Undergrad to Phd

KDII

hi there

im studying nursing for undergrad

im wondering is it unlikely that i would get accepted into a Phd programme directly upon completion of my undergraduate B.Sc?

from speaking with an admissions officer in a college in the UK she seems to think it wouldn't be a problem provided I get a good first in my degree.

I have always been under the impression a masters would be pretty mandatory?

i literally have no idea how this postgrad thing works

thanks

peckerhead

Much more common for grads of scientific/technical degree courses. Most humanities PhD programmes would require a masters first, but not all. It all depends on the place you're applying to.

I have to ask, since you say you've 'no idea about this postgrad thing' — why exactly do you want to start a PhD? I'm not trying to be nosy, it's just that you should have a pretty clear idea in your own mind before embarking on a long, expensive and sometimes rather lonely process. I wouldn't recommend that you do it just because you don't have another plan...

Best of luck with your finals.

KDII

cheers for reply.

i am certain i want to work in the field of research, it is a major part of my degree and i am loving it.

when i say i have no clue, i just mean about the process. i don't know it inside out. i would be looking at the social dimensions of health etc.

i am just overwhelmed by the different things and their real value, and am taking an initial interest. i have always wanted to do a phd but understood it would be a much longer road before being able to start it.

also the course i made contact with the advisor about was a M.Res which looks really exciting. i am just trying to gain advice about the whole thing.

would be more sensible to do M.Res of M.Sc first?

Raphael

I'm currently in year 1 of a PhD, having gone straight from an undergrad (I did it with a 2.1, but I had a desirable background) and I'd really recommend doing a Masters first if you can. I've spent the last few months trying to find my feet to an extent that some of my peers who came from MSc didn't need to, and it's been very daunting. Also, you'll gain valuable research skills, and also find out if you're going to actually enjoy research in practice.

Sir Ophiuchus

Just to give a counterpoint to Raphael, I'm also in the first year of a PhD, having come directly from undergrad (had a first, but a 2:1 would have sufficed). Honestly I'm loving it - I have a great supervisor, cool fellow postgrads, a topic that excites me, and I know where I'm going with my research (roughly!).

However I've known for several years what I wanted to research, spent the last few years of my undergrad reading up on it on the side and getting hold of relevant books, contacted some researchers in the field for advice, spent my entire final year working with the academic who'd become my supervisor to draft (and redraft, and redraft) a thesis proposal... basically I'm saying that I might not be a typical case. If you're not entirely sure where you want to go with your research, or think you could benefit from improving your knowledge and/or skills in a specific area first, then I'd recommend a Master's if you can afford it. That also means that if you decide research isn't for you you'll still have a Master's degree!

Also, all of this varies by field. I'm in the humanities.

Lockstep

I got a first in my undergrad so asked my supervisor what he thought of going directly into a PHD. His advice was to do a masters first, saying the skills you learn in it are extremely handy and it's a lot better to do a masters as that's where you can make all your postgrad mistakes.

If you get a 1.1 then it's meant to be possible to go directly into a PHD but it was always not reccomended.
That said, my background is law so I'm not sure what the story is with your postgrad.

Ostrom

I went from undergrad to phd - I knew what I wanted to research for some time and had finalised my proposal before finishing. Also had a willing supervisor, which helped speed it along.