What types of postgraduate study are available in the UK?   

Taught Master’s (MA, MSc, LLM) are most popular type of postgraduate courses that international students take. They last for one year and consist of two elements – modules, which will include attending lectures and seminars, writing essays, taking examinations, and a dissertation from original research.

Other types of postgraduate training are Postgraduate Certificate/Diploma, which doesn’t include research and last for 9 months, research masters (MRes, MPhil) and Doctorates (PhD) when you will usually work on a single research project for 2 or 3-4 years respectively.

What is a pre-Master’s course?   

A pre-master's course might be necessary when 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.   

What is the best way to search for a postgraduate course?   

Three main web sources for finding postgraduate courses:

• Education UK www.educationuk.org
• Prospects Graduate Careers www.prospects.ac.uk
• Hobsons Postgrad www.postgrad.hobsons.com

What are minimum entry requirements?   

Entrance requirements vary greatly, so we suggest checking with the specific institutions. As a rough guide, for a taught Master’s you will need a first degree (Bachelor’s) in the same subject as intended postgraduate degree and good knowledge of the English language (IELTS 6.5-7.0).   

How and when do I apply?   

To apply for a postgraduate course you need to send an application with supporting documents directly to the institution. Find out the institution’s application procedures on its website. You can also use an online postgraduate application services UKPASS www.ukpass.com used by 18 UK universities and colleges. Universities normally start accepting applications 12 months before the start of the course.   

How will I know that an institution I chose is accredited? Are there any official rankings?   

All recognized UK institutions with degree awarding powers are listed on the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills website .There is no official rankings in the UK.

The Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) ensures that UK universities meet required standards, so it carries inspections of institutions called “institutional audits” which can be reviewed on QAA website. As most postgraduate courses involve research, we recommend checking the results of Research Assessment Exercise RAE which assesses the quality of research in institutions by subjects.