Am quitting, it was never going to happen (disab/health). Have publications. Any way they will award masters? How can I make that happen (went straight from ug to PhD on studentship)? Have to write withdrawal letter soon so ideas on a postcard (can't type for long in response so excuse brevity).
Thanks and HNY

Afraid I don't know as I've never known anyone in this situation, your best bet is to ask your supervisor or your research registry unit as they will be the best people to ask. I'm sure it will differ from university to university and how long you have been studying for.

Buzzy how far through are you? Just wanting to know as this might help people giving advice. I've certainly heard of postgrads who have completed a masters even though they began doing a doctorate. Can the publications be put together into a thesis-are they really disparate (on different topics) or could be connected in a critical or theoretical way (on different aspects of similar topic)?

Just wondering also whether you have spoken to others about this-family, student advisors, counsellors or your supervisors? Hope very much that you can come to some compromise or solution rather than just walking away.(gift)

Thanks for reply, I should be in final year but really only done one year due to health problems. Currently suspended but have to give an answer on future plans hence decision time now. Can't talk to supervisor, can talk to disability officer but not until next week.....can't possibly go back!

There must be someone at your university you can talk to, why can't you talk to your supervisor? Is there a pastoral support tutor for your faculty? What about contacting someone at the student union and asking them who you can talk to? It's really hard to try and guess, you may have enough work if you've published to put a thesis together. You need professional advice though really.

Unfortunately supervisor has been awful, you'd think I'd been ill on purpose! Nowhere near enough for thesis. Will try the SU....thanks...

Buzzy, I can't really speak for UK universities but think they are a bit like the Australian ones (I'm in Oz-and its cold and windy here btw-where the hell has summer gone to!!!). With the universities here, they tend to have only a few options for Masters conversion from a PhD. One would be where you haven't written enough for a PhD but certainly have enough for a smaller thesis which can be awarded a Masters.

If you have done some coursework units with your PhD, such as research units, etc...these also could be used for a Masters like the one I completed. My Masters was 50 percent course work and 50 percent thesis. Two units were on discrete topics or courses related to my general theme, two were research methods units that basically helped me outline the theme and methodology, the rest was thesis.

The current PhD Im enrolled in makes all candidates complete a Grad Cert of Research-concurrently-which allows postgrads to exit with the Grad Cert, even if they don't complete the thesis. Would your publications fit into these sorts of categories, where they could be rewritten a bit and submitted as a form of course work, even if they don't form a thesis on their own?

I hope you have managed to find someone helpful at your institution who can provide some good information or direct you to someone in the university who is helpful. It seems a harsh and tough thing to have to do- just to walk away. However, people here have done it before and sometimes they say later that it was all for the best. Not to say that it is easy to do- but some people have done it and then gone on to bigger and better things later on down the track.

Thanks Pjlu, for your positive words. I would hope that a publication and conference record at a post-doc level would do, and I am going to make enquiries. Unfortunately I didn't do any research modules on my supervisor's 'advice'. Oh what I wish I had known in hindsight.............!