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I have found that my institution offers two types of Masters

  • Coursework + Project/Thesis (2 Years)
    • This consists of 3 semesters (1.5 years) of coursework content with an additional semester (6 months) dedicated to a research project (usually a thesis).
    • Usually self-funded, scholarships available.
  • Thesis-only (2 Years)
    • This consists of 4 semesters (2 years) on a single research project (essentially a Mini-PhD).
    • Generally funded internally by the institution or externally by the government or third-party.

(Full-time is assumed for both of these cases)

I have been told that European (and possibly Canadian) institutions often require a Masters when applying for a PhD, however I am not sure which of these is more appropriate. My question is the following:

Do European, Canadian and UK institutions care what kind of Masters a PhD applicant has? If so which is preferred?

According to this post the Thesis-only Masters is not a common thing around the world, thus I presume this type is less preferable for PhD applicants, despite it's similarity to a PhD. I was unable to verify whether the Bologna Process had any say on this.

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Canadian Universities typically require a masters degree for PhD admissions. However, assuming it's going well you can sometimes transfer from a research-based masters degree into a PhD. How this works varies between institutions. If your goal is a PhD in Canada I would suggest contacting potential supervisors and explaining your goal to do a PhD and seeking their advice on the best route.

I completed the U of T MASc degree referenced in another answer and ultimately secured a funded PhD position at Cambridge in the UK. I'm now an academic at a research-focused (Russell Group) University in the UK.

I currently supervise PhD students, and have sat on prioritisation panels for competitive PhD studentships. Having a Masters degree has not been a requirement and does not make a lot of difference, in and of itself, from my experience. However, being 'research ready' counts for a lot. Usually this means having some publications or equivalent experience.

So I wouldn't worry too much about the name of the masters degree. More about how the experience sets you up for the next stage in your career, such as PhD research.

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    Actually, US does not, in fact, typically require anything beyond a bachelors for PdD admission. And most students apply with only a bachelors.
    – Buffy
    Commented Oct 17 at 15:35
  • @Buffy I didn't realise that. I always assumed they did as the people I know who did PhDs in the US had Masters degrees. I have modified my answer.
    – atom44
    Commented Oct 17 at 15:38
  • Are you even sure about Canada? Citation required.
    – Buffy
    Commented Oct 17 at 15:39
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    I teach at a university in Montréal and I have never heard of anyone admitted to a PhD directly from a bachelor in my field (physics and chemistry). The traditions may be different in others fields. Direct transfer from Master to Phd is quite common.
    – Guillaume
    Commented Oct 17 at 19:21
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    @solatia. I think research readiness is going to be important regardless of the location. It's very important in the UK as well.
    – atom44
    Commented Oct 21 at 11:52
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I can only answer for Canadian institutions.

A "thesis Masters" has the following advantages over a "Coursework + Project/Thesis" if you want to pursue a PhD:

  • You are able to publish the results obtained in your Masters research and present them at conferences. This will strengthen your research profile and greatly improve your chance of getting a PhD scholarship.

  • If you are doing well, your advisor can ask you to transfer directly to a PhD without finishing your Masters. This is good if you like the lab and want to stay in the same field for a PhD. It also means the total length of graduate studies will be shorter.

In the natural sciences at least, a thesis-only Masters is the natural choice if you want to pursue a PhD. In general, Masters in basic science (Master of chemistry, biology, physiscs...) are thesis Masters.

As another example, I found the following on the University of Toronto engineering graduate school website:

MASTER OF APPLIED SCIENCE - In this full-time, two-year program, you’ll complete a thesis supervised by a professor in one of seven academic units. A stepping stone to a doctoral degree, the MASc is ideal if you aspire to a rewarding career in research, whether in academia or industry. With supervisor approval and support, exceptional students can fast track from the MASc to the PhD program in their second year.

They also offer MEng (Master of Engineering) that are "Coursework + Project" degrees designed for student who want to go on the job market right after their Masters.

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  • The Masters at UofT seem have two options both being "Coursework + Thesis/Project", except the coursework can be adjusted from 4 to 6 half courses (~0.75 Year to 1 Year) with a thesis/project done in parallel. This is a bit different from "thesis-only masters", which has zero coursework. It does indeed seem like this is an advantage for those going into PhDs.
    – solatia
    Commented Oct 17 at 22:59
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This is an answer for the UK.

Thesis-only masters exist in the UK; in fact all Masters in the UK are generally only 1 (full calendar) year long, so both of your options look like they would offer more content than their equivalents in the UK.

Also note that in the UK, a Master diploma is not required to apply for a PhD at all - however the competition for the few fully funded international (as opposed to UK-only) PhD position often the holder of a Master degree an advantage. For applying to PhD positions, publications might offer the greatest profile advantage, so from that perspective, a research masters might result in a better profile for a PhD applicant.

Anecdotally, one of my current PhD students has first done a MSc by research with the same supervisory team.

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    In this case is the "MSc by Research" a 1 year thesis-only Masters?
    – solatia
    Commented Oct 20 at 23:43
  • @solatia yes, it is.
    – penelope
    Commented Oct 22 at 10:24

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