Q and A Masters Courses

This page is sponsored by UKPASS, the UCAS postgraduate application service.

 
There are many different types of Masters, Diploma and Certificate courses available at Universities at postgraduate level. Below, we have answered some of the most common questions relating to these qualifications.

Q: What is a Graduate Diploma and is it the same as a Postgraduate Diploma?
A: A Graduate Diploma or Grad Dip is sometimes offered for students who have a degree but do not have the specific area of expertise to undertake a particular, usually very specialist, masters degree offered by the same institution. This is not the same as a Postgraduate Diploma - see below.

Q: What is a PGCE?
A: PGCE stands for Postgraduate Certificate in Education and is required for teaching in most schools in the UK. Students must generally have a first degree.  Other Potsgraduate Certificates do exist relating to other professional areas.

Q: What is a Postgraduate Diploma?  
A: These tend to be either:
- Professionally or vocationally related, and provide a mix of additional academic knowledge and professional expertise that students need to enter a profession, or
- A prerequisite for a specialist masters course, usually offered by the same institution, or
- The taught elements only of a masters programme: in this case the student follows the same courses as the masters students but omits the research project or dissertation that follows the examinations or assessments.
A Postgraduate Diploma is a postgraduate level course, but is not the same as a full masters course.

Q: What are the main different types of Masters Courses?
A: There is a wide variety of masters level qualifications and courses, but the most common are MA and MSc, and increasingly MRes and other types of Masters by Research. An MA (Master of Arts) is usually studied in disciplines relating to the arts, humanities and some social sciences, and an MSc (Master of Science) is usually studied in disciplines relating to the sciences.  MSc courses are also common in some management and social science related disciplines.  If you find a single department is offering both MA and MSc courses in subjects that appear to be similar, it is important to clarify where the differences lie and decide which is most appropriate for you.

Other possible qualifications at master's level often relate to a specific discipline or specialism, for example MBA (Masters in Business Administration), LLM (Master of Laws), Mmus (Master of Music), or Morth (Master of Orthodontics).

Q: Do different qualifications all follow a set structure for teaching and assessment?
A: No. The structure of a taught master's programme varies from course to course, and from institution to institution, so that apparently similar courses with similar titles can have very different structures and content, as well as different teaching and assessment methods.  Teaching can be delivered through seminars, classes, tutorials and supervised laboratory work. Assessment can range from examinations, vivas, assessed projects, group work or course work, and the weighting of different elements will vary between courses. Some courses, particularly but not exclusively arts and social science related programmes, require active participation from students in seminars and discussions: if you are shy, prefer to take a listening role, or if your spoken English is not as good as your written English, you may prefer a course which places less emphasis on this kind of group discussion.  

Q: What is the difference between a 'taught' and 'research' masters?
A: Many taught courses include some form of research project or dissertation, but are still described a 'taught' if all or most of the modules or course elements they offer are taught. Some offer a choice of some modules or courses but others have a 'set menu' that all students have to follow.  Research Masters (usually MRes or MSc by Research) generally still include some taught courses, but with the emphasis on research skills in the relevant field: the main emphasis of the qualification is usually on a substantial research project.  A research masters, or at least a masters course with a high proportion of research skills and project included, may be a prerequisite for continuing study to a PhD, or may be incorporated in with a PhD qualification. In the UK, this is likely to be the case for social sciences subjects. If you are unsure whether a PhD is right for you, a Masters by Research can give you useful experience of what studying for a doctorate might be like, whilst at the same time allowing you to earn a valuable masters level qualification.

Q: How can I find out if the course is right for me?
A:  All Higher Education Institutions in the UK offering master's programmes should make clear in their promotional material (prospectuses, websites etc) who the course is aimed at, as well as the prerequisites for applying to the course. Often, they will tell you what students completing the course have gone on to do. You may be looking for a specialist course to enhance your knowledge in a specific area, or an interdisciplinary course where the range of experience of the student body is almost as important as the course content, or a conversion course, or the first step in a research career. It is particularly important to clarify who and what the course is intended for if you have specific plans for your future, to make sure the course will help equip you to realise them.  In particular, if you are thinking about progressing to a PhD, it is important to make sure that your master's course includes an appropriate level of research training as well as specialist knowledge, and provides suitable grounding for doctoral study.

Q: How long does a Masters Course take to study?
A: Master's courses in the UK are usually studied for one year full time or two years part time, but some courses are only offered as full time or part-time options, and occasionally courses may be longer, particularly if they are offered as part time courses or by distance learning.

Q: How much does a Masters Course cost?
A: As well as all the other factors you will need to take into account, there is also the question of cost and there is almost as much variety in the cost of masters courses as there is in style and content.  Course fees in the UK can range from just over £3,000 to £10,000 or even higher for some management and highly specialised courses. Higher fees tend to be charged on specialist courses or on courses from Universities with a particularly good reputation: if you are deciding between different courses with different fees, think about what you are actually paying for and whether it is worth paying extra for a specialist course, or for the name of the University on your CV.

Q: Do Masters courses generally have funding available?
A: Some courses do have funding, such as PGCEs and Social Work Masters.  In most other cases, funding may be available for places on specific courses which are sponsored by companies or industry, OR by UK research councils: this type of funding generally has eligibility criteria and may only be avaialble to some students.  Otherwise, some charities and Universities provide funding at Masters level which may be avaialble across a range of courses. Generally, Universities will provide infomration on what funding is likely to be available.

Q: Is a Masters course a good investment?
A: Only you can decide whether a Masters course is right for you, but financially at least, recent reports seem to indicate that a Masters course is a good investment:  In September 2009 the Higher Education Statistics Agency report, Statistics on Career Progression of 2004-05 Graduates showed that holders of postgraduate degrees were more likely to be in work and earn higher salaries where 85% had been in graduate jobs in comparison with just 56% of those who had gained just a bachelors degree. It also revealed that more than 11,000 were unemployed three and a half years after graduating compared to 8,000 in 2003. A master's level course is a major investment, academically, personally, professionally and financially, so make sure you know what you want to get out of a course, decide on your priorities, research a variety of different options and ask questions before applying.  Although it may be tempting to choose a course simply because it has funding available, if it's not the right course for you, you may end up saving money but wasting time.

Q: Do I have to apply separately to each Masters course, or can I make one application as with undergraduate study?
A: In the UK, many Universities require you to apply directly to them, for each indvidual course, but in 2008 UCAS, which handles most undergraduate admissions in the UK, set up a central applications system for postgraduate courses, UKPASS, which a number of Universities have now joined. If the courses you are interested in are part of the UKPASS scheme, you will be able to apply via one central application system, but for other courses you will need to apply direct. To find out which courses and Universities are taking part in UKPASS at any time, please see their website at www.ukpass.ac.uk