As has been said Masters course grades are either Fail, Pass or Distinction (some courses do have an intermediate Merit grade). We would imagine that a four year MSc would be treated the same as a BSc + MSc.

A PhD in neuroscience will stand you in very good stead for a career in the pharmaceutical industry.

A PhD is a training for a career in research. Once you have this training you should be able to find a research job, to allow you to complete any further research aims. Another PhD would seem pointless.

This is a very difficult question. There are certain masters courses which are gateways to particular careers or specializations. If the course you are choosing is not one of these then make sure it is one that combines well with your degree (i.e. is sufficiently different that it adds another string to your bow).

Very few people in any profession rely on knowing people to give a reference, they look up what information they have on you on file and regurgitate it. Your final year project supervisor and your tutor (if you have one) will be the people to ask. Obviously the project supervisor is the important one. If you're applying before you've started your final year project, don't worry - it's not your fault and no one can hold this against you. Your course coordinator will be used to churning out references for his/her students all the time and so long as you turn up to the odd lecture, pass your exams and don't smell you'll get a passable reference.

What is your PhD in?

It's certainly worth applying. You probably stand less chance than somebody with a first from Oxford or Cambridge, but so do most people.

Good luck

As far as we know if you leave after your first 12 months your supervisor will not be able to extend the grant to accomodate another student. They would have to submit a new proposal for funding. We will do our best to check this out further for you.

Anatomy would be fine. You should pursue the subject you are most interested in. Lab skills are very important to most science PhDs. A PhD is a 'Research Degree' and most scientific research takes place in a lab.

Maybe not, but you'll need references to get appointed. Lying is not generally a good idea. Academia is a very small world; the chances are quite high that you would be found out at some point, which could leave you in deep trouble. In theory if you deliberately lie or mislead people on your application or at interview then the grant awarding body could ask for their cash back.

We've no heard of people switching to an MSc, but switching to an MPhil is possible with the support of your supervisor and grant awarding body.

They would need to complete and pass whatever examination is required for the Masters degree, this would usually include a thesis or dissertation and viva. Ordinarily if the student decides not to transfer to the PhD (or the department decides they're not good enough), then they would be entered for the Masters qualification.

All PhDs are based on research. A PhD is a training in how to be a researcher. If you don't want to do any research there is no point in doing a PhD. If you want to further your education there are a wide variety of Masters degrees available.

It could make things quite difficult, particularly if you're after funding from the same source. It will depend on the initial terms of your grant and on the circumstances of you leaving. Certainly a few people do have more than one go at starting a PhD.

You should not begin a PhD in the belief that if you don't like it you can always give up and start another one. The chances are you'll find it difficult to find a supervisor who wants to take somebody on who has already started and stopped a PhD.

Any of these subjects will be fine. Biochemistry and genetics probably cover the broadest areas of research. Competition for PhDs in zoology is usually very high.