Pursuing a postgraduate degree can provide many enhanced opportunities when leaving higher education. These include the option to study for a PhD or to advance more quickly in your career thanks to your postgraduate qualification.

After completing your undergraduate degree, a postgraduate degree could be next on your list. You will build on what you learnt in your undergraduate degree at a more advanced level and typically specialise in a chosen subject area.

Postgraduates in the UK earn an average salary of £42,000. So, there are definite advantages to continuing in higher education at this level. And not only do postgraduates have a higher earning potential. They also have a higher employment rate (88.2%) and are more likely to get highly-skilled jobs.

For more information on the benefits of studying for a postgraduate degree, head over to our dedicated page on Why Do a Postgraduate Degree.

Types of Postgraduate Courses

There are a variety of courses available at a postgraduate level which can be divided into two categories: taught courses and research courses. We’ve detailed the most common ones below:

Taught Courses

Postgraduate Certificates and Diplomas

Postgraduate certificates (PGCert or PGC) or postgraduate diplomas (PgD or PgDip) are qualifications that are undertaken after completing an undergraduate degree. They are usually shorter than a Master’s degree, taking around four and nine months to complete respectively. Both of these qualifications can provide a more direct route to a particular career or contribute to a master’s degree, as the study is at the same level.

Master’s Degree

A Master’s degree is probably the most well-known type of postgraduate degree. The most common titles of Master’s degrees are Master of Arts (MA), Master of Science (MSc), Master of Business Administration (MBA) or Master of Engineering (MEng). Master’s degrees usually take one or two years to complete and, depending on your chosen subject area, involve completing a dissertation or project.

For further information, check out our page on Starting your Master’s Degree.

Research Courses

Doctoral Degree (PhD)

Only once you have completed a Master’s degree can you begin the final level of postgraduate study; the Doctoral Degree. Doctorates include PhDs/DPhils, integrated PhDs and professional doctorates. They usually take up to four years to complete but can take even longer. Typically a PhD involves producing a doctoral thesis of around 60,000-90,000 words, made up of a literature review, primary research, data collection, and research findings. Your university website will have all the information about their specific PhD options.

For more information on PhDs, visit our page on Starting your PhD.

Funding your Postgraduate Studies

It’s no secret that postgraduate studies can be expensive. Fortunately, several forms of funding are available through loans, studentships, bursaries and grants.

Master’s Loan

If you are beginning a master’s degree, a Postgraduate Master’s Loan could assist you with course fees and living expenses.

For courses beginning on or after 1st August 2022, you can currently get up to £11,836.

Doctoral Loan

If you are beginning a doctoral degree, a Postgraduate Doctoral loan could assist you with course fees and living expenses.

For courses beginning on or after 1st August 2022, you can currently get up to £27,892.

Scholarships and Bursaries

Scholarships are sums of money generally awarded due to academic excellence. They do not have to be repaid but usually involve ties. These can include working for a specific company after you graduate or taking on extra responsibilities within the university.

Bursaries are lump sums made available to students who may have the most financial need or are underrepresented in a specific course or field of work.

The best place to discover scholarship and bursary opportunities is on the website of the university where you are looking to study for your postgraduate qualification.

The government also provides further funding relating to teacher training, disabled students’ allowances and social work bursaries. More information on these areas and all government funding options can be found on the gov.uk website.

Key Takeaways

With postgraduate numbers on the rise in the UK, the job market is more competitive than ever. Employers are looking for highly-qualified candidates who can drive innovation and bring fresh ideas to their organisation. A postgraduate degree can give you that edge over other candidates.

If you’re considering postgraduate study, be sure to check out our pages on:

We’ve even got all the information you need for when you’ve completed your postgraduate degree.

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