jtbell
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I find it hard to believe that a school would refuse to award you a master's after you've completed the requirements for one, simply because you're (still) in a PhD program. Although I suppose anything is possible at some school or other.CrysPhys said:For most of the top schools, you can't apply for a terminal master's. The only way you get a terminal master's from those schools is to (a) apply for and be accepted into a PhD program, (b) complete the requirements for a master's, and (c) not complete the requirements for a PhD.
While I was in the physics PhD program at Michigan many years ago, I simply filed for a master's degree, in the physics department office, after I had completed the required number of courses. I figured I might as well pick up that sheepskin just in case. At least one of my grad-student friends never bothered with this, and ended up with just a PhD. Of course, if he had decided to "bail out" of the PhD, like some of our other grad-student friends did, he could have picked up the master's at that point.
I even went to the degree ceremony for my master's, which was combined with the undergraduates in May. It was the only time I've ever been in Michigan's basketball arena.
