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I recently started my PhD studies at the same university where I completed my undergraduate degree in the US. After finishing my undergraduate studies, I was accepted into both the PhD program at my university and a master’s program at a prestigious university in the UK. My university allowed me to defer my PhD admission for a year to complete the master’s program.

However, during my time in the master’s program, I faced significant challenges. The course load and exam pressures were more intense than I anticipated, and during this period, my father passed away from cancer, which required me to return home and handle related matters. Due to these circumstances, I wasn’t able to pass all my exams and did not earn the master’s degree.

After taking some time to recover and refocus on my academic path, I have now returned to my undergraduate university to begin my PhD studies. I’ve resumed working with a professor I collaborated with before, and my research is progressing well. However, I have not informed the department that I did not complete my master’s degree or about the challenges I faced. My question is whether I should let them know about not obtaining the master’s degree. The PhD enrollment does not require a master's degree, and there are no formal paperworks for my deferral. My current plan is to concentrate on my studies and research for now and, when I feel ready, find an appropriate time to discuss this with them. Does that seem like a reasonable approach?

An Additional Note: I appreciate the answers and comments to my question. My intention is to inform the department of my circumstances after completing the first semester. I'm hopeful that strong outcomes from this term's courses and a positive evaluation of my research performance from my supervisor will demonstrate my capability and readiness to excel in my current program.

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  • You really need to clarify, as requested below, whether acceptance into the PhD program was contingent upon you successfully completing the masters program.
    – A rural reader
    Commented Aug 23 at 20:41
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    @A rural reader No. It is not contingent upon I complete the masters program. If I do not disclose then people will assume I have passes all the exam. I want to disclose these after I complete the subject exams at my current university at the end of first semester.
    – IGY
    Commented Aug 23 at 21:41
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    I'm so sorry about the death of your father; it's completely understandable that a trauma like that would have gotten in the way of working and studying.
    – Greg Martin
    Commented Aug 24 at 5:03
  • @Greg Martin Thanks so much for this comment! I appreciate it :)
    – IGY
    Commented Aug 24 at 14:23

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It is unlikely in the US, but if your acceptance into the doctoral program was specifically contingent on finishing the masters, then, yes, you need to inform them.

But, as a masters is seldom required to begin doctoral studies in the US, I think that scenario is unlikely. You should be able to determine that from the information you were given in the deferment documents.

I'd guess you are fine. You still need to complete all doctoral program requirements, including the (likely) qualifying exams and the coursework that may be needed to do so.

Good luck in your studies.

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Since your initial offer to the PhD program came before you'd decided to go with the masters (and since admissions have not requested proof of your masters certificate) it seems that the issue is not whether or not you should be on the program, but rather whether or not it is the right thing to do personally/professionally to let your supervisors or department know.

I think your plan to 'to concentrate on my studies and research for now and, when I feel ready, find an appropriate time to discuss this with them' is perfectly reasonable. You have every right to be on the program with or without a masters, and if I were you I would only reveal this information if you think doing so would be important for receieving extra support from the department, or something akin.

Side point - If you feel concerned that you might struggle with the PhD in the same way as with the masters then it might help to talk to someone about your concerns either way, and mentioning your previous experience would make sense.

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You said that your acceptance into the Ph.D. program was not contingent upon the completion of your M.Sc., so you are not breaking any rules.

That being said, it may be a good idea to let him know, though. It would show honesty and prevent an unpleasant surprise in the future if he finds out by accident.

If you are honest with him, he may help you avoid the same issues during your Ph.D., while discovering that you hid this from him may create understandable distrust in the future and make him hesitant to help you build your career.

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I think it’s reasonable to concentrate on your current work and address the issue when you’re in a stronger position.

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    This is terrible advice. If there is an actual issue with admitting without the degree, hiding the facts will not help at all when it is found out - it will only make it worse. If there is no issue, then there is no harm in bringing it up. If there is an issue, then, when disclosed up front, the department may be OK waiving the requirement for the degree but may add additional requirements (courses, masters thesis, ...) that they might not have insisted on otherwise.
    – Jon Custer
    Commented Aug 23 at 14:29
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    @JonCuster "there is no harm in bringing it up" - I disagree. Firstly I think it's unlikely that their acceptance to the PhD was contingent on passing the masters, since they were initially accepted directly into the PhD. But there is often no benefit to disclosing these sorts of issues, and a risk of (unfairly) being judged negatively for being unable to overcome these struggles.
    – llama
    Commented Aug 23 at 15:56
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    @llama - fair enough, but the OP has to be completely sure there are no requirements (or, really, even any expectations) of the department and university where they are now pursuing their PhD. And, appearing to hide potentially bad news is not a good look at all - trust lost is really hard to regain.
    – Jon Custer
    Commented Aug 23 at 16:01
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    @JonCuster yeah I agree, it depends on the specific context. Hiding it or lying by omission and letting everyone assume you've passed it is no good, but if someone doesn't know to start with I personally wouldn't inform them. Let your current performance speak for itself.
    – llama
    Commented Aug 23 at 16:11
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I hope your PhD is not in game theory.

There are only two possibilities: either your department’s awareness of the situation will harm you in some fashion, or it won’t.

Let’s take the second case first. If you disclose the situation to them, then as we assumed, you are no worse off.

If you do not disclose, you may have gained a slight amount of personal privacy, but think about what you might lose. Imagine 10 years from now, you attract some amount of controversy for whatever reason, and your agonists dig into your past, accuse you of dishonesty. Now, you are in a position of proving a hypothetical: the department would not have care, if they knew. So why did you not tell them? It’d be a mess.

However, perhaps there is some automatic downside to your department becoming aware of the situation.

If you tell them, you have at least some control of the situation. You can explain the very reasonable backstory, and do so at time where they are inclined to listen.

If you don’t tell them and they find out for themselves, you are doubly screwed: you didn’t finish your Master’s and you tried to conceal it from them. Your academic career is over.

The only good outcome is if they never find out — and how likely is that? It’s not like an extramarital affair or a drug addiction, problems that can be concealed, given enough diligence and care. Your academic history is public record. The registrar’s office of the first university will answer any query about your degree immediately and they will be considered completely authoritative.

Plus, your academic history is a perfectly fit topic for conversation. What are you going to do if you try to hide the fact that you dropped out, and your thesis adviser asks you some harmless question premised on your having completed the degree? Lie? Blurt out the truth?

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