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After completing your undergraduate degree, you might want to proceed further to strengthen your knowledge and skills. It can also be a path if you want to take on a new direction. The postgraduate degree is an ideal investment that will help you reach your dreams. With a postgraduate degree, your employability is enhanced and you will be intellectually enriched. It is a preparation for a PhD and gives you potential to study a new subject.
Requirements
To be eligible for a postgraduate degree, you should have a qualification comparable to a UK undergraduate degree, usually to 2:1 standard or higher. It requires that you have skills and knowledge of your discipline. Moreover, you must be enthusiastic about your field. A programme usually requires you to have relevant work experience, especially if your first degree is in another topic. You should show and support all these in your personal statement.
Application Deadline
Do not wait until the last day to apply. You need time to sort out your finances, accommodation, travel arrangements and, if you are an international student, your visa. If your chosen course starts in September 2016, you will need to apply by June or July. It is advisable to apply at least around six months in advance. That would be March for courses that start in September or October.
International students who apply for funding from organisations in their country should allow five months or more to make sure that they are able to complete proof of finance during the application stage. Everybody should check with their course provider because different courses start at different times of the year.
Two Modes
Postgraduate study can be either taught or research-based. It can take you one year if you do it full-time or two years if you are part-time. Some master’s can take three or more years.
Taught Master’s
A taught master’s postgraduate study is for students who like to learn through classes and seminars. Teaching can be through lectures, classes, or supervised group work. Assessments can include examinations, essays, dissertations or team activities.
Taught master’s degrees are usually known as Master of Arts (MA) or Master of Science (MSc). Others are Master of Music (Mmus), Master of Orthodontics (MOrth) or Master of Laws (LLM). They include some research but the emphasis is on learning by teaching.
A university’s taught master’s course can have a different set of content, structure and assessment from that of another university. To make that best decision for yourself, check course descriptions carefully.
Tuition Fees
Tuition fees depend on course topic and university ranking. Yearly tuition for UK and EU students is around £5,000 – £19,000 for full-time and around £2,750 – £10,000 for part-time. They are higher for very specialist courses in high-ranking universities, especially that they assist top-paid careers like in global finance, for example. Most average courses cost £5,000 – £7,000. For students from outside the EU, tuition fee for full-time study is around £15,000 to £16,000 and part-time is £2,750 – £11,000.
Master’s by Research
The master’s by research is for students who prefer independent study. You will be assessed based on academic judgement of your research and an oral exam. You will be trained in research methods and do a substantial research project. The latter is a work which requires skill in setting objectives, fact finding, analysis and interpretation. Your output must contribute something unique and helpful to the body of knowledge and though of your topic in which you specialise.
The master’s by research is a good preparation for a PhD. It is usually a requirement for getting funding for a PhD. It can help you get into research work that does not require a PhD. Depending on your chosen subject, master’s by research are usually called MRes programmes or sometimes MSc by Research, MA by Research or Master of Philosophy (MPhil).
Requirements, Start Date and Completion Time
To be admitted to a master’s by research, you need to have a good first degree which is usually a grade 2:1 or higher and often it should be in a relevant area. It usually starts in September. Completing the master’s by research usually take 18 months if done full-time. Doing it part-time can take you three years or more.
Tuition Fees
Tuition fees for master’s by research are usually lower than that of taught master’s because they involve fewer teaching costs. Yearly tuition fee can be as low as £4,000 on the average for full-time courses; part-time study cost can be half. If your course is laboratory-based, you will pay more. Students from outside the UK, especially those from outside the EU, will be usually charged more than £13,000. Overall, tuition fees vary depending on the course topic and university ranking.
Evaluate, Decide and Plan
As postgraduate degrees, the taught and research masters are options you can take to further raise your qualifications for better career opportunities or the next academic level which is the PhD. Now you know the estimated tuition fees for full-time and part-time study and other requirements, you can plan how to prepare what is needed and get your master’s degree.
