Conversion programmes

Change career or academic direction with a conversion qualification
Student and advisor sitting at a table talking

What are conversion programmes?

These postgraduate programmes are one of the best ways to fast-track a career change or to continue studying in a completely different subject area from your undergraduate degree.
The variety of skills and expertise could also allow you to improve your job prospects, achieve professional accreditation, and increase your chance of securing work in a specific field. 

Why study a conversion programme?

You may have decided that your undergraduate degree is not the field you want to work in, and you would like to pursue a new career direction.
You may want additional skills to add to those you gained on your undergraduate degree to help further your career aspirations.
You may have developed an interest in a new subject which you want to explore further.
You may feel you have taken your current career as far as you would like to, and you are now looking for a new challenge.

We offer a number of postgraduate conversion degrees:

Postgraduate taught programmes

 

From history to data science to computing

Megan, PhD in Computing
"I previously studied an undergrad in History and then a masters degree in Data Science and Business Analytics. Now, I’m doing my PhD in Computing here at the University of Plymouth, focusing on using AI to try and detect Parkinsons disease early through brain scans.
I was particularly interested in going back to academia because, at school, I had always loved maths and sciences, and I felt that I had kind of missed out on applying that in life.
I think it was important for me that I had that big break between undergraduate and postgraduate. It allowed me to mature and get to know what I wanted in life, and from my studies.
What I wanted to study was entirely unrelated to history, so that is why I did the conversion course. The Data Science conversion course here was just brilliant for taking all kinds of levels and abilities and getting us all to do data science and teaching us coding from scratch. 
My advice to someone considering a career change or conversion programme would be to absolutely go for it! It's been so important and positive in my life and I'm so much happier now having had time to think about my career over the past years."
MSc Data Science and Business Analytics 
PhD in Computing
Megan, PhD in Computing, conversion student
 

From marketing to occupational therapy 

Matt, MSc Occupational Therapy (Pre-Registration) student
Matt Chan - MSc Occupational Therapy (Pre-Registration) student
"I studied an undergraduate degree in business here at the University of Plymouth, and after completing my degree I secured a Marketing Executive role at an international animal charity in Wiltshire. I then returned to the University because I secured a new, full-time marketing role within one of the faculties.
I really enjoyed my work and experiences in the marketing world but I have also always had a real passion for helping others and began thinking about how I could incorporate this into my career path. When I started researching I realised I wanted to seek a new challenge and to make a difference to the people around me in a different way. Occupational therapy appealed to me because it is a professional role but with people’s wellbeing at the heart of it. 
I chose the conversion programme because it is a fast track programme that covers all the essential skills and knowledge I need to pursue my ideal career direction. Having a masters qualification will really benefit me in terms employment and career progression. What do I hope to gain from it? Well, it’s simple, a learning experience that I will never forget!"
MSc Occupational Therapy (Pre-Registration)