Tread carefully or you will find yourself starting a course that doesn’t suit you, says Jeremy Hoad
If you are thinking about doing a postgraduate degree there are some basic questions you should ask yourself. Why do I want to do a postgraduate course? What sort of course should I consider? How will the course be funded? How do I get the best out of the course? How will the course fit in with my life? This article focuses on shorter courses and provides some guidance to help you answer these questions.
The sort of course you choose depends on what your intentions are. The vast majority of postgraduates are not locked away in some mythical ivory tower doing pure research leading to a doctorate. They are studying shorter master’s courses and diplomas, which are often intended to provide a specific training. These can be directly related to a previous undergraduate degree, to give them more detailed and advanced knowledge of the subject.
Alternatively, they can enable you to retrain in a new area or develop skills and knowledge relevant to your work or career. Diploma courses usually last six to nine months and master’s courses may last one or two years.
Before you consider doing a postgraduate course you must ask yourself why you want to do it. And, more importantly, you must answer yourself honestly.
Courses may be entirely taught, have a small research element, act as a training in research techniques or be pure research. Most shorter postgraduate courses provide a training for work and some are aimed at equipping you for further study or research.
There are many different reasons you might want to study at postgraduate level, but the three main categories people fall into are academic, vocational and drifting.
Academic reasons are often the most obvious for continuing in or returning to higher education. You may have developed a keen interest in a particular subject and want to advance your knowledge. This can be for career reasons leading to work in a university, or it may simply be that you want to extend your learning and expand your knowledge for pleasure. You can, of course, do both.
Vocational factors are often easier to identify where a course and qualification provide specific career benefits. For example, diplomas in social work, counselling or law all provide clear career benefits and training. Master’s courses also may be explicitly vocational and can provide a fast route to enhancing your previous qualifications and giving you an advantage in the job market. Examples include an MA in town and country planning and an MSc in transport engineering.
Drifting is unfortunately a common reason for people doing postgraduate courses, and can often lead to a bad experience. You may feel that doing a postgraduate course is a natural progression from an undergraduate degree. You may find yourself doing a course because of general inertia, indecision or the desire to postpone other decisions.
So it is crucial that you identify what your motivations are so that you can get the best out of your course. Master’s courses (and diplomas) are intensive, rewarding and often provide clear career benefits.
They can also be stressful, demanding and frustrating. If you are not sure what you want to get out of your course it can make your life very difficult.
It is important to choose carefully. The reputation of the institution, its location, the course content and duration all have to be considered. Be careful about course titles as well, since courses with the same title may be very different in content or level.
For example, a master’s in computing and information technology at one institution may be targeted at experienced people from industry or those with an undergraduate degree in the subject. At another institution it may be targeted at those wishing to retrain with completely different backgrounds and little or no knowledge of computing.
For shorter courses it is particularly important that you remain focused and make the most of your time. Even a year or two can pass very quickly, and if you delay or get distracted it is very difficult to make up lost time.
One thing that must never be overlooked is the impact of a postgraduate course on your life. Remember that the course you choose is a means to an end. It is not an end in itself. Student life can often seem very attractive but that should not be your reason for studying.
You must consider how you will fit your course into your life. If you are in your early 20s and intend to become a postgraduate immediately after finishing your undergraduate degree, you are less likely to have other commitments.
But if you have a partner, children and another job, it will be harder to incorporate studying into your life. Postgraduate courses can be very time-consuming and intensive. Be realistic about your situation so that you don’t face problems halfway through.
Many postgraduates study part-time, and if you aim to do this it is not necessarily an easier option than full-time study. If you are working your employer may subsidise your course or offer time off for training.
Whatever you decide to do, and wherever you decide to do it, make sure you know why you are doing it. If you are clear about this and are realistic about your expectations you should have a rewarding and successful time as a postgraduate student.