hi.

i have just been told i will receive an offer for one of the studentships i applied for, which i am very pleased about, but i haven't yet received the official offer and i am slightly anxious about whether it will have conditions that i might be unlikely to meet.

i am currently doing a research master's, so already have my undergraduate degree classification and provided this transcript when i applied. the requirements for the studentship were a good first degree, which i have, and there was an indication that a master's would be considered beneficial but was not a pre-requisite.

what am i wondering is whether phd offers in these circumstances are often or tend to be conditional upon master's classification, or whether the offer is only made once an applicant meets the required criteria, and is therefore usually made without further conditions. i know that i can't expect you to know the specifics for a studentship you have very little information about, but i suppose i'm asking in general whether offers in these circumstances will tend to be conditional upon, for example, attaining a merit or distinction for the master's degree.

of course i could just wait for the official offer, but i have no indication of how long that will take and i'm currently very stressed about both applications and my research project, and also where's the fun in that.

also, briefly, i imagine you may think that a lack of confidence in receiving a good grade for my master's might be an indication that i am not suited for a phd, so just as an explanation i felt i should add that i (misguidedly) chose a master's project based on funding, which was not in an area that particularly interested me, and is also not an area i'm very familiar with. the phd is in a subject much more closely related to my undergraduate degree, and an area i am much more confident and interested in.

thanks

Many PhD offers are conditional on completing an MSc/MA/MRes etc. it's largely to make sure the student actually completes their previous programme rather than slacking off and having a break or something.

My offer of a PhD place and funding was conditional upon me passing my MSc. There was no specific grade expected, just a pass. I started my PhD before I got the result of my MSc, the understanding was that if I did fail the MSc (unlikely - but a technical possibility) then I would have to repay the funding I had already received and would no longer be on the PhD.

My take on this:
Most likely you will be given a conditional offer. Reasons being you indicated that you were pursuing an MSc. Let's say, 3 of you were shortlisted for the award, if the other two competitors just had bachelor's degree, and assuming you matched each other in other factors, you may have edged them out because of the MSc you're pursuing. In short, if your current status as MSc research student played a part in your award, then it's a conditional offer.

thank you. those are both useful replies.

From my experience, an MSc grade is never an essential requirement, but a desirable requirement. The essential requirement is a good undergraduate degree. Your offer will not be withdrawn based on your MSc grade. The only scenario where it may be withdrawn is, when you fail. Don't even lose sleep over the grade. Remember to update us on your progress, as this may be of great help in future to others that may encounter similar scenarios.