To find research positions that offer scholarships, we recommend that you search our PhD database and filter “funded” positions.
You can also get a grant from the UK Research Councils or directly from your university as a grant. Independent organizations such as charities and research foundations as well as innovative companies in your industry also provide funding. You can read our guide for PhD students to see how it works, or get our PhD Guide for more ideas?
“What salary should I offer?”
Many companies leave no room for salary negotiation, but set their rates for university graduates. Sometimes the human resources department asks candidates about their salary expectations. In this case, you need to be well prepared: have a clear idea of your expectations and argue in a reasonable, transparent and understandable way.
Different arguments can be made. One of the following is:
Is a doctorate financially attractive?
There is no doubt that a PhD education and experience is valuable in other ways, and you belong to the elite of this profession. But is it worth it financially? We can use the data here to get a rough idea.
There is a 5-figure annual premium for students with a degree, but there is also an opportunity cost, assuming you do the degree full-time and delay entering the usability profession. We assume that the PhD will be free of charge (all costs will be paid by the school), which is of course important. Also assume that it will take 5 years to get a PhD after a bachelor’s degree. If you skipped the extra years of study and got a job right after your bachelor’s degree, you would have lost about $50,000 a year, plus the $3,000 annual increase from your experience. After 5 years, a bachelor’s usability expert would earn about $292,000 – that’s the opportunity cost.
If you enter the job market with a doctorate in your pocket, you will immediately get a higher salary of about $68,000, but you are far behind the bachelor’s degree. Assuming you do well in your career (and we’ll all still be here in 25 years), you’ll never catch up because the $17,000 bonus will be a smaller and smaller portion of lifetime earnings . To make up the difference, maybe the Doctor should consider becoming a manager, although that’s not enough. Another option is to do a part-time doctorate that does not require you to leave a full salary (especially if an employer cuts the tuition).