how long did it take to get your degree? – Genetics Zone

Question: how long did it take to get your degree?
- Keywords:
  education,
  university
Asked by feet442pan on 7 Dec 2021.
- Thomas Nicol answered on 9 Nov 2021:
  
  I did 3 years of undergraduate study and then worked for 3 years before taking on a PhD for 4 years. So total it took me 10 years but only 7 years of that was proper study.
- Dapeng Wang answered on 9 Nov 2021:
  
  Bachelor’s degree took 4 years and PhD degree took 5 years.
- Craig Anderson answered on 9 Nov 2021:
  
  Hi, my undergraduate degree at the University of Plymouth took me 3 years and introduced me to lots of different areas under the umbrella of general biology. I went on to get a doctoral degree afterwards which was more focused on a particular area, but I had freedom to investigate the things I wanted to. I spent 4 years doing that and in that time, I spent a couple of years in an institute near Oxford, a year and a bit at Cardiff University and then spent a few months writing up all of my results- including in the evenings when I moved to start my first job in Australia. It was hard but very rewarding!
- Isabelle Boothman answered on 9 Nov 2021:
  
  It took me four years to do my undergraduate degree in Genetics, and then my PhD which I am doing now will take me four years, I have done 2 years of it and have another 2 years to go, but you get paid to do a PhD.
- Clara Cieza-Borrella answered on 9 Nov 2021:
  
  My degree was Biology and I did it in Spain. There, BSc were 5 years-degree in the past. Since they became part of the European Higher Education Area, they had to stick to their regulations and all BSc were converted into 4 years degrees.
  
  Imagine that although I was interested in molecular biology, in those 5 years I had to learn about Botanic, Zoology, Palaeontology and other disciplines that are very interested but not really relevant to my professional career.
  
  Then after degree I did my masters (but I was already scientist at that point), PhD, postgraduate research and now I am lecturer and scientist at the same time!
- Becky Cohen answered on 9 Nov 2021:
  
  It took me 3 years to complete my undergraduate degree, 1 year to do my Masters and 4 years to complete my PhD (although some people manage to finish in 3 years). Overall that’s 8 years in education! Doing a PhD usually comes with funding though and feels more like a job, as mine was mostly lab work rather than attending lectures etc.
- Chris Pyatt answered on 9 Nov 2021:
  
  I did a 4 year degree with an integrated Masters, then a PhD for 4 years.
- Matthew Brown answered on 9 Nov 2021:
  
  My undergraduate degree (BSc) took 3 years, then I took a year away from education and worked to save up enough money to be able to do a Master’s degree which took 1 year. Now I’m doing a PhD which I’ve been doing for 4 years and I’m hoping to finish fairly soon.
- Julia Spindel answered on 9 Nov 2021:
  
  My undergraduate degree at Imperial College London took 4 years, because I did an extra Erasmus year in France, so you could also do it in 3 years. Then my PhD in Cambridge (funded by the Wellcome Trust) included a year-long masters degree so it was 1+3 years = 4 years in total.
- Stephenie Purvis answered on 9 Nov 2021:
  
  I did my undergraduate degree in Biomedical Science which took me only 3 years. I then immediately went and did a masters degree in Oncology which took a full year and I was employed to my current role straight after I completed that.
- Jessica Yang answered on 9 Nov 2021:
  
  For my undergraduate – full time for 4 years with a professional placement as the third year
  Masters – full time for 1 year with a 6 month research project
  PhD – will be 3 years full time, after working for two years in industry (I highly recommend taking a break in between degrees, it’s a lot of studying!)
- Holly Kerr answered on 9 Nov 2021:
  
  My Genetics degree at University of Glasgow took 4 years, and now my PhD will take another 4. After my PhD I am hoping for a loooong holiday!
- Frank Schubert answered on 9 Nov 2021:
  
  The undergraduate degree in Germany at the time was organised differently, effectively as an integrated Master’s with pretty much unlimited time. I took 5 years. I also took 5 years for my PhD. Nowadays typical would be 3 years for the BSc, 1 year for the Master’s, and 3-4 years for the PhD.
- Cobus Smit answered on 9 Nov 2021:
  
  Bachelors took 4 years. Then a year to do a BSc Honours degree. 2 years for my MSc and just under 4 years for my PhD. 11 years in total
- Jeffrey O'Callaghan answered on 9 Nov 2021:
  
  I did my undergraduate degree in Genetics which took 4 years. I then did my PhD in about 3 and a half years. It sounds like a lot but the PhD is when you learn the practical lab skills that can set you up for other jobs, and you are paid tax-free for your PhD which is enough to keep you going.
- Yannick Comoglio answered on 9 Nov 2021:
  
  Hi,
  I have done my study in France. After the A level, it took me 5 years to obtain a Master degree and 3 more years to obtain my PhD.
- Frankie Macrae answered on 9 Nov 2021:
  
  I did a 3 year BSc degree and then a 1 year masters. I did a part time masters over 3 years to get qualified as a clinical scientist.
- Chang Lu answered on 9 Nov 2021:
  
  4 years undergrad, 6 years PhD, so that added up to 10 years to become a postdoc researcher. PhD can take much longer in the US education system than UK.
- David Clarke answered on 9 Nov 2021:
  
  It took me 3 years to get my undergraduate degree, 2 years to gain my first taught masters and I will get another masters’ after my STP training is complete (3 years), so combined I will have spent 8 years to get 1 undergraduate degree and 2 postgraduate degrees.
- Madeleine Heep answered on 9 Nov 2021:
  
  Bachelors: 3.5 years (standard: 3 years)
  Masters: 2.5 years (standard: 2 years)
  PhD (still ongoing): probably 4 years
  
  I took a bit longer for my Bachelors and Masters because I focused on getting more experience, going abroad, and participating in student competitions. No one ever asked me why needed a bit longer for my studies, I would really recommend prioritizing what you enjoy and not worrying too much about needing a bit longer.
- Magdalena Sutcliffe answered on 10 Nov 2021:
  
  It took me 3 years to do my undergrad degree, then 2 years of Master’s degree and 3 years of PhD. My PhD was not like a usual degree, it was more like an apprenticeship, when you learn on the job.
- Yasmin Dickinson answered on 10 Nov 2021:
  
  Hi there! Great question!
  
  After completing my A levels I did an undergraduate degree in Biomedical Science, which took 3 years. There is an option to undertake a placement year if you want during your undergraduate degree, if so your undergraduate degree would take you 4 years instead. A placement year is a great way to get some work experience before graduating and I would definitely recommend you doing one (I didn’t do one at the time because I didn’t realise the importance of it and I regret it).
  
  After my undergraduate degree I took a gap year volunteering in different hospitals and working as a swimming teacher. I found it hard to get a proper scientist job with just an undergraduate degree so decided to apply for a Master’s degree.
  
  I did a Master’s degree in Molecular Biology which took 1 year. Most Master’s degrees are only 1 year long. They’re a great way to increase your job prospects (it definitely helped me).
  
  After my Master’s, I worked for just under 2 years at The University of Oxford as a Research Assistant (Best job ever!! So fun and got to do so many cool experiments!!). It was during this time that I decided I wanted to do a PhD.
  
  This year I started my PhD, which will take 4 years to complete. It sounds like a long time but trust me, the time will just fly by! PhDs can either take you 3 – 4 years usually in the UK (in America it takes much longer!!).
  
  Just know there is no right or wrong way when it comes to your educational journey. Everyone’s route will be completely different. During this time you will learn what you enjoy and what you don’t enjoy, and what sort of job you see yourself working in 🙂
- Rafael Galupa answered on 10 Nov 2021:
  
  I did 3 years of bachelor’s degree, 2 years of master’s and 4 years of PhD 🙂
- Joaquin de Navascues answered on 10 Nov 2021:
  
  I did a 5-year Bachelor in Biology (in Spain in the 90s) and an 8-year PhD (in Spain in the 2000s). Things are different in the UK – you can expect to spend 3 years for your bachelor, a 4th year (optional) on a Masters and 3-4 years in a PhD.
- Ana Letycia Basso Garcia answered on 10 Nov 2021:
  
  I did 5 years of a Bachelor degree in Agronomy, plus 2 years to complete my Master’s degree. Then, I have been doing my Ph.D. for 4 years (almost done!). So, it has been taking a total of 11 years to complete my degree.
- Mukta Deobagkar answered on 12 Nov 2021:
  
  I am from India and did all my degree education there: 3 years for BSc , 2 years for MSc, 5 years to finish my PhD (this was funded by a fellowship).
- Nithya Nair answered on 12 Nov 2021:
  
  I did a Bachelors in Life Sciences for 3 years, did my Masters in Biomedical Sciences for 1 year and currently I am in the 3rd year of my PhD in Integrative Physiology.
- Henry Jenkins answered on 12 Nov 2021:
  
  4 years for Biomedical Science! For one of the years I lived in Debrecen, Hungary, where I did some research in the centre for genomic and personalised medicine!
  Most degrees take 3 years, but this number can range depending on what you’re studying!

Comments

Chathuri commented on 9 Nov 2021:

HND – One and half years, BEng – Two years and MSc – one and half years. So altogether 5 years. I started working after my masters.

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