Dr. or PhD Degree. What to choose when studying?

Dr. or PhD?

If you have your bachelor’s and master’s degree behind you but don’t want to leave university, it’s a good idea to work in research and development. To do this, you need a promotional place – and there are more and more of them. This is the reaction to the demand of the growing number of students in the UK. However, science and research are also becoming more and more important internationally. This may even give you the chance to link the promotion to a stay abroad.

What does a Dr. or PhD bring?

Anyone who thinks the PhD only provides recognition or adorns your own name is wrong. A doctorate not only opens doors in medical professions or in the scientific sector. Lawyers and economists also earn noticeably more with a title or even gain access to higher positions. For humanities scholars, the title, unfortunately, means hardly any increase in salary, but you can do research in a sector that interests you, or even work at the chair.

Conceptual distinction

While the classical degree of the Doctor is common, in English-speaking countries there is mainly talk of the PhD, i.e. the Philosophical Doctorate. This is derived from the Latin Philosophiae doctor, which comes from the ancient tradition of science but today has nothing to do with the subject of philosophy. Instead, the title entitles you to independent and solely responsible teaching at a university.

However, the PhD in English language is not to be equated with a doctorate in medical subjects. This is an MD-PhD awarded only to Schools of Medicine. The PhD usually still has the addition ‘ in ‘, which indicates in which subject one has obtained the title. Sometimes when you try to get a PhD you need to get some assistance from professional PhD writing services and it makes sense.

PhD or Dr. what suits you?

Even if the PhD is standing abroad for work on an equal footing with the professors, you are of course not allowed to generalize this. There can be big differences in doctoral studies both abroad and at UK universities. If you have a choice between the two options, it is important that you think about your future. This includes, for example, the question of where you would like to work later. You should also ask yourself if you want to go abroad for this time.

If you answer no, but the PhD still suits you better, you can look for suitable programs in the UK, which already exist.

Specialist literature is usually recommended for each lecture

Here I put together literature that is worth looking into, but which does not fit properly with any single event in mathematics studies.


This list is under construction. The first year is given. Some of the books have newer editions.

– George Polya: 1. From solving mathematical tasks (1966) 2nd mathematics and plausible closing (1969)

Highly recommended books on how to ‘ get on it ‘, how to tackle mathematical problems and finally perhaps find a solution.
The Road to Reality: A Complete Guide to the Laws of the Universe (2005)-Roger Penrose
A remarkable book in which there is a lot of mathematics (from the 1st to the 20th semester and on), often explained from unusual perspectives.

– Georg Glaeser and Konrad Polthier: Images of Mathematics (2009)

Many beautiful pictures from different fields of mathematics. With (mostly to) short explanations and further references to literature.

– Pierre Basieux: The Architecture of Mathematics–Thinking in Structures (2000)

Explanations of many basic concepts encountered in the introductory lectures of mathematics–more detailed than is usually possible in these lectures.

– Imre Lakatos: Evidence and Reductions–The Logic of Mathematical Discoveries (1979)

In a Platonic dialogue, the process of mathematical research–making, improving, discarding, seeking evidence, etc.–is presented on the basis of relatively simple questions. Deep and entertaining.

– By John Stillwell: Mathematics and its History (1989)

Pythagoras, polynomas, number theory, infinite rows, geometry, topology, group theory, combinatorics, etc.: A look at the most important topics of mathematics and how they are related and have historically emerged. Due to the overview character and the emphasis on the relationships of different ‘ areas ‘ a very useful addition to the study.

– Victor Klee and Stan Wagon: Old and new unsolved problems in the number theory and geometry of the level (1997)

Many pretty, ‘ classical ‘ mathematical problems, which can be formulated in elementary terms, but whose solution is usually difficult or still unknown; And which were important for the development of mathematics and should, therefore, be part of the general knowledge of every mathematician. Explanations of the problems and the known solutions.

– Dmitry Fuchs and Serge Tabachnikov: A Graph of Mathematics–30 Lectures on Classical Mechanics (2011)

An exciting collection of short essays on topics from many fields of mathematics sophisticated yet understandable for a wide range of readers. For example,the a wonderful proof of the insolubility of the equation of the 5th degree by radicals, which is understandable by school.

– Kevin Houston: How to Think Mathematically (2012)

An introduction to mathematical working technology for new students.

– David Hilbert and Stephan Cohn-Vossen: Vivid geometry (1932)

A strange contradiction pervades mathematics studies: Geometry shapes the modern mathematical language and world of thought in large pa

10 Interesting writers and their books

Be it as an e-book, audiobook, on a tablet or classically in print: Books are a wonderful way to immerse yourself in other worlds, to find new inspiration or to digress with thoughts and to enjoy the multifaceted forms of literature. Here are ten classics of world literature that you should have read at some point in your life:

1. Jack Kerouac – “On the Road” (1957)

The autobiographical novel is considered the “Beat Generation” manifesto par excellence. Kerouac wrote his best-known work in just three weeks, creating a travel novel that continues to inspire free spirits and fortune seekers to this day.

2. Vladimir Nabokov – “Lolita” (1955)

In prudish 1950s America, Nabokov’s novel about paedophile Humbert Humbert sparked a scandal. At the same time, the work is much more than the psychological representation of a morally questionable relationship. “Lolita” is a book that becomes an exciting novelty experience every time it is read.

3. Umberto Eco – “The Name of the Rose” (1980)

With his debut, Eco made his breakthrough as a writer. Set in a Benedictine abbey in 1327, the novel is considered a typical example of postmodern writing, as it unites several genres and offers countless possibilities for interpretation. exciting!

4.Jane Austen – “Pride and Prejudice” (1813)

In the book toplists of world literature, female authors are a rarity. All the more we recommend the reading of Austen’s most famous work: The love story around Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy reveals the states of society at the turn of the century from the 18th century to the 19th century as vivid and stirring as no other.

5. Günther Grass – “The Tin Drum” (1959)

Grass became world famous with his portrayal of the chewy Oskar Mazerath, who stops growing at the age of three. The novel is the first part of Grass’s “Gdansk Trilogy” and is considered one of the most important works of postwar literature.

6. Franz Kafka – “The Transformation” (1915)

Although Kafka’s “transformation” is rather unpopular as school reading, the narrative of Gregor Samsa waking up one morning as a beetle in his bed provides a story in which many find themselves at some point in their lives: After developing into a new form of his I meet with rejection from Samsa’s family and society. A story of otherness and the search for acceptance.

7. George Orwell – “1984” (1949)


The main character Winston Smith lives in a totalitarian dictatorship. This literary example of an unpleasant surveillance state is often cited even in modern times as a reminder of the fatal consequences of such “Big Brother” systems. A novel that leaves a lasting impression.

8. Albert Camus – “The Stranger” (1942)

With his novel “The Stranger,” Camus provided a literary work that is more relevant today and encourages the reader to reflect on his own and the foreign, xenophobia and enemy images. Set in 1930s Algeria, the novel is considered one of the most important works of the 20th century.

9. James Joyce – “Ulysses” (1922)

At around 800 pages, Joyce’s “Ulysses” is definitely not an easy fare. Still, the novel is worth the time and effort: Echoing Homer’s Odyssey, Joyce’s protagonist Leopold Bloom wanders through Dublin on June 16, 1904 – a literary work that reading fans worldwide honour every year with the “Bloomsday” on that very date.

10. Milan Kundera – “The Unbearable Lightness of Being” (1984)

Kundera’s global success is far more than the love story surrounding protagonists Teresa and Tomas. Rather, in his multi-layered novel, the exiled author reveals the peculiarities of the individual and the influence of individual people on their environment in the time-historical context of the Prague Spring. A novel that continues to thrill.

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