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How Do You Get a PhD? A Guide to the PhD Timeline

Everyone who considers a doctoral degree knows a PhD is a big commitment. 

Not only will it require all your mental energy, focus, and persistence, but it will also require a significant investment of your time. Your particular area of research, your institution’s policies and procedures, and the standard expectations within your field affect how long it takes to earn a PhD. The average PhD length is five or six years, while some students may take eight or nine years.

Regardless of how long a PhD program takes,  there are some common stages of a PhD that all doctoral students share. These significant and essential milestones shape the timeline for earning your doctorate . Read on as we take you through each step and explore the typical steps to a doctorate degree.

How Long Do PhD Programs Take?

The number of credit hours that you need to complete your doctoral coursework might depend on several factors: do you already have a master’s degree? Will you earn one en route to the doctorate? Or do you even need one? 

Different disciplines and research interests have their own PhD process, but even within your field of study, institutions may have diverse pathways for obtaining that terminal degree. For most, coursework will take anywhere from two to three years to complete.

During this time, students can serve as graduate research or teaching assistants or could even lead their own courses as instructors. In many degree programs, students develop their potential dissertation topics through their coursework and define their research plans in the next few years.

Steps to Getting a PhD: PhD Qualifying Exam and Comprehensive Exam

Many programs set up academic checkpoints to help keep students on track during their PhD journeys. The timing varies by program, but one of the most common – and possibly most stressful – forms of benchmarking is the PhD comprehensive exam or qualifying exam. Often administered around the end of the student’s coursework, these exams are your chance to demonstrate what you learned in your classes.

A faculty committee from your department oversees testing. Usually comprised of at least three members, your professors ask questions or assign writing prompts based on your experience in the program thus far. The format is generally a combination of written and oral exams designed to test your expertise in your discipline’s methodologies and significant content areas.

To better prepare yourself, research the number and kind of qualifying benchmarks the program will require in the university catalog before you begin your program. This will allow you and your advisor to effectively plan out the first few years of your degree and give you an idea of how you’ll be evaluated throughout your program.

Doctoral Dissertation Prospectus and Defense

You may be required to complete and defend a dissertation prospectus before officially becoming a PhD candidate. A prospectus is a document outlining your dissertation plan, which includes an explanation of your research topic, a potential outline of your dissertation, the methodologies you intend to employ, the significance of your research question, and a bibliography including sources that form the foundation of your research.

Your prospectus allows your dissertation advisor to understand the scope of your project. It should be thorough enough that they can provide useful feedback to help shape your research plan. After some revisions, an approved prospectus is the green light to move into the next stage of your PhD.

Advancement to Doctoral Candidacy

If you have heard the term ABD – “All But Dissertation” – then that means you are in the home stretch of your doctoral program!

Well, sort of…only your dissertation remains!

Doctoral Dissertation Research and Writing

While you’ve made it through the coursework and qualifying exams, the dissertation is the culminating component of the doctoral degree. At this point, your approved research plan is ready to be set into motion. Depending on your discipline, this could be the stage where you travel extensively to conduct fieldwork, explore archives, or visit labs to collaborate on projects that relate to your dissertation work. For many students, the research phase can take a couple of years, but some may be able to complete it in one.

Writing your dissertation can be one of the most challenging parts of the whole PhD process. Not only are you condensing years of research into a single cohesive document, but you are also formulating graphs, charts, and other textual references to help clarify your argument. Often, formatting can be a major challenge for many students. 

In this stage, it’s most helpful to seek out resources to help you with the writing process. Many universities have dissertation writing workshops where you can learn best practices, as well as support groups where students meet regularly and help keep each other accountable. Most universities also offer competitive dissertation completion grants, supporting students with additional funding so they focus more of their time and effort on completing this undertaking.

Dissertation Defense

Everyone gets nervous about this major rite of passage. It can be difficult to take criticism over something you have poured your heart and soul into for years. Remember, though, that a good advisor will not let you defend if you’re not ready, and you literally wrote the book on your topic!

The dissertation defense is not intended to tear your work apart but rather is your opportunity to prove your expertise to your dissertation committee. Many defenses are open to observers, so you should attend a few in advance of your own, especially within your department, to get a sense of what it’s like. 

First, you’ll present the main points of your thesis. Then the committee will ask questions so they can clearly understand your arguments. Finally, they’ll send you out of the room while they deliberate and decide if you pass or not. If all goes well, you’ll be addressed as “Doctor” the next time you walk into the room!

Get Started on Your PhD Journey Today

No matter what your particular timeline looks like as you work toward your doctorate, know that the faculty and other students within your program are frequently a huge source of support — which means you won't do this alone! Additionally, every school has resources to assist PhD students, from libraries to writing centers to dedicated student support services. 

If you are excited about beginning your PhD journey, we invite you to request more information or reach out to one of our admissions professionals today. Best of luck as you begin this transformational experience!

learn more about

what it takes to apply to and succeed in a PhD program. Explore our resource — A Guide to Choosing, Applying for, and Thriving in a PhD Program!

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Doctoral Milestones

Deadlines: Applications should be submitted before the start of the semester.

Doctoral Milestones are designed to help guide the way through your program, by measuring your academic knowledge, preparing you to conduct original research, and write and defend a dissertation of your own original work, all within the timeline established by your program and the Graduate Faculty leadership at UWM. Individual programs design each milestone in the way that works best for their students and discipline, but all students must meet the basic guidelines established here.

Questions? Please contact the Graduate School at [email protected] .

Program of Study

The student and advisor prepare a Program of Study, which specifies all required and elective coursework, completed and proposed, that will be offered in fulfillment of degree requirements in the major field and in the minor. The Program of Study also specifies the foreign language, technical, or research skill requirements, if any, that will be offered in fulfillment of the program requirements.

Each program has its own deadline for submitting the program of study. Submitting a copy to the Graduate School is not required, although in some cases it is helpful.

Preliminary Examination

Doctoral preliminary examinations, commonly known as “prelims,” are designed to assess a doctoral candidate’s mastery of subject knowledge and application skills, and ensure adequate preparation for individual dissertation research. You must pass your prelims within five years of initial enrollment in your doctoral program.

Your program establishes the timing and structure of the prelims, as well as specific requirements and eligibility. Be sure to find out how preliminary exams are handled within your program. It may be helpful to ask other graduate students in your department about their experiences with prelims.

Prior to the start of the semester that you are eligible to take the prelims, you must complete the application for the Doctoral Preliminary Examination, located in the Online Doctoral Milestones System. After you submit the form, your program will be notified to submit their approval. Eligibility is then verified by the Graduate School, and you are granted “prelim status” for that semester.

During the semester that you are preparing for or completing prelims, you may enroll for a minimum of 1 graduate credit and still be considered full-time for financial aid, grant, fellowship, and graduate assistant purposes. This includes international students. This enrollment option is available for one semester only, and does not fulfill residency requirements. To use this option, your application for the Doctoral Preliminary Examination must be verified by the Graduate School prior to the start of the semester. Your program may have different requirements for prelims, so you must confirm with your advisor or the Graduate Program Representative.

After the exam(s), your program will enter the results and submit their approval online. It then goes to the Graduate School for final processing. If you fail the prelim, your graduate program must provide you with its written policy regarding continuation. If you miss the scheduled prelims, you must file a new application for the next semester. Test results are kept in your graduate record and posted on your transcript. After you pass the prelim(s), you are considered ready to undertake independent research.

Proposal Hearing

The dissertation proposal must be approved by your doctoral committee. Committee approval of the dissertation proposal establishes agreement on your chosen research and indicates that you have adequate preparation to complete the research.

Some programs hold a proposal hearing in conjunction with the preliminary exam. In this instance, you should submit the application for Doctoral Preliminary Examination and the Doctoral Dissertation Proposal Hearing Form in the Online Doctoral Milestones System at the same time.

Your Proposal Hearing can take place before or after you achieve dissertator status. If your program permits you to become a dissertator before holding your Proposal Hearing, you will need to submit a Summary of your Dissertation Topic in the Online Doctoral Milestones System before your application for dissertator status can be approved. This serves as a placeholder until your Proposal Hearing is held.

As you conduct your research and begin writing your dissertation, you and your advisor may decide that a change to your original proposal is needed. Any significant changes to the dissertation as presented in the proposal hearing must be approved. A new proposal and proposal hearing are required.

Dissertator Status (Doctoral Candidacy)

Dissertator Status, also referred to as Candidate for Degree, is awarded once you have completed all major and minor coursework in your program, and have only to complete your research and write your dissertation. This period of your doctoral program is intended to allow you time to focus solely on these aspects of the degree, leading ultimately to the oral defense of your dissertation, and awarding of your degree.

You are eligible to become a dissertator when you have:

• Completed all major and minor course requirements.
• Passed the doctoral preliminary examination.
• Passed the proposal hearing, or submitted a summary of the dissertation topic.
• Met doctoral credit and academic residency requirements .
• Cleared all incomplete and “in progress” grades/reports in non-research courses.
• Maintained a 3.0 or higher cumulative GPA.
• Completed the language requirement (if required).
• Completed other departmental requirements (if any).

You must submit an application for Doctoral Dissertator Status in the Online Doctoral Milestones System before the start of the semester you plan to begin dissertator status.

Your dissertator application is reviewed by the Graduate School, and your program. It is confirmed with an email from the Graduate School to you and your program’s graduate representative.

Continuous Registration Requirement

Once you have achieved dissertator status, you are required to maintain specific registration requirements until you defend and graduate. Please see the policy regarding Doctoral Dissertator Enrollment .

Dissertation

Please see Thesis & Dissertation Formatting and Submission .

Graduation (Completing your degree)

Please see the Doctoral Graduation website.

Planning your PhD research: A 3-year PhD timeline example

Planning out a PhD trajectory can be overwhelming. Example PhD timelines can make the task easier and inspire. The following PhD timeline example describes the process and milestones of completing a PhD within 3 years.

Elements to include in a 3-year PhD timeline

The example scenario: completing a phd in 3 years, example: planning year 1 of a 3-year phd, example: planning year 2 of a 3-year phd, example: planning year 3 of a 3-year phd, example of a 3 year phd gantt chart timeline, final reflection.

Every successful PhD project begins with a proper plan. Even if there is a high chance that not everything will work out as planned. Having a well-established timeline will keep your work on track.

What to include in a 3-year PhD timeline depends on the unique characteristics of a PhD project, specific university requirements, agreements with the supervisor/s and the PhD student’s career ambitions.

For instance, some PhD students write a monograph while others complete a PhD based on several journal publications. Both monographs and cumulative dissertations have advantages and disadvantages , and not all universities allow both formats. The thesis type influences the PhD timeline.

Furthermore, PhD students ideally engage in several different activities throughout a PhD trajectory, which link to their career objectives. Regardless of whether they want to pursue a career within or outside of academia. PhD students should create an all-round profile to increase their future chances in the labour market. Think, for example, of activities such as organising a seminar, engaging in public outreach or showcasing leadership in a small grant application.

The most common elements included in a 3-year PhD timeline are the following:

• Data collection (fieldwork, experiments, etc.)
• Data analysis
• Writing of different chapters, or a plan for journal publication
• Conferences
• Additional activities

The whole process is described in more detail in my post on how to develop an awesome PhD timeline step-by-step .

Many (starting) PhD students look for examples of how to plan a PhD in 3 years. Therefore, let’s look at an example scenario of a fictional PhD student. Let’s call her Maria.

Maria is doing a PhD in Social Sciences at a university where it is customary to write a cumulative dissertation, meaning a PhD thesis based on journal publications. Maria’s university regulations require her to write four articles as part of her PhD. In order to graduate, one article has to be published in an international peer-reviewed journal. The other three have to be submitted.

Furthermore, Maria’s cumulative dissertation needs an introduction and conclusion chapter which frame the four individual journal articles, which form the thesis chapters.

In order to complete her PhD programme, Maria also needs to complete coursework and earn 15 credits, or ECTS in her case.

Maria likes the idea of doing a postdoc after her graduation. However, she is aware that the academic job market is tough and therefore wants to keep her options open. She could, for instance, imagine to work for a community or non-profit organisation. Therefore, she wants to place emphasis on collaborating with a community organisation during her PhD.

You may also like: Creating awesome Gantt charts for your PhD timeline

Most PhD students start their first year with a rough idea, but not a well-worked out plan and timeline. Therefore, they usually begin with working on a more elaborate research proposal in the first months of their PhD. This is also the case for our example PhD student Maria.

• Months 1-4: Maria works on a detailed research proposal, defines her research methodology and breaks down her thesis into concrete tasks.
• Month 5 : Maria follows a short intensive course in academic writing to improve her writing skills.
• Months 5-10: Maria works on her first journal paper, which is based on an extensive literature review of her research topic. At the end of Month 10, she submits the manuscript. At the same time, she follows a course connected to her research topic.
• Months 11-12: Maria does her data collection.

Maria completed her first round of data collection according to plan, and starts the second year of her PhD with a lot of material. In her second year, she will focus on turning this data into two journal articles.

• Months 1-2: Maria works on her data analysis.
• Months 3-7: Maria works on her second journal paper.
• Month 7: Maria attends her first conference, and presents the results of her literature-review paper.
• Month 8: Maria received ‘major revisions’ on her first manuscript submission, and implements the changes in Month 8 before resubmitting her first journal paper for publication.
• Month 9: Maria follows a course on research valorisation to learn strategies to increase the societal impact of her thesis.
• Months 9-12: Maria works on her third journal paper. She uses the same data that she collected for the previous paper, which is why she is able to complete the third manuscript a bit faster than the previous one.

Time flies, and Maria finds herself in the last year of her PhD. There is still a lot of work to be done, but she sticks to the plan and does her best to complete her PhD.

• Month 1: Maria starts a second round of data collection, this time in collaboration with a community organisation. Together, they develop and host several focus groups with Maria’s target audience.
• Month 2: Maria starts to analyse the material of the focus group and develops the argumentation for her fourth journal paper.
• Month 3: Maria presents the results of her second journal paper at an international conference. Furthermore, she helps out her supervisor with a grant application. They apply for funding to run a small project that is thematically connected to her PhD.
• Months 4-9: Maria writes her fourth and final journal article that is required for her PhD.
• Month 10: Maria writes her thesis introduction .
• Month 11: Maria works on her thesis conclusion.
• Month 12 : Maria works on the final edits and proof-reading of her thesis before submitting it.

Combining the 3-year planning for our example PhD student Maria, it results in the following PhD timeline:

Creating these PhD timelines, also called Gantt charts, is easy. You can find instructions and templates here.

Completing a PhD in 3 years is not an easy task. The example of our fictional PhD student Maria shows how packed her timeline is, and how little time there is for things to go wrong.

In fact, in real life, many PhD students spend four years full-time to complete a PhD based on four papers, instead of three. Some extend their studies even longer.

Furthermore, plan in some time for thesis editing, which is a legitimate practice and can bring your writing to the next level. Finding a reputable thesis editor can be challenging, so make sure you make an informed choice.

Finishing a PhD in 3 years is not impossible, but it surely is not easy. So be kind to yourself if things don’t work out entirely as planned, and make use of all the help you can get.

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Doctoral students are required to review the degree plans for their program, along with information about specific degree requirements and estimated timelines to reach various benchmarks for the different degree plan specializations.

Access to Milestones

To complete the required review of Milestones for your program, visit the Graduate Degree Planner and follow these steps:

Select the link to “See Your Program of Work at a Glance.”

Programs of work are also known as degree plans. If you have more than one degree plan assigned, you will see a list. (This can happen if you changed degree plans, are working on a master’s degree in addition to your doctoral degree, and/or previously graduated with a master’s degree.)

Select the “Program of Work” link for your doctoral degree plan.

You will see a list of program of work requirements and will be able to review how these requirements have been matched to your work by your graduate coordinator. At the bottom of the page, you will find a list of Milestones and your progress toward completion.

After your review, select “I have reviewed my Milestones.”

Instructions for milestones (pdf).

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