How likely is it to be accepted on for a PhD program without a master's in 2023?

I am a Mathematics & Philosophy undergraduate student considering pursuing an academic career in Philosophy. I've looked at various master's courses and, while many seem interesting, the funding situation is extremely worrisome for me. The terms of postgraduate loans are very unfavourable, and many universities have this rather dishonest policy of not announcing the result of a scholarship application until after the deadline for accepting the University's offer of study has passed. As a result I am not sure whether this is the right path for me.

I was thinking whether it would be feasible to proceed straight onto a PhD program without obtaining a master's. The application page for a Philosophy PhD at Cambridge, for example, states that applicants "should" have a master's, but in the instructions for application, states that if one does not possess a master's degree then one can explain why the application should be considered anyway.

I wonder if attempting such an application is worth it, or whether it's extremely unlikely I'll be accepted.

Reply 1

oswalds

14

Unfortunately in humanities subjects it is very difficult to get onto a PhD without a Masters, especially when applying for PhD funding which is very competitive and unfortunately decreasing (I'm not in Philosophy, but am a PhD student in another humanities subject). Often when the entry requirements are ambiguous regarding whether you actually need a Masters degree, they mean that people with extensive work experience in that area may be able to progress straight onto a PhD.

If your proposed project falls within it's remit, the ESRC doctoral scholarships can include a Masters degree in their 1+3 award, so you'd get funding for a year long masters degree and three years for the PhD. The AHRC unfortunately don't offer Masters funding, as far as I'm aware, so this would depend on which funding body your project falls within the remit of. You may find that some university department have scholarships of their own for Masters degrees, and even if they are announced after the deadline for accepting your place, I'd still recommend going for them. Even if you accept a place on a Masters course, you are still able to either withdraw it or defer for the next year (at most universities, I've heard some don't allow deferrals). They can't force you to actually go forward with the Masters.

You may also want to consider a MRes/Masters by Research - these are, at my institution anyway, about half of the price of a taught Masters degree. You can also normally do any taught or research Masters part-time to spread the costs and allow you to work alongside it. Still expensive of course, but this may be an option. Also keep in mind that some universities charge higher tuition fees for their Masters degrees (I believe Oxford and Cambridge do), so if you're not set on going to a certain university for your Masters you may be able to find more affordable options.

Original post by lovelyjubbly01

I am a Mathematics & Philosophy undergraduate student considering pursuing an academic career in Philosophy. I've looked at various master's courses and, while many seem interesting, the funding situation is extremely worrisome for me. The terms of postgraduate loans are very unfavourable, and many universities have this rather dishonest policy of not announcing the result of a scholarship application until after the deadline for accepting the University's offer of study has passed. As a result I am not sure whether this is the right path for me.

I was thinking whether it would be feasible to proceed straight onto a PhD program without obtaining a master's. The application page for a Philosophy PhD at Cambridge, for example, states that applicants "should" have a master's, but in the instructions for application, states that if one does not possess a master's degree then one can explain why the application should be considered anyway.

I wonder if attempting such an application is worth it, or whether it's extremely unlikely I'll be accepted.

There's nothing 'dishonest' about announcing the results of scholarship applications before any deadline for accepting an offer - accepting an offer is a trivia step and can be reversed by a simple email.

I very much doubt you would get into a Cam PhD in the Philosophy Dept without a masters. The 'explain why' caveat is to give an allowance for those who have an extensive career in the area, who have already published etc.

Original post by lovelyjubbly01

I am a Mathematics & Philosophy undergraduate student considering pursuing an academic career in Philosophy. I've looked at various master's courses and, while many seem interesting, the funding situation is extremely worrisome for me. The terms of postgraduate loans are very unfavourable, and many universities have this rather dishonest policy of not announcing the result of a scholarship application until after the deadline for accepting the University's offer of study has passed. As a result I am not sure whether this is the right path for me.

I was thinking whether it would be feasible to proceed straight onto a PhD program without obtaining a master's. The application page for a Philosophy PhD at Cambridge, for example, states that applicants "should" have a master's, but in the instructions for application, states that if one does not possess a master's degree then one can explain why the application should be considered anyway.

I wonder if attempting such an application is worth it, or whether it's extremely unlikely I'll be accepted.

Hi,

I have a friend who applied for a PhD in psychology at Cambridge without a master's and that was the reason they gave for rejecting her application as she lacked research experience. Maybe they would be more lenient if you had other relevant career/research experience as that can often really benefit a PhD application. I think it could still be worth applying as the worst that can happen is they say no!

Best of luck with everything!
Natalie
University of Kent (2nd Year PhD Psychology Student)

Reply 4

gjd800

20

It's more than unlikely, I'm afraid. Especially at Cantab. (I am a phil PhD holder)

Reply 5

lovelyjubbly01

OP

2

Original post by threeportdrift

There's nothing 'dishonest' about announcing the results of scholarship applications before any deadline for accepting an offer - accepting an offer is a trivia step and can be reversed by a simple email.

I very much doubt you would get into a Cam PhD in the Philosophy Dept without a masters. The 'explain why' caveat is to give an allowance for those who have an extensive career in the area, who have already published etc.

What if you have two offers and you wish to accept the one for which you can obtain funding? Would it be a simple guess or could you accept both and then reverse your decision for one of them later on? If you can't do the latter it is still dishonest.

Reply 6

lovelyjubbly01

OP

2

Original post by oswalds

Unfortunately in humanities subjects it is very difficult to get onto a PhD without a Masters, especially when applying for PhD funding which is very competitive and unfortunately decreasing (I'm not in Philosophy, but am a PhD student in another humanities subject). Often when the entry requirements are ambiguous regarding whether you actually need a Masters degree, they mean that people with extensive work experience in that area may be able to progress straight onto a PhD.

If your proposed project falls within it's remit, the ESRC doctoral scholarships can include a Masters degree in their 1+3 award, so you'd get funding for a year long masters degree and three years for the PhD. The AHRC unfortunately don't offer Masters funding, as far as I'm aware, so this would depend on which funding body your project falls within the remit of. You may find that some university department have scholarships of their own for Masters degrees, and even if they are announced after the deadline for accepting your place, I'd still recommend going for them. Even if you accept a place on a Masters course, you are still able to either withdraw it or defer for the next year (at most universities, I've heard some don't allow deferrals). They can't force you to actually go forward with the Masters.

You may also want to consider a MRes/Masters by Research - these are, at my institution anyway, about half of the price of a taught Masters degree. You can also normally do any taught or research Masters part-time to spread the costs and allow you to work alongside it. Still expensive of course, but this may be an option. Also keep in mind that some universities charge higher tuition fees for their Masters degrees (I believe Oxford and Cambridge do), so if you're not set on going to a certain university for your Masters you may be able to find more affordable options.

Thank you very much for the detailed reply.

Original post by lovelyjubbly01

What if you have two offers and you wish to accept the one for which you can obtain funding? Would it be a simple guess or could you accept both and then reverse your decision for one of them later on? If you can't do the latter it is still dishonest.