How long will it take to get an astrophysics PhD degree in Canada?

I have heard it takes 10 years in the U.S.A. The University I will most likely be going to is University of Toronto.|||A PhD is not a set length of time in the US and Canada - it will take somewhere between 8 and 12 years on average (I've seen it take as little as 3, but that was a very special case, and as many as 15, but that was just pathetic). The U of Toronto has a fantastic program, and as a result is extremely competitive to get into - the grad program, that is. To do a PhD in astrophysics, first you need a bachelors degree in physics (and take classes in astronomy, math, and computer science) and then you'd do your masters and PhD somewhere else. If you go to U of T for undergrad, you won't be going there for grad school, so if you want to do your graduate work there, go somewhere else for the bachelors.





A PhD takes as long as it takes. There's no actual length - however long it takes for you to do the masters coursework, probably do a masters thesis and then pass a qualifying exam, and then do an original publishable research project and learn everything about a very specific field of astrophysics. It takes as long as it takes.|||Canadian PhD programs in the sciences have much less coursework and formal examination steps required than in the USA. This may or may not translate into shorter times.





What was your "10-year" thing counting from? After the bachelor's degree? After a master's degree? The length of time a doctoral program takes depends on many factors, some specific to your research, some about your life, some you can control and some you can't. When you are looking for graduate schools and potential supervisors, that's an interesting thing to ask. What is the average time to completion? What is the time limit and what happens when a student exceeds it? Does the funding expire after a certain time? (It's also interesting to meet some current or former students in person and ask them directly - you might get different answers.)





I agree with Eri that it's not a good idea to count on doing all your degrees at the same university. If you start at U of T and the department seems as good as you heard, then plan on going elsewhere for your master's and then coming back if you still want to. Doing all your degrees in the same department probably saves you some time, but it makes your CV significantly weaker than one that shows that you've studied in various departments and learned from a wider variety of instructors.