i got a 3rd and have funding (although i was awarded the funding halfway through the course), but another girl on the same coures with a 2ii has had funding since the start of it

just got an answer on this, and the decision is yes!!

i asked them today and they are happy to give it providing it is allowed by the rules and they awaiting clarification on the situation, in fact i got the impression the guy had already considered the situation, the big question is , do the rules allow them to do it ? if the answer is yes then me and the other person will be getting the funding.

golfpro, as for whats in it for them, is it true that they get their funding reduced in subsequent years, if the money is not all spent? so maybe that could be a motivation for them to do it.

i asked my course tutor the same question the other day, the answer was,

for the world of work, it doesnt really matter

for academia, its important as it increases your chances of find a place for further study.

and in my case, as i have a 3rd for my degree, if i want to do a phd, then a distinction is a must, without it then i might aswell forget it.

my and a friend are currently doing a masters but we were told we were ineligble for funding as we had thirds, however a girl on our course has a 2:2 and has been given full funding, also the funded places on course were undersubscribed, out 8 places, only 6 were taken up and 2 of those have now dropped out, thus the department has excess money floating about.

i always thought you needed a 2:1 or above to gain funding, however i have checked and it is true that with a 2:2 you are eligble for funding in a masters, in the same paragraph where this is stated, its says your university can exercise discretion over this, which i basically read as if they want to give it to someone with a 3rd they can.

i guess if the university is going to use discretion, they will need a reason to consider us, so i guess the fact that me and my friend have gained the top 2 marks in the midyear exams (90%+) could be a valid reason for them to award it to us.

is funding possible after we have started the course ?

having a third is no barrier to getting onto a masters, especially if there has been a gap between finishing your degree and applying.

i have a third and have over the years have applied for 3 masters and been accepted for them all, however i only took up the one im currently doing.

even if the stated entry qualifications for a course rule you out, dont let that put you off, as the requirements for my course was a minimun 2:2 yet i still managed to get in and i do know i am not unique in this respect.

the best advice i can give if your going to do this, is to try and speak to the course/admissions tutor before applying, i done this and i beleive it made the difference.

im going to salford next year to do a msc and managed to get a place in halls no problem, i didnt like the postgrad only halls they had and applied for an undergrad hall and was accepted. from talking to people, ive heard that if your going to go for private halls then its best to keep away from tramways.

dan its in operational research and applied statistics

dan theres only one place that specialises in the subject i want to do (the uni i'm doing the masters at)and hope to study there,if not then i'm not interested in anywhere else, i dont intend to be a Phd for the sake of it merchant.

another question for you dan, if you dont mind me bothering you again. after having a good read on the masters forum, it seems that funded places are quite hard to get for masters, obviously for my situation i'm not expecting nor have i applied for funding, but for the course i'm am doing it seems that if you have the 1st or 2:1 then getting funding for my course is pretty easy, does that mean my course/subject is not very competitive ?

cheers dan, quick and helpful response as usual.

have just managed to speak to the course manager (after trying for 3 days, which is i why i ended up here!), he says a good masters perfomance would put me in a position where what i want to do would be possibility.

i guess the key thing would be that i'm wanting to do a Phd at the same institution, so they will know me and know if i merit a place and funding when the appropiate time comes.

sorry to repeat a question that i know has been asked on here before, however the advice here seems to conflict with what is on the EPRSC site.

basically the "can you get a funded Phd with a 3rd."

from here the answer seems to range from impossible to possible except the odds are like winning the lottery.

however the EPRSC sites, says to be eligble you need a first or a 2:1, however you move up one grade if you have a masters and another for each 2.5 years worth of work experience.

i'm obviously asking this question as it pertains to me, my situation is that i have a 3rd, but am doing a masters this coming academic year, so that will push me theoretically upto a 2:2, i have 10 years experience in the field i want to do, so thats up another grade at least, so that puts me on a 2:1.

so would i be eligble for funding ?

cheers for advice dan

dan, salford do phds in gambling & stats, which is where i'm doing my masters

hi dan, i'm doing the taught masters in sept and am looking at what my future options are after the course.

the area of interest would be in the area of statistics applied to gambling (is a big growth area in this country at the moment), i have 10 years experience in the industry aswell if that helps.

yes i know a bit to optimistic! anyway i applied to do a research degree at masters level with a view to it being extended at the end.

i sent in a proposal to the university and as i suspected my 3rd was a problem, however i think i must have sufficently impressed them as they gave me an unconditonal offer to their taught masters programme without an interview.

now my question is, if i do this taught masters, will i be in a position to apply for a research degree at either masters or phd level at the end of the course?

the course i'm going to be doing is operational research and applied statistics at salford.

thanks in advance