Masters Discussion Forum

Hi ,

Is it possible to do Masters without honours(with just a bachelor's degree)? Is anyone aware of universities that allow that or universities in which you can do honours through research?

I would think that many universities offer a pathway to qualifying to apply for a research Masters or PhD if you have not completed honours, whether that is a Postgraduate Diploma or Masters with a combination of coursework research units and a minor or major thesis. They might call them by different titles though.

In the universities I have attended (or a friend has) in Australia, these have been called either Postgraduate Diplomas or Masters. The Postgraduate Diplomas have been the equivalent of what is the honours year in Australian universities (a fourth year after the initial degree, which roughly is made up of half coursework/research methods and half being a dissertation). Masters qualifiers are similar but set at a Masters coursework level initially for the first half.

If you achieve certain results in your Masters coursework units, you then qualify to enrol in the thesis component. If the minor or major thesis is graded at a 1st level or 2.1, then this usually is your entry to the research Masters or PhD. It generally means that you need to take an extra year to qualify. The Australian system is not identical to the UK but there seem to be a few similarities. I'd be fairly certain that universities in other countries offer similar pathways.

Do you think a way to start looking might be to research the universities, areas and disciplines you are interested in, and then inquire what these institutions offer? The websites usually will have this information available under the faculty page or research school page. Best of luck with it all :)

Of course, for older students returning to education, non-honours degree courses were once offered by some institutions, so a non-honours degree need not denote failure at the final year in England.