Do I have to get a Masters Degree before a PhD?

I'm a student in masters degree that study earthquake engineering in Iran.How can I get PHD apply from us?

• I want to get my PHD degree in U.S.I hope that i can get financial aid from one well known universities of united states.My work zone is earthquake enginneering and my thesis is about eigenvalues of matrices and kronecker product.Thank's for your answering.

• Answer:

  Hi Babek, Most Ph.D. programs for sciences and engineering offer financial aid when they accept you. To apply, you can send a letter to the school of you choice and ask them to send you an application. Or you may be able to request the application online. If a school selects you for admission, they will tell you what the financial aid package will be. It typically covers tuition plus a living stipend (allowance). I don't know of many schools that offer a program specific in earthquake engineering, but you may be able to find related programs in civil engineering, materials engineering, or potentially earth science. You mentioned wanting to apply to top schools -- here's a link to the top engineering schools: http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/grad/rankings/eng/brief/engrank_brief.php And here are the top Civil Engineering programs: http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/grad/rankings/eng/brief/engsp04_brief.php Note that the top schools like MIT can be difficult to get into if you don't have top marks and a good pedigree. Apply to several places if you want to ensure admission. Good luck!