Taught Masters
General application advice
- If you are considering applying for a taught Masters course, it's a good idea to start researching programmes up to a year before you intend to start the course. For example, if you wish to start a taught Masters in September 2011, begin your search in September 2010.
This will give you plenty of time to thoroughly investigate all the taught Masters programmes that you think are potential candidates, and to narrow down your choices and make your final decision.
It will also allow you to put together carefully tailored applications, as well as sort out any required documentation, such as references and English Language tests (e.g. TOEFL, IELTS).
- For any application you make, be sure you have included all the necessary information before sending it off - this includes your personal statement, references, undergraduate degree transcript, English language test results, and any relevant funding application form(s).
- Double check the application requirements for all courses you are considering applying to, as sometimes they may not be wholly clear, and therefore confuse you as to whether you meet the institution's criteria. If this is the case, contact the admissions team for the programme and ask them to clarify the entry requirement
- Be considerate of your referees and make sure you give them plenty of time to write you a reference. Remember they are busy with their own lives, and you can not expect them to clear their schedule to write you a reference if you've only asked them a week before the application deadline.
Ideally, ask them at least a month before you are planning to send off your application - tell them a bit about the course you are applying to, and why you want to do it. A copy of the course content, your personal statement and your CV may be helpful to them to write you a good reference.
- For some universities, you are able to fill in and submit your application online - however, if you have to post your application off, make sure you complete it in plenty of time for the mail service to deliver it before the application deadline.
It's worth contacting the institution you have applied to a week or so after mailing your application to make sure they have received it, as it could end up being lost or delayed in the mailing process.
- Make sure you get your application in well before the deadline, as places on Master's courses are generally limited, and you don't want to miss out on being considered for a place on the course because all the spaces are already full.
Choosing a university
General factors
When deciding which university to attend, there are a few general things you may want to consider before researching more specific factors. These might include:
- Whether you want to attend your local university or move way from home. If you choose to leave home, how far away do you want to be?
- Does the university have all the facilities you require, such as a gym, outdoor sports grounds, car parking, etc?
- What are the university's resources like? Do they have a good library with plenty of online journals, and copies of the necessary specialised textbooks?
- How big is the university itself, and how many students attend? Would you prefer to go to a larger or smaller institution?
- Where is the university located? Do you want to go to a university in a big city or somewhere quieter? Remember that the cost of living will be higher in large cities, which may affect your budget significantly.
Research Assessment Exercise results
Unlike undergraduate courses, there are no league tables that allow you to compare postgraduate courses.
However, you may find the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise results for univerisites in the UK useful in seeing which institutions are ranked highest for research excellence, as research quality plays a more significant role at postgraduate level than undergraduate degree level.
Student support and services
Check whether the university offers all the necessary support to postgraduate students to maintain their well-being – this includes careers advice, a personal tutor system, counselling, a safety bus, and a union society.
Some universities have dedicated resources, societies, etc. for postgraduates, so take a look at what each institution has to offer.
Be wary of universities that are dominated by undergraduates, as this may mean the university places less emphasis on the well-being of their postgraduate population, so research carefully exactly what amount of support you can expect to receive.
Social activities
The social side of university is a very important part of student life, so it's important to make sure the range of social, sports and cultural activities and clubs offered by the university match your requirements.
Taking a Masters isn’t all about studying – you need to balance your life as a student with some fun! It may take you a little while to find the right balance between working and socialising, but you will find your feet eventually.
Making a final decision
Having already decided the course you want to do will make narrowing down a university to attend easier.
If you are still uncertain what course you will be
taking, it is worthwhile checking out the teaching quality, facilities
and social aspects of universities and compare them to try and pinpoint
some specific areas where you would be interested in attending
university.
You can also visit the universities you are
thinking of applying to by going to one of their Open Days. These will
be advertised on their website, and will allow you to get the feel of a
place by going on a tour with one of the attending students, as well as
offering you the opportunity to ask questions about the social
environment, facilities, and any other aspects you wish to know more
details on.
Don’t forget to contact the university for a
postgraduate prospectus, or
grab a copy on the open day, as this will have information on all the
courses available
and the institution in general.
Looking at the factors above,
it’s important to realise that you should consider many things when
deciding on your university – there’s no point making a decision based
on one or two characteristics, as you are likely to find it doesn’t
meet all your needs.
Each university is unique, although won’t
appeal to every prospective postgraduate student – it may take a bit of
research, but hopefully you will find a university that attracts you
more than others, and you will know this is the right one for you.
Choosing a course
What will I learn?
Read all the details about the course in the university prospectus. This doesn’t mean just skimming the summary – you need to look at what the module options are and their content, as these can vary significantly.
Although a particular course may
have the same or similar title at two different universities, the
content can vary a great deal. Each course may place emphasis on
different areas of the subject, so find out exactly what you'll be
learning.
You may also find it useful to make a list of your
academic strengths and weaknesses, so you can see which courses you
think you will be better at and enjoy more.
Can I choose modules?
While there will certainly be compulsory modules in a taught Masters programme, some do not have a cirriculum set in stone and you will be able to choose several modules yourself.
Some universities will offer quite a broad range of optional modules, whereas at others the choice is more limited. If there is a particular area of your subject you wish specialise in, make sure the department offers a module(s) in that area, otherwise you may be disappointed and won't enjoy the course as much as you could have.
Also, double-check that these modules will still be offered to postgraduates during the academic year you will be entering the course, as it is not uncommon for universities to discontinue modules if they do not have the appropriate staff to teach them, or do not prove to be popular with students, etc.
It's also a good idea to look at what the compulsory modules of the course entail - do they cover areas you would have chosen to study anyway?
If not, will they teach you things you do not already know? Go through the content covered by the compulsory modules carefully, as you may find they teach aspects that you already covered in detail during your undergraduate degree.
If you need to take a course that has professional accreditation, check with the appropriate bodies that any courses you are applying to fulfil this requirement.
How will I be taught?
The
teaching style of the course is important, as some courses will consist
of more practical work, essay assignments and group tasks than
examinations.
If you take this into account, you can play to
your strengths and ensure you’ve chosen the course that is best for you.
Think about previous experiences – do you achieve better marks in
essays and exams? If yes, you may want to choose a course that is more
exam-based.
Look at the weighting of marks, too – you may not
want to take a course that allocates a majority of the total marks to
coursework, and then have to do lots of revision for an exam at the end
of the year that doesn't carry a significant amount of marks.
Can I change my course once I’ve started it?
Although you may have pretty much decided on a course based on the details of the content and the nature of the work involved, you might want to consider whether you are able to change your Masters course after you've started it.
Making a final decision
If you take these factors into account when choosing which Master's to apply for, hopefully you will find it easier to make the right decision and you’ll be happy with your choice once you’ve started your course.
It’s
important to try and pick the right course first time, otherwise you
could end up wasting thousands of pounds on a course that you won’t even
use in your career once you’ve completed it.
If you already have a
career path in mind, such as IT, journalism or medicine, then this
should make your decision much easier.
However, if you’re still undecided, it’s probably worth taking a subject that you enjoy doing and/or are quite good at. At least this way you will be enthusiastic about it and feel like you can stick with it until the end.
Finance
As well as all the factors above, you will also need to consider how expensive the course is. Fees can range from just over £3,000 to £10,000, or even higher for some management and highly specialised courses.
Money is likely to be a significant factor in making your final decision, so think realistically about how much you can afford to spend if you don't obtain a scolarship to help fund your studies. Make sure there is funding available from the department that you can apply for.
Higher fees tend to be charged on specialist courses or on courses from universities with an excellent reputation.
If you are trying to choose between different courses with different fees, think carefully about what you are actually paying for and whether it is worth paying extra for a specialist course, or for the name of the institution on your CV.
You shoud also think about your living costs once you start your course - generally the South is more expensive than the North. Living in London will require you to fork out a lot more for food, rent, and transport than living in York.
However, there are always cheaper areas in every city if you're prepared to put up with a longer commute to campus each day, and perhaps living in an area that is socially, culturally and environmentally less desirable.
You can read more on how to fund your Taught Masters in our Postgraduate Funding guide.
Further tips on choosing your Taught Masters course
One of the best ways to narrow down your choices is to make a list of universities that offer the Taught Masters you wish to take, then whittle it down to a shortlist of about 5 or 6 by considering all the factors outlined above. Don't worry if you have a few more or less than this - the idea is to rule out a majority of the possibilities.
- When you are attending Open Days, make it a priority to find out how the postgraduate community is treated - talk to as many postgrad students as you can and ask them what support they receive, how much, and are there any special provisions in terms of societies and/or resources?
- At the end of the day, go with your gut feeling - if a particular university felt like the right place for you during an Open Day, then it's probably best to go for that one, even if it had fewer optional module choices or a lower RAE score than other institutions you were considering.
