Integrated Masters Degrees - Essential Guide

An integrated Masters is typically a four-year programme packaging both an undergraduate degree and a Masters degree together. An integrated Masters is better than doing a Bachelors and Masters separately in some ways (better funding, professional focus), though they may be less flexible and aren’t available in every subject. You may be able to switch to an integrated Masters after starting an undergraduate degree (and vice versa), but this depends on the university.

Ready to put the ‘great’ in ‘integrated Masters’? Unfortunately…you can’t (you’d need ‘grate’, gratingly). Gotta watch out for those homophones.

Anywho, integrated Masters are pretty interesting. They require a bit of foresight to get started (how many people switch tracks after they complete their undergrad, do you think?), but they provide some distinct advantages to make up for that. I’ve mentioned some of them above, but I’ll also integrate further information in this guide so you can become masters of this programme type.

…Sorry, I’ll stop messing around with the name, now. Other minor messing around may occur in service of making this article more fun to read, so I make no promises otherwise.

How do integrated Masters degrees work?

Integrated Masters work pretty much how you’d expect them to, helpfully! You’ll complete a three-year Bachelors portion (very much like a normal undergrad), and once you’re done with that, you’ll move onto Masters-level content in your fourth year. Sometimes you’ll also complete a work placement somewhere in there (in which case it might run for five years), but otherwise, it’s pretty standard stuff.

So, with this being the case, what are the main differences between completing an integrated Masters and just doing both a Bachelors and a Masters separately?

• An integrated Masters is funded through the undergraduate loans system. Since the UK postgraduate loan doesn’t include a separate maintenance loan (among other differences), this is a pretty big deal for UK nationals!
• You’ll need to continue at the same university with an integrated Masters, whereas doing them separately means you can shop around.
• You’ll have to stay within the same subject, whereas doing them separately could mean switching subjects (typically through a conversion course).
• You’ll typically only receive the Masters degree at the end of an integrated Masters, whereas doing both separately would earn you both degrees.

So in a sense, going for an integrated Masters is making a bet with yourself. You say, “I think the career this will set me up for is definitely what I want to do,” and in return for that pledge, you get a better deal on funding and more of a professional focus. That’s assuming you’re a UK national, of course—if you’re looking to study abroad in the UK, the benefits are less apparent.

Types of integrated Masters

Master of Engineering (MEng)

A UK MEng is one of the more common integrated Masters out there, and is a typical route for students who want to become professional engineers. They’re usually accredited by official bodies—in the UK, this would be through the UK Engineering Council.

Confusingly, the MEng isn’t always an integrated Masters—in the US, for example, it’s an ordinary Masters degree that requires a Bachelors for entry. You can read more about these differences (and the MEng in general) in our MEng guide.

Master in Science (MSci)

Not to be confused with the Master of Science (MSc) (yes, really), an MSci is an integrated Masters in a science subject.

For the most part, you’ll find MSci programmes in regulated professional fields (like psychology) or applied science subjects (like industrial chemistry or pharmacology). Your fourth year will typically be a research project, and the focus for the programme is often gaining practical skills for a specific career. There may also be a work placement.

Quick note: if you’re planning on completing a PhD afterwards, maybe check with the university to see if an MSci is the right choice. As mentioned, MSci programmes typically funnel you into specific careers, so going into academia generally isn’t the intention. You may be better off with a BSc followed by an MRes in this case, but again, check in with the university.

The Scottish MA

You may have heard of the Master of Arts (MA) before. In most places, this is purely a normal Masters degree that requires an undergraduate degree to enter…except at ancient Scottish universities (like the University of Edinburgh).

At these specific universities, an MA is as integrated Masters instead. For an equivalent to a regular MA, these universities tend to offer those as a Master of Letters (MLitt) or a Master of Science (MSc).

I’m also referring to it as ‘the Scottish MA’ for differentiation purposes and not in a Macbeth / ‘the Scottish play’ sort of way, so you probably won’t be cursed saying a programme’s true name (just thought I’d clear that up).

What subjects award integrated Masters degrees?

Most integrated Masters are in STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). They tend to focus on applied knowledge and practical training, with close links to specific vocations or career paths.

Of course, that’s not to say that integrated Masters for non-STEM subjects don’t exist, just that they’re less common…at least, if you’re not in Scotland. The Scottish MA throws a spanner in the works for this categorisation exercise (or a ‘wrench in the works’ if you’re less British than me).

Integrated Masters grading

Let’s get the easy part out of the way first—at the end of an integrated Masters, you’ll get the same kind of grade as you would for an undergrad. In other words, you’ll receive a 1^st, 2.1, 2.2 or a 3rd.

What’s somewhat different is how years are weighted. In an integrated Masters, each year of the four-year programme is weighted 0:1:2:2, so the third and fourth years are worth twice as much as the second. Undergrad depends a little on university, but typically it’s 0:1:2. Either way, the first year doesn’t count to your final grade (but don’t use this as an excuse to flunk out on your first-year assessments, you’ll make your lecturer sad).

Similar programmes to integrated Masters

There are a couple of programmes that aren’t integrated Masters programmes (officially, anyway), but they share a few traits in common.

Integrated Masters and PhD

These are a similar idea to an integrated Masters, just combining a Masters and a PhD rather than an Bachelors and a Masters. They’re research-based programmes which are sometimes funded by research councils, much like a regular PhD, and you may hear them called a ‘1+3’ programme. Also, you’ll earn both the Masters and a PhD, unlike a normal integrated Masters (fancy!).

Long cycle Masters

These are 4.5 to 6-year programmes which are similar in concept to an integrated Masters (combining undergrad and Masters topics in one programme). As you can see by the year count, though, it’s a bit chunkier. They’re primarily found in non-UK countries and are slowly being phased out by most, but you may still see them around (particularly in Poland).

Tips from the author

#1 You might be able to switch between integrated Masters and a Bachelors (but check with your university)

One word of warning on this: aside from making sure your university lets you, this might cause havoc with your student visa if you’re an international student. For this reason, some universities recommend international students study a Bachelors followed by a Masters rather than an integrated Masters (still visa faff, but slightly more manageable).

#2 Likewise, ‘upgrading’ from a Bachelors to an integrated Masters might be possible (though it has some difficulties)

Again, this is university dependent, so check in with them first if you think this might be relevant to you. There’ll also typically be a minimum average grade requirement (such as 65% at the end of year 2), so watch out for that. Annoyingly, if you do this, the undergrad loan won’t cover you for the Masters year, so you’ll need the postgraduate loan for that. And for international students, visa problems may come up again. Oops.

#3 Masters > Bachelors, so you’re not missing out

In other words, you won’t be disadvantaged by only earning a Masters at the end rather than both a Bachelors and a Masters if doing them separately. Employers (and especially universities) know that you have a Masters-level command of the subject, so the lack of Bachelors isn’t important. That’d be like judging someone with an English Literature Bachelors for a lack of English Lit A-level (unusual, maybe, but they clearly know their stuff!)