Carleton University Introduces Direct-from-Bachelor Pathway to PhD Option
Carleton University now offers students the opportunity to enter a PhD program directly from a bachelor’s degree.
For undergraduates with a clearly-defined research focus, this development provides a valuable pathway to proceed directly to doctoral studies, bypassing the traditional requirement of completing a master’s degree.
“As a part of its continuing commitment to research excellence, Carleton University is pleased to announce its new direct-from-bachelor pathway to PhD admission in select programs,” says Nadeem Siddiqi, Vice-Provost (Graduate Studies). “This pathway is available to students who show exceptional research potential in order to expedite their entry into cutting-edge doctoral research and reduce the overall duration of their studies.”
In this initial phase, Carleton is offering this opportunity within three engineering disciplines—Building, Civil, and Environmental—as well as in Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Earth Sciences, and Physics.
Physics Prof. Daniel Stolarski is excited to be able to offer this pathway to eligible physics students as it was a path he had followed on his way to becoming a professor.
“I did my graduate school in the US, where this is the standard,” says Stolarski who completed his undergraduate degree at Caltech and received his PhD from UC Berkeley. “I knew I wanted to do research in particle physics for more or less my whole life, which is what ended up happening. This pathway allowed me to hit the ground running, and it was very worthwhile for me.”
Stolarski says that for someone who knows they want to spend the next five or six years conducting research or pursue a career in research—and who knows what field they are interested in—this direct entry pathway is a great option.
Students applying for direct-from-bachelor will need to demonstrate their aptitude for research and have substantial research experience in addition to higher grades to be accepted into this pathway according to Stolarski.
“There are upsides to getting a master’s first if you don’t know what you want to work on, or if you don’t know that you want to do research,” says Stolarski.
“I think having both options at Carleton gives us the best of both worlds.”
Learn more about Carleton’s direct-from-bachelor pathway here.