I AM INTERESTED IN DOING A MASTER'S DEGREE IN THE UK. HOW CAN I OBTAIN INFORMATION ABOUT IT?

Postgraduate qualifications are offered at two levels in most fields of studies: the so-called Master’s and the Doctorate degrees. Doctorate studies indicate a more prestigious level of academic achievement.

Postgraduate studies were previously clearly differentiated in two categories: taught and research programmes. Today the differentiation is no longer so clear cut, because many courses incorporate both taught and research elements.

Certificates and Diplomas

These qualifications are obtained from full-time courses which take between six and twelve months and are in most cases career-based courses. Certificate courses are generally shorter and of a lower level than diploma courses, which are based on the content of taught Master’s, but without the written dissertation.

PG Dip: Postgraduate Diploma
PG Cert: Postgraduate Certificate
PGCE: Postgraduate Certificate in Education

Master's Degrees

Full-time Master’s degrees can take between 9-12 months to complete. The amount of lectures, seminars, projects and research papers will vary depending on the type of course and the institution. Students must submit a dissertation at the end of their course. The most common academic titles for Master’s courses are Master of Arts or Master of Science:

MA: Master of Arts
MSc: Master of Science
MBA: Master of Business Administration
LLM: Master of Law
MEd: Master of Education
MDS: Master of Dental Surgery
MCh/SM: Master of Surgery
MPhil: Master of Philosophy
MRes: Master of Research

MBA, LLM and MDS degrees are strongly career-based degrees. MRes degrees are designed as preparation courses for Doctorate studies.

Doctorates

Doctorate studies mostly take between 2-4 years to complete. To a large extent students will be expected to work independently, under the guidance of a supervisor. The research dissertation is usually written during the third year. The first two years are spent researching the topic and planning the dissertation.

The most prestigious qualification is the Doctor of Philosophy: PhD or Dphil. Some institutions offer a Split PhD programme, which divides the time of study between a British and foreign institution.

Our headquarters in the UK also publishes a useful information sheet entitled Choosing your postgraduate programme.

If you would like to look for specific courses, a good place to start searching is the Hobsons Postgraduate website. The Prospects website is another useful and comprehensive website for postgraduate study.

ARE ALL DEGREES THAT ARE TAUGHT IN THE UK RECOGNISED BRITISH DEGREES?

The UK has a well-deserved reputation world-wide for providing high quality and reputable higher education. There are over 150 higher education institutions in the UK that are permitted to award a wide variety of degrees to suit most educational aspirations. All institutions have degree awarding powers recognised by the UK authorities (UK and Scottish Parliament, Welsh and Northern Ireland Assemblies). More information can be found on the website of the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills in the section Recognised UK Degrees.

HOW DO I CHOOSE A MASTER'S / PHD COURSE?

You should begin with what you want to study and then search either the Hobsons Postgrad website or the Prospects website for universities that offer it. The best institution is the one that best matches your personal objectives. When making your choice, there are several things you might want to consider, such as: where the university is located, the cost of living in that area, the number of international students studying there, the teaching methods, the content of the course against your objectives, the facilities, the accommodation options, etc.

The following websites will help you identify how the institutions were assessed in your area of study: Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education and Research Assessment Exercise. It might also be useful to have a look at the university's faculty in your field and read what academic work they have produced. From this, you will probably be able to get a sense if their interests match your own.

WHAT ARE THE ENTRY REQUIREMENTS FOR AN INTERNATIONAL STUDENT TO BE ACCEPTED INTO A POSTGRADUATE COURSE IN THE UK?

You need to have a first degree from another university. This could be a Bachelor's from a UK institution or a degree from an accredited Macedonian university. You also need to have good grades and to provide some proof of ability in the English language, either through a language test or having lived in an English-speaking country for a substantial period of time.

British institutions usually request a translated copy of the degree transcript (some require official translations, others don't) as well as two reference letters. Some may also like to see other documents, but this depends on the specific university criteria and on your chosen area of study.

WHICH ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEST DO UNIVERSITIES REQUIRE FOR A POSTGRADUATE COURSE?

Universities often require that international applicants do either the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) or one of the Cambridge ESOL exams.

These are the Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) and the Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE). It is important that you contact the universities where you want to study and ask them which test they require and what mark they require, since these may vary from one institution to another.

For more information about these tests, have a look at our IELTS and Cambridge ESOL pages.

WILL MACEDONIAN QUALIFICATIONS BE ACCEPTED IN THE UNITED KINGDOM?

The final decision for recognition of qualifications rests with individual employers or universities. For an evaluation of your Macedonian qualification, please contact the National Academic Recognition Information Centre:

UK NARIC, ECCTIS Ltd.,
Oriel House
Oriel Road
Cheltenham
Gloucestershire GL50 1XP
United Kingdom
T: 0044-1242-258610
F: 0044-1242-258611
naric@ecctis.co.uk

HOW DO I APPLY FOR A POSTGRADUATE COURSE IN THE UK?

There is no central system or organisation for applying for postgraduate courses as there is with undergraduate courses. You therefore need to contact each university to get an application form for postgraduate study. There is also no standard application form, but each university generally includes space for an individual's academic record, work experience, personal statement as well as one or two references.

WHEN SHOULD I APPLY FOR A PLACE ON A POSTGRADUATE COURSE IN THE UK?

The academic year in the UK begins in September/October. Universities generally begin receiving applications around November of the previous year. We suggest that you check with the universities you are interested in to find out when their deadlines are, as these may vary from institution to institution. Research courses and PhD programs may accept students at different times of the year.

WHAT DO I NEED TO GET ACCEPTED INTO AN MBA COURSE?

You need to fulfil the same entry requirements as you would for another postgraduate course. Additionally, however, you would need to have two to five years work experience in a relevant field and in a managerial position. Our UK Education and Training Team produces an information sheet about the types of MBA courses available as well as the general entry requirements that you might find useful.

HOW MUCH WILL IT COST?

Your expenses will fall into two main parts: your tuition fees and living expenses.

International students from outside the EU pay considerably higher overseas fees.

Postgraduate taught (e.g. MA, MSc) Fees range from just under Fees range to just over Average fee (per year)
Classroom-based courses £7,100 £12,100 £7,900
Laboratory/ workshop based £7,900 £13,500 £8,400
Pre-clinical programmes £10,300 £14,600 £10,800
Clinical medicine £13,000 £23,100 £19,500
Clinical dentistry £15,200 £25,100 £19,500
MBA £8,200 £23,100 £9,500

Postgraduate research (e.g. PhD) Fees range from just under Fees range to just over Average fee (per year)
Classroom-based courses £7,200 £10,800 £7,900
Laboratory/ workshop based £7,700 £12,700 £8,500
Pre-clinical programmes £9,100 £14,200 £11,000
Clinical medicine £13,400 £24,100 £19,600
Clinical dentistry £12,300 £22,500 £19,500

Living expenses

Most students in the UK need about £700 a month to live on (more for London). This will cover accommodation, food, clothes and basic living expenses.

If you are an EU citizen you will pay reduced home fees. In order to be eligible for home fees you must have been a permanent resident in the European Economic Area three years prior to your course start date. The UKCISA website provides you with more information on the exact guidelines.

WHERE WILL I LIVE WHILE STUDYING IN THE UK?

Student accommodation varies from halls of residence to privately owned houses. Institutions usually provide information about accommodation available to their students and will normally have an accommodation office. In most cases accommodation will be arranged for you by your institution's accommodation office. If you have any questions about this, you should contact your university directly for information.

Read more useful information on accommodation.

HOW CAN I CHECK THE QUALITY OF POSTGRADUATE RESEARCH?

2008 RAE Rating

ARE THERE ANY SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE?

British Council administers British Chevening Scholarships funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office – FCO, aimed at future high fliers who have the potential to become leaders, decision-makers and opinion formers in their fields when they return to Macedonia. These scholarships are open for applications in the autumn each year so watch our website for deadlines, application forms and further information. Get more general guidance on what makes a good scholarship candidate.

There are also other scholarships available for study in the UK. You can find more information about scholarships and other sources of funding for your studies on the following websites:

www.britishcouncil.org/learning-funding-your-studies.htm
www.educationuk.org/scholarships
www.prospects.ac.uk

For further information about scholarships please check our website.

WILL MY UK DEGREE BE RECOGNIZED IN MACEDONIA?

The Information centre for equivalence and recognition at the Ministry of Education in Macedonia is the right place to direct all your questions regarding recognition of foreign degrees. Please check their website for more information.

If you have a UK degree you need to obtain apostille (the legal term for the legalisation certificate) to confirm that your degree is genuine. The procedure of obtaining an apostille can be checked with the legislation Unit at the Foreign Commonwealth Office.

WHAT IF I CAN'T AFFORD TO PAY FOR STUDY IN THE UK BUT STILL WISH TO OBTAIN A UK QUALIFICATION?

You may choose to study by distance learning mode, which has become a popular and much more affordable option for many students, and many educational and training establishments in the UK offer it alongside face to face education. For a full list of distance learning courses, visit www.educationuk.org and choose distance learning as a study option. The British Council administers the distance learning programmes of University of London. For more details check our website.

DO I NEED A VISA TO STUDY IN THE UK?

Yes. You must obtain a student visa at the British Embassy in Skopje prior to your arrival in the UK.  If you are not sure about your visa status or need further information please visit https://www.visainfoservices.com/

WILL I BE ABLE TO WORK WHILE I STUDY IN THE UK?

If you are coming to the UK as a student for more than six months, you can take part-time or holiday work, but you must not:

work for more than 20 hours a week during term time unless your placement is part of your studies, has been agreed with your educational institution and leads to a degree or qualification awarded by a nationally recognised examining body
do business, be self-employed or provide services as a professional sportsperson or entertainer, or
work full-time in a permanent job.

If you are coming to the UK as a student for six months or less, you must ask the Immigration Officer for permission to work.

To check your status and for further information, please visit https://www.visainfoservices.com/