Applying to PhD programs without a bachelors or masters thesis

[Owego]

I'm starting a masters program in Urban Planning next month My undergrad degree was in Sociology. My goal is to be "PhD Ready" by the the time I'm done with my masters. However, there is no thesis component to my masters degree. I also did not do a thesis as part of my bachelors. How badly is this going to hurt me in the long run when it comes time to apply to PhD programs? I am interested in Urban Planning and Demography if it makes a difference.

[nugget]

Are you allowed to apply to PhD programs without a master's thesis? Perhaps things run differently in Canada (as most grad programs begin at the master's level and then you apply again for a PhD).

 

When I recall looking at master's of education programs, the school websites stated that if students are interested in apply for a PhD they need to complete a master's program with a thesis and any master's program without a thesis is considered a terminal degree.

 

I would contact some schools you are interested in and ask about it.

[slouching]

Is there any way you could do an independent study as a part of your master's program? If you're not able to do a thesis, that might be something to look into. 

[MsDarjeeling]

It is largely going to depend on where you want to apply and their requirements/expectations for entrance.  You might want to contact them directly and inquire as I highly doubt you're the first ever student in this situation. 

 

Although I'm in a different field, my situation is similar and might help you.  When I was doing my BA in Psychology a thesis wasn't an option.  Two of my professors incorporated scaled down versions into their classes for those who wanted an extra challenge which I did, but I don't have *honors thesis* noted on any of my transcripts however. 

 

Now I'm in a Psychology Master's program that also doesn't have a thesis option.  Before I enrolled in the Master's program I did some research into the PhD programs I was considering to make sure I wasn't about to waste a whole lot of time and money.  What they told me was that without a thesis I'd need to have independent research experience and have an LOR from the professor that supervised me to discuss my ability to conduct research.  They didn't say that having a thesis was better or that not having one was worse, just that their interest was in the research experience that I had. 

 

So now in my Master's program I'm working with a professor who has a multi year funded project and she carved out 2 projects (one lit review and one empirical study) for me to do independently.  She's also going to help me prepare a poster or two for upcoming conferences nearby and has agreed to write me an LOR.  It's a ton of work and may not give me the *thesis* notation on my transcripts, but if I do well then I'll have demonstrated the skills that the PhD programs are seeking.