Why does medical school/law school cost so much while PhD programs usually grant stipends?
With many PhD programs, the student is both learning the science and producing research. Professors are often paid both with salaries and with money from their outside funding (like from the NIH). To keep outside funding, professors have to produce research, and they can only do this if they have…
The Short Answer
With many PhD programs, the student is both learning the science and producing research. Professors are often paid both with salaries and with money from their outside funding (like from the NIH). To keep outside funding, professors have to produce research, and they can only do this if they have students or if they pay someone to do it. Student are also gaining an education while they are producing research, so it makes sense for them to accept less money than what someone of their education would normally make (stipend). And it also makes sense for professors to pay people very little money for research, and they just have to put in a little effort in educating the students. edit: TL;DR: Professors need labor to keep their jobs and their funding. The cheapest labor is grad students who will work for less because they are getting a degree out of it.
Analysis
Key Concepts: Research, professors, money
This explanation focuses on research, professors, money and spans 152 words across 7 sentences. At 111% above the average Society explanation (72 words), this is one of the more thorough answers in this category, reflecting the complexity of the underlying question.
What This Answer Covers
The explanation opens with: “With many PhD programs, the student is both learning the science and producing research.” It then elaborates by explaining the root cause, ultimately building toward a complete picture across 7 connected points.
How This Compares in Society
Ranked #35 of 500 Society questions by answer depth (top 8%). This places it in the comprehensive tier — the top quarter of most thoroughly answered questions. Questions at this depth typically involve multi-faceted topics requiring nuanced explanation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a simple explanation for why medical school/law school cost so much while phd programs usually grant stipends?
With many PhD programs, the student is both learning the science and producing research. Professors are often paid both with salaries and with money from their outside funding (like from the NIH). To keep outside funding, professors have to produce…
How detailed is this explanation compared to similar Society questions?
This is one of the most thorough answer at 152 words, ranked #35 of 500 Society questions by depth. The key concepts covered are research, professors, money.
What approach does this answer take to explain medical school/law school cost so much while phd programs us?
The explanation uses root cause analysis and scientific references across 152 words. It is categorized under Society and addresses the question through 2 analytical lenses.