Master Degrees, Research, Doctoral Degrees (PhD)
A postgraduate degree is awarded after the successful completion of either a taught course or a period of research. Taught Master’s programmes give students a deeper knowledge of a specialised subject. They can act as a way of moving from one discipline to another or as preparation for research.
Research programmes involve individual supervision by a faculty member. The emphasis on personal guidance and independent study is a key characteristic of research degrees in the UK.
How should I choose my course and institution?
Decide which subject you wish to study. It is usual to study the same subject as your first degree, or a related subject, but not necessarily. There are also conversion Masters, which are designed to help you move into a new subject. A typical example could be a student with a background in Science or Mathematics moving to Computer Science via a conversion Masters course, but it is also possible for a graduate from a non-numerate subject, such as History, to follow a conversion course in Finance & Accountability.
Carry out thorough research into the programmes available – www.educationuk.org. for course and institution information (see also Postgrad: the directory of graduate studies and Prospects: Postgraduate directory
Check the results of the subject reviews at www.qaa.ac.uk/reviews/
What types of taught postgraduate qualifications are available?
There are broadly four types:
- Master’s degree (Master of Arts, Master of Science, but also specialisms such as Master of Laws and Master of Education)
- Master of Business Administration (MBA), either general or specialist (see MBAs below)
- Certificates and diplomas such as the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE), the postgraduate Diploma (PG Dip) and the Postgraduate Certificate (PG Cert)
- New Route Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
What are the entry requirements?
In order to be admitted on to a postgraduate programmes you need to:
- Have the equivalent to a UK first degree in a relevant subject. As regards Romanian applicants, the Romanian licenţă is equalled to a General (Ordinary) Bachelor degree, the last of the four types of UK undergraduate programmes.
- Have achieved well in terms of academic performance (be an at least Upper Second Class graduate). For Romanian applicants this means to have achieved at grade 8 and above.
- Have English language qualifications. These will usually be an IELTS (International English Language Testing System) grade 6, or a Certificate of Advanced English (CAE) grades A and B, or a Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE) grade C, or a TOEFL score of 550. For requests by individual institutions check Cambridge ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages). All but the last test mentioned can be sit at the British Council
Next steps
- Draw up a shortlist of institutions and courses. There is no restriction on the number of institutions to which you can apply.
- Obtain postgraduate application forms from all of them (there is not a standard form and you will need to apply direct to each university)
- Start your application procedure at least twelve months before the proposed start date (usually October).
- If you are applying for a scholarship, apply at least one year before the course starts.
- You must arrange for some accommodation (even if only temporary) before you arrive in the UK. Once you have been accepted on to a course, apply for accommodation immediately (either university owned or private).
For more information, check www.educationuk.org.
and the British Council education information sheets at
The United Kingdom’s research base is exceptional. It contributes almost a tenth of the world’s research output. This is one of the many reasons why you should consider coming to the United Kingdom (UK) to do postgraduate research. You can specialise in almost any subject area and you will leave with a prestigious qualification that will add to your knowledge and help your career.
How should I start to choose my research topic and institution?
A good place to start is the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) www.hero.ac.uk/rae/index.htm. This is an official assessment conducted every five years and gives a ranking, by subject, for research at each institution. The last RAE was carried out in 2001 and graded research from 1 (lowest) to 5 (world class research). For more information, refer to Quality issues in this series.
As important as finding a department that matches your interests is to find a professor or tutor who is willing to supervise your work. The best chances of this arise when a supervisor has published work relevant to your interests and so will be in a good position to supervise your research. It is important to find out who is the most widely read and respected person in your field of interest – often you may already be familiar with these people through their articles published in journals and periodicals.
Choosing a research degree
- Check your selected universities’ websites via www.educationuk.org for details of research activities
- contact the relevant departments in your selected universities to request details of their research activities
- see whether it would be possible to meet alumni from the university to which you are thinking of applying
Choosing an institution
- Is the staff profile and size of the department right for you? You might prefer a large or small department, or you might want to work with a particular academic or group of academics.
- How good are the institution’s academic facilities and resources? What computer facilities does it have? Are there links with relevant institutions/other bodies close to the university?
- Have you read publications by the department’s staff?
Types of research degree
The most prestigious is the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), which is the highest academic award for which a student can be registered. But there are several others:
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD or DPhil) – three + years
- Master of Philosophy (MPhil) – two + years
- Master of Arts (MA) or Master of Science (MSc) by research – usually one year
- Master of Research (MRes) – usually one year
- New Route Doctorate of Philosophy - four years
Entry requirements
They vary greatly, so you should contact the institution you would like to attend. If you are not sure where you want to go, you should obtain several prospectuses. As a rough guide, you will need:
- an outstanding academic record, with proven academic achievement
- usually, a first degree in the same subject as the postgraduate degree you intend to take
- generally, a Master’s degree (a taught Master’s), an MPhil (Master of Philosophy) or a Master of Research (MRes)
- usually, in science and technology subjects, a Bachelor’s degree – you would usually first register for an MPhil and then, if your research progresses well, change to a PhD
- some evidence that you know about research procedures in science, social science and humanities subjects – some experience of working alone on a research project is very useful
- some evidence of good writing and communications skills, especially with humanities and social science doctorates
- formal English language qualifications – a Cambridge ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) examination whether it is the IELTS (grade 6), the Certificate of Advanced English (CAE), grades A and B, the Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE), grade C, or a TOEFL score of 550. For individual institutions requests check the Cambridge ESOL Online at http://www.cambridge-efl.org
Next steps
- Once you have decided at which universities you would like to study, and have chosen a suitable topic for your research, check with the departments to see if there is a closing date for your application
- Give yourself plenty of time to consider your options. It is probably advisable to apply to more than one institution to reduce the risk of missing out if your first choice rejects you.
- Apply direct to the institutions (forms are available from them). Your application could be speeded up if you use the Internet to apply (where possible).
- Prepare your research proposal. This should be a short (perhaps two-page) summary based on research in your field. If a professor has an idea for research which he/she has not been able to pursue, it will be advertised in the national press, usually the Times Higher Education Supplement ( www.thes.co.uk )
For more information, check www.educationuk.org and the British Council education information
sheets at http:// www.britishcouncil.org/education/ resource/infosheets/index.htm
Higher education
Postgraduate
