Do you need a Masters to do a PhD?? - The Student Room.
Even if we do not consider this as a bad thing, I am wondering how and why the UK students that BEGIN their PhD have gotten the required skills so much faster than compared to the rest of Europe. Additionally, if you look the numbers (whch I do not have now) around half of the PhD students in the UK have completed undergrad and masters elsewhere.
No, you don’t. This is a big misconception in the United States. My advisor in undergrad actually advised me not to get a master’s before a PhD. He saw no reason for this, as usually a master’s degree helps you get a job in industry whereas a PhD.
Students in the UK and Europe are expected to apply with an understanding of the subject already, usually in the form of a masters degree, and be ready to start studying at the PhD level right away. In the USA it is expected that students do not have an in-depth understanding of their subject so usually only have an undergraduate degree when they apply.
It depends on what graduate school you go to. Some schools will let you just go and get your Ph.D without the Masters. Some will let you do it if you first past a test. And some will require you.
If you’re reading this, we’re assuming you’ve received an offer for a place on a PhD program in the UK. It’s not everyday you get to be rewarded for the ingenuity and feasibility of your research project, and finding a PhD supervisor to agree to mentor your project is definitely a step ahead in the right direction. If the elation you first felt when hearing the news has already given.
A masters here is 'proof' that you didn't do well in your honours year, and many students who choose to do a masters are strongly encouraged to upgrade to the PhD program (which is what I did, because coming from Canada, I applied for a Masters by Research thinking I had to do a masters first, but upgraded immediately to the PhD program). But this is not the same mentality that you'll find in.
Before you start looking at postgraduate courses, you should have a good idea of why you want to do it and what you expect to get out of it. This could save you time further down the line if you end up dropping out. You shouldn't apply for a postgraduate course just because you can't be bothered to look for and apply for graduate jobs. Look.