The undergraduate degree as the basis for postgraduate study

It is safe to assume that you now know that an undergraduate degree is usually the first level of study you can undertake at a university. On successful completion you are awarded a Bachelor’s degree, most commonly Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Science (BSc) or a protected, specialist title such as Bachelor of Laws (LLB) or Bachelor of Medicine (MB). There are some slight distinctions within undergraduate degrees (foundation, ordinary and honours) but they are all undergraduate or first degrees. Once you have successfully completed your undergraduate degree, you can progress onto a higher level. It is worth noting that some postgraduate courses will consider an applicant without a first degree. This is more common on vocational courses where relevant work experience counts for a lot.

Higher-level degrees: Masters and Doctoral

Academic and professional Masters

A Masters degree can be designed as an academic programme, which allows you to study your chosen subject in more detail and depth, e.g. French Studies or Violence and Conflict. It might also be designed to satisfy a professional body’s requirements for a qualifying examination, e.g. Architecture. Or it could be a programme of advanced study, with the possibility of researching an area of professional practice for qualified professionals who want a higher degree, e.g. Renewable Energy and the Built Environment. Some subjects are offered as a four-year programme, where students spend the first three years getting their first degree, and on successful completion progress onto their Masters, e.g. Civil Engineering courses leading to a Master of Engineering (MEng).

If you are thinking of a professional career, check what qualifications you need with the relevant professional body. They usually list courses they have approved.

Postgraduate Certificate and Postgraduate Diploma

Studying at Masters level can also lead to the award of a Postgraduate Diploma or a Postgraduate Certificate. A diploma course typically takes one academic year studying full-time and a Postgraduate Certificate typically takes one term studying full-time, which equates to one academic year if you study part-time. Postgraduate Diplomas and Certificates are frequently awarded for programmes of study that are approved by a professional body. This means that, on completion of that programme, students will have reached a level of competence, making them equipped for professional practice. For example, the Postgraduate Diploma in Information Management at the University of Strathclyde is recognised by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals.

Higher degrees can be academic or vocational/professional. Study at Masters level can lead to the award of Masters degree, Postgraduate Diploma or Postgraduate Certificate.

Doctoral degrees: research and taught (professional) doctorates

European doctorate

A European doctorate can be awarded where part of the research has taken place in another country, and where the examiner team spans more than one EU country.

Doctoral-level degrees can be research-based, taught or a combination of both. Those with a substantial taught element are professional doctorates. Some professions demand a taught doctorate in order to be included on the register and practise in that profession.

Full-time or part-time?

You can see that there are several different types of postgraduate programmes to choose from. They can be offered in two attendance modes: full-time and part-time. Any course will have a mixture of teaching delivery and self-directed learning. Full-time courses might require attendance most days of the week or only a couple of days. This often depends on the nature of the subject studied: Engineering and Science degrees need you to put a lot of time into laboratory work, which obviously can only be done in the university. Art and Design courses also demand long hours in the studio, which could be done at home but is more likely to be done on campus. You will need to check with individual courses how much attendance is required; you can’t assume that all full-time courses have the same classroom hours. Courses that lead to professional qualification will require practice or placement hours that can take up several weeks each semester. So the decision to study full-time might be made for you if the programme you want is only offered in full-time mode. Once you start to look at the courses on offer, you’ll get a feel for what can be studied flexibly and what must be studied full-time.

Full-time study normally expects attendance on several days each week, with significant self-directed study.

Part-time study might involve only one day of teaching per week, along with self-directed work to be undertaken by you during the week.

On campus, at a distance or online?

There are also three recognised ways of teaching a programme, sometimes called ‘modes of delivery’. They are: campus-based, distance-learning or online learning. You may already be familiar with these distinctions from your undergraduate course.

Campus programmes are based at the university. You will meet your lecturers and tutors face to face and they will deliver lectures in person.

Distance learning programmes do not necessarily involve any attendance at university. Teaching is delivered through module guides or study handbooks, which can be in print or accessible online. Tutorials are delivered by email, phone or online.

Online programmes make extensive use of information communication technology for teaching and learning. These include: virtual learning environments; online teaching materials; video and podcasts; discussion boards; wikis; facilitated chatrooms, and forums. Tutorials are delivered by: email; phone; video conference, or Skype.

Blurring distinct modes of study

Th ese clear distinctions do get blurred in practice, particularly as developments in new technology and mobile communication make it ever easier to pick up online materials. It is true that a student on an online programme might never set foot on campus, but it is equally entirely possible that they do visit from time to time and might arrange to meet a tutor if that is mutually convenient. By the same token, a student studying on campus may well pick up a pod- or videocast of a lecture, or access online teaching and learning materials in a virtual learning environment. It can also be a really interesting peer learning experience to invite a mix of students (online, distance, part- and full-time) to participate in a facilitated online chat, or to contribute to a discussion forum, as this can lead to a powerful mix of experience and insight.

Lecturers are making greater use of mixed media. Even if you’re an on-campus student, check out online material for your modules, e.g. podcasts or films posted by your tutors.

Study in the United Kingdom or venture abroad?

Language of instruction can be English, even in Europe

You would normally be expected to have sufficient fluency in the language of instruction (i.e. the language in which the postgraduate course is taught and examined) before you are admitted onto a study programme. However, if your language levels are not yet sufficient to cope with postgraduate study, you can follow our brilliant example of someone studying in the United States, where the language of instruction was no problem.

Even across Europe, you can find a way across the language barrier because many postgraduate programmes are offered in English. This is particularly so where the programme wants to attract a range of students of different nationalities, which means English can be used as the common language. Examples of this would include the Master of Business Administration (MBA) offered at the Copenhagen Business School in Denmark, or at the University of Oulu in northern Finland. Doctoral-level programmes are also offered in English medium, e.g. PhD Chemistry and Materials Technology at the Tomas Bata University in the Czech Republic or PhD in Strategic Information Systems Analysis at the Open University of Switzerland. A growing number of UK universities have overseas campuses, e.g. Nottingham in Malaysia and Heriot Watt in Dubai. This allows you to study for a UK degree, delivered in English, whilst living abroad. Even if your foreign language level is modest at the start of a postgraduate programme, by virtue of living overseas, you will have plenty of chance to develop it. Choosing to study abroad would also help you develop a wider perspective, which could be of interest to employers when you look for work. Take a look at Chapter 4 ‘The global graduate’ for more on this.

	Increasingly, employers will look for some more interesting skills; things like cultural sensitivity and what makes a global graduate. Sometimes you have to go sideways to get to where you want to be.
	Carl Gilleard, Chief Executive, Association of Graduate Recruiters

Because you really enjoy your subject

Intellectual curiosity and deep enjoyment of your subject are both important drivers if you are thinking of an academic degree. If you are thinking of a research degree, either MPhil initially or PhD eventually, they are both absolutely essential. On a research degree, you are going to study one small aspect of one specialist area of one discipline. Just look back at our brilliant example: Sam studied Psychology, took an option in Biological Psychology, which narrowed into Comparative Psychology and focused on non-human primates, which led her to work on the behaviour of squirrel monkeys. Once you have narrowed your own focus to your own research inquiry, you are then going to work for 12 months solid at the very least to reach Masters level. If you continue to PhD, you will be working on it for another two years full-time, and perhaps for several years if you study part-time. Your interest is what will pull you through, month after month, perhaps year after year. If you just feel very strongly that you want to delve further into your specialist area, don’t worry if this seems irrational: it’s probably a good sign.

Because it’s the main route to a career as either lecturer or researcher

If you are drawn to a career as a lecturer in higher education or a researcher, you will need to get a doctoral-level qualification, probably a PhD. There are some exceptions to this, but they really are the exceptions to the rule. Most universities now, when advertising for a lecturer or researcher post, will expect you either to have been awarded your doctorate or to be very far advanced, with perhaps only weeks to go before you formally complete your doctoral degree. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to go straight from being at school to being an undergraduate to being a doctoral student to being a lecturer. You might undertake doctoral study as a mature student, perhaps even part-time while you are working. This is by no means unusual and would not be viewed adversely by selection panels. But you will still need to secure the doctorate in order to secure a sustainable career in higher education.

Because entry to a profession demands an M-level qualification

Some jobs, particularly professional jobs, demand a postgraduate qualification. These professional (sometimes called vocational) courses are awarded by universities, but can also be recognised by professional bodies. Professional bodies set standards and regulate practitioners. Examples include the Institution of Civil Engineers or the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. So you are awarded a postgraduate degree which can also give you access to a profession and licence to practise as a named professional. It is important to check (with the professional body) whether you need to have a recognised qualification, and then to check (with the university) whether the course you want has got professional body accreditation.

Thomas, our next brilliant example, completed a law degree and did a relevant academic Masters programme before undertaking the course required by the professional body as the first part of training to be a barrister.

Because M-level qualifications give you leverage in the labour market

You’ll realise by now that we use ‘leverage’ to mean gaining the necessary skills and know-how that enable you to move to a better job. Taking a Masters-level qualification can be the transition from one occupation to another. This can be within the same occupational sector, but extending your professional repertoire, e.g. an architect taking a course in Renewable Energy in the Built Environment. This can be to facilitate a move between two related occupational sectors, e.g. from mental health nursing to psychoanalyst. Or it can be a career change to something completely different, e.g. from laboratory technician to librarian. The training might be a requirement to practise in the new occupation, or it might help to formalise a particular interest within your own professional domain, as this example shows.

Because you can develop specialist know-how for niche sectors

You can use a Masters degree not only as an academic qualification, but also as a time-limited space in which you will develop know-how that will put you in a better position for getting into very specialist or niche sectors. Some Masters programmes, particularly in the creative industries, will build in a lot of time for you to develop your own professional repertoire: some creative writing programmes, for example. On many specialist Masters, the university lecturers will make great efforts to bring in specialist lecturers from the relevant industry. Indeed, your lecturers themselves may well be practising in their industry. So, as well as extending your knowledge and understanding, you are given privileged access to valuable contacts within your chosen field. You need to be proactive here. Access and opportunities are very much the start of the story. It is up to you to seize chances and do everything you can to make the most of them. Networking is particularly important here, so have a look at Chapter 1 ‘Accessing job opportunities’, which gives you practical help on how to network.

Because now is a good time

We have seen that you don’t need to take a Masters qualification immediately on completion of your first degree, and we already know that not everyone starts an undergraduate career immediately after leaving school, so M-level qualifications can be taken at any stage in your career or, indeed, at any stage in your life.

Do undertake postgraduate study because

you’re passionate about your subject;

you want to gain access to a profession;

you want to progress in your sector;

you want to move into a new sector;

you are at a point in your life where you have time.

Don’t undertake postgraduate study because

you’ve no idea what else to do;

you want to put off starting your career;

your mates are doing it;

your tutors think your talents would be wasted on the job market.

Be clear about why you want to study beyond an undergraduate degree

The earlier section in this chapter has explained that postgraduate degrees can meet a range of different demands: to satisfy intellectual curiosity; to satisfy professional body requirements; to help you break into a niche sector; or to prepare you for a career in higher education. Once you have clarified what it is you want to get out of postgraduate study, you can focus your search on the appropriate type of course.

Work out where you want to do your postgraduate study

Do you have a free choice of where you want to study? Perhaps you are constrained in terms of location, because of family commitments or housing arrangements. Before you restrict your search to a very limited geographical area, look at online or distance programmes. Or check out just how much attendance is required on campus: could you manage to stay overnight just for the study days?

If you do have the luxury of free choice, make the most of it! When compared to other segments of the labour force, graduates are more likely to move around for their jobs and graduate employers are more likely to expect them to relocate. So now is your chance to try living in another place or even another country.

How to find out more

Ask people what they think: tutors, postgraduates, online contacts

Obviously, universities want to attract the best talent, so the course information they publish shows things in the best possible light. You can probe beneath the surface by asking people what they really think. Your tutors may have a view, so ask them about a programme’s reputation. What do they think of the people who teach on the course? If your tutors are themselves qualified professionals, what advice would they give about where to study? Do what we did, and ask people who have undertaken postgraduate programmes. You can start this in your own department by finding out who the postgrads are and asking them about their courses. (Don’t worry, they don’t usually bite!) You can also make use of social networking sites to post questions and learn from other people’s experience. See Chapter 1 ‘Accessing job opportunities’ if you need help getting started on social networking sites.

Go and visit

As you may know from your undergraduate experience, universities run open days where you meet students and tutors from the courses on offer, and have a look at the facilities. One of the very best things about physically going to a university open day is that you get a feel for it. So it may be a bit inconvenient, and it may cost you money to get there, but going to an open day is always worth it. Even if you come away convinced it is not the right course or location for you, you are better informed, which is definite progress in your decision making, even if it doesn’t feel like it at the time.

Of course, it may not be practical for you to visit the campus, especially if it is overseas. You can still interact with students there, but online rather than in person. See if there is a webcam or a 360-degree tour. Or maybe you could Skype someone there to get a feel for the location.

Questions to ask:

• What kind of jobs did last year’s completers go on to?
• Do you have any links with the industry/profession?
• How much time will I spend in lectures and tutorials?
• How much self-directed study should I expect to do?
• What makes this course different from others?
• What kind of specialist teaching space do you offer?

People who can advise you

Tutors on your undergraduate programme can be helpful; remember that they probably had to go through the same process themselves. Admissions tutors on postgraduate courses are also a very good source of information and, as it is in their interests to get funded students on their courses, they are likely to be helpful.

Grants, loans and bursaries

Funding can be in the form of grants, bursaries or loans. Grants and bursaries are where the money online is given to you and you don’t need to pay it back. You will, however, have to satisfy the conditions attached to the grant: if the grant expects you to complete the postgraduate course successfully, you’ll need to do just that. Loans, however, do need to be repaid and the repayments will be with interest, so you end up paying back more than the amount you borrowed. Graduate Prospects produces an annual guide to postgraduate funding which comes out in September. This is an invaluable starting point, and you would do well to access this online at www.prospects.ac.uk at the very start of the academic year before the year you hope to start your postgraduate course.

Access the Graduate Prospects annual online publication: The Postgraduate Funding Guide. Published in September, www.prospects.ac.uk.

Funding yourself: combining study with employment

All of these sources of advice will merely signpost you; it is very much up to you to track down sources and follow up leads and, if you don’t do it, it is unlikely that anybody else will do it for you. This section will outline all the sources of funding that might be open to you. A further alternative is to fund yourself, perhaps by mixing part-time study with part-time work. Official statistics show that about half of postgraduate students do this. The problem here being that you will need to find the balance between these two competing demands on your time and brain power. One good way forward is to find employment that enhances your area of study, for example working as a lab or teaching assistant if you are doing doctoral study, or doing sessional youth work if you are studying youth work.

Be resilient and resourceful

For most people, accommodation is their biggest single expenditure. Rather than looking for sufficient funding to pay rent, could you find some way of getting a rent reduction or even a job with accommodation? Perhaps you could be a warden in a university hall of residence if you are a postgraduate student, or maybe you could ask family or friends to let you have a room rent free in exchange for helping around the house. The chances are that you will end up stitching together a patchwork of funding to get you through. Resilience and resourcefulness come into play when funding postgraduate study. If you find you are getting disheartened, remember that many people before you have somehow found a way, and so can you.

Sources of funding for postgraduate study

Postgraduate loans

Loans of up to £10,000 per student for postgraduate study are available through the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS). It is non-means tested and is paid directly to the student.

Check out what loans are currently on offer. Banks can withdraw or launch new products, and schemes using public money can be subject to change of government policy.

Dates and deadlines

Some postgraduate courses run to strict deadlines by which applications must be received. You need to check if this applies to your chosen programme and, if it does, you must be sure to get your application in on time or it simply will not be considered. You’ll need to give yourself enough time to work through your application so you don’t have to rush to meet the deadline.

Even if programmes don’t publish a deadline, if an admissions tutor has received sufficient good applicants to fill the available spaces, they may well stop making offers (conditional or unconditional) and start a waiting list. This means you’ll get a place on the course only if someone who is holding an offer of a place turns it down. So it is better to apply early than to risk the course filling up without you.

Personal statement

Make sure that your personal statement shows that you have got what they are looking for: go back to the course literature and see what they say about the kind of student they want. You will need to show motivation, ideally by including examples of how that motivation has shown through already. You will also need to show ability to study at postgraduate level: this includes the ability to write effectively, so take care to structure your work and to check spelling and grammar are correct.

Referees

You will need to provide references. For postgraduate courses, it is usual to request two referees, both of them academic. You will need to talk to your referees and get their agreement before you include their names on your application. You need to be clear with them that this is an academic reference, which means you are going to need to approach people who can actually comment on your academic ability. This might be your personal tutor, a tutor from your first couple of years’ study, or your final-year dissertation supervisor, but should include someone who is familiar with your academic record right now. If it has been a while since you have been studying, this can be difficult. However, you will need to try to find someone who can comment on your ability. This might mean going back to your last place of study, even if that is some time ago. Or you could use someone more recent, but they will need to say something about your potential for postgraduate study based on their observation and judgement. It is helpful here if your referee has personal experience of postgraduate study, so they can use their understanding of what postgraduate study demands to inform their judgement of your potential to achieve a postgraduate degree.

Make sure you have two academic referees. Both should be able to comment on your potential to achieve a postgraduate degree. If you have been out of study for a long time so can’t readily locate an academic referee, try to find someone who has personal experience of studying at postgraduate level, even if they are not a tutor.

Applying even if you don’t have a first degree

You don’t necessarily need to have a first (undergraduate) degree in order to be accepted onto a postgraduate course. Vocational degrees have a long and noble tradition of taking on people with relevant work experience. However, in addition to that experience, you will need to show that you have the capacity to achieve at a higher level of study. So it is important to showcase any steps you have taken to increase your knowledge and know-how in the field of study. This may have been practical experience, but may also have been through work-shadowing a professional, or doing some work experience or volunteering in the field. Your written work will be very important in making a first impression, so do spend time on your application form and get someone to have a look at it and give you constructive feedback. That can be nerve-racking, but better to get feedback from someone so you can improve it before you send the application off unchecked and not even get invited to interview for a place on the course.

Applying without a ‘good’ degree

A ‘good’ degree means a first class or upper second class honours degree. Research degrees normally demand a good degree as a minimum for entry. Whilst it is possible to be offered a place on a research degree without a good first degree, it is very unusual. Don’t despair if you can’t go immediately from undergraduate to research degree because of this hurdle. You can go step by step; by progressing from undergraduate to postgraduate degree and from there to doctoral-level study. It takes longer, but that time allows you to develop your scholarly performance, which will stay with you for the rest of your learning days, so it is never time wasted.

Applying to jobs once you have your postgraduate qualification

If everything goes right, you’ll get a place on the postgraduate course you want, and you’ll make a brilliant success of it. And, before you know it, you’ll be making applications yet again, this time for a job. Present your postgraduate studies as a thought-through career choice, not the result of procrastination, or a reluctance to enter the world of work. Check back through earlier parts of this chapter for good, positive reasons for choosing postgraduate study. Show the employer very clearly what you yourself have gained through your postgraduate study. It should have enhanced your skillset and mindset (if that means nothing to you, have a look at Chapter 2) and so you are offering added value to the employer. Be confident: you have travelled further for having undertaken higher-level study.

• Make sure you have a positive reason for going on to postgraduate study.
• Choose a course that plays to your personal strengths and circumstances.
• Consider studying outside the UK.
• Don’t worry in what order to apply for a place and to apply for funding: the important thing is to apply early.
• Be resourceful and resilient in funding your postgraduate study.
• You’ll need an academic reference, so talk to your tutor about your plans.
• Be positive in selling your postgraduate qualification to an employer; it should add value to you both.