[DendritesAreCool]

Hi,

I started a funded masters in September, but I voluntarily dropped out in January. I was wondering if anyone know if I am eligible to apply for a funded (EPSRC) Phd?

The masters I was doing was funded by the uni. And this PhD I've seen is the perfect one for me, it's basically a continuation of my 3rd Year BEng project.

Cheers

[Craig_D]

Yes, you'd be eligible (basically anyone with a bachelor's or master's is) but whether you'd get the funding is another issue. It's incredibly competitive, so your first degree would have to be a first, but even still it seems unlikely without a master's.

[Khalak]

(Original post by DendritesAreCool)
Hi,

I started a funded masters in September, but I voluntarily dropped out in January. I was wondering if anyone know if I am eligible to apply for a funded (EPSRC) Phd?

The masters I was doing was funded by the uni. And this PhD I've seen is the perfect one for me, it's basically a continuation of my 3rd Year BEng project.

Cheers

Don't you need a masters to be able to do a PHD?

[gutenberg]

Why did you drop out of the Master's? You sound very enthusiastic about the PhD project, but think carefully about it if you didn't enjoy/couldn't hack Master's-level study

[Feefifofum]

It's unlikely without having a masters. You'd also need to give a very good reason why you dropped out of your masters. The masters year is often seen as preparation for further research, including PhD, so if you struggled with the course then universities might look on that unfavourably.

If you dropped out for personal/family/illness reasons then I'm sure that would be taken into consideration, but you would still need to explain why you were applying for a PhD and not another masters course.

[DendritesAreCool]

Do I have to mention I started a masters?

[DendritesAreCool]

I did drop out because of health/personal issues. But do I need to mention I did it at all?

[gutenberg]

(Original post by DendritesAreCool)
Do I have to mention I started a masters?

How would you propose to explain the (presumably) September-January 'gap' while you were pursuing the Master's if you don't mention it?

As Feefifofum said, if it was for personal/health reasons it could be explained, either by you or by your referees as part of their letters of recommendation; even if you don't list the Master's you couldn't guarantee that your referees wouldn't?

[DendritesAreCool]

My referees are from my undergrad uni, I went to a different uni for my masters.

[gutenberg]

Did those referees give you references to start the Master's course though?

[DendritesAreCool]

Yes the referees gave references to quite a few Masters and PhD's I was applying for. I've already sent my application for this new PhD. Should I email the supervisor explaining I started a masters degree?

Thanks for the replies so far,

[.Heather.]

OP, there is no need to mention the masters if you don't want to. From what I remember, you don't have to provide a full cv for the application process anyway. I think you should apply and hope for the best - a lot of it depends on how good the competition is and what they're looking for. Enthusiasm is important.
To get mine I was told I needed a first and a masters but that was because the project didn't come with funding and so the department had to apply for that separately, which increased the competition. There are several people I know who got PhDs with a 2:1 honours. My advice is to try, and if you don't get you can apply for another masters and try again for something similar next year.

[Craig_D]

(Original post by Khalak)
Don't you need a masters to be able to do a PHD?

You don't technically have to, in fact traditionally (in the sciences especially) you'd go straight from BA/BSc to PhD. However as more and more people are getting bachelor's degrees, and funded places are getting more and more competitive, it's near impossible these days to get a funded place without a master's.

Getting merely a place on a PhD course is easy, getting a funded place is very difficult. If you have your own source of funding, like if your parents are millionaires, you can still progress straight from bachelor's to PhD (even with a 2.1).

[evantej]

(Original post by DendritesAreCool)
I did drop out because of health/personal issues. But do I need to mention I did it at all?

An interview is very likely for doctoral funding. Your gap will be mentioned and if you explain why dropped out my thought - if I was interviewing you - would be was dropping out necessary and if we give him funding and he is put under pressure will he drop out again?

A lot will ride upon why you dropped out, and how you explain it.

[Feefifofum]

(Original post by DendritesAreCool)
I did drop out because of health/personal issues. But do I need to mention I did it at all?

Yes, you do. Technically there's no need for you to do so, but you will need to explain how you spent that time. Applying for a funded PhD is in many ways like applying for a job - and if you lie (which omitting the masters amounts to) then you will put your funding in danger. You need to give your potential future supervisors all the information they need to make their decisions, and that includes you starting and dropping out of a masters.

(Original post by DendritesAreCool)
My referees are from my undergrad uni, I went to a different uni for my masters.

This could also be problematic. You would need to ask your referees from your undergrad degree to lie, and omit the fact that you started but then dropped out of a masters course.


Why are you set out skipping out the masters level by the way? If you dropped out for personal reasons, why not find another masters programme that suits you, and then use that as a basis for your future PhD application?

EDIT to include:

(Original post by evantej)
An interview is very likely for doctoral funding. Your gap will be mentioned and if you explain why dropped out my thought - if I was interviewing you - would be was dropping out necessary and if we give him funding and he is put under pressure will he drop out again?

A lot will ride upon why you dropped out, and how you explain it.

This. Just like any job, if there are unexplained gaps on your CV, you will be asked about them, and unless you have a reasonable explanation for them, they will put you at a disadvantage.

[Feefifofum]

(Original post by Craig_D)
You don't technically have to, in fact traditionally (in the sciences especially) you'd go straight from BA/BSc to PhD.

I'm assuming that the OP is in the sciences, since the research council he mentioned is the EPSRC - Engineering and Physical Sciences.

[DendritesAreCool]

(Original post by Feefifofum)
Yes, you do. Technically there's no need for you to do so, but you will need to explain how you spent that time. Applying for a funded PhD is in many ways like applying for a job - and if you lie (which omitting the masters amounts to) then you will put your funding in danger. You need to give your potential future supervisors all the information they need to make their decisions, and that includes you starting and dropping out of a masters.


This could also be problematic. You would need to ask your referees from your undergrad degree to lie, and omit the fact that you started but then dropped out of a masters course.


Why are you set out skipping out the masters level by the way? If you dropped out for personal reasons, why not find another masters programme that suits you, and then use that as a basis for your future PhD application?

EDIT to include:



This. Just like any job, if there are unexplained gaps on your CV, you will be asked about them, and unless you have a reasonable explanation for them, they will put you at a disadvantage.

Because I can't afford to pay for a masters degree now. I come from a poor family, and there is no chance I could get help financially from my family, they can barely pay the bills.

And a career development loan isn't suitable because it requires you to be looking for employment once you've finished the course, which I wouldn't be doing.

[gutenberg]

(Original post by DendritesAreCool)
And a career development loan isn't suitable because it requires you to be looking for employment once you've finished the course, which I wouldn't be doing.

If you were planning to continue to a PhD after the Master's, you could pay the CDL out of your research stipend? I believe one poster on this forum (possibly Craghyrax?) does that.

[Craig_D]

(Original post by Feefifofum)
I'm assuming that the OP is in the sciences, since the research council he mentioned is the EPSRC - Engineering and Physical Sciences.

I get the feeling that you are a sciences PhD candidate? If so then you know better than me. Either way, I have a friend who has just become a PhD candidate at Edinburgh and he's only 21, but I expect that even in the sciences it is more usual to have an MSc first.

[Feefifofum]

(Original post by DendritesAreCool)
Because I can't afford to pay for a masters degree now. I come from a poor family, and there is no chance I could get help financially from my family, they can barely pay the bills.

And a career development loan isn't suitable because it requires you to be looking for employment once you've finished the course, which I wouldn't be doing.

There are plenty of funded masters courses around. You might have to wait a few more years until your career got off the ground, but it would mean you were adequately prepared for doctoral research. What subject are you trying to get into, and what is your undergrad degree (BA/BSc/MA/MSc), and what was the result (1st, 2:1, 2:2, 3rd)?

(Original post by Craig_D)
I get the feeling that you are a sciences PhD candidate? If so then you know better than me. Either way, I have a friend who has just become a PhD candidate at Edinburgh and he's only 21, but I expect that even in the sciences it is more usual to have an MSc first.

Nope actually, I'm a humanities PhD student, but my ex was a chemistry PhD student funded by the EPSRC so I know a fair amount about the procedure Many science PhD programs don't require a masters course at all, but it depends to some extent on the experience you get in your undergrad degree. For example, if you have an undergrad masters (4 year MSc etc) then it's common to go straight to PhD without doing a postgrad masters in between. Alternatively, many PhD programs have a 1 + 3 system, where you have a rotation/foundation year gaining the relevant experience and knowledge for your field, then 3 years of doctoral research.