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Postgraduate study in the UK
University education in the UK has come a long way since teaching was first delivered in an Oxford college in the 12th century. In the intervening 900 years a few of those original academics have retired and a further 170 institutions, many of them at the cutting edge of academic teaching and research, have been established, offering students literally thousands of postgraduate programmes.
"The vast range of subjects available means that whatever your interest, the UK’s higher education institutions are sure to have a postgraduate programme that’s right for you."
University education in the UK has come a long way since teaching was first delivered in an Oxford college in the 12th century. In the intervening 900 years a few of those original academics have retired and a further 170 institutions, many of them at the cutting edge of academic teaching and research, have been established, offering students literally thousands of postgraduate programmes. Postgraduate study represents the most advanced level of education in the UK and is split into two types; taught courses leading to degrees such as Master of Arts (MA), Master of Science (MSc), and Master of Laws (LLM), and research dominated courses, leading to Master of Philosophy (MPhil) or Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) qualifications. These programmes are available across the entire range of academic disciplines and have always been popular, but never more so than today. Postgraduate student numbers in the UK have risen from 363,572 in 1996/97 to 469,850 in 2001/02, with many international students taking advantage of the strength of UK educational opportunities in this area. In 2000/01 14,000 new doctorates were awarded, along with 72,000 other higher degrees. The vast range of subjects available means that whether your interest is in Animal and Microbial Sciences, International Cinema, Weapon and Vehicle Systems, or, conceivably, something else altogether, the UK’s higher education institutions are sure to have a postgraduate programme that’s right for you.
A taught master’s degree can serve a number of different purposes and offers many benefits. You can study a subject in depth that you have taken and enjoyed at degree level, extending your analytical and critical capabilities, or you can use it as research training, laying the foundations for more advanced work in a specialised field. A master’s degree programme could serve as a conversion course from your degree subject, allowing you to acquire a different set of skills or knowledge at a much higher level. Alternatively, it might facilitate your desire to obtain a better job or enter a new career.
"A master’s degree programme could serve as a conversion course from your degree subject, allowing you to acquire a different set of skills or knowledge at a much higher level. Alternatively, it might facilitate your desire to obtain a better job or enter a new career."
A research degree takes your keen interest in a particular area to its ultimate conclusion. You’ll be expected to initiate and develop your chosen topic under the supervision of one, or possibly two, academics, and to be successful you will need to demonstrate intellectual independence, advanced critical thinking skills and a complete command of the research techniques you will need to utilise on a day to day basis. A PhD offers the chance to undertake a substantial piece of supervised work that is worthy of publication and that makes an original contribution to knowledge in a particular field.
So why are so many students choosing a graduate programme at a UK institution? There are several explanations for this, with structure, quality, cost and reputation foremost amongst them. Importantly, the majority of UK masters programmes are only a year long, or two years when undertaken on a part-time basis. Taught masters programmes are therefore both intensive and demanding - it is usual for students to be examined just once during their year of study! As a taught postgraduate student you will attend classes and lectures, do a great deal of independent reading and/or experimental work between classes, complete regular written or practical assignments, and write a substantial dissertation.
