Can I be accepted for a PhD after almost failing for my master degree or should I apply for another one first ?

[Maria Duke]

Hello! This is a post on behalf of a friend of mine who will register. We had a conversation and we thought sharing this here would help!

Two years ago, I completed my master's degree in Information Science Management at a prestigious university in the UK. However, I faced numerous challenges, including personal and mental health issues, as well as the demands of balancing my corporate job with my studies. Consequently, I struggled with nearly every course and ended up having to resit many of them.
Unfortunately, my university's policy on resits only allows for a maximum grade of 40%, regardless of the original score. As a result, my academic transcript reflects a significantly poor performance.
Given this transcript, I'm uncertain about the feasibility of directly applying for a PhD program. Would it be wiser for me to pursue a second master's degree before considering any plans for a PhD?

 

[Joshua Ferdinand]

Given this transcript, I'm uncertain about the feasibility of directly applying for a PhD program. Would it be wiser for me to pursue a second master's degree before considering any plans for a PhD?

I think this depends on what your undergrad (1st degree) is in and what classification you got.

In the UK for instance if you got a 1st class honours in your bachelors then just passed your masters you may be eligible for a PhD although it will most likely be more challenging to have this funded.

Alternatively, you could look at an integrated doctoral programme. Usually 1 year + 3 years full time, and includes the masters research as part of the programme. Check out findaphd.com for some options.

 

[Charlie Williams]

It will depend in your undergrad, but if you are failing with masters why pursude Phd? but it's better to do everything you can not to fail your masters, so you can proceed with PHd without any problem.