Do you need a Master's degree to get into a biology/biochemistry PhD programme?

Hello! I'm starting Year 13 soon and really want to do research in biochemistry in the future, which I know requires a PhD. I want to apply to Imperial's biochemistry course but there's no option to do an integrated Master's which is putting me off. I've been told that it's best to do an integrated Master's instead of a Bachelor's and then a Master's separately if you want to go into research as it's a lot cheaper, takes less time and you don't have to reapply. However, I've also heard that biology-related PhD programmes often don't ask for a Master's, just a Bachelor's (at Cambridge for example). If that's true, I'll happily apply to 3-year Bachelor's courses like at Imperial, but if it's not I'll apply to only Integrated courses. Does anyone who's working on/ has done a PhD in biochemistry (or any biology field) have any advice? Thank you!

Hi vera8,

Great question! I haven't done a PhD myself, but I did do a Bachelor's in biology and am currently doing a Master's (not integrated). I know many people who did the MSci here at Exeter but not sure if any of them went onto do PhDs. However, I had a flatmate who was PhD student who also studied biology and she got accepted onto her PhD programme (in the ecotoxicology/data analysis side of biology) without a Master's. Likewise, I'm doing an internship with a PhD student who has a Bachelor's and Master's in biology-related fields (not integrated). It probably varies from place to place and how competitive the PhD programme is, but having a Master's might not always be essential (but it might help). I've done some quick research and the consensus is you don't necessarily need a Master's to do a PhD but it can make you more competitive.

I understand your reasoning - getting it all done as an MSci is more time and money efficient, but if you love the course at Imperial it might be perfect for you. Sorry I don't have a definitive answer for you but my best advice would be to do what makes you happy and excited in the near future, and who knows where that will take you!

I hope this helps, and good luck!

Bethan
University of Exeter Student Ambassador

Hello! I'm starting Year 13 soon and really want to do research in biochemistry in the future, which I know requires a PhD. I want to apply to Imperial's biochemistry course but there's no option to do an integrated Master's which is putting me off. I've been told that it's best to do an integrated Master's instead of a Bachelor's and then a Master's separately if you want to go into research as it's a lot cheaper, takes less time and you don't have to reapply. However, I've also heard that biology-related PhD programmes often don't ask for a Master's, just a Bachelor's (at Cambridge for example). If that's true, I'll happily apply to 3-year Bachelor's courses like at Imperial, but if it's not I'll apply to only Integrated courses. Does anyone who's working on/ has done a PhD in biochemistry (or any biology field) have any advice? Thank you!

I don't think that\s a fair and balanced reasoning re integrated Masters. It's not necessarily cheaper, it's just financially more straightforward as the integrated Masters comes with SFE funding and the separate Masters requires another form of funding to be found. However, if you do a standalone Masters, you can specialise and take an academic step towards your research specialisation. You can also change university if you want. An integrated Masters takes a year, the same as nearly all standalone Masters, so the time is the same.

Some PhD programmes will take you without a masters degree, but until you are in your 3rd year of undergrad, you aren't in a position to work out if that route is possible anyway.