced the Doctor of Arts degree in 1970 with seed money from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching . The aim of the Doctor of Arts degree was to shorten the time needed to complete the degree by focusing on pedagogy over research, although the Doctor of Arts still contains a significant research component. Germany is one of the few nations engaging these issues, and it has been doing so by reconceptualising PhD programs to be training for careers, outside academia, but still at high-level positions. This development can be seen in

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5200-463: The admission to a PhD program at public Argentine University requires the full completion of a Master's degree or a Licentiate degree. Non-Argentine Master's titles are generally accepted into a PhD program when the degree comes from a recognized university. While a significant portion of postgraduate students finance their tuition and living costs with teaching or research work at private and state-run institutions, international institutions, such as

5300-764: The arts laid out by the European League of Institutes of the Arts , which have been endorsed by the European Association of Conservatoires , the International Association of Film and Television Schools , the International Association of Universities and Colleges of Art, Design and Media, and the Society for Artistic Research . The specific requirements to earn a PhD degree vary considerably according to

5400-525: The awarding institution. It is, however, traditionally considered incorrect to use both the title and post-nominals together, although usage in that regard has been evolving over time. In the universities of Medieval Europe , study was organized in four faculties: the basic faculty of arts, and the three higher faculties of theology, medicine, and law ( canon law and civil law ). All of these faculties awarded intermediate degrees (bachelor of arts, of theology, of laws, of medicine) and final degrees. Initially,

5500-466: The bachelor's degree, had completed a prescribed course of graduate study and successfully defended a thesis or dissertation containing original research in science or in the humanities. In Germany, the name of the doctorate was adapted after the philosophy faculty started being split up − e.g. Dr. rer. nat. for doctorates in the faculty of natural sciences − but in most of the English-speaking world

5600-434: The base entry level qualification". The Economist published an article in 2010 citing various criticisms against the state of PhDs. These included a prediction by economist Richard B. Freeman that, based on pre-2000 data, only 20% of life science PhD students would gain a faculty job in the U.S., and that in Canada 80% of postdoctoral research fellows earned less than or equal to an average construction worker ($ 38,600

5700-461: The basic faculty of liberal arts was known as the "faculty of philosophy". A PhD candidate must submit a project, thesis , or dissertation often consisting of a body of original academic research , which is in principle worthy of publication in a peer-reviewed journal. In many countries, a candidate must defend this work before a panel of expert examiners appointed by the university. Universities sometimes award other types of doctorate besides

5800-489: The candidate until the examination is complete. A formal oral defence is generally not part of the examination of the thesis, largely because of the distances that would need to be travelled by the overseas examiners; however, since 2016, there is a trend toward implementing this in many Australian universities. At the University of South Australia, PhD candidates who started after January 2016 now undertake an oral defence via an online conference with two examiners. Admission to

5900-494: The capital. Although occasional meetings were held in other locations to mark special events, the RAS did not institute a regular programme of meetings outside London until after the major disruption to RAS activities caused by the Second World War . The solution was to move one of the society's meetings outside London each year, terming them 'out of town' meetings. The first of these was held in Edinburgh in 1948. The society

6000-583: The context of the Doctor of Philosophy and other similarly titled degrees, the term "philosophy" does not refer to the field or academic discipline of philosophy , but is used in a broader sense in accordance with its original Greek meaning, which is "love of wisdom". In most of Europe, all fields (history, philosophy, social sciences , mathematics, and natural philosophy / sciences ) other than theology , law , and medicine (the so-called professional, vocational, or technical curricula ) were traditionally known as philosophy, and in Germany and elsewhere in Europe

6100-492: The corresponding degree to a Doctor of Philosophy is simply called "Doctor" ( Doktor ), and the subject area is distinguished by a Latin suffix (e.g., "Dr. med." for Doctor medicinae , Doctor of Medicine; "Dr. rer. nat." for Doctor rerum naturalium , Doctor of the Natural Sciences; "Dr. phil." for Doctor philosophiae , Doctor of Philosophy; " Dr. iur. " for Doctor iuris , Doctor of Laws). In Argentina,

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6200-438: The country, institution, and time period, from entry-level research degrees to higher doctorates . During the studies that lead to the degree, the student is called a doctoral student or PhD student ; a student who has completed any necessary coursework and related examinations and is working on their thesis/dissertation is sometimes known as a doctoral candidate or PhD candidate . A student attaining this level may be granted

6300-490: The degree is most often abbreviated PhD (or, at times, as Ph.D. in North America ), pronounced as three separate letters ( / ˌ p iː eɪ tʃ ˈ d iː / PEE -aych- DEE ). The abbreviation DPhil, for "Doctor of Philosophy", is used by the University of Oxford . Additionally, it was formerly used by the University of York and University of Sussex in the United Kingdom. PhDs are awarded for programs across

6400-472: The degrees are Bachelor of Sacred Theology (STB), Licentiate of Sacred Theology (STL), and Doctor of Sacred Theology (STD), and in canon law : Bachelor of Canon Law (JCB), Licentiate of Canon Law (JCL), and Doctor of Canon Law (JCD). Until the mid-19th century, advanced degrees were not a criterion for professorships at most colleges. That began to change as the more ambitious scholars at major schools went to Germany for one to three years to obtain

6500-431: The diocese in which the university was located, but later it evolved into an academic degree in its own right, in particular in the continental universities. According to Keith Allan Noble (1994), the first doctoral degree was awarded in medieval Paris around 1150. The doctorate of philosophy developed in Germany as the terminal teacher's credential in the 17th century (circa 1652). There were no PhDs in Germany before

6600-503: The early 21st century, many European countries (e.g., Belgium, Spain, and the Scandinavian countries) had in all faculties triple degree structures of bachelor (or candidate) − licentiate − doctor as opposed to bachelor − master − doctor; the meaning of the different degrees varied from country to country, however. To this day, this is also still the case for the pontifical degrees in theology and canon law; for instance, in sacred theology ,

6700-456: The early modern era, many exceptions to this existed. Most students left the university without becoming masters of arts, whereas regulars (members of monastic orders) could skip the arts faculty entirely. This situation changed in the early 19th century through the educational reforms in Germany , most strongly embodied in the model of the University of Berlin , founded in 1810 and controlled by

6800-525: The exception in some universities of the student services and amenities fee (SSAF) which is set by each university and typically involves the largest amount allowed by the Australian government. All fees are paid for by the Australian government, except for the SSAF, under the Research Training Program. International students and coursework master's degree students must pay course fees unless they receive

6900-512: The extensive number of PhD holders, typically from the fields of law, engineering, and economics, at the very top corporate and administrative positions. To a lesser extent, the UK research councils have tackled the issue by introducing, since 1992, the EngD . Mark C. Taylor opined in 2011 in Nature that total reform of PhD programs in almost every field is necessary in the U.S. and that pressure to make

7000-662: The following two decades, Harvard University , New York University , Princeton University , and the University of Pennsylvania , also began granting the degree. Major shifts toward graduate education were foretold by the opening of Clark University in 1887 which offered only graduate programs and the Johns Hopkins University which focused on its PhD program. By the 1890s, Harvard, Columbia, Michigan and Wisconsin were building major graduate programs, whose alumni were hired by new research universities. By 1900, 300 PhDs were awarded annually, most of them by six universities. It

7100-410: The graduate program. Formats for this examination include oral examination by the student's faculty committee (or a separate qualifying committee), or written tests designed to demonstrate the student's knowledge in a specialized area (see below) or both. At English-speaking universities, a student may also be required to demonstrate English language abilities, usually by achieving an acceptable score on

7200-468: The group is jointly sponsored by another learned society or professional body: The first person to hold the title of President of the Royal Astronomical Society was William Herschel , though he never chaired a meeting, and since then the post has been held by many distinguished astronomers. The post has generally had a term of office of two years, but some holders resigned after one year e.g. due to poor health. Francis Baily and George Airy were elected

7300-413: The higher faculties were quite different from the current PhD degree in that they were awarded for advanced scholarship, not original research . No dissertation or original work was required, only lengthy residency requirements and examinations. Besides these degrees, there was the licentiate . Originally this was a license to teach, awarded shortly before the award of the master's or doctoral degree by

7400-507: The interests of astronomy and geophysics to UK national and regional, and European government and related bodies, and maintains a press office, through which it keeps the media and the public at large informed of developments in these sciences. The society allocates grants to worthy causes in astronomy and geophysics, and assists in the management of the Paneth Trust . National Astronomy Meeting The National Astronomy Meeting ( NAM )

7500-473: The latest research in astronomy (and related fields), public lectures, community sessions and a press office to promote the results presented at the meeting to journalists and the public. The meetings began when the RAS decided to hold some of its scientific meetings outside London , where the society is based. Known as the 'out of town' meetings, the first was held in 1948. The meetings ran in most years until 1966, when they were discontinued. The RAS resumed

7600-461: The legal training for the common law system was provided by the Inns of Court (with some minor exceptions, see Doctors' Commons ), and few students undertook formal study in theology. This contrasted with the situation in the continental European universities at the time, where the preparatory role of the Faculty of Philosophy or Arts was to a great extent taken over by secondary education: in modern France,

7700-511: The major activities of the RAS is publishing refereed journals. It publishes three primary research journals: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society for topics in astronomy; Geophysical Journal International for topics in geophysics (in association with the Deutsche Geophysikalische Gesellschaft ); and RAS Techniques & Instruments for research methods in those disciplines. The society also publishes

7800-456: The more traditional Ph.D by dissertation, which typically requires a minimum of two publications, but which also requires traditional thesis elements such as an introductory exegesis , and linking chapters between papers. The PhD thesis is sent to external examiners who are experts in the field of research and who have not been involved in the work. Examiners are nominated by the candidate's university, and their identities are often not revealed to

7900-463: The much older degrees of Doctor of Divinity (DD), Doctor of Music (DMus), Doctor of Civil Law (DCL), and Doctor of Medicine (MD), they form the higher doctorates, but apart from honorary degrees, they are only infrequently awarded. In English (but not Scottish) universities, the Faculty of Arts had become dominant by the early 19th century. Indeed, the higher faculties had largely atrophied, since medical training had shifted to teaching hospitals,

8000-542: The name "Doctor of Philosophy" was retained for research doctorates in all disciplines. The PhD degree and similar awards spread across Europe in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The degree was introduced in France in 1808, replacing diplomas as the highest academic degree; into Russia in 1819, when the Doktor Nauk degree, roughly equivalent to a PhD, gradually started replacing the specialist diploma , roughly equivalent to

8100-560: The necessary changes will need to come from many sources (students, administrators, public and private sectors, etc.). Other articles in Nature have also examined the issue of PhD reform. Freeman Dyson , professor emeritus at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton , was opposed to the PhD system and did not have a PhD degree. On the other hand, it was understood by all his peers that he

8200-458: The popularity of distance education and e-learning technologies, some universities now accept students enrolled into a distance education part-time mode. In a " sandwich PhD " program, PhD candidates do not spend their entire study period at the same university. Instead, the PhD candidates spend the first and last periods of the program at their home universities and in between conduct research at another institution or field research . Occasionally

8300-469: The program, and at least one of them should also be external to the institution. The academic degree of Doctor, respective to the correspondent field of science that the candidate has contributed with original and rigorous research, is received after a successful defense of the candidate's dissertation. Admission to a PhD program in Australia requires applicants to demonstrate capacity to undertake research in

8400-428: The proposed field of study. The standard requirement is a bachelor honours degree with either first-class or upper second-class honours. Research master's degrees and coursework master's degrees with a 25% research component are usually considered equivalent. It is also possible for research master's degree students to "upgrade" to PhD candidature after demonstrating sufficient progress. PhD students are sometimes offered

8500-750: The recipients best known to the general public are Albert Einstein in 1926, and Stephen Hawking in 1985. Other awards are for particular topics in astronomy or geophysics research, which include the Eddington Medal , the Herschel Medal , the Chapman Medal and the Price Medal . Beyond research, there are specific awards for school teaching (Patrick Moore Medal), public outreach (Annie Maunder Medal), instrumentation ( Jackson-Gwilt Medal ) and history of science (Agnes Mary Clerke Medal). Lectureships include

8600-519: The research programs of the leading professors. It was impossible for professors who were not approved by Berlin to train graduate students . In the United States, by contrast, private universities and state universities alike were independent of the federal government. Independence was high, but funding was low. The breakthrough came from private foundations, which began regularly supporting research in science and history; large corporations sometimes supported engineering programs. The postdoctoral fellowship

8700-490: The same day as each highlight meeting. These are aimed at professional scientists in a particular research field, and allow several speakers to present new results or reviews of scientific fields. Usually two discussion meetings on different topics (one in astronomy and one in geophysics) take place simultaneously at different locations within Burlington House, prior to the day's highlight meeting. They are free for members of

8800-531: The series in 1976. An expanded format was adopted from 1992 onwards; to reflect this broader remit the name was changed to the 'National Astronomy Meeting'. Since 1976 the meeting has been held every year, except in 2000 when the General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union was held in the UK instead, and 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom . The Royal Astronomical Society (RAS)

8900-550: The society's awards . They are normally held in Burlington House in London on the afternoon of the second Friday of each month from October to May. The talks are intended to be accessible to a broad audience of astronomers and geophysicists, and are free for anyone to attend (not just members of the society). Formal reports of the meetings are published in The Observatory magazine. Specialist discussion meetings are held on

9000-550: The society, but charge a small entry fee for non-members. The RAS holds a regular programme of public lectures aimed at a general, non-specialist, audience. These are mostly held on Tuesdays once a month, with the same talk given twice: once at lunchtime and once in the early evening. The venues have varied, but are usually in Burlington House or another nearby location in central London. The lectures are free, though some popular sessions require booking in advance. The society occasionally hosts or sponsors meetings in other parts of

9100-437: The titles of master and doctor were used interchangeably for the final degrees—the title Doctor was merely a formality bestowed on a Teacher/Master of the art—but by the late Middle Ages the terms Master of Arts and Doctor of Theology/Divinity, Doctor of Law, and Doctor of Medicine had become standard in most places (though in the German and Italian universities the term Doctor was used for all faculties). The doctorates in

9200-449: The whole breadth of academic fields. Since it is an earned research degree, those studying for a PhD are required to produce original research that expands the boundaries of knowledge, normally in the form of a dissertation , and, in some cases, defend their work before a panel of other experts in the field. In many fields, the completion of a PhD is typically required for employment as a university professor , researcher, or scientist. In

9300-440: Was a world leading scientist with many accomplishments already under his belt during his graduate study years and he was eligible to gain the degree at any given moment. The UNESCO , in its International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED), states that: "Programmes to be classified at ISCED level 8 are referred to in many ways around the world such as PhD, DPhil, D.Lit, D.Sc, LL.D, Doctorate or similar terms. However, it

9400-640: Was banned by the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York in 1897. This had a nation-wide impact, and after 1907, less than 10 honorary PhDs were awarded in the United States each year. The last authenticated PhD awarded honoris causa was awarded in 1937 to Bing Crosby by Gonzaga University . At the start of the 20th century, U.S. universities were held in low regard internationally and many American students were still traveling to Europe for PhDs. The lack of centralised authority meant anyone could start

9500-450: Was donated to the RAS. Between 1835 and 1916 women were not allowed to become fellows, but Anne Sheepshanks , Lady Margaret Lindsay Huggins, Agnes Clerke , Annie Jump Cannon and Williamina Fleming were made honorary members. In 1886 Isis Pogson was the first woman to attempt election as a fellow of the RAS, being nominated (unsuccessfully) by her father and two other fellows. All fellows had been male up to this time and her nomination

9600-553: Was established by the Rockefeller Foundation in 1919. Meanwhile, the leading universities, in cooperation with the learned societies, set up a network of scholarly journals. " Publish or perish " became the formula for faculty advancement in the research universities. After World War II, state universities across the country expanded greatly in undergraduate enrollment, and eagerly added research programs leading to masters or doctorate degrees. Their graduate faculties had to have

9700-404: Was formed in 1820, and from the very beginning, one of its major activities was to host scientific meetings. Typically eight meetings each year were held at its headquarters in London ( a practice which continues today ). The growth of astronomical research throughout the UK and the concurrent increase in the number of RAS Fellows beyond the London area led to increased demand for meetings outside

9800-501: Was no longer necessary to study in Germany. However, half of the institutions awarding earned PhDs in 1899 were undergraduate institutions that granted the degree for work done away from campus. Degrees awarded by universities without legitimate PhD programs accounted for about a third of the 382 doctorates recorded by the US Department of Education in 1900, of which another 8–10% were honorary. The awarding of PhD as an honorary degree

9900-473: Was reluctant to move any of the regular eight meetings, which ran from October to May, so the 'out of town' meeting was held as an additional ninth meeting during the summer break in the academic year . They were held in the summer or early autumn in most years until 1966 when the RAS Council decided to stop asking groups to host them. The subsequent lack of meetings outside London was unpopular with Fellows, so

10000-405: Was withdrawn when lawyers claimed that under the provisions of the society's royal charter, fellows were only referred to as he and as such had to be men. A Supplemental Charter in 1915 opened up fellowship to women. On 14 January 1916, Mary Adela Blagg , Ella K Church, A Grace Cook , Irene Elizabeth Toye Warner and Fiammetta Wilson were the first five women to be elected to Fellowship. One of

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