Why study a doctorate?

Abstract

After completing a bachelor’s degree, the student frequently wonders if she or he must take a postgraduate degree, either master’s or doctorate, and frequently associated with this question is job insecurity and the relevance of continuing these studies in lieu of, possibly, better opportunities. While studying a doctorate is not a complete guarantee, data from European and Latin American countries indicate that there are many opportunities to carry out such studies and that the social and salary benefits are very important. In a world where digital information and scientific knowledge are increasingly critical to decision making, pursuing a doctorate can be of great relevance, especially if the student is interested in contributing to solving scientific and social problems that require increasing collaborative work between many disciplines or many specialties within a discipline.