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A postgraduate
course in the UK gives you the ultimate opportunity
to pursue your own specialist interests. You'll
be expected to initiate and develop original research
under the supervision of academics at the top
of their fields. You'll need to be hard working
and demonstrate intellectual independence but
there's no doubt that the qualifications and experience
you'll gain will be worth every minute.
Courses last from one year to four years, and
you can choose from thousands of opportunities
in the arts, sciences, social sciences and humanities.
The broad range and flexible approach of the UK
higher education system means that you're free
to choose exactly what you want to study.
What qualifications
will I need?
To begin a postgraduate course in the UK, you'll
need to hold an undergraduate degree from the
UK or overseas. This is the foundation from which
you'll be able to go on to a postgraduate certificate,
postgraduate diploma or a master's degree and
then, afterwards, to a PhD. You'll be expected
to have obtained a first or good 2:1 (or international
equivalent) in a directly related subject and
you'll also need to speak English to at least
IELTS 6.5 level.
You'll find the exact entry requirements for each
course explained clearly on the course profiles
on this website. To give you a rough idea, the
sort of qualifications you'll need are as follows:
|
Pre-master's |
undergraduate
degree plus IELTS 5.0-5.5
|
PG
Cert/PG Dip |
undergraduate
degree plus IELTS 6.5-7.0 or a pre-master's
course
|
Master's
degree |
first
or upper second class undergraduate degree
plus IELTS 7.0, or a pre-master's course
|
MBA |
first
degree, 2-3 year's business experience,
IELTS 6.5-7.0
|
PhD |
master's
degree, IELTS 6.5-7.0 |
What
sorts of courses are available?
Pre-master's courses
You may need to take a pre-master's course if your
qualifications or English language skills don't
quite match the standard required to begin a master's
degree. Pre-master's courses can last from one term
to a complete academic year and cover academic study,
cultural instruction and language training. Many
courses will guarantee progression onto a master's
course at a particular university.
Postgraduate certificate or diploma (PG
Cert/Dip)
Postgraduate certificates and diplomas are one-year
taught postgraduate courses that don't usually involve
research. They're often accepted as professional
qualifications in the relevant field, such as education
or management, giving you a fantastic head start
in your chosen career.
Taught master's (MA, MSc, LLM, MEd etc)
Taught master's courses generally last for one year
and consist of two elements: you'll complete a number
of modules (which will include attending lectures
and seminars, writing essays and taking examinations)
and produce a dissertation from original research.
Research master's (MRes, MPhil)
On a master's degree by research, you won't typically
attend lectures - instead you'll devote the entire
year to research. Your final mark will be determined
by the quality of your dissertation.
Master of Business Administration (MBA)
An MBA is a specialist business taught master's
course that will give you a real step up the managerial
ladder. It's the best-known and most popular postgraduate
qualification.
Doctorate (PhD)
A PhD, also know as a doctorate, will take you three
to four years to complete, during which you'll be
working on a single research project. In you final
year, you'll be asked to present a dissertation
of approximately 100,000 words.
New Route PhDs
New Route PhDs include taught elements as well as
a research project and give you the opportunity
to undertake interdisciplinary study.
How much will it cost?
UK postgraduate study offers you great value for
money. Course fees can vary considerably between
institutions, but the figures below show approximately
what you'll need to pay. Costs for individual courses
are given in the course profiles on this
website (pse provide link).
- Arts and humanities
courses: £7,000-£9,000 per year
- Science courses:
£7,500-£12,000 per year
- Clinical courses:
£10,000-£21,000 per year
- MBA: £4,000
to more than £30,000 per year
How
will I know if my course is a good one?
Part of the reason that UK postgraduate qualifications
are so highly valued across the world is the strict
measures of quality imposed on them. Many of the
checks and reports are available online, so you'll
never be left in any doubt about the validity and
quality of the course you choose.
The Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) ensures that
UK higher education is of a standard that's respected
and admired across the world. Further details can
be found on their website at www.qaa.ac.uk
Every few years, the Research Assessment Exercise
(RAE) takes place to judge the quality of research
being carried out in UK colleges and universities.
The most recent assessment took place in 2001 and
the results can be downloaded from www.hero.ac.uk/rae.index.htm
You can also find information on postgraduate courses
on the Teaching Quality Information (TQI) website,
which provides information on many different areas
of postgraduate education, including results of
the national student survey and destination information
of recent postgraduates. See www.tqi.ac.uk
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