Postgraduate study guide

This section explains all the different types of postgraduate course you can apply for in the UK and hopefully this overview will give you an idea of whether you think a postgraduate course is the right choice for you, and if it is, which particular course could be the best option for you.

If you are looking for more detailed information on postgraduate courses, check out our Taught Masters, Research Masters and PhD sections.

First things first

To undertake a postgraduate course in the UK, you must have a good Bachelor's degree. You need to have at least a lower second class, though normally an upper second class or a first.

Before you start researching what type of postgraduate course you think you might want to do, you should be clear about your reasons for continuing study after your undergraduate degree.

If you have specific goals and a particular career in mind that you would like to follow, this will make choosing a course and a university to study at a lot easier.

Don't use it as a way of deferring your decision on what career to go for, as this just wastes time and only makes you put off deciding until later on.

You will find that applying for a taught Masters course will give you an experience very similar to studying your undergraduate degree, as they involve taking a series of 'taught' modules that will then be assessed.

Postgraduate courses may also contain a research project, practical project, dissertation or a work placement. If studied full-time, they can usually last from a third of a year to a whole year, but may last two or three years if studied part-time.

For all postgraduate courses, you will find that class sizes are smaller, people are more interested in the subject (as there is more of a filtering process) and assessment is less exam-based.

Is postgraduate study right for me?

People apply for postgraduate courses for a number of reasons – some people are just very interested and enthusiastic about studying a particular subject in more depth, or see it as the next step in their academic career.

Other people take a course to become qualified for a particular career, or to help boost their CV and appeal more to potential employers.

Before you start looking at postgraduate courses, you should have a good idea of why you want to do it and what you expect to get out of it. This could save you time further down the line if you end up dropping out.

You shouldn't apply for a postgraduate course just because you can't be bothered to look for and apply for graduate jobs.

If you are certain a postgraduate course is the right step for you, there are over 5,800 postgraduate courses available in the UK, so you are bound to find at least a few that match your needs.

It's important to research each course that you are interested in carefully, as they vary in the time they take to complete, what’s involved in the syllabus and the amount you have to pay in course fees.

Where can I study?

A majority of universities in the UK that offer undergraduate degrees will have postgraduate courses available, too. If a university offers postgraduate degrees, they should have a dedicated postgraduate section on their website that outlines all the programmes they offer.

PhD studentships are sometimes advertised in newspapers and on websites such as jobs.ac.uk, New Scientist and FindAPhD.com.

What can I study?

There are 3 categories of postgraduate study available to study in the UK: Postgraduate Diploma/Certificate, Masters (MSc, MA, MPhil, etc.) and Doctorate (PhD, DPhil, etc).

Here we outline the types of postgraduate courses available to graduate students in the UK to help you decide which may be best suited to you.

Postgraduate Certificate

Can take about 1/3 of a year

Worth 60 credits

Typically a Postgraduate Certificate is awarded to students who have completed a conversion or vocational-oriented course (for example, a PGCE), although they may also be awarded to those have completed part of a Masters course.

Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip, PG Dip, PgDip, or PGD)

Can take about 2/3 of a year

Worth 120 credits

Generally awarded to students who have completed most or all of the courses of a Master's programme, but did not do the Master's dissertation.

A postgraduate diploma will allow you to obtain 120 credits (whereas a full Master's degree is usually 180 credits).

The course offers a graduate student the chance to study a new academic subject at degree level, but in a short space of time. Also allows them to study a vocational course after an academic undergraduate degree, such as the Legal Practice Course or the Bar Vocational Course.

Postgraduate diplomas tend to be either professionally or vocationally related, and provide a mix of additional academic knowledge and professional expertise that students need to be able to embark on a particular career.

However, they can also be a pre-requisite for a specialist masters course, usually offered by the same institution, or consist of only he taught elements of a masters programme.

In this latter case the student follows the same courses as the masters students but omits the research project or dissertation that follows the examinations or assessments.

Taught Masters

Usually lasts for 1 full year.

Worth 180 credits.

Often the same course as the Postgraduate diploma with an additional project, placement or dissertation for the extra 60 credits.

You will find that the structure of a taught Masters programme varies from course to course, as well as from institution to institution. This means courses with similar titles can have very different structures and content, as well as different teaching and assessment methods.

You may be taught the course material through seminars, classes, tutorials and supervised laboratory work. Assessment can be in the form of examinations, vivas, assessed projects, group work or coursework, and the weighting of these different aspects will vary between courses.

A majority of taught Masters courses are not entirely 'taught', as they normally include a research project or dissertation. Other courses will offer you a choice of modules, while some will have a set cirriculum that all students must follow.

When you are researching different Masters programmes on the web and in prospectuses, it should be clear who the course is aimed at, as well as the entry requirements for applying to the course. Check these details carefully, as this is important in determining whether the course is suitable for you.

If you have specific career plans, it is vital you find out who and what the course is intended for to make sure the course will help provide you with the knowledge, skills and experience required.

If you are thinking about applying for a PhD later on, it is important to ascertain that your Masters programme includes an appropriate level of research training and specialist knowledge that will provide you with a good foundation for undertaking doctoral study.

Read our guide to Taught Masters programmes for further details on this particular type of course.

Research Masters

Most last for 1 year, sometimes 2.

Are generally MRes programmes, but you will also find other specifically research related Masters (e.g. MSc by Research).

Includes training in both research methods of the relevant discipline and usually a substantial research project.

Sometimes necessary if you are planning to progress to a PhD.

Useful if you are considering a career where research is your main role, but a PhD is not specifically required.

Additionally, if you are unsure whether a PhD is right for you, a Research Masters can give you a valuable experience of what studying for a doctorate might be like, whilst at the same time allowing you to gain a Masters level qualification.

Read our guide to Research Masters programmes for further details on this particular type of course.

Doctorates (DPhil/PhD)

Often last at least 3 years - up to 7 years if studied part-time.

Leads to the publication of a thesis.

Important if you wish to pursue a career in academic research.

Generally, you will register first for an MPhil, and after a specified period of time, you will transfer to a PhD, providing you have met certain academic criteria and reached a certain stage in the research process, as defined by your University.

This transfer process usually takes place as a formal interview and takes place approximately one year to eighteen months after you start your MPhil.

Some universities may have other additional stages and criteria that must be met before the MPhil transfer - we recommend you check with each university you are considering applying to, as these conditions will vary.

Read our guide to PhDs for further details on this particular type of course.

Professional qualifications

As well as the main types of courses above, which can be studies in most subjects, there are also professional postgraduate courses you can study.

These are often in specific subjects or are aimed towards people going in to specific careers.

Many professional Master's are similar in content to a taught Master's course, though they will often contain theoretical elements, coupled with substantial work placements. You will normally be required to carry out an aspect of research, too.

MBA (Master of Business Administration)

This course is designed to introduce students to the various areas of business such as accounting, marketing, operations management, human resources and more.

MBA programmes in the UK usually consist of a number of taught modules or courses, as well as a dissertation or project.

PGCE/PGDE

The PGCE (postgraduate certificate in Education) is a 1 year course that allows graduates to train to be a teacher.

You can apply through the GTTR website.

A majority of the course is spent on work placements in local schools.

The PGDE (postgraduate diploma in education) is the equivalent course in Scotland.

In England, trainee teachers also have to pass the QTS Skills Test in literacy, numeracy and ICT.

Once a trainee teacher has met the Standards for Qualified Teacher Status and any other course-specific requirements to be awarded the PGCE, they become a New Qualified Teacher (NQT) and undertake an induction programme in their first post.

Law courses

The Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) - this is occasionally referred to as the Common Professional Examination (CPE), and is a 1 year course for graduates of subjects other than law who then want to train to be able to practise law.

The Legal Practice Course (LPC) - this is a 1 year course that all graduates who intend becoming solicitors must take (whether they did an undergraduate law degree or the GDL), before they can start work as trainee solicitors. The Bar Vocational Course (BVC) is the equivalent course for those who wish to become barristers.

The GDL, LPC, and BVC are all available part-time over a 2 year period.

What next?

If you are sure a postgraduate course is the right step for you, and you've narrowed down which programmes and universities you wish to apply to, contact the institution(s) directly and ask them for their application pack.

Once you have all the necessary forms and information, check out our postgraduate personal statements section to help you write a successful application.

If you are uncertain how you will finance your course, take a look at our postgraduate funding section to see what avenues of funding you can pursue to cover the costs of your programme.