We had our introduction to our MSc Sport Psychology on Tuesday just passed. All the people on our course were assuming that we would graduate next summer. However, it turns out we dont hand our dissertation in till August next year, the exam board meets in December 2010 and we graduate the summer of 2011! I was looking to do a PhD, does this mean I have to wait until the summer of 2011 to get into a PhD. Also, am I allowed to say I have a masters or not? This really confused me because I dont want to waste a year doing nothing, when I want to be doing a PhD. Any help greatly appreciated :)

I think it is common (if not the rule) to do your dissertation over the summer and submit it afterwards. I had to submit mine in October and so did my friends in different unis. Although, the graduation was at December and not summer.
Maybe I am wrong, but I think that this is the case.

Hey! This is quite common for a masters degree- mine was the same. It wasn't a problem for me, I went on to do a PhD at the the same university just a week after I handed my MSc dissertation in and several months before I knew my final result, although I had all my exam marks by then. Quite a few people I know did this, but this might be because I stayed on at the same place and so they already knew what my result would most likely be etc. I'm not sure how it would work if you went elsewhere to do your PhD but I would be surprised if it caused a problem because so many people go straight from MSc to PhD. I guess you could ask at the universities you are hoping to apply for a PhD at and see what they say? KB

Don't worry - most people are looking to go straight from an MA to a PhD, and so won't have graduated (or know their final grade) when they apply. Remember, funding deadlines will already be looming by March/April, so even if you *were* graduating next summer, your application wouldn't look any different.

Having said that - there are reasons why you might want to hold off a year on PhD applications, especially if you want to give yourself the best chance of securing funding. Applying is a time-consuming business and will demand a lot of your attention alongside your Master's; and a confirmed final grade may just give you the edge over other applicants with only predicted grades to go on.

I waited a year on the advice of my MA supervisor, who took the view that my best chance of securing funding was to focus 100% on achieving the best possible marks my MA, *then* shift my focus to preparing the strongest possible PhD application. So I was able to spend a fair amount of time on my research proposal and other application gubbins (Case for Support, CV etc.), and had a Distinction under my belt at the time of application. Depending on how competitive your subject area is, it might be worth you considering taking the same approach.