What is a Postgraduate or Masters degree?
A postgraduate or masters course in the UK follows the successful completion of an undergraduate degree, generally lasting for just one year compared to two-year Masters programmes found elsewhere in the world. This means international students can save time, money and begin their career much quicker with a highly regarded UK postgraduate degree.
Why study a Masters degree in the UK?
The UK is home to some of the leading universities in the world, renowned for their quality of teaching and research. A UK postgraduate degree is held in high esteem by employers, and for international students studying in the UK it is a fantastic opportunity to improve your English and immerse yourself in a multicultural and exciting community of academics and students. You will:
Improve your career prospects
Gain an internationally recognised qualification
Earn more over the course of your career because of the weight a UK Masters carries
Be able to shape study around your schedule
A study carried out by the Higher Education Statistics Agency showed that 86 per cent of students who completed a Postgraduate Masters in the UK were in full-time employment following graduation, compared to just 75 per cent of undergraduate leavers.
Types of Masters degree
- Taught Masters
There are four main types of taught programme, Master of
Arts (MA), Master of Science (MSc), Master of Business
Administration (MBA) and Master of Engineering (MEng),
with each lasting 1-2 years full-time.
On a taught programme, students are expected to attend
weekly seminars, tutorials and lectures, much like an
undergraduate degree, and assessment can be via exam,
dissertation or project.
- Research Masters
A Research degree will see students take more
responsibility for their work and schedule, basing their
study around a thesis while being supervised by an
academic. The most popular research degree is a PhD,
which can take 3-4 years to complete, and consists of
writing a thesis between 60,000 – 100,000 words which is
then presented in an oral examination.
Other types of Research degree include the Master of
Science (MSc), Master of Philosophy (MPhil) and Master
of Research (MRes). These degrees are similar to a PhD,
but not as academically demanding with papers being much
shorter.
How much does a Masters cost?
The average cost of a postgraduate and Masters degree in the UK for an international student is from GBP £14,620. Tuition fees at postgraduate level vary on the type of Masters you wish to study, which part of the UK you wish to live, and what university you attend.
Postgraduate schools in the UK
are far less expensive than graduate schools in the USA,
and studying in the UK can be 30 to 60 per cent cheaper
than American equivalents.
