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Application to PhD positions – advice?

In our new "how can we help you?" thread, a reader asks:

I had a strong track record until my master thesis, which got a C; and my university doesn't use GPAs. In some programs it means it is not even worth applying (criteria of B minimum to be eligible).

Should I try to re-take the module and write a new master thesis to improve the grade or to prioritize something else? I am applying mostly in Europe as it is the system I know, but am open to other continents as long as I can find funding options (fully-funded).

Do readers have any helpful advice to share?

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7 responses to “Application to PhD positions – advice?”

  1. Euro

    I work in Europe, and I think generally, the PhD school would block your being hired if you have a grade of C for your masters thesis. PhD jobs are very competitive in northern Europe. So even if some faculty member thought you had promise your application would not get past the PhD school (which is usually a committee of people who review all applications in the relevant department or unit). So if you want to get into a PhD program (or job, as we say) you need to get a better grade.

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  2. UK Based

    Sorry, but I agree with Euro, at least for funded places here in the UK. Funded PhD places are insanely competitive, and a C for the thesis would likely be enough to discount the application (unless there is something amazing to counteract it, e.g., a publication in known good journals).
    The only exception might be for some very specific project funded PhD places. As they are tied to the supervisors funding award, I’ve seen some of these be very narrow, so the number of plausible applicants can be small. Whether there would be a funded project in your (sub)area would, however, be impossible to predict.
    If you are allowed to retake the module, that might be the best option (note that in some systems, like the UK, I don’t think this is actually possible, but I might be wrong)

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  3. Postdoc

    I’d be curious to know what country OP has studied in and/or which countries they are applying to. I’m a bit hesitant to give general advice about “Europe” as European countries can vary considerably; for example, I’m personally Swedish and could only pass or pass with distinction on my MA. There was no such thing as a mark C at the time. (Though, granted, this was more than a decade ago and things may have changed.)
    Having said that, I think the spirit of Euro’s reply also is right. Top of my head, I can only think of one successful philosopher who got a subpar mark and made it (2:2 in the UK system, equivalent to a third-tier mark, which I guess C also would be in an A-F system). But then that student got their third-tier mark from Oxford. The morale is that an Oxford 2:2 (or the equivalent) won’t be a death sentence for PhD applications – or indeed a later professional career – but one at, say, a mid-tier university in Italy may very well be.
    Personally, I’d consider redoing the module and/or doing some other related module to increase my mark if I was the OP and wanted to stay in philosophy. For example, in several European countries, you can write separate MA theses in practical and theoretical philosophy. Perhaps OP could have a shot at the type they haven’t tried?

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  4. Assistant prof

    That’s not a good sign. The masters thesis is the strongest evidence to date about your ability to do independent research at the graduate level. It’s certainly possible that the grade was misleading, but with so many very well-qualified applicants a lot of people will not be willing to take a chance on you with that kind of a result.
    You can certainly go ahead and apply with this grade. If your profile is strong enough elsewhere, you may do very well. But if you are looking for an impactful way to improve your profile, strengthening the masters thesis would be a very good step to take.

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  5. out of curiosity

    Sorry, this is sort of out of curiosity asking, but is it bad to pretend you didn’t do the masters, and apply somewhere and only present your undergrad records?
    I don’t plan to apply as I’m on the other side of the table. It just occurred to me that if someone claims to have a gap year doing some travel around the world, as someone who evaluates applications, I can’t verify.

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  6. Let us not lie

    Out of Curiosity … yes it is bad. Indeed, people lose jobs etc. because it is discovered later that they have lied about academic credentials. I am old-fashioned … lying is bad.
    On a practical note, in many European countries, the masters degree is continuous with the bachelors, so when a student orders transcripts the grades for both the bachelors and masters will be sent. They are not separate transcripts.

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  7. UK Based

    @Out of curiosity… At least in the UK (if the UK is in OP’s thoughts), having an MA is a prerequisite to apply for PhDs, at least in the vast majority of cases (minor exceptions are, well, minor). Many MAs are also ‘standalone’ MA.
    So either as let us not lie said, the MA is bundled in with the BA, and so you cannot avoid it, or it is standalone, and applying without an MA (i.e., OP saying they don’t have one) will lead to that application getting rejected and/or declined funding even faster than having a C grade for the MA thesis… So, yeah, ommitting it doesn’t seem like a great option.

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