Considering further study

Consider your motivation

It's worth taking some time to think about what is motivating your interest in further study before pursuing a masters, PhD or other postgraduate qualification. Further study can involve a serious commitment in terms of time and finance so understanding your motivations and undertaking research is essential.

There are many positive reasons behind a decision to pursue further study, these could be:

• to satisfy intellectual curiosity and explore a subject in greater depth
• a requirement for a particular career for example law, teaching, medicine, dentistry
• to improve your career prospects, earning potential or to change career direction
• to gain a new skills and experiences – perhaps the chance to acquire technical skills or live in a different country
• to pursue a career in academia.

If you are considering further study for any of the following reasons, you might want to discuss your decisions with a careers adviser in more detail:

• delaying entering the job market, perhaps while the labour market refreshes or to give you more time to clarify your direction. Take some time to think about how realistic this option is, as you may need to make career decisions in the early part of your course. There are graduate schemes, graduate jobs and entry-level positions out there and the Careers Service is here to help you secure them
• to extend student life - life as a postgraduate can be even more academic and time demanding
• because someone else suggests it’s a good idea but you are not sure.

Types of postgraduate study

There are four different types of postgraduate courses: taught courses, research degrees, conversion courses and professional qualifications

Taught courses

Postgraduate taught courses are most comparable to your undergraduate degree in terms of teaching style. The majority of your learning will be delivered through lectures, practical sessions and seminars.

Research courses

Research degrees, or doctorates, can be taken after a master’s degree and sometimes after a bachelor’s degree, where the master’s is earned at the same time as the bachelor’s. They will have a heavy focus on research to explore a topic in depth.

Professional qualifications

Some postgraduate courses lead directly to a professional qualification required for entry into a particular career. For example the PGCE for teaching.

Find out more about study routes into specific career areas - what can I do with my degree.

Conversion courses

Conversion courses give you an opportunity to enter a profession that you have not studied at undergraduate level or let you transfer to a different subject area. They are usually one-year taught courses and cover subjects like teaching, law, medicine, dentistry and property. If you are thinking of changing career then a conversion course could be the perfect way to transfer your skills to a new field.