Changing College mid-PhD study... need advice?

Question

Would it be considered unethical to change?

It has been my opinion that this is an education, not a job. So, why would my current school consider it "unprofessional" or "unethical" to transfer with my fellowships to another school? Will it adversely affect my "reputation" to switch schools to finish my doctorate?

Answer 1

This pretty much depends on why you are making the switch. First of all, I'm assuming that these are fellowships from a third-party source, not from the university at which you are currently studying. If they gave you the fellowships, then you absolutely cannot transfer them. Secondly, it does happen with students who came to a particular school to work with a certain faculty member, only to have that faculty member leave, leaving no one in the same area of interest there. Also, if the program misrepresented itself, you have every right to leave and then to do whatever you choose. Finally, if your spouse is being transferred and you still have a considerable period of time left to your degree program, it would make sense for you to move with him/her.

The flip side is that doctoral programs are extremely expensive for universities to run. If they have put a lot into you, and you choose to leave for random reasons, like that you want the experience of going elsewhere, or you think that now you could get in somewhere now that you couldn't have gotten into earlier, their upset is justified. You can't go through all the coursework at one school, transfer somewhere else at the end of the program and then let the second school take credit (frankly, if the school you are thinking of transferring to would take you under those circumstances, THEIR ethics are shakier than yours). They have a big investment in you.

Also, keep in mind that doctoral programs are not standardized. The coursework you took at one should probably not be transferrable to another. This would mean that you would be starting all over again.

So is it a problem? It depends on where you are in the program, and why you are looking to switch.

Answer 2

It really depends why you transfer.

It is unprofessional, because you wasted you advisor's time and stuff. If you were helping on any research with a faculty member and you left, they would have to retrain a new student to catch up and leave were you left off.

It just depends. I guess the best reason to change would be wanting to do work that your current department couldn't offer. Or it was a personal issue, like spouse got a job somewhere.

The real problem is transferring and that no two PhD programs are the same. Universities sometimes have different ideas and philosophies on the graduate students they want to produce. So, it can be a mess and courses would be tough to transfer over.

It really depends your field to. For example, most good physics programs rarely offer master's in physics and are mostly PhDs, since physics programs want students with a certain train of thought.

Answer 3

If you're at the wrong place, switch now before you get too far into it. If you keep going then make the switch, you'll lose credits...not to mention time, money, blood, sweat and tears.

Plus, you might find a better major professor at the new place and be able to work something out with him/her if you switch sooner.