Easiest Ph.d you can possibly achieve - economic history?

Answer 1

Getting a PhD in the social sciences can in fact be more difficult than in the hard sciences. Though mastery of PhD-level chemistry or biology or physics is clearly a challenge, students are often assigned to existing projects/labs about which they can write a dissertation. In the social sciences, students have to come up with their own topics and do the entire project from A to Z. Hence, it's hard to say that economic history would be an easy PhD. Honestly ... Getting an easy PhD is all about how you manage the degree (e.g., do you choose an easy dissertation topic); it's not necessarily about the subject matter.

Sincerely,
A recently minted PhD (and still sleeping it off)

Answer 2

Karljt, I don't think any PhD is 'easy' to obtain. In fact, were they to be, they would be meaningless.

Economic history would probably be classified as a social science and therefore in many respects be harder than a phsyical science PhD. A social science PhD has to withstand the criticisms of all the 'traditional science' types, who scoff at the social scientists as if they were somehow inferior. Indeed, many universities use different word lengths for social science degrees and require twice the word length to achieve the same qualification. So, is there a PhD that's more easy to achieve than another, I doubt it, given that each PhD has to meet the criteria for being a genuine contribution to knowledge, and that doesn't come easily.

Answer 3

No PhD is easy - by definition. It's the highest level academic award possible, and governed by a set of academic guidelines, which must be met if an institution is given the power to award PhDs. All doctoral awards, whether PhD, or DPhil, or the newer "vocational" doctorates must meet the following criteria:

Doctoral level
Doctorates are awarded for the creation and interpretation of knowledge, which extends the forefront of a discipline, usually through original research. Holders of doctorates will be able to conceptualise, design and implement projects for the generation of significant new knowledge and/or understanding. Holders of doctorates will have the qualities needed for employment requiring the ability to make informed judgements on complex issues in specialist fields, and innovation in tackling and solving problems.

Doctoral (D) level - Doctorates

Doctorates tend to be at least 3 years long. PhD and DPhil generally refer to qualifications gained from original research, whilst those doctorates with a large taught element tend to include the discipline name, such as EdD for a doctor of education.

No matter what the subject area, the same level of academic achievement is required. There is also the matter of course, that for someone good at physics, a doctoral qualification in physics is easier than one in a subject they have no aptitude or talent for. The doctoral physicist may find that doctoral studies in English literature are prohibitively difficult!

So, all in all, I think there's no such thing as an easy PhD

Answer 4

That would depend on the institution. There are bestselling authors out there who put "Ph.D." after their names on the covers, but their degrees are essentially mail-order. In a few cases, the degree-granting institution no longer exists.

Thus, while I agree that the hardest is probably physics (at least, that's the conventional wisdom in academia), it's probably possible to get a trash physics degree from somewhere.

Even among "respectable" institutions, difficulty varies considerably. Many academics tend to think of education Ph.D.'s as light-weight, and on many campuses they are ridiculously easy to attain, but there are a few programs out there that have great reputations, so even the much maligned education degree isn't necessarily worthless. It pretty much depends on where you go.

Answer 5

I'm not sure, but hardest PhD to achieve: Physics.

Answer 6

Someone at my Uni is doing a PhD in cricket greens!!!

Answer 7

It cannot be easy if it is a Doctorate, any subject will need a lot of intelligence and ability.

Answer 8

Don't know much about PHDs but I felt sorry for you because noone had answered your question!

Answer 9

how much did you have to pay for it.