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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.

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    Depends 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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    So do you know any examples in math in US?2011-02-07
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    I 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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    You might be able to get PHDs in pure math and applied math.2011-02-07
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    @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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    Are 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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    @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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    Why 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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    @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 ago2011-02-10
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    @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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    @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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    Why 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

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Here is the statement from the Graduate Division at Berkeley:

Duplication of Degree.

Students who already hold a doctoral level degree are not admitted and duplication of degree or admission to a lesser degree is not permitted. However, in extraordinary circumstances, the faculty of the department may request an exception from the Dean of the Graduate Division. The department must demonstrate that the second degree field of study and program are distinctly different from that of the original degree, and that there is a professional or scholarly purpose that requires this second degree.

Similar restrictions apply throughout the UC system. Harvard likewise states:

Persons holding a PhD or its equivalent, or who have completed most of the work required to earn the PhD elsewhere, may apply to a PhD program in the Graduate School only if it is an unrelated field of study.

I know that at least until the late 1990's MIT's Computer Science Department had a rule that nobody with a Ph.D. (in any field) would be admitted to their Ph.D. program; the rule was changed in the early 2000s so that a Ph.D. in a field other than Computer Science was no longer a bar for admission, but it still placed applicants at a disadvantage. I would expect similar rules to exist in other Departments at MIT, but I did not spot any explicit rule in the mathematics admission page.

Similar policies are explicit in many US universities; even in those where it is not explicit, space limitations will usually lead admission committees to consider such applications very skeptically, prefering to give spots to new students, and if they are very keen on the applicant, will likely suggest a post-doc instead.

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    Just out of curiosity, if one has a PhD in say topology, is doing a PhD in PDE considered as in an "unrelated field of study"?2017-02-07
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    @Zuriel: There is no such as thing as "PhD in topology" or "in PDE"; that's the subject of your *dissertation* or *research*, not your degree. There are PhDs in [Pure] Math, Applied Math, and Statistics (generally speaking). Most universities that I am familiar with would consider a PhD in pure math and one in applied math to be PhDs in the same field of study.2017-02-07
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    Thank you for your answer! It is very helpful.2017-02-10
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    Another question: If one has done a PhD level research in say topology, then will doing another PhD level research in say PDE or in other mathematical fields help his insight in topology (or make him a "better topologist")?2017-02-10
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    @Zuriel: Wrong place to ask the question: this is not the topic of the question you are commenting on. If you wish to ask that question, then ask the question as a new question. As I am not a topologist or a PDE person, I wouldn't know. And I'm not actively participating in MSE or have for many years now.2017-02-10