Hi All,

I am in a bit of stressful situation and was hoping if anyone has had similar experiences or advice. I was recently told by my supervisor that my work so far over the past 4 years is just not enough to be awarded a PhD degree. Hence they have no choice but to graduate me with a Masters Degree in a few months time due to university regulations. I pleaded for an extension but unfortunately my University is so strict that they do not allow PhD extensions hence I am really cornered here.

I am extremely worried about my job prospects and what employers will think when they see that I only have a Masters degree after 4 years of PhD study. I initially asked Reddit GradSchool about this but they told me not to worry and that I do not have to disclose that I was doing a 4 year PhD degree to employers. I do not understand how lying about my situation is going to help by taking employers as a fool? Masters degrees take 1 - 2 years to complete. So my 4 year Masters is going to stand out and employers will obviously question me about it. In any case I was downvoted on that board so never got a coherent answer.

Hence I am hoping I can get some decent advice here. I have so far been unable to speak to my University's career's advice because they are fully booked until next month. Without a PhD, pretty much any research level job in industry is out of reach for me. I really do not know what to do or how I should go about spinning my 4 year Master's degree to something positive. I also fear that I may be perceived as being "overqualified" for even entry level jobs even though that may not be true...

What should I do?

Hi,

I'm assuming you are not studying in the UK, otherwise it would be after your viva you got a Masters, so the decision would not have been your supervisors'? I wouldn't take your supervisors word for it either - speak to the admin team or head of department first.

The Reddit forumites are correct though. Just put on your CV the date you got your masters. If you are asked in an interview, you have to explain. In non-academic interviews, you probably won't even be asked. I do have a friend who took 4 years to do a Masters - this is common outside of the UK.

Apply for industry jobs and work your way up - lack of a PhD is not a barrier to this. There's also the opportunity of doing a PhD sponsored by an industrial employer at a later date.

Is it an MPhil? I've heard of people getting one of these instead of a PhD. I'd say definitely talk to admin or an academic mentor/tutor to get seconds opinions on this. And I wouldn't worry about CVs either - as it isn't a gap where you were doing nothing.

I agree with Tudor_Queen that it would be best to seek second opinions. Could you approach the postgrad coordinator and students union on this?

It is odd that this is coming from your supervisors rather than your internal review/monitor team or external examiners. Surely they must have seen it coming since the start of your third year and worked with you since then? Anyway, ask around before you accept this as your fate. The other option would be to still submit as a PhD and let the examiners downgrade to Mphil so that at least you had a chance.

I am from the UK.





Yes it looks like I will probably graduate with an MPhil. I have been having problems with my research since my first year but I still somehow managed to pass every annual assessment with independent examiners. Maybe I just got lucky to have had understanding examiners to give me more time but unfortunately my time has finally run out...

A standalone MPhil takes 2 years fulltime and 4 to 5 years part-time. I know of senior lecturers with an MPhil and no PhD. I also know of a senior research fellow with an MSc and no PhD.

If it's a lab-based PhD, this is not so incredibly unusual. In case your project is not working well because hypotheses turn out to be wrong, you try different approaches or work on a "safer" project that is more likely to yield a paper. After two years you may argue that there is still enough time to create enough data for a thesis and they let you continue. Suddenly you are 3.5 years into your PhD and they tell you that it's now definitely just not going to be enough to pass. We had someone like that where I did my bachelors. Even the supervisors felt really bad for her and said that she did a solid job. I guess she was just a bit unlucky with her project. Everything but the safe project failed.

I would also check with others for a second opinion but in case it is going to be an Mphil, I wouldn't worry to much about the CV. There are tons of students who study much longer than the estimated time for the completion of the program. I have several friends who took 8 years in total to finish bachelor and master degree even though you can do it in 5. They traveled, worked part time or were simply a bit lazy.

Don't despair and good luck for the future!

Hi, zen112,

Is there no way to write up that failed experiments or method optimisation as chapters for your thesis, to prove for work sufficient to a 4 year PhD? can you do an analytical chapter really scutinizing why things didn't work? Have you discuss these alternative options with your supervisors?

For me, the supervisors play an important role in assessing PhD progress especially at the beginning of the third year. Things can still be quickly turned around at that time. While I agree that luck and fate play important roles, if you had problems since year 1 and nothing was done to rectify them then yes, supervisors have a big share of the blame.

On CV and job search, you can state only the completion year and not the start and end date if you are worried. You probably will still get questions, so prepare for them. As long as you can explain in a positive and confident manner, then you should be fine. I have a friend you quitted her PhD 2-3 years in and got an MPhil and she proudly told everyone that, including her potential employer. She explained why - change in career interest, lack of PhD progress and support, desire for better work environment, etc. She got hired in the end.

It is not the end of the world if you can't get your PhD this time. It is however, very painful and you will need time to rest and recover. Have a short break before your job search. On the positive side, you may find that it is easier to get jobs with a masters than a PhD if you are aiming for an industrial position.