I am interested in finding a spouse who has a PhD in engineering. I am currently going for my PhD and I am having second thoughts about pursuing it instead of a masters. My fiance is an officer who just commissioned and is going through pilot training in the Air Force.
What is it like to move every three years? What types of jobs are available for a spouse with a PhD? Where can I find more information on jobs related to biomedical engineering?
I'm confused (and bear with me because I am in uni in a us school but for a BA, all my other knowledge is british education) but do you have your masters yet? I thought you had to obtain this before you could go onto a PHD programme....
but anyway moving is easy, but with your phd field you will have to spend alot of hours in a workshop/lab I would have thought and that will be your hardest part. also depending on the specific are of your doctoral thesis you might find access to materials and resources hard if you leave a university setting.
what are you wanting to do with your degree? I mean usually people get phds in non-med fields to end up profs at unis, or to run high in a business but if your moving that would obviously be harder to establish your grounding in your field with having to start at a new place whenever you move.
I would have thought a masters with hands on work experience would serve you better then slogging away at your doctrine. because realistically you would be lacking in the OJ experience that some people who are in one spot might have a leg up on you in.
what i would look at is your programme of study, how easy you will have to access resources when needed and if your wanting to change universities to finish your education
but do you have your masters yet? I thought you had to obtain this before you could go onto a PHD programme
Some schools allow one to enter into a PhD program without having a Masters degree, simply a Bachelors degree. Others do a combined Masters and PhD program so that one graduates with both degrees at the same time.
I agree that most often a PhD is used as entrance into teaching at an institute of higher education, quite often combined with research. When living in Atlanta, every program that I inquired about for a PhD program required that this be my only job and that I be a Graduate Teaching Assistant or Graduate Research Assistant (in my field it is normally GTA). This is why I passed on all of those programs since I am not independently wealthy and have three children.
A lot of programs in several fields don't require a master's degree. In one of my fields (I'm in an interdisciplinary program) most of us do not have master's degrees.
Also, with your PhD you don't have to spend hours in a workshop or lab - it really depends on the kind of job you get, and what you want to do. I mean, there's always the consideration of joining yourself and becoming a military engineer - I'm getting my Ph.D in a public health and psychology field and am considering joining to be a public health officer (although I was already interested in a military career before my fiance joined). I think as a military spouse you just have to be more flexible in what you wish to do. Becoming a professor might not be a viable option until after your spouse retires or leaves the service.
Also, whether a master's with experience or a PhD is better depends on what you want to do. Some jobs in the field will require a PhD. However, in biomedical engineering unless you want to go into academia or research a master's will probably suit you just fine.
