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UK overtakes USA in student popularity
..."I also preferred the learning style in the UK, with small lectures coupled with student-led tutorials and seminars. I was able to have time with economists who were at the cutting-edge of their field"...
I also preferred the learning style in the UK, with small lectures coupled with student-led tutorials and seminars. I was able to have time with economists who were at the cutting-edge of their field, developing policies for central banks and other organizations offering me their research insight.”
A further element adding to the appeal of studying in the UK is the length of time it takes to complete either a UK Masters or PhD program. Most Masters offered in the UK are one year or less, while PhD programs are generally completed after three years of study. For those international students investing their own funds to meet their tuition and living costs, the attraction is obvious: finishing a Masters degree in half the time it takes for students to complete the same degree in the USA, Canada or in many European countries greatly reduces all of the related costs and means that entry to the world of work is a year earlier. With UK graduate degrees being regarded as of exactly the same academic standard and quality as their longer counterparts in other countries, this is certainly one of the most attractive features of studying in the UK.
But there is perhaps another, more significant, factor behind the increasing popularity of the UK as a study destination for international students. With the pressure of long-term skills shortages impacting on a number of sectors in the UK labour market, there is now a much stronger relationship between those students graduating from Masters and PhD programs and the world of work in the UK. Developments in Scotland and, more recently, in the rest of the UK have enabled more international students than ever before, to remain in the UK and work aftergraduation.
Launched by the Scottish Executive in 2004, the Fresh Talent initiative has already tempted 5,700 international students to stay in Scotland after graduation, many of whom have secured highly skilled positions in sectors as diverse as oil and gas production, finance, fine art preservation and biotechnology. Carrie Ann Anderson is one such student – a Masters graduate from the St Andrews University in Museum and Gallery Studies says: “I think the Fresh Talent initiative has helped level off the job situation for people coming from abroad. Some employers don’t want to be involved in obtaining a work permit but I have been lucky however because my area is a ‘shortage subject’ so there are more work opportunities and people are more likely to accept me.”
With a similar scheme – the International Graduates Scheme (IGS) - now being introduced throughout the UK, the opportunity to work after a Masters of PhD program has never looked more likely. Although the labour market continues to be competitive in the UK and particularly in London, an increasing number of students are securing employment, whether based on their performance in their graduate degree, the specific subject matter they have studied or under the terms of one of the UK Government’s new initiatives. The advantages for graduates are clear – the opportunity to gain vital work experience and earn a graduate-level salary add an attractive element to the overall pull of UK Masters and PhD degrees.
With a well-established university system and a reputation for quality and innovation, it’s easy to see why so many international students are putting the UK in first place as their study destination. Coupled with an exciting social and cultural life, shorter graduate programs and new opportunities for graduate employment, is there a better place to study for your Masters or PhD degree?
