Before you send off your applications for your desired PhD programs, consider the following things that you might need take time to prepare:

A statement of purpose
Your university transcripts (undergraduate and/or graduate)
GRE/GMAT Test results
TOEFL score of 6.0 or higher for English taught programs
Three letters of recommendation
Three to four years of academic research or involvement

There are two major ways to earn a doctorate degree abroad; you can apply for a full-time PhD programs directly through a foreign university or you can apply for an exchange program to study abroad for as short as a summer session or as long as a year.

It will generally take about three years to earn your doctorate degree abroad. Your semesters of coursework will build toward your final dissertation, which is an in-depth research presentation that will discuss, analyze, and support a theory you select with the university’s approval. Summers will still belong to you during most doctorate degrees, so you can use this time to get some extra work done to get ahead for the next semester, or take it easy and catch up on traveling. You could also spend the summer at a new location digging deeper into your research and PhD studies.

After you spend your hard earned money and three to four years of your life earning a PhD abroad, then comes the question, “Where are you going to work?” Doctorate degrees will open doors in the following fields, among others, government, consulting, academia, health, finance, law, and the nonprofit sector.