There are 2 types of postgraduate study : Research - Masters courses are usually one year full-time and PhD usually 3 years full-time. These involve in-depth study of an aspect of your first degree or a closely allied subject. Vocational - Masters, Diploma and Certificate courses, mostly of one year duration, prepare you for entry to a professional area.
Reasons to do postgraduate study:
- to specialise further in your degree subject;
- to add new skills, for example IT or business;
- to gain a professional qualification.
Useful resources:
- About postgrad study - information from AGCAS (Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services)
- Prospects, Target, IET for further information/advice about postgraduate study
- Guardian for postgraduate subject tables, news and articles
- Postgraduate study at Strathclyde
- Prospects, Targetcourses, Postgrad.com, FindAMasters and FindAPhD to help you find a postgraduate course or area of research to match your study interest
- Postgraduate teacher training in Scotland
- Guidelines for writing personal statements (courtesy of University of Kent)
- Prospects introduction to what's involved in studying and researching abroad
- Postgradireland and Postgrad.ie for information on p/g study in Ireland
- For directories of international universities, please see Brain Track, Universities Worldwide and International Graduate
- Fulbright Commission website for information on postgraduate study in the USA. The Careers Service's Resource Centre (level 6, Livingstone Tower) holds a collection of US study directories provided by the Fulbright Commission
- Premia provides helpful advice to research students with a disability
Funding:
- Funding Postgraduate Study Prospects funding guide
- TARGETcourses funding guide, with Funding Database
- Student Awards Agency for Scotland Tuition fee loans, 2012-13. Please note possible changes to student support for 2013-14
- Strathclyde University's information about sources of funding for postgraduate study
- Search for studentships, scholarships etc at Postgraduatestudentships.co.uk, Scholarship Search and Scholarships Times
- Information about some specific scholarships/grants
- Educational trusts and charities - search for grants using SAAS Register of Educational Endowments, Turn2us and Educational Grants Service. Read application advice from the Association of Charitable Foundations
- The Grants Register - "the complete guide to postgraduate funding worldwide" - available for reference in Careers Service
Things to do:
- make direct contact if you already know the course you want to follow or the institution you want to study at. Their postgraduate prospectus or website will provide you with course information and, in many cases, the name of someone from whom you can find out more.
- get individual advice from a Careers Adviser
- get advice on funding from Strathclyde's Student Financial Support Team
