Postgraduates
If you're addicted to student life, there's no need to go cold turkey. Push offers a guide for postgrads.
Some students become enthralled by student life and think, what the hell, I’ll do another degree. But life as a postgrad is very different from the lazy, hazy daze of undergrad life and it can be just as troubled financially. Here's a good start on all you need to know about taking the plunge into even more higher education.
Some students become enthralled by student life and think, what the hell, I’ll do another degree. But life as a postgrad is very different from the lazy, hazy daze of undergrad life and it can be just as troubled financially. Here's a good start on all you need to know about taking the plunge into even more higher education.
Quick Guide:
MASters & Post-graduate study
|
Push editorial manager Lucy (Creative Writing MA grad) gives her top tips on Masters and Post-Grad studies.
|
more info
WHAT about postgrads
A whopping 180,000 undergrads either stay on after graduating or return to take postgraduate courses. The reasons why vary greatly, from putting off the 9-5 grind, worries about getting employment at all, sheer love of particle physics (it happens) or an adoration of student life.
But those simply expecting an extension of undergrad life are sorely misled. Postgrads study all year round with no long holidays to recharge batteries or bank accounts.
Funding, too, is harder to come by – Student Finance England offer a standard maximum of £10,280 for the entirety of your course, tuition and maintenance included, so students have to stick to pretty strict budgets. Very few postgrads are guaranteed further financial support for any course (trainee teachers are one notable exception).
What grants are available are awarded on a competitive basis and so it’s a good idea to have a pretty damn impressive first degree (even a good 2:1 may be cutting it fine for humanities and arts subjects because there’s less funding about). It also helps if you’re able to apply to a funding council who’re more generous with grants.
There are also Government-subsidised Career Development Loans mostly for courses which can claim some kind of vocational element (translating obscure Abyssinian limericks probably doesn’t count) and which pay out between £300 and £8,000. See www.lifelonglearning.co.uk/cdl for the low-down on the fine print.
At the end of the day, a postgrad qualification may solve the financial problems it creates. Postgrads stand out from the crowd to potential employers and can expect to earn more. However, many employers prefer to train recent undergraduates and postgrads can find themselves overqualified. Some postgrads become professional academics, but the financial rewards alone are not likely to be a temptation.
Postgraduate courses split into two broad types – those that centre on research and those that are taught.
Researchers study for 1 or 2 years to get a Masters degree or MPhil, or 3 years for a Doctorate (PhD). However, these are minimum periods – many students take a bit longer, sometimes up to twice as long. That extra time, including the costs of living, eating and socialising, also racks up the final bill.
Although there’s no teaching, postgrads’ research is supervised and it’s important the supervisor is appropriately clued up. Postgrads should interview whoever will be supervising them before accepting a place – it’s important not only that supervisors are able to appreciate the subtleties of their postgrads’ work, but also that they get on well.
As for taught courses, they are usually part of an extended career ladder or a stepping stone to a research degree. They are either for students who want to specialise in a particular field or want to convert their qualifications to a different area. Conversion courses in particular vary greatly in what they offer, so students should be sure not just that it’s suitable, but also why it is. Awards for these courses are available from the same sources as research degrees.
But those simply expecting an extension of undergrad life are sorely misled. Postgrads study all year round with no long holidays to recharge batteries or bank accounts.
Funding, too, is harder to come by – Student Finance England offer a standard maximum of £10,280 for the entirety of your course, tuition and maintenance included, so students have to stick to pretty strict budgets. Very few postgrads are guaranteed further financial support for any course (trainee teachers are one notable exception).
What grants are available are awarded on a competitive basis and so it’s a good idea to have a pretty damn impressive first degree (even a good 2:1 may be cutting it fine for humanities and arts subjects because there’s less funding about). It also helps if you’re able to apply to a funding council who’re more generous with grants.
There are also Government-subsidised Career Development Loans mostly for courses which can claim some kind of vocational element (translating obscure Abyssinian limericks probably doesn’t count) and which pay out between £300 and £8,000. See www.lifelonglearning.co.uk/cdl for the low-down on the fine print.
At the end of the day, a postgrad qualification may solve the financial problems it creates. Postgrads stand out from the crowd to potential employers and can expect to earn more. However, many employers prefer to train recent undergraduates and postgrads can find themselves overqualified. Some postgrads become professional academics, but the financial rewards alone are not likely to be a temptation.
Postgraduate courses split into two broad types – those that centre on research and those that are taught.
Researchers study for 1 or 2 years to get a Masters degree or MPhil, or 3 years for a Doctorate (PhD). However, these are minimum periods – many students take a bit longer, sometimes up to twice as long. That extra time, including the costs of living, eating and socialising, also racks up the final bill.
Although there’s no teaching, postgrads’ research is supervised and it’s important the supervisor is appropriately clued up. Postgrads should interview whoever will be supervising them before accepting a place – it’s important not only that supervisors are able to appreciate the subtleties of their postgrads’ work, but also that they get on well.
As for taught courses, they are usually part of an extended career ladder or a stepping stone to a research degree. They are either for students who want to specialise in a particular field or want to convert their qualifications to a different area. Conversion courses in particular vary greatly in what they offer, so students should be sure not just that it’s suitable, but also why it is. Awards for these courses are available from the same sources as research degrees.
As the number of undergraduates has risen over the past fifteen years, so has the number of postgrads. And it’s not just a simple percentage game.
As more people realise the career benefits of having a degree, they rightly assume there are even greater benefits if you distinguish yourself further by having more than one degree, a masters or better yet a doctorate or PhD. Postgrads should also assume that being a student for even longer means having a low cash flow for even longer. While your friends may be buying their first pad and hanging fancypants (or Ikea) pictures on the walls, you'll still be renting student hovels and buying Che Guevara posters.
A higher proportion of graduates in the UK go on to further training than almost anywhere else in the world, second only to Denmark.
Unfortunately, the growing number of people wanting to take up postgrad studies puts more pressure on the sources of funding that support it. New funding possibilities have sprung up, but just as one spring in the Sahara wouldn't turn the desert green, there's still not enough to make life easy.
As more people realise the career benefits of having a degree, they rightly assume there are even greater benefits if you distinguish yourself further by having more than one degree, a masters or better yet a doctorate or PhD. Postgrads should also assume that being a student for even longer means having a low cash flow for even longer. While your friends may be buying their first pad and hanging fancypants (or Ikea) pictures on the walls, you'll still be renting student hovels and buying Che Guevara posters.
A higher proportion of graduates in the UK go on to further training than almost anywhere else in the world, second only to Denmark.
Unfortunately, the growing number of people wanting to take up postgrad studies puts more pressure on the sources of funding that support it. New funding possibilities have sprung up, but just as one spring in the Sahara wouldn't turn the desert green, there's still not enough to make life easy.
fees
Fees
Postgraduate fees, like undergraduate fees, are usually only a contribution to the total cost, the rest of which is paid for by taxpayers. But unlike undergraduate fees, the loans system isn't quite so generous.
Living costs
Bear in mind that postgrads’ living costs are usually a fair bit higher than undergraduates’.
Postgraduate courses tend to have fewer holidays (a typical masters course lasts 11-12 months) and academic costs (books, computers, periodicals and so on) are likely to take a bigger slice of the budget.
Being a bit older, as a rule, food fights and 4am Playstation sessions won't cut the mustard with most postgrads in need of shut eye and peace and quiet to study in, and they’ll often want somewhere on their own – or less of a dive, at least. You may even feel it's time to say goodbye to economy branded food and step up a gear in the supermarket spending pool.
Postgraduate fees, like undergraduate fees, are usually only a contribution to the total cost, the rest of which is paid for by taxpayers. But unlike undergraduate fees, the loans system isn't quite so generous.
Living costs
Bear in mind that postgrads’ living costs are usually a fair bit higher than undergraduates’.
Postgraduate courses tend to have fewer holidays (a typical masters course lasts 11-12 months) and academic costs (books, computers, periodicals and so on) are likely to take a bigger slice of the budget.
Being a bit older, as a rule, food fights and 4am Playstation sessions won't cut the mustard with most postgrads in need of shut eye and peace and quiet to study in, and they’ll often want somewhere on their own – or less of a dive, at least. You may even feel it's time to say goodbye to economy branded food and step up a gear in the supermarket spending pool.
how do postgrads pay for it?
Alas, along with Father Christmas, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy, the (admittedly lesser known) Postgraduate Pixie doesn't exist and has no stores of cash hidden in the woodlands for knowledge-thirsty postgrads. There are a number of more conventional sources of funding available, but it isn’t as, er, straightforward as the undergraduate system and competition is fierce.
By definition, postgraduates are a pretty clever bunch and the myriad methods of getting funding keep wannabe boffins on their toes:
The course you want to study and your academic brilliance also make a big difference to your chances:
The course
The best odds are in courses that have a clear benefit to the country or to a company. Postgrad courses fall into two categories: taught courses and research degrees.
Some funding sources only apply to one type or the other, but taught courses often have a specific use and so whomever it’s useful to may be willing to pay.
As a ludicrously broad generalisation, research degrees only get funding if they have a practical application, but if that application makes money for someone other than the student, they may well get support.
So science, technology and business courses attract much bigger bucks than, say, research projects looking at Shakespeare's influence on graffiti in Shoreditch.
Your academic brilliance
If you’re outstanding in your subject area, you’re also more likely to get some kind of support, even if in the arts it's little more than a pat on the back and a few luncheon vouchers. The idea's that it works as a kind of ad hoc filtering system, searching out the real gems from the tin foil fraudsters. You should only be doing postgrad study if you’re up to the considerable academic challenge. So, the better you are, the more likely you are to get a place on a course (or find a supervisor for your research) and to get funding to do it.
Like Katie Price's make up mantra, apply early and apply often as it's the best way to boost your chances. The postgraduate admissions cycle is more flexible than that of undergraduate courses, with many studentships advertised several months after the UCAS forms had to be in, but it doesn’t hurt to start looking a full year before you want to start studying – or even earlier.
Increasingly, postgrads combine their studies (often part-time themselves) with part-time or full-time work, though beware of trying to do too much. A full-time course, for example, does just what it says on the tin and will probably seem like a job itself – it’ll be harder to squeeze extra work around the geeking than it was at undergraduate level.
As for your living expenses, you're by now showing enough wrinkles and white hairs to sort out your own accommodation. Unless you’re taking a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE), you can’t apply for a student loan.
Postgrads who got some kind of hardship money when they first came into higher education might qualify for some emergency funding (through the Access to Learning Fund), but only as a last resort.
Nevertheless, there are funds out there to help pay both fees and the costs of living. The most important are laid out below and your university will also be able to give you advice.
By definition, postgraduates are a pretty clever bunch and the myriad methods of getting funding keep wannabe boffins on their toes:
- Government funding
- Research councils
- Companies
- Trusts and charities
- LEAS
- Universities
- Banks
The course you want to study and your academic brilliance also make a big difference to your chances:
The course
The best odds are in courses that have a clear benefit to the country or to a company. Postgrad courses fall into two categories: taught courses and research degrees.
Some funding sources only apply to one type or the other, but taught courses often have a specific use and so whomever it’s useful to may be willing to pay.
As a ludicrously broad generalisation, research degrees only get funding if they have a practical application, but if that application makes money for someone other than the student, they may well get support.
So science, technology and business courses attract much bigger bucks than, say, research projects looking at Shakespeare's influence on graffiti in Shoreditch.
Your academic brilliance
If you’re outstanding in your subject area, you’re also more likely to get some kind of support, even if in the arts it's little more than a pat on the back and a few luncheon vouchers. The idea's that it works as a kind of ad hoc filtering system, searching out the real gems from the tin foil fraudsters. You should only be doing postgrad study if you’re up to the considerable academic challenge. So, the better you are, the more likely you are to get a place on a course (or find a supervisor for your research) and to get funding to do it.
Like Katie Price's make up mantra, apply early and apply often as it's the best way to boost your chances. The postgraduate admissions cycle is more flexible than that of undergraduate courses, with many studentships advertised several months after the UCAS forms had to be in, but it doesn’t hurt to start looking a full year before you want to start studying – or even earlier.
Increasingly, postgrads combine their studies (often part-time themselves) with part-time or full-time work, though beware of trying to do too much. A full-time course, for example, does just what it says on the tin and will probably seem like a job itself – it’ll be harder to squeeze extra work around the geeking than it was at undergraduate level.
As for your living expenses, you're by now showing enough wrinkles and white hairs to sort out your own accommodation. Unless you’re taking a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE), you can’t apply for a student loan.
Postgrads who got some kind of hardship money when they first came into higher education might qualify for some emergency funding (through the Access to Learning Fund), but only as a last resort.
Nevertheless, there are funds out there to help pay both fees and the costs of living. The most important are laid out below and your university will also be able to give you advice.
- University careers offices often produce leaflets about postgraduate funding and where to get it and most universities publish special postgrad prospectuses.
- Talk directly to a tutor in the relevant department where you want to study. They’ll tell you more about their work and may be able to give you pointers about raising the readies.
- Check out the postgraduate section of www.prospects.ac.uk for heaps of handy funding advice and information.
- It’s also worth taking a look at the ‘Gradfund’ page on Newcastle University’s website and there's no need to be a lover of brown ale or even studying in geordie land: www.ncl.ac.uk/postgraduate/funding/ and www.studentmoney.org. You can search for the right source of funding by using pull-down menus to pick the relevant subject, your nationality (some awards are available to all nationalities, but some are specific) and what exactly you intend to do (research, etc.).
Government funding
Back in the day (really not that long ago), the only ways to pay for masters-level study was to apply for funding or sponsorship, either privately or through the government, or to stick your hand in your pocket and pay for it all yourself. Both tuition and maintenance. After three+ years of government budget babying, that's a pretty harsh reality check, right? For all the official government info, head here.
Thankfully, things have changed a little for the better. Now, students (both full and part-time, studying their first MA) are eligible for a maximum of £10,280 to cover both tuition and maintenance. Might not leave you with much if your year-long course costs around the £9k mark, but it's a definite step up from before.
And even better? You can still get private funding and scholarships to boost your funds. To help on your search for extra cash, have a look at Scholarship Search and Prospects.
Before you apply, however, check that the scholarship covers things like your subject or research area/ethnicity/gender/surname/ability to weave. Honestly, there are some pretty bizarre funding criteria out there. Also check the full details on various strings attached to the money you may or may not get.
Thankfully, things have changed a little for the better. Now, students (both full and part-time, studying their first MA) are eligible for a maximum of £10,280 to cover both tuition and maintenance. Might not leave you with much if your year-long course costs around the £9k mark, but it's a definite step up from before.
And even better? You can still get private funding and scholarships to boost your funds. To help on your search for extra cash, have a look at Scholarship Search and Prospects.
Before you apply, however, check that the scholarship covers things like your subject or research area/ethnicity/gender/surname/ability to weave. Honestly, there are some pretty bizarre funding criteria out there. Also check the full details on various strings attached to the money you may or may not get.
research councils
There are seven grant-awarding Research Councils with 2.8 billion bucks are up for grabs between them all. Each cover a different subject area – five for sciences and technology, one for economic and social sciences and one for arts and humanities. You should apply to whichever is most appropriate for whatever you want to study.
- Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC)
- Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)
- Science and Technology Facilities Council (previously known as the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council, or PPARC).
Companies
Employers sometimes sponsor their staff through courses, especially MBAs.
Alternatively, businesses often fund particular research projects and any postgrads that work on them.
The downside of getting a company to sponsor you is that you'll usually have to work for them for a period of time afterwards - there's no such thing as a free lunch, even a metaphorical one.
Alternatively, businesses often fund particular research projects and any postgrads that work on them.
The downside of getting a company to sponsor you is that you'll usually have to work for them for a period of time afterwards - there's no such thing as a free lunch, even a metaphorical one.
trusts and charities
Trusts and charities are worth investigating. They will probably not be in a position to offer full financial support, but you may get a small award if you apply early enough. Contact EGAS (www.egas-online.org) or look in the various directories and registers of charities and grant-making trusts.
‘The Grants Register’ (published by Palgrave Macmillan) has more than 1,000 pages of information on postgrad grants and professional funding worldwide. It should be in the university careers service or reference library, as should ‘The Directory of Grant Making Trusts’, (published by the Directory of Social Change) – a comprehensive guide to trusts and foundations that give cash to organisations. Both books rack up three figure prices with no handy decimal point so look in your university library.
Some charities, for example The Wellcome Trust (www.wellcome.ac.uk) may fund particular research in the same way that businesses do.
‘The Grants Register’ (published by Palgrave Macmillan) has more than 1,000 pages of information on postgrad grants and professional funding worldwide. It should be in the university careers service or reference library, as should ‘The Directory of Grant Making Trusts’, (published by the Directory of Social Change) – a comprehensive guide to trusts and foundations that give cash to organisations. Both books rack up three figure prices with no handy decimal point so look in your university library.
Some charities, for example The Wellcome Trust (www.wellcome.ac.uk) may fund particular research in the same way that businesses do.
universities
Many universities have a limited number of studentship awards available, for specific courses, which usually cover fees and maintenance. Criteria and deadlines for applications vary, so do your research well in advance with the admissions officer of the university you want to go to.
Individual university departments may also be able to help in one of two ways.
The first is just to ask – it’s a long shot, but if you’re a complete star in your chosen subject you might just get lucky. Your best bet for funding direct from your university or department is having a specific tutor take up your cause individually, which is most likely to happen if you stay in the same department where you’ve already done an undergraduate or lower postgrad degree.
They’ll probably be championing your cause because they want you to become an academic, however, so expect to take on some tutoring responsibilities.
The second option is to get a job within the department more formally as a research assistant. You’ll get paid and so long as you write up your research appropriately, it’ll be assessed for a qualification.
The jobs are usually advertised in the normal way, although if you’re already in a department keep your ear to the ground, just in case you can get in there early and persuade them to look no further.
Individual university departments may also be able to help in one of two ways.
The first is just to ask – it’s a long shot, but if you’re a complete star in your chosen subject you might just get lucky. Your best bet for funding direct from your university or department is having a specific tutor take up your cause individually, which is most likely to happen if you stay in the same department where you’ve already done an undergraduate or lower postgrad degree.
They’ll probably be championing your cause because they want you to become an academic, however, so expect to take on some tutoring responsibilities.
The second option is to get a job within the department more formally as a research assistant. You’ll get paid and so long as you write up your research appropriately, it’ll be assessed for a qualification.
The jobs are usually advertised in the normal way, although if you’re already in a department keep your ear to the ground, just in case you can get in there early and persuade them to look no further.
banks
Banks aren’t a formal part of the funding mechanism for postgrads, but many students rely on them more than any other source.
Most banks that cater for students extend a warm embrace to postgrads, particularly those studying for likely-to-be-lucrative careers such as law. Don't stick with the same bank you opened your first account with or even what you went for as a fresh-faced fresher.
The best bank and account back then may not seem so rosy to a hardened postgrad, although a nice four-figure interest free overdraft can’t hurt.
Banks also have special loan packages for postgrads, mostly with a lower than standard rate of interest and repayments deferred till you finish your course.
The Government backs the Career Development Loans scheme, but they’re only available to students doing vocational courses.
Most banks that cater for students extend a warm embrace to postgrads, particularly those studying for likely-to-be-lucrative careers such as law. Don't stick with the same bank you opened your first account with or even what you went for as a fresh-faced fresher.
The best bank and account back then may not seem so rosy to a hardened postgrad, although a nice four-figure interest free overdraft can’t hurt.
Banks also have special loan packages for postgrads, mostly with a lower than standard rate of interest and repayments deferred till you finish your course.
The Government backs the Career Development Loans scheme, but they’re only available to students doing vocational courses.
postgrad funding links
adverts
|
|
|