Is the automotive program at this school look solid?

Are professors on PhD admission committees going to look very suspiciously on any applicant who is applying for a PhD program right out of another grad school?

• Answer:

  I assume this question is referring to a second PhD, but I'll answer the broader question first. If this question is referring to a Master's program the admissions committee will absolutely not find it suspicious. Many people get a Master's degree, and then continue on immediately to a PhD, and it's not even unusual. A possible exception is if your degree was not at all research oriented, like an MBA to a PhD - though that happens as well, in my experience most of those applicants have additional work experience between (if only to pay down the debt). In terms of applying for a second PhD, I don't know that it would be "suspicious", but you would need to make a very strong case (as you likely would have to anyway - my program had 175 applicants for 3 matriculants). Most PhDs will prepare you to perform independent research, and in general you should be able to independently develop any skill gaps needed to perform your research. If you already have one PhD, you've proven you know how to do research to some degree, and that you have persistence enough to finish - but you'll need to convince the committee that despite that you have a gap large enough to need their program, but not so large you can't complete their program, which is a tough balancing act. If you have a PhD in poetry, the gap to computer science will likely be too large - you may not convince them you're able to complete the program. If you have a PhD in economics, the gap to strategy would likely be too small - you may not be able to convince them you really need a second PhD to perform the research you're interested in. Purely hypothetical, but if you have a PhD in math and would like to do social science research you might be able to successfully apply for a PhD program in sociology, economics, finance, etc, because they could be complementary, but sufficiently distinct that transitioning without the second PhD could be very difficult. I will speak to one example I know of personally, where I think the applicant could make a strong case. I will speak generically of her, even though I think this speaks well of her, because she hasn't yet been admitted. I know somebody who received her PhD outside the US, and is currently a visiting scholar in the US, taking courses at the doctoral level. She is obviously very highly qualified, but in taking courses here she's realized that the type of doctoral training we receive in the US is extremely different than the doctoral training she received (which involved more memorization of extant literature), and that if she wants to perform research at the highest levels she may benefit by taking the extra five years to complete a new PhD from scratch in the US. It may not be an absolute requirement, especially since she is able to get some of that training already as a visiting scholar, but I can see her making a very compelling case that she's able to complete the program, but would also very much benefit from the program, in starting a PhD here despite already having a PhD (in the same field, no less). This is not the only possible compelling case, but I think it illustrates one possible case that could be made to pursue a second PhD. Note: I have not sat on any PhD admissions committees, but I received extensive mentoring from multiple professors who have, and was quite successful on the applicant side based partly on that understanding of what they look for.