Hi Jamie, I am fairly confident that receiving a pass with major corrections is a pretty common outcome for many PhD candidates. I'm basing this on my own supervisors' comments and on the examination advice pages provided by universities on their websites for PhD candidates (I researched these pages fairly extensively while waiting for my own results). I just don't think people advertise it widely when they receive it and they don't need to...it is a pass and they have to do some corrections-afterwards the thesis is usually better for it.

I am also fairly confident that many supervisors and academics, who go on to do some great research, also received these results-set to and corrected their thesis (swearing under their breath while doing so) and then went on to be the excellent teachers and researchers that they now are. The process is so subjective. I think most examiners do have a sound understanding of what constitutes a passing thesis (with or without corrections) compared to one that won't pass, but beyond this....it can be so very subjective. How else can you explain getting one external who thinks a thesis is a pass and needs no corrections to another who thinks it is a pass with substantive corrections. (And both examiners very experienced, with the first a real leader in their field).

Do you have to submit back to externals or are these corrections going to an internal chair? Is this part of the process causing you some stress.

It is a shame your supervisor is so busy and can't get back within a week, but 3 weeks, while frustrating and a bit longer than you would hope, is not completely unreasonable. It sounds like you are very much on track and your supervisor thinks so as well. Most of us have to work and complete corrections at the same time and this is difficult and stressful but it will pass. It sounds like you are almost there though, so hang in there, it will all be over soon. Best wishes P.

Hi there, I might be totally wrong about the English system (I am in Australia), but I don't think you would be eligible to get funding to complete an unfinished but almost complete Masters that you dropped out of voluntarily.

I would think there may be a remote chance you could use your completed work to give you either prior credit for a new Masters, or perhaps you could make an appeal to be reinstated in the old Masters so you could complete it and gain a qualification, but I would think if you were granted this, it would be on the understanding that it is self funded.

Other contributors or forumites might know more and many will be from the UK-so I am happy to be proven wrong-best wishes and good luck with it all.

Congratulations Trilla, sounds like a fantastic viva, well done and happy celebrations.

What I meant by the main item versus something interesting...eg:

I had 3 data sets, with one fairly ordinary data that provided some basic findings with a small sample (quantitatively speaking). The second data set had some really interesting data but was really an embedded study within my overall case. It presented a fuller look at an aspect of the issue, basically coming at the issue from a different angle. I developed this study when I thought I might fail due to lack of uptake from participants. I had to redevelop my original questions half way through the study to accommodate this data set and rework the thesis to some extent.

The 3rd data set really focused on the main question of the overall study and the main thesis. So I wanted to present at a conference which was a really good overseas conference that included both professional and academic presenters. I chose not to present my main topic and the data from the third set at this conference, as I wanted to save it for a really solid journal article (which I plan to complete shortly-once the corrections process is complete and I am no longer in corrections process limbo). So for the conference I used a really interesting finding from the second data set and just presented on that. I spoke very briefly about the overall context but most of the presentation was about this second data set and the interesting finding (which plays a minor part in the overall thesis).

So what I meant was... if you have three separate studies, perhaps look at an interesting finding emerging from one of your sets and expand on that for the lab presentation and save your major finding for journal articles and big conferences perhaps. I took this approach because my supervisor was adamant that I could not present at a conference and then publish a journal article on the same material unless it was substantially changed or only published as conference procedings. Didn't want to use up my best data on this presentation but still wanted to present something that was interesting.

Hi Tudor, when you say 'lab', what is it that you are referring to? Pardon my ignorance here I've used social science methods but my faculty/school was Education. I'm envisioning a science lab with physical experiments and I understand you are from social sciences. So is lab still referring to the same thing? Is it a faculty group type presentation, (i.e. presenting before members of a neighbouring faculty or institution) or is it a bit like a conference. My options would be to present something interesting but perhaps not the main items if it were a faculty group type presentation. If it were a conference, I would probably present the major items. Good luck with it all.

Hi Anil, I am afraid this is the part where your friend and/or you have to do some homework and find out from your friend's institution exactly what the requirements are.

These conditions vary depending on your institution and the degree and I think it would be hard for people to provide you with accurate answers unless they attended the same course and university as your friend.

I don't think that 20% of a PhD is equivalent to a Masters. A Masters would need to be around or over 50% I would think but I am not sure, so it is still worth checking.

I know it is hard and you and your friend may be very anxious about his options. However, you need to make inquiries from the administrative department of your institution or read the guidelines for this degree. These are usually available on the website. If they are difficult to access or understand, usually there will be an administrative advisor who will help guide you through the process.

Hi, I agree with other posters-get further clarification from the administrative staff regarding your institution's usual practice. However, for my part, what I understood from the quote you provided-is

If you choose to terminate, then you need to give them either one month's notice in writing-and if you don't, they will request that you return 1 month's stipend back, (or a sum for the amount they would give you in your stipend per month).

My interpretation of point 1 is that if the degree is terminated by them for some reason then they will only provide you with the balance of the stipend for that month (depending on what was left of the month-when the degree was terminated). So if for some reason you were excluded from the degree half way through May, you would receive the balance of the stipend for the month of May before you were cut off completely from stipend.

In point 2, where it refers to 'if the degree is terminated for any reason whatsoever' is where it seems a bit vague to me as well. Does this refer to you being terminated (from the degree)-or does also include if you have chosen to terminate (or quit the degree) yourself?

I personally think it might be if you are terminated or excluded rather than if you are choosing to leave, but it would be good to get this clarified by the administrative staff.

I think Chickpea and Starryeyed suggestions regarding medical support for termination might be helpful. Not sure about rules in the UK but in Australia, you probably would not have to see a psychiatrist-a GP and/or a psychologist's endorsement would probably be enough to provide substantive evidence supporting your decision if you needed to go down this pathway.

You usually don't have to repay stipends here either if you quit although you might have to give advance notice regarding scholarship stipends. This is why I am thinking this repayment clause is possibly referring to candidates who are excluded from the degree for serious reasons (plagiarism or fraud perhaps?).

Hi, I've completed bar awaiting approval of corrections and/or notification from the admin that all the processes are complete. I submitted these about 3 weeks ago, and they were submitted to committee chair about 2 weeks ago, after being accepted at the first checking process, so things look okay so far (touch wood).

Am employed as Assistant Principal (Assistant Head in UK) of a secondary College and about to be the Acting Principal (or Head) for a bit. My usual role involves a lot of welfare/wellbeing with students, families and staff, so to keep my professional skills up, I have applied for a Master of Counselling with a top tier university here in Australia and they've indicated that I will be given a fair bit of credit for my professional experience, so will be able to obtain this degree part time in around 2 years given my current qualifications and prior experience. So I will do all of this while still working in my current role working in Education with a specific focus on Wellbeing and Academic Care.

I'll publish from my thesis in professional journals, once I am content that the corrections have been approved. I'm really happy with how things are going and am just lurking around the forum haphazardly for now, until I can post that final post that corrections are done and so is the PhD.

Congratulations to you BG, best wishes for your future options and all others in this current stage :)

By copied, do you mean 'referenced many articles' Me-Lg? Or 'cited' perhaps? Meaning- put in the reference details of articles which support your topic or proposal?

Hi Tudor, I've been employed as a Deputy or as an Assstant Head at Secondary Colleges for a few years now, so my thesis was completed part time. I've got a stint as Acting Principal in a few weeks for 3 months and then will return to Assistant Head at the same College. I am just wating for corrections to be approved before graduation and then I am leaving the forum as my work now is more aligned with educational leadership in a professional capacity not as an academic. Very happy now with this pathway. Just waiting for corrections to be done. Will continue to write as a professional though, rather than as an academic, and I spend a lot of time supporting students, parents, colleagues and team reports, so feel my expertise now goes to a different group. So all good...just waiting for corrections approval (fingers crossed) and then moving on. Loved the forum but I believe that my time on it is coming to a natural termination. Better go, just dashed home for some lunch and must get back to work. Cheers :) (PS if lots of typos present it is because I am typing this without my glasses-left them at work, lol, hope it is okay).

Thanks Tudor. The thing I always remember from my Masters supervisor was her saying "your thesis tells the story of your data". So is it possible to think of it in this way? That even though results in some parts were negative, that these negative data indicated " .... " in the overall story or thesis?

Hi Tudor, what methodologies are you using (generally speaking), quantitative and spss or are you also using qualitative? And are you in social or physical sciences, or a professional discipline? I ask this as these variations on qualitative methods provide room for different interpretations of results.

Social sciences and disciplines such as education, seem to allow for no significant results, provided these lead to a position or clarification on something. My first study (I am in education but I used social science methodologies) had a disappointingly small sample size-so though there were results, from the sample of 34, I could not really claim that results were indicative of a broader population or amounted to much of anything that could be considered statistically significant. I used this as an exploratory data chapter, which set the scene for the two other studies. The second study had a bigger base of 178 participants-was both qual and quant, and the third study was purely qualitative and the sample size was appropriate for the analysis and methods used.

In my thesis, I used the first study, as outlined, as a scene setter or initial point of reference and I referred back to this chapter in the same way in the analysis chapter, which followed the 3 data chapters. Having said that, both externals noted that this first data chapter was the least interesting in the thesis, but did not really comment on it other than that. None of my required corrections were anything to do with data, data analysis, methods or results.

Generally Universities will have information about transitioning from a PhD into a Masters on their website, and there will be specific forms and processes to go through. I agree with the others that he needs to discuss this with his supervisors and/or the department head or research administrative staff. However, there would be a range of forms and guidelines to these sorts of processes available to your friend right now which should give you an idea of what he would have to do. Best wishes, P.

Do you think perhaps part of the problem with the PhD is that most of us go from being at the top of our game (as undergrads, Masters' students, or professionals), to being at entry level again, and at entry level with many other experienced, smart and accomplished scholars, postgrads and academics around us and above us.

It is a real reality check for many I think- and then you add the fact that the process is really tough- gruelling, a mental marathon. Tough all the way, although we probably all have slightly different watershed moments, personal crises and meltdown points. Then also, because the PhD is rarely finished before 4+ years, once you factor in your examination and corrections processes into the equation, students, (even the younger PhD students), are at that stage of life where stuff happens. By stuff, I mean for example, grandparents and often parents becoming more frail, needing care or experiencing serious illnesses, relationships beginning and ending, general adult problems hitting, as they often do, in groups of 3!

Analytical and thoughtful people often overthink matters as well, and PhD students would be, as a rule, more often than not very conscientious high achievers, who might be overly negative (on themselves) when they don't appear to be coping as easily as they did in undergrad and grad courses. Then you add some supervisor issues into the mix (and we don't always have control over who we get as a supervisor and even less control over our examiners), perhaps it is not so surprising that things can become very challenging without much of a pre-warning. I think it is important to be kind to yourself and make sure if things do become overwhelming, to reach out for those supports, whether these be friends, family, counsellors or other postgrads and academics (if supportive). Best wishes to you for a much more positive week this week ahead.

Sorry-typed this very quickly before heading off for the day- I meant to say using a hyphen consistently for the word social economic in my first sentence, second paragraph. See that is what corrections does to you, lol.