9 (and a Half) Myths About Postgraduate Study

A 'Masters degree'. The kind of hallowed qualification bestowed upon a select few:

People who never leave the library, nevermind go to the pub, and who read everything in it, twice, including the graffiti in the toilets. People who have no social lives to speak of and yet, somewhat inexplicably, have no money either. People whose friends say of them in hushed tones: 'Has she been arrested? Has she skipped the country? No, no, she's just studying for an MSc in Organometallic Chemistry.'

All of which is obviously nonsense*.

And yet, some myths about postgraduate study do persist. This post will do its best to bust them.

*Well, not all of it. Organometallic Chemistry is a real subject.

It's in the name, right? To get a Masters degree you have to totally master your academic subject?

Actually, no.

A quick history lesson: the term 'Masters degree' actually originated as an academic rank in the medieval period. It was a way of recognising scholars who were entitled to teach as university 'masters'.

So, having a Masters didn't, doesn't and won't require someone to comprehensively 'Master' an entire discipline. That would take a lot longer than a year (and wouldn't leave much for the PhD students to do).

You will earn a degree of mastery (see what we did there?) during a postgraduate course and, by the time you're done, you will be something of an expert in your subject area. But that skill and expertise is the outcome of a course, not an entry requirement for it.

Honestly? It depends*. Staying at a university you're familiar with has obvious advantages, and there's no reason to move if the course you want to study is offered where you are.

But, at postgraduate level, specialisation is part of the point. If a university somewhere else has put together your dream course. . . well, you'll be silly not to go and study it, right?

*Well, moving university or not depends on other factors. Building a university out of Lego is always a good idea, but probably isn't a requirement for your Masters degree unless you opt for a very creative dissertation project.

This one is actually true. Postgraduate courses are 'harder' than undergraduate courses. Your modules will be set at a higher credit level, you'll be expected to carry out much more independent study and preparation and your dissertation will be a much more substantial task.

Yep. It's definitely harder.

In fact, it's so much harder that you should probably only attempt a Masters if you've already completed a relevant Bachelors or have appropriate professional experience.

Which is to say that students who meet the entry requirements for a Masters should be absolutely fine.

In fact, the hardest thing about the transition from undergraduate to postgraduate study is probably the intensity of the course. Your programme may only take one year to complete, but you'll cover a lot more ground in that time than you would have in your first degree. This is something you can and will adapt to.

'Postgraduate study' takes place after undergraduate study, but that doesn't mean it has to take place immediately after your first degree. In fact, some students find it beneficial to spend some time in work before tackling a Masters. (This can also be true at PhD level).

Many postgraduate programmes are actually designed for experienced applicants. The MBA, for example, requires candidates to have some managament experience. Other courses provide Continuing Professional Development (CPD) opportunities for students looking to enhance their careers - or switch careers entirely.

This myth doesn't arise from a lack of postgraduate funding (there's actually plenty of it) so much as the lack of a single 'one-stop' funding package for courses at Masters level. And this is still the case, though the situation varies between countries.

In the UK, most undergraduates have access to a student finance system that normally covers their fees in full whilst they study, plus the potential for additional means-tested maintenance loans. The situation at postgraduate level is slightly different.

Instead of matching your fees, a Masters loan will make a 'contribution to the cost of postgraduate study'. The exact amount of that contribution depends on the loan you're eligible for, but none of the UK systems will guarantee to completely cover tuition and living costs.

The reality, then, is that you may need to look for additional funding, or find other ways of covering your costs during a Masters.

Not at all. There are more types of postgraduate course available than you can shake a stick at.

But we've put most of them on one page, so you can. If you like shaking sticks at your PC / mobile / tablet, that is. Be careful not to break it.

No. You just have to study a subject you're equipped to tackle at postgraduate level.

You're probably not going to be accepted onto an MSc in Particle Physics with a BA in English Literature. But that's not because you've studied English Literature. It's because you (probably) don't know very much about Particle Physics. You'd struggle to understand all the. . . particles. . . in. . . physics, just as a Physics graduate would struggle to explain the difference between juvenalian and horatian satire.*

But staying within the same subject area doesn't mean studying the same subject. For many students a Masters degree is an opportunity to specialise. So our hypothetical English Literature graduate might choose an MA focussed on Renaissance Literature, Postcolonial Literature, Gothic Literature, or any of the other Literature programmes listed here on FindAMasters.

If you do want to switch subjects at postgraduate level, there are actually conversion courses designed to enable that. These tend to focus on specific professions, such as Teaching, Law or Social Work: perfect if you're looking to take an academic undergraduate degree and, well, convert it to more vocational training.

*You can probably tell which subject the author studied.

Actually, around half of the courses listed on FindAMasters begin in the Spring term, with a start date in January or later. In the current climate, waiting until January can make a lot of sense, especially if you're waiting to find out how your personal circumstances might change in the next couple of months.

First things first: there is some data to suggest people with postgraduate degrees go on to earn more. But there are two things to bear in mind about that 'fact'.

• a) You're not going to be an aggregated data set of 'people with postgraduate degrees'; you're going to be a specific person with a postgraduate degree.
• b) What you 'go on' to earn, will depend on what you go on to do (and how good you are at it).

It's true that some postgraduate qualifications will allow you to enter some professions (and some of these may end up being relatively high-earning). But, in and of itself, a Masters isn't going to guarantee you a higher salary. And we'd rather be honest with you about that (whilst giving you access to the relevant data).

This is just nonsense. You can absolutely go to the pub.

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