You’ve figured out what course you want to do, and you’ve even found some funding, but you are still wondering whether or not taking up a postgraduate course is the right choice to make. Our panel offer their views.
Don’t take the benefits for granted
A postgraduate course can set you apart if it is directly related to the type of work you would like to do, particularly if your project or dissertation puts you in contact with employers in the industry you want to target.
It can also be an opportunity to add some more extra-curricular activities to your CV if you didn’t do this during your undergraduate degree – this is often what sets you apart with employers, rather than just the qualification, especially if the postgraduate degree is not directly related to the job you want.
However, if you plan to do a one-year course and want to apply for graduate trainee positions with many major recruiters, you'll need to use the summer before your course starts to add to your CV, as recruitment kicks off again in October.
In the same way that just doing a first degree isn’t enough to wow employers, you’ll need to articulate what you have gained from your postgraduate qualifications, and show the relevance of your newly acquired skills and knowledge to an employer. From our research, most employers are quite happy to take applications from postgraduates, but many don’t go out of their way to look for them. Even those who are keen on postgraduates often advertise their jobs as ‘graduate jobs’.
Even today, you can’t take for granted that a postgraduate course in itself will make any difference. It’s more dependent on which course, what you’ve done during your course, and how well can you target your applications to employers’ needs.
Courses that give you skills and knowledge that are directly applicable to a job are always valuable. MBAs can be excellent qualifications though they need to be preceded by several years of work experience and some excellent achievements to have real impact with employers. To break into the business world, an MA or MSc in a business topic is more appropriate.
If you are serious about taking up a course, it is important to consider the following:
- From an employment perspective, if you’re considering taking a postgrad course, ask the course provider for details of where previous graduates from the course have been employed.
- Try to make any project or dissertation relevant to the employers you want to target – you may need to push your tutors here, and do the legwork yourself.
- If it’s a one-year course, talk to a careers adviser as soon as you start, and create a plan for the year. It’s heartbreaking for us to see Masters students late in their course only to have to tell them that the careers fairs are all over and the closing dates for their dream jobs have just passed.
Elizabeth Wilkinson, Head of Postgraduate Career Development at the University of Manchester
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It could make the difference
The job market is becoming increasingly more competitive, and with more and more school leavers going on to take undergraduate qualifications, an extra year of study on a Masters course could make the difference from simply getting a job on graduation to getting the right job.
Postgraduate study is normally much more focused and will probably be closely aligned to the needs of industry, giving you the opportunity to further develop and apply the theory and skills you have gained.
There are many different types of study options available at postgraduate level other than the traditional PhD and MSc programmes. For example, an Advanced Professional Masters (MTech) covers two years with one year spent in industry and then there’s an MRes which is a taught programme usually lasting a year but with a strong focus on research, training and methodology.
With so many options available and with many universities offering scholarships or bursaries you will almost certainly find something that will suit you and if it allows your CV to stand out from the crowd surely it is worth the effort.
Phil Bailey, Assistant Registrar, Cranfield University
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Make sure it is right for you
There are lots of good reasons for taking up a postgraduate course. It may be that in order to get into a particular career you have to do so, as with the legal profession or an academic career. Alternatively, you might have enjoyed your studies so much at undergraduate level that you simply want to take them as far as you can.
Whatever your reasons for pursuing further study, a higher qualification will always enhance your CV – but you need to make sure it is right for you. Postgraduate study tends to be expensive, both in terms of time and money, and it is important that you consider the financial and emotional effects it may have on your life.
Equally, you need to think about how you can market your extra qualification. A postgraduate qualification is not a substitute for any required work experience and it won’t necessarily override a first degree result – if an employer wants a 2:1 now, and you have a 2:2, they may still want the 2:1 even if you have a Masters.
It is important that you do some research before you apply. You will need to consider where you’d like to live and investigate the possibility of funding, as well as what course you want to take up. Postgraduate study is always a plus, as long as you take the above factors into account.
Nan Sherrard, Careers Adviser, Liverpoool John Moores University
