Hi,

I recently graduated from a top 20 uni with a BSc. in Environmental Sciences. Unfortuantely I only got a 2:2 and took an age to finish it due to problems with my health.

Although I was ecstatic to graduate and get the 2:2, I'm disappointed by it purely because I know I'm capable of a lot more.

Thus I decided to study for another BSc (this time Sociology), through The London External System through their graduate entry route. Unfortunately due to work commitments It's going to take me at least another two years to complete it. If all goes well I will get a 2:1 or 1:1 for this other BSc.

I have known people do PhD's without MSc's, purely because they had a 2:1 or 1:1 at UG level from a good uni. Foolishly I thought this was the way forward rather than applying for MSc's with my 2:2.

I'm only slightly into the second BSc. Do you think I should continue with this BSc, or save my money and apply for MSc's when I can afford it?

My sole intentions in all this studying is so I can obtain funding to do a PhD and obtain a firm grounding in the social sciences.

hmmm yah it would make more sense to do a MSc instead of another Bsc, because Msc is higher up, and you do a 3 month research based project. i also got a 2:2 from my degree from imperial, and went onto doing a Msc at ucl, and then applied for phd positions.

im not sure how it will look though, you quitting your bsc and then doing a msc, might make it seem like you're abit unsure as to what you're doing and abit flaky. you can get onto MSc with a 2:2.

i guess since you're only slightly into your 2nd year of your Bsc, you could quit and then omit it from your cv, just not mention it, maybe just focus on the fact you've been working during that year. and yah apply for MSc

i'm not from a social science background, so dont know about funding and phds and stuff, so maybe someone better can advice you
best of luck(up)

Hi!
I think the best thing for you to do would be to contact different universities to ask for their opinion. I have done a BSc, MSc and am now taking a research PhD in Clinical Psychology (although this isn't really classed as a social science). I know people in my subject area who got onto an MSc with a 2.2, but only if they had had a 2.1 in their undergraduate research project. I also know people who have got onto a PhD without a masters, although these people tend to have other research experience such as research assistant work etc. I suppose the other issue is whether you will get a place on an MSc in Sociology when your undergrad degree is in Environmental Sciences- again, you would need to check this out with the relevant universities. I think as far as the PhD goes an MSc is a very good route into it...many people manage to obtain funding for their PhDs through getting to know their prospective supervisor and subject area through a masters project. Good luck with whatever you decide to do- where there is a will there is a way :)

Thanks for your kind replies.

I agree that although not a given, it's possible to be offered a PhD from the university where you obtain your MSc and this is something to consider.

My main concern about not having a 2:2 at UG level is being unable to obtain PhD funding even if I get an MSc.

I understand there are also scholarships available for MSc's? I imagine the competition for these must be very tough. Would I stand a chance of gaining one if I did manage to gain a 2:1 at UG level? This must be a hard question to answer.

Another concern is the new 'Equal or Lower Qualification' student rules. These rules mean I must pick my MSc very very carefully as once I have an MSc it will be prohibitively expensive to get another one. I'm not saying I want two lol I just want to keep my options open for the future if I need to reskill.

Hi Paido!
I'm in SocSci, and just to reiterate what others have said, different unis will accept different things. First of all - I am working on the presumption that you will need a funded PhD position. As such, this is only relevant to that.
Before you can decide what you want/need to do, you need to contact prospective Unis to see if they will take you on as an MSc with a 2:2. SocSci is more (much more) competitive that straight science so this is not always that easy. Many good Universities will put you on the Postgrad diploma stream, see how you do, then decide if you should do the research project (in many cases the research project is what distinguishes the PGDip from the Masters). Check this out first.
You can get a funded PhD position without a Masters in a social science, but it extremely rare. You would absolutely have to have a first. You would also have to either go for internal university funding, or go on the ESRC 1+3 scheme (so even if you complete this BSc with a first you would probably have to do a masters anyway, but it would be funded - do you have the time?). It would probably also be a lower ranking university - I don't know if this bothers you.
To me, the most logical step would be to discuss Masters options with a few universities and then apply for a career development loan to do the Masters asap, rather than waiting to save up... If a PhD is what you want, you are going a rather long way around to getting it

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I should probably make it very clear that I'm very serious about a career in research.

I'm quite interested in Social Policy at the moment but my interests are very broad.

During my Environmental Sciences degree I studied Demography and Epidemiology to a reasonable depth.

My current BSc. is really developing my knowledge in social research methods and yet more demography. So even if I quit this the modules I've studied will still prove useful when applying for an MSc.

Thanks for all the advice, it's really helpful

I know this is abit off topic but is there anywhere I can compare the fees for MSc's from different universities? The fees seem to vary. I'm considering doing it part time and they seem to vary from £2.5k to £8k.

It seems clear that you are committed to a career in research...although I sense you are trying to prove something to yourself by doing a second bachelors. Nonetheless, my advice is fairly simple and time orientated. The reason time is an essential component is because it feels ages ago since I was doing a bachelors and quite frankly, you need to pass so many obstacles between bachelors and PhD completion that time has to be a consideration. You have a 2:2, so have a look at prospective universities for masters study. You are probably going to look slightly down the league table of institutions to get on one with your grade. But this doesn't exactly have to be too far down! And...there are plenty for you to choose from. As soon as you get on to a masters, perhaps start applying yourself to developing a current and well scoped out (i.e. PhD level) proposal. Possibly treat your masters as the preliminary stage of a PhD proposal. Once you are on the masters, getting a Distinction and having a well planned proposal are really going to stand you in good stead. You may consider doing the MSc full time (despite the cost - you're not going to get funding for MSc easily). That way you put everything into the Masters, and hope that you can re-coup your costs by getting PhD funding. Incidentally, most of us do pretty well on a PhD scholarship. You can do extra teaching, I am a research assistant on a big project, and I do tutoring on the weekends. I reckon I take home slightly more than £20k tax free per year - not bad! Try and get in with your masters supervisors and you may be able to get a PhD award with them. Alternatively, shop around a bit for a PhD during your masters. Dont be afraid to book a meeting with a potential sup and just go and talk to them. Incidentally, trying to do a bit of publishing from your masters (or at least talking the talk) stands you in a good position with sups - they do love to publish off you for nothing!!!!

It is going to be a very hard tight rope to cross from where you are to PhD. However, if you are realistic in your choice of institution (since you got a 2:2), dedicated to research, organised in getting a good proposal with a good MSc grade, and shrewd in making contacts and getting yourself known (publishing or other), I think you will be successful! Give it a shot - and dont waste time...all the best.

Hi,

Reading your post you're in a very similar situation as myself and I'm also considering a career in Social research. I graduated in 2005 from a top 10 university with a 2.2 in Economics (like you I was capable of a lot more). After training to be a secondary school teacher, leaving for a career in finance, I've finally concluded that I should pursue my dream of having my best shot at obtaining a PhD. Like you I'm very interested in Social Policy.

My advice is similar to everybody else's and that is to save the funds to begin an MA or Msc. I'm currently in the process of applying for a taught masters in social policy at Nottingham. Despite Nottingham being a top 10 university they only ask for a 2.2 for social policy and as it is a taught masters I think they will take people from other degree subjects. ( I know a person who holds a degree in Chemistry that was told they would be considered for a masters in Politics). You would perhaps need to do another research masters after the taught one but may get this funded as part of a 1+3 funding programme for a PhD.

I've researched a lot and from what I gather a good grade at masters level will compensate for a lowish undergraduate grade. It wont be easy, obtaining funding is extremely difficult even if you have very high grades, but if you work hard and make contacts whilst studying you will have a good chance at securing funding for a PhD.