MPhil vs. Ph.D.

Main Difference

Different terms have the explanation that makes them different or likes each other, but the main details that make them distinct are of utmost importance. The two getting discussed in this article are MPhil and Ph.D., and they both have a close relation to each other. This article helps to find the main differences between them. MPhil becomes the highest level of education before a person gets enrolled for Doctor of Philosophy and therefore acts as a prerequisite. On the other hand, Ph.D. becomes the highest level of education within a subject ranging from engineering, business to science but exempting medicine and theology.

Difference Between MPhil and Ph.D.

Comparison Chart

MPhil

MPhil, which has the complete name of Philosophiae Magister comes from a Latin word with the meaning of the advanced post graduate degree that focuses on research. Since it has the level of investigation within the master level, it becomes the highest level of education before a person gets enrolled for Doctor of Philosophy and therefore acts as a prerequisite. It has become more common for individuals who have a master degree but did not take the research option for themselves and to further get an education now they should have some skills of getting to know new things before they go to a higher level. The time fixation for an MPhil degree stays at two years when a person perfects a research area they have selected and then carry on the education to learn more and enhance their skills. One primary advantage of such degree is such that a person does not spend more time on the next level, while most Ph.D. last for 4 to 5 years, a person enrolled in MPhil may have the exemption of at least 1 or at most two years to complete their education and get the degree. Although people have to investigate new things they do so within the scope of the topic, it exists such that they want to know more about things but at the same time do not go to such a level that they find it difficult to keep track of things which otherwise take a lot longer to understand.

Ph.D.

Ph.D. which stands for Doctor of Philosophy, is the highest level of education within a subject ranging from engineering, business to science but exempting medicine and theology. It also becomes synonymous with the person who has the highest level of education and therefore becomes a doctor in their field, such that they have the most information about the topic they have researched. The time frame for a Ph.D. degree usually becomes three to five years but depending on the speed and the person’s ability to learn new information the period may become less, up to 3 years and even two in some cases. The requirements for such a degree change from country to country and even at different institutes. The process is simple, where a person has the time to complete a thesis of a report on the topic assigned, they study and then research on the theme and then make sure that the level stays up to the maximum, enough to get published in a journal. Although it has the name of philosophy attached to it, the field ranges to a broader level where the original Greek meaning of the term was the love of wisdom, so if a person can gain more knowledge about their subject they get the name. It does not have a precise curriculum, and a person gets to find things on their own, from various sources. The free of this degree stays a lot higher than others, and therefore scholarships are the best way to study.