Conditional offer: MSc diploma?

[jethro]

Hey guys,

I am wondering what happens to PhD offer if one fails to complete master's degree? I am currently doing my master's and have failed a course which means it won't be possible for me to get my degree on time. In February I have 3 on-site interviews and I think I have a good chance for at least one of them.  

Did anybody have a similar situation? Does it mean I won't be offered admission even if my interviews go well? I know for master's degree schools can make conditional offers like above a certain GPA or something but I haven't heard of anything similar for PhD offers.Since schools accept students straight out of undergrad I am trying to be optimistic.

I would be glad if someone who got accepted to PhD while doing master's could tell me the documents requested from them for registration to graduate school in USA.

Thanks!

[fuzzylogician]

It depends on the school and possibly the field. I was in the first year of a two-year masters program when I applied and got into several PhD programs in the US. Once I'd settled on a program, I talked to them about whether or not they would mind if I didn't complete the masters (there would have been a way for me to work very hard and finish the entire two-year degree in one year, but it wouldn't have been any fun). They said they wouldn't really care one way or the other. I ended up "freezing" my masters, just in case, but I never went back to finish it. I've since graduated with my PhD and not once has anybody asked about my masters program. It's on my CV as "Masters studies in XXX" in a way that makes clear that I didn't get the degree, but it's never caused me any trouble. As I recall, I didn't need to present any documents of any kind to register; they already had my undergrad transcript, and I don't think they asked for anything else that's relevant here. So, the moral of the story -- you're going to have to ask your programs if and when it becomes relevant.