Dropping out of Masters degree - The Student Room.
Dropped out of a PhD in history four years in. I miss nothing about the academic world except for the library's eight week renewable loans. Once I got over the hangups about status, about being plain old Mr Fiasco instead of Dr da Gama, it was obvious to me that the 'Real World' rocks boxes over academic study, in almost every way I can name.
Dropping out of your PhD is perfectly acceptable in the first 12-18 months. It's not for everybody, and it takes self-awareness, confidence and grit to push through it and still decide to move on. After 18 months, it becomes an all-or-nothing investment: you either spend 3-5 years of your life on it and pass the viva, or you failed your phd.
In most cases, a PhD applicant will need to show good performance at undergraduate level. This PhD entry requirement means at least a UK upper second class honours degree (2.1). This needs to be in a relevant discipline for the PhD study. You may also need a Masters degree, in a relevant subject, to be eligible for a PhD application.
Research Masters involve much more independent work, but the exact difference between a taught and research Masters varies. An MRes (Master of Research) usually involves longer (or multiple) dissertation tasks. An MPhil (Master of Philosophy) is entirely research based and may form part of a PhD. Research Masters are less common outside the UK.
PhD Problems: When Things go Wrong. by Dr Nathalie Mather-L’Huillier. The overwhelming majority of doctorates are an experience to reflect on and result in the highest qualification that higher education can bring, a PhD, whilst giving you the all-important right to call yourself “doctor” (one of the first things I did after my viva was to change the title on my credit card!).
Masters students who are accessing university resources are normally to be registered for a minimum of 3 credits or billable hours in any given semester. In exceptional cases, FGSR may grant a Masters student permission to register for fewer hours. PhD students must register for a minimum of 6 credit hours or billable hours each semester.
HE Student Data: Frequently asked questions. We publish a wide range of tables and charts about students in higher education. The areas above guide you through the information we collect, and we have also published a complete list of our tables. The table below identifies the charts and tables that answer some of the most common questions about HE students.