Why Study a Masters Degree?

Different students have different reasons for doing a Masters. Many do so in the hope that postgraduate study will improve their career prospects.

But students also enjoy the chance to pursue their undergraduate subject at a more advanced level.

This page presents an overview of some of the main reasons why you might study a Masters degree, both professional and academic. It also offers some advice on evaluating your own reasons for postgraduate study – and deciding whether you should do a Masters.

Whatever your goals, it’s important is that you consider your reasons for Masters study carefully.

Spending another year at university can seem appealing if you’re not yet sure what you want to do after you graduate. But don’t assume that you’ll automatically make yourself more employable by doing so.

There are plenty of people out there who can help you evaluate your postgraduate plans and help you decide whether to do a Masters degree. You could (and should) consult your current university’s careers advisory service. You can also take advice from your lecturers or talk to friends, family and fellow students.

But the person who really knows the most about your decision is you. So take some time to reflect on your own decision and your reasoning.

Here are some common reasons why people might do a Masters:

• To improve your employment prospects
• To continue progressing down your current career path
• To study a subject you’re passionate about
• To progress to PhD level
• To meet the requirements of a specific profession

Evidence suggests that a Masters degree may increase your employability and lifetime earnings.

Completing a postgraduate course is also an impressive achievement in itself. It demonstrates your ability to tackle complex material and complete more challenging assessment tasks.

Some Masters courses also enhance academic undergraduate degrees and ‘focus’ them towards specific professions. For example, a Masters in Marketing or Journalism could be an excellent way to capitalise on your skills as an English or History graduate.

But don’t assume a postgraduate qualification will automatically make you more attractive to employers.

Unless your degree relates to a specific career path, you‘ll need to consider how you’ll 'sell' your Masters to employers.

Should you do a Masters or work?

After graduating from a Bachelors degree, it’s pretty common to wonder whether it would be best to jump straight into the world of work or to study a Masters first.

There’s no simple answer to this – it largely depends on your personal circumstances and motivations. If you’re genuinely passionate about a particular Masters programme, that’s usually a good sign. You shouldn’t feel pressured into studying a postgraduate degree just for the sake of it or to put off ‘the real world’ for another year or two.

At the same time, it’s important to recognise that if you decide to begin a career after graduation, there’s nothing to stop you returning to university in future. In fact, you may find that your financial situation is a little more secure after a few years of full-time work – or that a break from academia has reaffirmed your passion for your subject!

Do some jobs require a postgraduate qualification?

Some professions will only admit candidates with very specific qualifications. These are often earned through specialised postgraduate study.

In Education, for example, many prospective teachers study a postgraduate teaching qualification after their undergraduate degree. Other candidates qualify through other routes, including vocational training.

In other subjects, such as Law, specific Masters programmes exist to help candidates gain advanced skills and specialisations. However, these will not necessarily replace the normal professional training and qualification process.

The best way to find out if a postgraduate qualification will help you enter a specific profession is to speak to careers advisors. Or, if possible, contact relevant recruiters and employers. You will usually find that many pathways exist into a profession. These may include postgraduate study, but won't necessarily be limited to it.

Not all students begin a postgraduate course immediately after an undergraduate degree. Many return to university later in their careers to gain new skills or retrain for a different job.

Masters study is particularly suited to this approach, with opportunities to study part-time or even do so remotely.

Many postgraduate courses are also specifically designed for professional training.

Some are conversion courses that open doors to new vocations such as teaching or law.

Others focus on specialised skills such as digital marketing and graphic design. These can help established professionals ‘upskill’ as their role evolves.

When to consider postgraduate professional development

Returning to university may seem like an odd decision if you’re already in work. But postgraduate study can be an excellent ‘career move’.

Here are some situations in which studying a Masters (or similar qualification) might be useful to you:

• You want to switch careers

  If you’re looking for a new professional challenge, you’re probably not alone. It’s increasingly common for people to change careers during their working lives. You might be responding to changes in your current field, or looking to fulfil a longstanding professional goal.

  If so, a postgraduate course could help you retrain. Some programmes are designed for exactly this purpose. Conversion courses are popular with applicants applying to work in law without existing training. Various teacher training courses also exist for people wishing to enter education.

• You want to boost your current career

  If you’re working in a fast-moving, high-skilled profession, you may want to update your training from time to time. This will help you stay abreast of new developments or technologies that can impact or enhance your role. A digital marketer, for example, might want to develop skills in social media management.

  Lots of postgraduate courses exist to provide this kind of training. Many are shorter PGDip or PGCert programs that can be studied part-time or through distance learning. This means you may be able to enhance your career without taking a break from it.

• You want to move into a management role

  Postgraduate training can be a great way to prepare yourself for a more senior role in your current organisation or profession. This doesn’t always mean studying a dedicated management programme (such as an MBA). A postgraduate course could simply help enhance your practical expertise and be the final thing your CV needs to really shine.

  Taking the time for further study in your profession or field also demonstrates the seriousness of your aspirations – and your commitment to them.

• You want to move into an academic role

  Not all university academics spend their entire careers within the ‘ivory tower’. Many actually come from professional backgrounds, such as business or journalism. Your first-hand experience in one of these fields could make you a great teacher and researcher. But you’ll also benefit from understanding your subject from an academic perspective.

  A Masters will help you do this – and perhaps even prepare you for a PhD.

A taught Masters can provide an excellent bridge between undergraduate study and PhD research. But this doesn’t necessarily mean that PhD programs will expect applicants to have a Masters degree.

Requirements may differ between subject areas and between different research projects. Studying a Masters degree before a PhD is more common in Arts and Humanities subjects than in Science disciplines. But there’s no hard and fast rule.

The best way to find out if a specific PhD program requires a Masters is to contact the university in question. They may be able to tell you whether a Masters would help prepare you for a program or improve your chances of acquiring a funded position.

The benefits of studying a Masters before a PhD

If you are considering a PhD, it’s better to think about the possible benefits of a Masters, rather than simply viewing the degree as an obligation.

Studying a Masters will enhance your general subject knowledge and provide you with the chance to tackle advanced independent research-projects on a smaller scale. This can help make the transition into a PhD research project easier and more enjoyable.

A Masters degree can also help you ‘test the waters’ before you commit to further postgraduate training. If you decide that an academic career probably isn’t for you, it’s better to find that out on a Masters (and come away with a worthwhile qualification) rather than realise it after you’ve already begun a PhD.