The illustrated guide to a Ph.D.

Matt Might's explanation to define PhD is really nice. He says he needs to explain this to many every year and he found a really good way to describe it. A picture is worth a thousand words, right?

Here is re-publication of his explanation, The Illustrated Guide to a Ph.D. with his Creative Commons license.

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Imagine a circle that contains all of human knowledge:

By the time you finish elementary school, you know a little:

By the time you finish high school, you know a bit more:

With a bachelor's degree, you gain a specialty:

A master's degree deepens that specialty:

Reading research papers takes you to the edge of human knowledge:

Once you're at the boundary, you focus:

You push at the boundary for a few years:

Until one day, the boundary gives way:

And, that dent you've made is called a Ph.D.:

Of course, the world looks different to you now:

So, don't forget the bigger picture:

Keep pushing.