Referring to your previous post and the advices that were given, you probably should talk to student union or postgrad coordinator about your situation and seek advice. You had previously highlighted the conflicts between your supervisors and the lack of support from your head, so I have strong suspicion that you will have challenges even in with your appeal. You may have to accept to write up and finish with an MPhil asap and if you wish, start over elsewhere. But talk to your student union or postgrad coordinator first before making decision.

Persevere on. Finish the bloody thing and move on. It will be one of your best life's accomplishment. Imagine motivating your child one day "Mummy overcame bad people with you in my tummy. So mummy is strong. And you will be too"

Bad relationships with supervisor will not affect you especially if you pursue a career in non academia. So no worries there. I never used any of my supervisors in any of my job applications and I got them. Supervisor referral is so overrated.

Trust me. It gets better when you cross the finishing line. I had super bad supervisors (big bully, negligent) and academic life was horrendous. I dragged myself across the finishing line with my family and friends cheering me on. I had depression and still can't touch my thesis without palpitations. I absolutely enjoyed my convocation without inviting my supervisors and got my friend the special seat on the stage (meant for supervisors) while other students from adjacent labs looked puzzled at this bizarre arrangement. Oh the satisfaction!

Chin up and march on. If I can do it, so can you!

From what you have shared, I agree with pm133 that your supervisor (being the less experienced one) has been over-ruled by your co-supervisor (dean, super experienced and powerful). The inability to upgrade to PhD is a reflection of the dean's thoughts on your supervisor and his idea for your project -that it is not critical enough and not focus on details (ie below standard of PhD). It may not seem like it but it may be a good thing for you in the long run rather than having to suffer through a badly thought project.

Would you consider transferring to a different department and start again? The lack of chemistry between your two supervisors will most likely cause you grief in your academic journey.

Not sure why you posted twice but I am only replying to this post.

You have not given any detail on why you failed the MPhil upgrade. Was it the quality of the idea/project? Or perhaps the quality of your writing/proposal? Or did the examiners feel that you have not demonstrated the appropriate attitude or aptitude of a researcher? If it's the first two, it reflects badly on the supervisor. If it's the last one, it may be hard for you to change the mind of the examiners/school as they probably had input from your supervisor on this.

Talk to your student body or postgrad coordinator and see what they can do to help you. Since your supervisor is not on your side, it will be a tough battle. Read you postgrad handbook to know your student rights. On the flip side, do you really want to do your PhD under a supervisor who is seemingly unsupportive?

Congrats on getting your PhD. On your situation, I think it would be best to immediately look for a job and then when you get it, negotiate a start one month later so you can visit your family. Sometimes job search can take 6 months to one year, and you only have 8 months of visa left.

I would also like to point out at possible issues with your job search so you are prepared for them. 1) Visa - Companies may not be interested in sponsoring work visa. Do you have any way of applying for this or work permit on your own? 2) No work experience- companies value work experience above research publications or Phd qualification. Would it hurt your pride if you start at the bottom with other staff who are less academically qualified? Another option is to apply for Grad industrial postdoc position but there is an extremely small window of about one year after PhD for you to apply. These positions usually only open once a year with big companies so if you miss the intake, you have missed the boat. 3) Transition from academia to industry- This is usually not easy, but not impossible. Unfortunately, certain PhD holders have given us a bad name as being difficult, arrogant and not a team player, so companies can be a bit wary of hiring PhD grads. Just so you know.

Lastly, take everything with a pinch of salt. Your supervisors words are not absolute and you need to verify the truth. Understand that ppl may not have your best interest in mind, so you do need to be more aware and stand up for your self. Dry your tears, chin up and fight

All those communications has been through your supervisors. I suspect your supervisors have identified another student whom they want to replace you with. Anyway, write directly to your Graduate School and tell them about your being sick and ask then to give you an extension. Give them a call too. I suspect you may get very different message as students are allowed to take time off for being sick and yes,they will adjust d candidature milestone dates too. Read your student policy again do you have solid points to argue with. Don't tell your supervisor you are going directly to the Graduate School to enquire until after you got an answer.

If you have a valid reason, the uni normally would not reject your application. Just try applying and see how it goes.

Regarding generation of data, could you speak to your supervisor to see if there is anything he/she can do?Perhaps ask for the help of another student or technician or postdoc during these critical times? My concern though is that you are saying that you have insufficient data to even qualify for a masters at this very late stage. Do you know that you can have an entire chapter on method if you are establishing or optimizing a method? Try to talk to your supervisor or an experienced researcher to see what else could be used in your thesis. You may have more than you think.

If you do not get your 6 months extension, just submit your work as a PhD anyway. That way, no matter what happens, you will still leave with at least a masters.

Chin up and march on. Don't give up.

On your travel grant, just apply for it and see what happens. You should attend at least one conference, regardless of what your supervisor thinks, so just apply and if you get it, attend it.

Finish your PhD. You are very far along and near the finishing line. You can finish your PhD and then leave academia research. There is a huge world out there for fresh grad PhDs who wants to pursue non-academia careers. Like industrial postdocs position by pharmaceutical companies, data analyst, product development scientist, etc. So many possibilities. But finish your PhD first.

monkiaa, you have just described academia in its current state. Due to scarcity of grants, researchers are trying their absoulte best to publish and collaborate and yes they usually cite each other to get higher citation and online presence. And yes, any research field will be dominated by the few elite Profs whom many are trying to be in good books with, in order to survive in their career.

Gone are the days where researchers can study anything they like to advance knowledge. These days, they need to get in line with the latest hype (specific topics where grants are normally awarded) and take care of themselves and their staff and students. The pursuit of knowledge is wonderful, but unfortunately this requires money/grants which are very limited.

To say these researchers are hypocrite is too much. They are only trying to survive. I know that you have been through a lot but I believe you must open your eyes to the current state of academia rather than live in a world of ideals. Perhaps now as you are searching for a new PhD you may have more time to think if you wish to join this broken world of academia or maybe you are better off working in the industry.

What do you mean you de tracked from your main research area? Did you work on an unrelated research away from your PhD?

You also went against your supervisor's recommendation on not going for viva and downgrading to master. It is natural that he doesn't speak to you. You can either somehow apologise and downgrade to master as he suggested or go solo and hope for the best. Is there anyone else you can talk to? Postdoc or research fellow?

There is no direct yes or no answer to your question. Rather, it all depends on the competition that you face. If many applicants have finished on time with high GPAs and apply for the same funding as you and there are limited positions, then you should expect that they wil be first choice and you will be considered only after them.