MS/PHD program in EE but quit after MS degree

[abc_leafs]

I am thinking about enrolling MS/phD program in Electrical Engineering. Is it ok to quit or leave after receiving your MS degree? I heard some schools or professors don't allow you to do that or else they won't grant you the MS degree. Is that true?

Is quitting after MS a common practise? How much risk do I have for not getting my MS degree? Thanks for your apply!

[noojens]

You're under no legal obligation to finish your PhD, but most people would consider it poor form to let a professor or institution fund you for two years of a master's program (an investment in your skills so that you're competent to conduct research) and then leave without giving anything back (i.e. your PhD research).

IMO if you only want the master's degree you should apply to terminal masters programs, but to each their own.

[twocosmicfish]

There are two issues with doing this:

First, under what circumstances do they grant the MS? Some schools award it during PhD study, such that every student gets to the the point where they have MS in hand and could conceivably bail. Some schools award it only if certain non-mandatory circumstances are met - a thesis, usually. A few only award it if you drop out - ECE at MIT being a notable example. If you want to go this route, you want to know how hard it will be to get the degree you want before or as you leave.

Second, how much do you need the goodwill of the faculty? If you are perceived as having lied to them, getting PhD funding whilst secretly only a masters student, then you need to expect that they will speak poorly of you when asked. Will you need a reference from them at any point?