CHOOSING A COURSE / UNIVERSITY

CHOOSING A COURSE / UNIVERSITY

If you have already graduated from university (in other words, have an Honours degree or its equivalent), you may choose to take a postgraduate course.

To find a postgraduate programme in the UK, see the following postgraduate directory:
http://www.prospects.ac.uk/cms/ShowPage/Home_page/Find_courses_and_research/p!eacge
You can select either Course or Research, and choose Full time, Part time or Distance learning. If there is a specialist field which interests you which is not listed as one of the "subject areas", use the "optional keyword". Once you have obtained the search results, you can find out more by clicking on a "Programme/Course title". Click on the "Institution" name to find out who to contact for brochures, application forms or further information.

Before you apply, think carefully what you may want to do after your course. If the main reason you are considering doing a postgraduate course is to improve your career prospects, ask potential employers whether they prefer candidates to have postgraduate qualifications or work experience. Your choice of subject is important: more options may be available if you can avoid specialising too narrowly.

Postgraduate study may not be a good idea if the real reason is because your family wants you to do it, or because you haven't put much thought or effort into looking for a job. Some good reasons to consider postgraduate study are:
- because you enjoy your subject and want to spend more time studying it
- because you want to broaden your knowledge by studying a taught course in a new subject
- because you want to follow a career which requires specialised knowledge (for example as a researcher, or as an academic)

The main types of postgraduate courses are:

A Postgraduate Diploma (PG Dip) or a Postgraduate Certificate (PG Cert) is a taught course lasting about 9 months (usually from September to June). People who are interested in teaching sometimes study for a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE). There is usually no requirement to produce a written dissertation to obtain a postgraduate diploma: they are considered to be less academic than a Masters degree. These courses are often largely vocational.

A Taught Masters course (sometimes known as "postgraduate qualifications by coursework") is a taught course lasting 1 year full-time (or 2 years part-time). To be accepted you normally need to have a good undergraduate degree, but not necessarily in the same subject. There is a fixed curriculum, and an exam at the end. Teaching usually involves a mixture of lectures, seminars and tutorials. Students must produce a written dissertation at the end of the course (an essay often of between 10,000 and 20,000 words). The most common qualifications are an MA (Master of Arts), MSc (Master of Science), MMus (Master of Music), LLM (Master of Laws).
A Research Masters is a 1 year full-time (or 2 years part-time) course. It involves working to produce an original study known as a thesis (an essay often of between 30,000 and 40,000 words). Students work largely on their own, but are guided by a supervisor. The qualification is an MRes (Master of Research).
More information about masters courses in the UK is available on the websites: http://www.prospects.ac.uk and http://www.findamasters.com

An MPhil (Master of Philosophy) is a supervised research course in any subject (not only philosophy) which requires 2 years of full-time study (4 years if part-time). The most able students can choose to continue studying to obtain a PhD (Doctor of Philosophy, sometimes called DPhil), which requires a total of at least 3 years of original research (6 years if part-time), including the time spent working towards the MPhil. Both an MPhil or a PhD require the completion of a thesis, and may require you to attend a spoken interview (known either as a viva voce or a viva). If someone becomes established for their academic work in a certain field of study, it is possible for them to be awarded a higher doctorate such as a DLitt (Doctor of Letters) a DSc (Doctor of Science) or an LLD (Doctor of Laws).
For information about PhD research opportunities for scientists, see: http://www.findaphd.com. Post-doctoral opportunities for scientists can be found in the site: http://www.findapostdoc.com