PHD Comics (Piled Higher and Deeper)
Business Profile
Core Value Proposition
PHD Comics (Piled Higher and Deeper) provides humorous, relatable insights into life in academia and engages audiences through comics, books, film, podcasts, and campus events.
Target Customer
Graduate students, university campuses (students, faculty, and administrators), and general readers interested in academic life.
Key Differentiator
Long-running, widely distributed academic humor series with multi-format offerings (web comics, published books, a live-action film, lectures, podcasts) and an active campus outreach program that books events at universities worldwide.
Implementation Timeline
Not explicitly specified for individual events; the site notes ongoing campus tours since 2005 and that events are bookable via campus contact, with licensing available for screenings of The PHD Movie.
Pain Points
- 1Stress, overwhelm, and anxiety common in graduate life (noted in the lecture description: 95% of graduate students feel overwhelmed; 67% have felt seriously depressed).
- 2Procrastination and the associated guilt and burnout common in academia.
Key Features
- 1Web comic series about life in academia
- 2Published book collections
- 3Live-action film The PHD Movie and sequel
- 4Campus events and lectures (PHD Events) with campus outreach
- 5PHD TV and a new podcast
- 6Public performance licenses for screenings of The PHD Movie
- 7Online store and merchandise
Target Customer Industries
Decision Makers
- 1Dean of Graduate Students
- 2Chair, Graduate Life Center's Speaker Series
- 3Graduate Student Career Development
- 4Director, Graduate Student Life & Career Development
- 5Graduate Student Association
- 6Senior Associate Director, Counseling Services & Campus Relations, UCLA Career Center
- 7Director, Graduate Career Services
- 8Director, Graduate Career Services Yale University
Client Results
- 1Large campus turnout for events (example: 1,535 students attended a screening at the University of Illinois).
- 2Positive feedback from universities and students describing talks as humorous, helpful, and resonant with graduate experiences.
- 3The PHD Movie has achieved broad campus use and earned favorable reviews from major outlets.
Competitive Advantages
- 1Proven campus engagement with tours at hundreds of universities since 2005
- 2Multiple formats to reach diverse audiences (comics, books, film, lectures, podcasts)
- 3Public performance licensing enables on-campus screenings of The PHD Movie
- 4Strong institutional validation through testimonials from deans, directors, and universities
Key Benefits
Case Studies & Success Stories
MIT — Dean of Graduate Students testimonial
Describes Jorge Cham's talk as humorous and helpful, noting its usefulness for graduate students dealing with stress.
University of Illinois — Large screening turnout
Tim from the University of Illinois reports 1,535 students attended a screening, describing the event as a great success.
Cornell University — Campus engagement
Accounts of packed rooms and enthusiastic student feedback during campus talks, highlighting high turnout and engagement.
Yale University — Organizers' feedback
Mary Johnson (Director, Graduate Career Services, Yale University) and others praise the program and its reception by students.
Additional Product Information
Product Description
A comic strip about life in academia created by Jorge Cham; expanded into books, a live-action film, campus lectures, a podcast, and an online store.
Target Market
Graduate students, universities, faculty, and general readers interested in academic life.
Unique Value Proposition
Humor grounded in real graduate-school experiences, delivered across comics, books, film, and live campus events with broad engagement and licensable formats.
Technical Requirements
Booking via campus outreach; the write-us form requires typing the word ramen to prevent spam; licensing information available for The PHD Movie screenings.
Pricing Model
Books sold through the website and retailers; licensing for public performances of The PHD Movie; campus events coordinated through the outreach network.
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