Putting transferable Ph.D. skills to work

The doctoral education process has typically brought about many misconceptions regarding the practicality of the Ph.D. degree. The Ph.D., by definition, requires mastery of a specific subject and expansion of the existing body of knowledge. Many professionals believe this small scope of research and contribution is far less practical for the upcoming engineer as compared to four equivalent years in practice. It is believed that Ph.D. graduates are only suitable candidates for academia and research. However, beyond the narrow-scoped dissertation, the doctoral education teaches desirable practical skills for the practicing engineer that are not emphasized in either the tightly packed undergraduate program or the hectic under-staffed corporate world.