Thinking of a Masters in 2020? Here's What You Should Know

Good evidence suggests that a Masters degree really can improve a graduate's earnings and employability. It's not quite as simple as that (it never is, right?) and we'll explain why in a moment. BUT! Postgrad study is getting far more popular and the funding for a Masters is a lot better than it was just a few years ago (could those things be linked?).

So, whether you're a current student thinking about your next step, or someone who graduated a while ago and is bored of their current job curious about further study, here;'s what you need to know if a Masters grabs your interest in 2020.

Postgraduate loans have been available for Masters degrees across the UK since 2016. They're far from perfect, and they're quite different to the undergrad loans you may be used to, but they do make further study a lot more affordable.

They're also going up in value this year.

The English postgraduate loan is now worth up to £11,222 for a Masters degree in 2020-21 and Welsh Masters loans have risen to a very generous £17,000, some of which isn't even a loan. Scottish and Northern Irish funding isn't quite so generous, but it is a lot more flexible – you can get a loan for a Postgrad Certificate or Diploma, as well as for a Masters.

To be frank, postgraduate fees are a bit odd. There's no cap on tuition, so universities are free to charge what they like. Some Masters are actually cheaper than a Bachelors in the same subject. Others. . . aren't.

Prices also go up a little each year (thanks, inflation) but then, so does the funding. Bear in mind, though, that your Masters will probably only last a year. So, even a 'more expensive' course might not actually be more expensive than three years of undergrad. Except when it is.

Basically, it's a good idea to browse different course and do a bit of comparison. Good job there's somewhere you can do that.

We've covered this in detail elsewhere, but Brexit probably won't have a huge impact on your ability to study abroad in the EU this year. And you really should think about doing that: it's a lot more affordable than you think and the weather's probably better too.

2020 began with some very welcome news for anyone considering studying a postgraduate course in Nursing, Midwifery or Allied Healthcare: annual bursaries of £5,000 have been (re)introduced for these courses. There's also some additional funding priority courses, regions and subject areas.

More and more people are choosing to study at postgrad level (trust us, we know this stuff) and more and more attention is being paid to how worthwhile those extra qualications end up being – at least in terms of earnings.

Now, there's a lot more to a Masters than the chance to earn more at the end of it, but, let's be honest: a higher salary is always nice. And the evidence suggests a postgraduate qualification could lead to one.

Circumstances mean that a post looking ahead to Masters study (or, indeed, any study) in 2020 can't really ignore the impact of the coronavirus. And we won't.

However, whilst we list Masters courses in subjects like epidemiology and virology, we aren't experts on these subjects and, as you'll no doubt be aware, things are changing rapidly.

What we can say is that universities in some countries have begun partially closing and moving classes online. This affects the current academic year, but we don't yet know what impact (if any) it will have on postgraduate courses starting this autumn.

The best advice we have is to listen to relevant public health advice, but carry on with applications for courses and funding as normal. Your current and / or prospective universities will let you know if you need to do anything else.

We also suggest washing your hands, but as a clever prospective postgaduate, we expect you already know that.

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