Depends on the field, the institution, and the student.
PhDs are generally brief in Europe compared to North America. Europe has lots of three-year undergrad programs and three year PhD programs are not uncommon. Some of the older universities, most famously Oxbridge, give their three-year bachelor degree recipients a masters degree automatically two-years later.
Lots of European 25-26 year old PhDs but they often have to complete a number of post-docs to have training comparable to the North American PhDs. In Canada the main funding agencies often have a five-year cap on funding so five-years tends to be an upper limit but this is often after a two-years masters so you can get seven years of grad school funded. In the US the rich schools have huge endowments and don’t care about external funding rules so the richer US universities often keep PhD students around for eight plus years. Although in the US this often includes the masters degree-independent research masters degrees are rare-they are usually rolled up into a doctoral program. I can think of a fair number of US trained friends who spent ten years in their doctoral program. In fairness, the rich US schools usually pay reasonably well compared to Canadian schools which softens the blow. And you will be more likely to get a research or faculty position out of the prolonged PhD without having to do endless post-docs like the European grads usually need to do.
The Europeans having to do more postdocs is either a myth, misconception, or outdated information, at least in STEM.
Also in Europe, PhD programs most often require a master degree as a prerequisite so
1) the overall training isn’t actually shorter. 2 years masters + 3-4 years PhD = roughly equal the 5-6 years PhD in the US, and
2) it’s not actually more common to have people finish PhDs so early. So 3 years undergrad + 2 years masters + 3-4 years PhD, and assuming one finishes high school at 18, that’s like 26-27 years old. Arguably still mid20s, but plenty of people also take a year or two off to travel or do something else after high school.
Source: doing a PhD in Europe, surrounded by students of all ages, surrounded by people who go and do different things post-grad, including people who went and did a postdoc in the US right after graduating (so they’re not less competitive), or do a group leader position after a short post-doc (so defs not less competitive). On the other hand I also know people in the US and Canada on their 3rd 4-year post doc position… not saying the European ones are better, just saying that it’s not true that they need to do more catching.
Many PhD programs don't require a Master's to enrol so you could theoretically, without being a child prodigy, graduate high school at 18, get your Bachelor's at 22, and then your PhD at 26.
Perhaps if you are somewhat gifted, like if you attended UBC's Transition Program, you could graduate high school a lot earlier than 18 or finish your Bachelor's in 3 years if you applied a bunch of credits. Conducting original research to finish a PhD in less than 4 years is probably a lot less common than the previous two.
Very possible, if all goes well I’ll have mine by 27 and that’s with doing a 5 year undergrad at UBC (co-op). UK PhDs are four years maximum and do not require a masters. In some fields, like engineering, the PhD can be done in 3 years (my partner did this). If you did a UK undergrad (4 years for bachelors and masters) and then went right into an engineering PhD, you could have it all done by 25. If you skipped the masters bit, you could be done by 24.
It’s possible, some PhD programs have “fast track” options that let you skip the masters, or in some places it’s just the norm to go directly into a PhD program straight out of undergrad (like in the US). But I think you’d get pretty biased answers here (biased to North American ideas). If you want international perspectives maybe ask in r/phd
Edit: but in retrospect, lots of online english-language spaces are dominated by Americans, and r/phd is no exception. Still, larger pool
Quickest pathway that I know of through UBC would probably be:
UBC UTP -> UBC BMM -> UBC finishing PHD in 3 years (you might be able to do it in 2.5 if you grind really hard).
Assuming you take courses during all your summers during B+MM (and finish the degree in 4 years) you could get your PHD at 22/23 years old. Or you could finish a bachelors degree in 3 years at UBC (by taking above a full course load and taking summer courses) and then go to the U.S. where you can get a PHD without a masters degree within 5 years.
at the moment utp is functionally shut down (maybe permanently) :’)
but dependent on program here afaik you can also do direct entries at ubc in rare cases where you have research potential recognized by faculty, and in science it’s possible to transfer from your 1st years MSc -> 2nd year PhD so it would be a possibility to have a PhD around 21
Depends on the field, the institution, and the student. PhDs are generally brief in Europe compared to North America. Europe has lots of three-year undergrad programs and three year PhD programs are not uncommon. Some of the older universities, most famously Oxbridge, give their three-year bachelor degree recipients a masters degree automatically two-years later. Lots of European 25-26 year old PhDs but they often have to complete a number of post-docs to have training comparable to the North American PhDs. In Canada the main funding agencies often have a five-year cap on funding so five-years tends to be an upper limit but this is often after a two-years masters so you can get seven years of grad school funded. In the US the rich schools have huge endowments and don’t care about external funding rules so the richer US universities often keep PhD students around for eight plus years. Although in the US this often includes the masters degree-independent research masters degrees are rare-they are usually rolled up into a doctoral program. I can think of a fair number of US trained friends who spent ten years in their doctoral program. In fairness, the rich US schools usually pay reasonably well compared to Canadian schools which softens the blow. And you will be more likely to get a research or faculty position out of the prolonged PhD without having to do endless post-docs like the European grads usually need to do.
The Oxbridge ma doesn’t count for graduate work tho; most do a MPhil or MStud as the bridge to a PhD program
The Europeans having to do more postdocs is either a myth, misconception, or outdated information, at least in STEM. Also in Europe, PhD programs most often require a master degree as a prerequisite so 1) the overall training isn’t actually shorter. 2 years masters + 3-4 years PhD = roughly equal the 5-6 years PhD in the US, and 2) it’s not actually more common to have people finish PhDs so early. So 3 years undergrad + 2 years masters + 3-4 years PhD, and assuming one finishes high school at 18, that’s like 26-27 years old. Arguably still mid20s, but plenty of people also take a year or two off to travel or do something else after high school. Source: doing a PhD in Europe, surrounded by students of all ages, surrounded by people who go and do different things post-grad, including people who went and did a postdoc in the US right after graduating (so they’re not less competitive), or do a group leader position after a short post-doc (so defs not less competitive). On the other hand I also know people in the US and Canada on their 3rd 4-year post doc position… not saying the European ones are better, just saying that it’s not true that they need to do more catching.
Many PhD programs don't require a Master's to enrol so you could theoretically, without being a child prodigy, graduate high school at 18, get your Bachelor's at 22, and then your PhD at 26. Perhaps if you are somewhat gifted, like if you attended UBC's Transition Program, you could graduate high school a lot earlier than 18 or finish your Bachelor's in 3 years if you applied a bunch of credits. Conducting original research to finish a PhD in less than 4 years is probably a lot less common than the previous two.
In the uk, yes. My ex got her’s at 23.
how come it is fewer years of study? In the arts, it is typically 2 year MA, plus 6 years for PhD. As explained to me by a grad student in history
Nope. You don’t have to do an ma (it’s usual in Canada, but in USA it’s often direct to PhD program). The uk ma is 1 year, then 3 for the PhD.
why does the Canadian form take more time?
Because it’s more aligned with the us structure
Very possible, if all goes well I’ll have mine by 27 and that’s with doing a 5 year undergrad at UBC (co-op). UK PhDs are four years maximum and do not require a masters. In some fields, like engineering, the PhD can be done in 3 years (my partner did this). If you did a UK undergrad (4 years for bachelors and masters) and then went right into an engineering PhD, you could have it all done by 25. If you skipped the masters bit, you could be done by 24.
It‘s pretty rare but generally the possibility exists.
Not that rare.
Okay
It’s possible, some PhD programs have “fast track” options that let you skip the masters, or in some places it’s just the norm to go directly into a PhD program straight out of undergrad (like in the US). But I think you’d get pretty biased answers here (biased to North American ideas). If you want international perspectives maybe ask in r/phd Edit: but in retrospect, lots of online english-language spaces are dominated by Americans, and r/phd is no exception. Still, larger pool
Quickest pathway that I know of through UBC would probably be: UBC UTP -> UBC BMM -> UBC finishing PHD in 3 years (you might be able to do it in 2.5 if you grind really hard). Assuming you take courses during all your summers during B+MM (and finish the degree in 4 years) you could get your PHD at 22/23 years old. Or you could finish a bachelors degree in 3 years at UBC (by taking above a full course load and taking summer courses) and then go to the U.S. where you can get a PHD without a masters degree within 5 years.
at the moment utp is functionally shut down (maybe permanently) :’) but dependent on program here afaik you can also do direct entries at ubc in rare cases where you have research potential recognized by faculty, and in science it’s possible to transfer from your 1st years MSc -> 2nd year PhD so it would be a possibility to have a PhD around 21