I would poll others oppinions, however unless you have a good reason for your failure I think failure to pass a MSc dissertation will adversely affect your PHd applications.

A PHd is much more work and with less support than a dissertation. You should consider resubmitting because unless you can do this a PHd may not be the right option for you.

Mamara,

Sorry to hear you are having this dropped on you when you felt you were so far into the process. As others have said it sounds like something that should have been raised by supervisors much earlier.

You ask what you should do regarding the two issues - firstly the implied weakness in your stats; it may be that depending upon what you are looking at that your existing data can be analysed differently. Take up the suggestion of explaining what you have and are trying to do with a statistician. Some additional number crunching may well provide greater robustness to your results.

The other point regarding needing more data or data from a different angle (focus groups) will surely depend upon what your null hypothesis is, how large your sample and how generalisable your data is. You must sit down with your supervisory team and have a serious talk. It may be worth mentioning the concerns to the statistician who may be able to make comments about the robustness of any answers you are getting from the existing data.

I'm looking at modifiable factors affecting response to treatment for patients with back pain.

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Hi LBaines,
I followed the route you are describing doing a PT MSc before starting my PT PHd. I have a full time job but can do a bit whilst at work. As with everyone else's advice I find that pacing myself is the key. As long as I can do 20 - 25 hrs of moderate intensity work on it a weekI think I am staying on top of things. However being PT and distance learning is lonely (so this forum is great) and it can be difficult to judge how good the progression is. As a guide I am doing about a third more work per week for the PHd than I was for the MSc and working in a more focused way per hour.
Key for me has been a 100% supportive family - if I was not married I would propose to my wife again :) They are missing out on lots of stuff like time with me and holidays ( I am self funding).

Stephanie, I think this must vary from field to field, but if your studies are linked it is hard to see how submitting all for ethics can be best practice given that results from one may influence the design of others.
I am doing a pilot and main study involving questionnaire sampling of patients at presentation and one month later. If the main study confirms the results of the pilot a follow up qualitative study involving structured interview is planned. The main study will take 12 months to recruit the required population sample so doing lots of these is not credible in the time frame...
It is interesting how so many of us here have quite fundamental questions about the proceses we are engaging in - or should that be frightening?

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Hi all,
I have been a lurking reader on the forum for a bit but this is my first post.
I am coming to the end of my first year as at PT PHd student but am concerned that I may not be achieving / moving along fast enough. I am working fairly full time (48 hrs pw) and fitting in my studies around this - although I do get an hour or two in at work during breaks etc. My concern is that working away from my Uni and other students I don't know if I am 'on - track'. What should I have achieved by now?

Also wanted to make a post to say hello cos its a little lonely working alone (sniff sniff).

My questions are well fleshed out and I published a preliminary study in the area before starting the PHd (which I just found out I can use in the Thesis - :-) ). I hope to start data collection early in the new year for one of the two studies I am running. So I think all is well however other than the publication, the PHd application and an ethics application my supervisor has not seen anything from me.