UK Masters Programs: Two Year Or Not Two Year

For some, that is the question.

If you’re looking at masters programs that vary in length, do some detective work and find out the value of the extra time and cost. I got an email from a friend in the US asking about 1vs 2 year UK masters programs and it turns out there’s a few pros and cons on either side.

Let’s discuss.

What makes UK Masters Programs different

UK masters programs tend to be a bit hands-off, I mean mainly in teaching style. You really need to be proactive and motivated to get the most out of a course here as I’ve found that more often than not, you’ll get a list of suggested reading and get sent on your way. It’ll be up to your lecturers for the level of engagement in the classroom, but on the whole, the burden of progress in UK masters programs is put mostly on the student. Because of this, a one-year program might not be enough for some students really wishing to sink their teeth into their area of study.

2nd year programs can sometimes be focused on placement, capstone projects and practical experience. If you’re looking for a program with one of these options and the university is in charge of finding the placements, you can probably expect to be put into a really worthwhile project that you can leverage as experience on your CV. Though this will come at a hefty pricetag… I did some digging into the programs that were in question when I was being asked for some advice and the two year program at a top London university ran just over £20,000 per year.

The UK student visa

Now, I’m not sure if you have the same kind of budget as I do, but I certainly need to think twice before recommending someone spend an extra £20,000 on an internship-esque placement. Truthfully, you can find your own internship to supplement your one-year program if you were thrusting enough as you can work part-time on a UK student visa.

You’ll need to consider this carefully because the UK border agency has done something very tricky the UK student visa, so if you’re planning to stay in the UK after your program, you won’t find the luxury of the old days when post-study work visas were around. Now, you’ll need to hold a job offer for a tier 2 sponsorship after graduating, meaning (if I understand correctly) you’ll need to jump into a job that earns you more than £20,000 a year.

Because of this lack of UK student visa padding, it kind of would be nice to be in a placement that could either possibly lead into permanent roles or have some UK specific experience on your CV/Resume so that when you hunt for jobs after turning in your papers, you’ll have something on hand to talk about in interviews.

So if you’ve been keeping tally on UK masters programs, it’s one year programs: good value for money, need to be pro-active with finding internship, be ok with short course length for covering topics… and the two year programs: more depth, more expensive, possibly better chance of placement afterwards depending on your 2nd year internship, or if you don’t plan to stay in the UK after graduation, it’ll extend your study visit.

There’s things to consider, so consider them well! And remember, if you’re non-EU, you’ll need to prove you have funds for living costs when applying for your UK student visa… this means you’ll need to take out a chunk extra in your loans or have your family set aside some cash so that you can take your year or two and focus on studying. You can work 20 hours a week once you’re here, but they’ll want to see that you’re not going to come over and have to rely on working full-time illegally!