 The "Master of Philosophy" (MPhil) is a research degree awarded for the completion of a thesis, with the title being reserved for "extended master's courses that typically involve a substantial element of research or equivalent enquiry".It is a shorter version of the PhD and some universities routinely enter potential PhD students into the MPhil programme and allow them to upgrade to the full PhD programme a year or two into the course.Advanced candidates for a taught postgraduate Master's sometimes undertake the MPhil as it is considered a more prestigious degree, but it may also mean that the student could not afford or could not complete the full PhD.