Funded PhD without the right Masters?

[GogglyOne]

I've seen a studentship in a field that absolutely fascinates me on a personal level, let's say it's something to do with old artworks and restoration. They ask that you have an MA in art theory or art history.

What if you have an MA but not in anything remotely to do with that field? Is it a waste of time applying? I love this research project idea though!!!

You have nothing to lose by applying? Sometimes studentships are given because it is clear that the candidate has the passion and tenacity required

I can't speak for art but in science not all PhD students who are funded have masters, it's certainly not essential, but there's far more positions available (2 in ex's group alone annually (so has 6 students at any one time plus overseas)

if you dont apply then you dont succeed, if you apply and then you dont succeed then at least you tried

Is your undergrad degree in anything vaguely relevant? You have nothing to lose by applying but the supervisors will want to see evidence that you have an existing interest in the subject and some understanding about what will be involved.

@serialbunburyist has the right idea. A funded studentship is term limited, so the successful candidate needs to bring expertise as well as passion to the role.

In your example, if no one with a relevant MA applied and a candidate with a very strong relevant BA applied, this might conceivably be enough. But then I write as a scientist where, as @gotomomo says, we typically accept doctoral students from integrated Masters programmes.

Gently, all candidates will be expected to bring substantial documented background knowledge (good 2.1 degree at least) to have any chance. The funding body would look askance otherwise. If you do, I agree with PPs that you have nothing to lose.

PS. Degree in the relevant field, I mean. I agree that achieving a Master’s is of some relevance. That’s a separate question from background. Best wishes

In the arts it is vanishingly rare for someone to be accepted onto a PhD programme without a relevant masters. In the case of the subject the OP mentions, someone might be a credible candidate if, for example, they had strong curatorial experience. The supervisors will want to be assured that you have the underpinning methodological grounding and awareness for the project, not just enthusiasm. This is because PhD in the arts (even when it’s a collaborative project) is a much more independent / isolated endeavour than is the case in the sciences.

Thank you for your replies all. Both my undergrad and postgrad are in totally irrelevant fields, but I did get a 1st Hons for the undergraduate and a scholarship to do the MA so I feel like that shows I am academically able.
There's an email address for the research director, I think I'm going to go ahead and email them and ask whether it's appropriate for me to apply. I just love this topic and know I would do a great job working on it. However it hadn't occurred to me that the sticking point might be the funding body box ticking.

@GCAcademic
😔 Thanks for the wake-up call, I guess this is futile. I'll email anyway but yeah... Its just annoying as how are you meant to move away from your BA and MA subject? It's annoying to be siloed off into a subject you chose when you were 18!

You'd do a second degree in your new subject? (Paid by yourself generally bar some stem subjects)

Is there any connection? EG a chemistry background could be relevant.

It is possible to move into conservation from other backgrounds, eg https://www.westdean.ac.uk/degrees-and-diplomas/graduate-diploma-conservation-studies

Some general info here. https://www.icon.org.uk/careers.html

Academic here in a related area - I would encourage you to apply. Sometimes the applications for studentships like this are surprisingly weak. It's a long shot that you would get it, but worth a punt, I think.

I'm afraid I'd be a bit ho-hum about someone without up to date professional expertise applying for a PhD in that sort of field (I work in a cognate discipline). I doubt you'd have the necessary expertise to develop an appropriate research project, I'm afraid, unless you could demonstrate professional equivalence. Have you worked in the field of "old artworks and restoration".

Basically echoing @GCAcademic

the sticking point might be the funding body box ticking.

It's not the "box ticking" ! It's the respect for the expertise required to do a PhD in this specialist area. More than "I love the field." Just saying that you are "academically able" isn't enough for a PhD.

Are there Master’s level conversion courses in the field, OP? That isn’t the same thing as the MA level expertise required for this project, but if you truly love the field this would be a way to start moving towards it, at a quicker pace than UG studies allow.

Almost no one pins their hopes on one funded studentship. People pick a subfield that interests them and apply for several.

BTW I agree you sound very able. But ability and expertise are different. I can’t assess the question in the arts but in STEM it is inconceivable that we would consider someone without at least a very strong undergraduate degree in a subject for a funded studentship, unless they could present extraordinary circumstances and very strong letters of recommendation from trusted sources speaking to expertise. Even then they might be required to sit some type of exam(s).

If the advert for the studentship just caught your eye on a day when you were speculating about a different kind of life, I apologise for going too deeply into this.