Bypass masters and get PhD instead

[innen_oda]

I remember reading way back some article on this.

Is it possible? 

Have only capstone left to complete and then on to graduate programs.
At first wanted to get a grad certificate if it is worth having. With only 12 credits feels doable. But I remembered reading of students bypassing the masters and wondered how it can be done.

Seagull, sorry you got such bad advice in this thread.

In the UK (and Australia), 'bypassing' a master degree is quite typical and wouldn't even raise an eyebrow. (In fact, it wouldn't even be seen as 'bypassing'; rather, the master pathway is bypassing the typical route, for those without the grades for honours.)

Bachelor degrees are generally 3 years. Honours is 1 year. Master degrees are 1-2 years. PhDs are . . . well, however long it takes you.

So if you want to do a PhD, you have two main options:
Bachelor + honours. (3 years plus 1 year)
Bachelor + masters. (3 years plus 1-2 years)

The honours pathway is more competitive because it's generally more respected (or perhaps it's the other way around!). Getting into a master's degree is a little bit easier, particularly if you stuff up a bit during your undergrad years and don't have the GPA necessary (grad certs and grad dips are frequently open to anyone with an bachelor degree, for example).

Remember that US undergrad degrees and UK undergrad degrees are quite different in structure. In the UK, your bachelor is 3 years of full specialisation in the subject matter (with a few elective subjects), while in the US, the first two years are gen eds, and then 'only' two years of specialised study. So where Americans are doing specialisation in their Masters, much of the rest of the Anglo world has done that specialisation already in their honours undergrad.