The number of PhD completions has been steadily growing over the past two decades, from about 4,000 to about 10,000 per year. According to our calculations* based on the information available , the cumulative number of people in Australia with a PhD has increased from about 135,000 in 2016 to about 185,000 in 2021.
Australia
In Australia, 2% of the population holds a doctorate degree.
The average age of PhD students is quite varied, depending on the field of study. Generally speaking however, the average age of a PhD student can range from 27 to 37 years old.
The number of research doctorate degrees awarded by U.S. institutions in 2020 decreased to 55,283, down from 55,614 in 2019, according to the Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED) (figure 1).
The average annual fees for PHD in Australia is 40,000 AUD- 60,000 AUD (16- 33 Lakh INR). After completing a PhD in Australia one can work as a Research Scientist, R&D Manager, Research Officer and earn an average salary of 85,000 AUD (46 lakh INR).
Qualifications required
A postgraduate qualification with a GPA of at least 5.0 (on a 7.0 point scale), or a bachelors degree with second-class honours (Division B).
PhD students make up about 60 per cent of the research workforce, but are paid just $29,863 a year. The stipend, known as the Australian Postgraduate Award, has increased just 21 per cent in the past decade, compared to the minimum wage which increased 34 per cent.
Interestingly, Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner is much more educated than his comic book counterpart, as he mentions in Thor: Ragnarok (2017) that he has seven PhDs!
You enter a PhD program at 25 or even 30, the average PhD duration takes six to eight years. That means you will finish when you are around 30 to 37. The normal retirement age to get Social Security in the United States is 67, so that's at least 30 years ahead of you – lots of time for your career.
According to the OECD's Education at a Glance 2022 report, 1.3% of adults (25-64 year-olds) held a PhD in 2021 across the thirty-eight OECD countries. There are of course country-specific differences. In Denmark and Germany, for instance, roughly 1% of the total population held a PhD in 2021.
Dr Buddhima Subasinghe. Alumna – Curtin University, Western Australia. At the age of 24, Dr. Buddhima Subasinghe became the youngest ever PhD holder in South Asia, after successfully completing her doctorate in Computer Science.
At 94 years of age, Dr Bottomley graduated from Curtin University last night with a Doctor of Philosophy after completing his thesis, which examined the teaching methods of five progressive English educators who introduced an understanding of science into the curriculum from 1816 to 1885.
To answer your question straight away: Yes, you can! Since there is no age limit for PhD admission, it's never too late to advance your professional career or your personal fulfillment with an online PhD degree.
In Australia, every full-time PhD candidate is entitled to apply for a federal government tax-free scholarship. It's currently sitting at $29,863, although it increases each year with inflation.
Australia's universities are well-established in the global top 250 and its government places great value on international PhD students, with generous post-study work visas.
Can I do a PhD without a degree? In Australia, you'll need to have completed a degree (that could be undergraduate or postgraduate) relevant to your proposed research topic and approved by the university to be considered as a candidate.
A rite of passage on Tuesday for a UC Davis student who may be the youngest ever PhD graduate. Tanishq Abraham just earned his doctorate in biomedical engineering and is only 19 years old. He was born and raised in Sacramento and graduated high school at age 10.
The youngest person to be awarded a PhD is the German child prodigy Johann Heinrich Friedrich Karl Witte (born 10 July 1800; better known simply as Karl Witte), who received his doctorate from the University of Giessen, Germany, on 10 April 1814 at the age of 13 years 283 days.
Reason #1: There are no age limits to PhD programs, nor is age a factor in selection. Many people believe that graduate programs have age limits or a bias against older applicants.
This indicates that the vast majority of CEOs have some sort of higher level education. We also find that nearly 20% of CEOs have a MBA degree whilst only 10% have a PhD.
Meet Dr Abdul Karim, world's most educated man with 5 PhD, speaks 18 languages.
Tony Stark
Thanks to his parents, the young genius received the best education. He was admitted early into the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he met James Rhodes, and they became lifelong best friends. In the comics, Stark earned two degrees in physics and engineering and has three doctorates.
The PhD is our premier research award and the highest qualification on the Australian Qualifications Framework. The PhD is usually three years full-time or six years part-time.
Funding your PhD in Australia
The Australian Government also offers a stipend for PhD students to live on while they research as part of the RTP. If your research qualifies for the RTP and you come from a qualifying country or are considered a domestic student, then you will also qualify for the stipend.
Stipend Information:
AU$29,863 (2023 rate) per annum tax-free for full-time students, paid in fortnightly instalments. AU$14,932 (2023 rate) per annum, taxable, for part-time students, paid in fortnightly instalments. Three years full-time for a doctoral degree, two years for a research Master's degree.