Ascertain whether you are qualified to enter a Ph.D. program. A bachelor's is required, and depending on the subject of your bachelor's or master's degree, you may need to take prerequisite courses to enter a Ph.D. program in your chosen field.
Research the cost of studying for a Ph.D. You may be eligible for a scholarship or teaching assistant ship to offset the cost of tuition. If you have a job, your employer might fund you in full or in part. It is important to know how you will fund your course of study well before you begin. As you investigate schools, ask about costs.
Apply for a Ph.D. program relevant to your goals. Apply to four or five institutions and submit your applications well in advance of the deadline. A Ph.D. will take between three and six years to obtain, depending on what degrees you have, your area of study, your ability, your dedication and the complexity of your doctoral thesis.
Think about the likely focus for your thesis. A thesis, an original piece of research, is the major output of a Ph.D. program. If you have an idea of your thesis subject before you start, you can begin to apply yourself as soon as you are accepted into a program.