If one gets a phd in math, is it able to be admitted to another phd program in math? It is not for me, for someone else.
two phds in math
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soft-question
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0Depends on the University. Some specifically say you should not have a Ph.D. or equivalent in the same area in order to be admitted; others do not. It also depends on what the "equivalent" may mean (e.g., some European Doctorates used to be considered the equivalent of an advanced Master's degree in the U.S., so they would not be considered a bar for admission). – 2011-02-07
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0So do you know any examples in math in US? – 2011-02-07
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0I think it's very hard to get two PhD's in the same subject in the US. The admissions committee will view the application as bizarre. I've seen people get PhD's in different subjects though, like physics and finance for example. – 2011-02-07
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1You might be able to get PHDs in pure math and applied math. – 2011-02-07
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0@abc: I know someone who had a Ph.D. from a European institution and got a Ph.D. from an American one after that. It would be extremely rare to get admitted into a U.S. university into a Ph.D. program in mathematics with a Ph.D. in mathematics from a US university; as Zarrax says, most admission committees, for one thing, would rather give the space to someone without the degree (especially now that spaces are so limited). – 2011-02-07
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12Are we allowed to ask why someone would *want* to get two PhDs in math, say both at US universities? That is certainly what the admissions committee will be wondering... – 2011-02-07
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1@Unreasonable Sin: It may be possible in places like Waterloo, where there are *distinct* departments of Pure Maths, Applied Maths, Combinatorics and Optimization, etc., or in places where Stats are separate from Maths (if the "applied" degree is in statistics). But in most US Depts, the two are both in a "Mathematics" department, and they would be indistinguishable from the outside (say, to the Graduate School/Division), making it just as difficult as two PhDs in mathematics. – 2011-02-07
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0Why would someone want two PhD's in math? On the other hand, my PhD program in math had a couple people who already had PhDs in physics. A lot of people in my department did mathematical physics; I don't know the detailed histories of these people but presumably while they were getting the PhD in physics they became more interested in mathematics. – 2011-02-07
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0@Arturo Magidin@Zarrax@Peter L.Clark@Michael Lugo because he would like to consider his future/career path,unfortunately, the degree was just conferred few days ago – 2011-02-10
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0@abc: Any particular reason for directing your response at me? I do not remember (nor can I find myself) wondering *why* he would. I directed my responses squarely at the question asked. – 2011-02-10
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0@Micheal Getting a PHD in mathematics after getting one in physics sounds reasonably doable, particularly if the applicant's field is a heavily mathematical one like string theory. But otherwise,I can't see why someone would try and get one in a field completely unrelated after sacrificing so much of one's life,cost and effort. That would be a truly strange chain of events in one's life. – 2011-09-03
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0Why on earth would you want to do this? Once you have a PhD in math, you are free to learn other parts of math too (in fact, it's easier to learn them). It's all part of the scholarly life. I can't imagine why you would want to jump through all the arbitrary hoops needed to get a second PhD. Just to add some concrete information, I've sat on graduate admissions in my department several times (which is probably a top 20 but not top 10 department), and we've gotten a couple of applications like that. We generally just throw them out. – 2011-09-06