So you’ve cruised through an undergraduate course and have decided to continue swimming in the education stream by tackling a demanding postgraduate course? There’s no denying it’s a fantastic addition to any CV and a foolproof way of putting yourself ahead of the competition in today’s cut throat jobs market. However, there are some important issues to bear in mind before embarking on a year or more of intensive and expensive master’s lectures.

Cost

In the UK, tuition fees for postgraduate course typically come in between £3000 and £10,000, so it’s not something that should be entered into lightly. And this is only part of the total cost. Living expenses also have to be factored into the equation. If you’re studying in the UK’s most expensive city, London, living costs can run up to £500 a week. Whichever way you look at it, postgraduate courses are expensive undertakings and definitely not something you want to mess up because of something stupid like missing lectures.

As an undergraduate, you can get away with partying like a rockstar 5 nights a week, skipping lectures and covering yourself by copying notes from your more diligent classmates. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to get away with this when you enroll in a round of master’s lectures. It’s the same as a championship football team being promoted to the premier league; if you don’t give it your all, you’ll be going straight back down to where you came from.

Workload

One of the biggest differences you will notice between undergraduate courses and masters lectures is the huge increase in the workload. On a postgrad course, not only is the volume of work substantially greater but your depth of knowledge and understanding of your chosen topic is also expected to be at a much higher level. The only way of making sure you keep on top of the situation is by attending every lecture on your timetable.

The thing about master’s lectures is they are very progressive and every lecture builds and adds on to the last one. So if you miss one lecture, don’t be surprised to find yourself bewildered in the next class and having to waste precious time covering ground on your own that your classmates have already got down to a tee.

Employment Prospects

One of the biggest advantages of completing a postgraduate course is the doors it opens for you in the world of employment. A huge number of postgrad students are aiming for a position in the world of academia and, very often, in the very institution where they have studied. And if you’re hoping your current lecturers are going to become your future colleagues and bosses, it’s vital that you prove to them that you have no problem attending regular classes.

Even if you’re not looking for a teaching position in the university where you studied and want to get into a lucrative position with a private sector company, it’s still crucial that you make a good impression on your lecturers. When private companies are head-hunting for the best postgrad students to award contracts to, their first point of reference is usually the university’s lecturers. And if you haven’t been attending the lectures, it’s very unlikely that your lecturers will be able to give you a glowing recommendation.

Credits

Another possible reason for attending master’s lectures is that in some cases postgrad courses in the UK work on a credits system – although at present this is a predominantly US system. This system means that a certain number of credits are awarded for attending lectures and if at the end of the course, even if you have flawless knowledge of your subject, without the necessary credits, you won’t be awarded that certificate that you’ve been working so hard for.

How Long is a Master’s Degree?

The length of time you’ll spend on your master’s degree will depend on a few things – the particular subject you’re studying, your choice of study mode, and the style of masters you choose. So just how long is a master’s degree?

Well, the most common length of a master’s degree is one year. It’s important to note though that by one year, this can mean either one academic year or twelve actual months, depending on where you study – so do check whether you’ll be working over the summer or not! Often, the thesis (sometimes known as a dissertation) will be worked on over the summer period, so you may not be undertaking lessons, but you will still be on the course, so this is worth bearing in mind.

What issues affect the length of a master’s degree?

There are a few things that can change the length of a master’s degree. Assuming you’re doing the master’s degree full time, then it may still vary in length depending on the style you choose – taught or research.

Should you go for a taught degree, (MA, MSc, that sort of thing) you can expect it to take a year full time. The course is designed to fit that way, as you’ll be doing modules and exams, as well as a dissertation.

However, if you choose to go for a research degree (MRes, MPhil), you’ll find a much different answer to the question how long is a master’s degree? You see, with this style of degree you’re completing original research, so the length will very much depend on how long this research takes. It’s usually estimated at one to two years.

Which subject?

In addition to the style of course you want to take, you’ll need to check the length of time expected of your subject. Most courses (the arts, humanities and sciences) will tend to be of standard length – a year full time taught, possibly more if research. However, some subjects are the exception to this.

One subject that definitely requires a longer period of time is a Social Work MA. Should you intend to study this, you can expect the timescale to be nearer two years. This is to accommodate the work experience and vocational aspect of such a course. It’s usually vocational courses that require a longer period of time, but you’ll need to refer to each course individually to find out.

Full or part time?

Then there’s the question of whether to do it full or part time. As we’ve mentioned in the past few sections – doing it full time means it’ll usually be about a year long. Regardless, studying a master’s degree full time is the shortest route to getting that degree, and will always take the least time.

When it comes to part time, you’ll want to look at how long the university allows you to take to complete the programme. Usually, it’ll be two years, but sometimes you may be able to extend it to three. Of course, you need to bear in mind our previous sections – a research masters done part time might even extend up to four years, and you’ll want to ask whether vocational masters can be done part time at all.

Distance Learning

Distance learning adds in even more variables to the question of how long is a master’s degree. With distance learning, you’ll need to account for all the previous sections (though obviously, some points – like vocational degrees often taking longer – won’t be relevant, as it’s impractical to do a vocational degree via distance learning!)

The really important thing to note is that with many distance learning options, the amount of time available to you should you choose to do it part time is greatly increased. For instance, with the Open University, you have a period of ten years to complete the required credits! This is definitely the longest route to getting a master’s degree (which may well be useful if you’re busy or working).

MA Degree Definition

An MA Degree is a Master of Arts degree, meaning it is a master’s degree in an arts subject, such as History or Philosophy. Be careful when looking into these though as some courses, like Geography for example, can be classed under both headings, so going to one university  will get you an MA but another might get you an MSc.  In the UK, an MA will typically be a taught masters, rather than a research masters – research masters are titled things like MRes. This means it involves a taught element and a dissertation.

The taught element will typically be lectures, workshops or tutorials. Like with an undergraduate degree, these are not all compulsory (no-one takes attendance at lectures) but still highly recommend attending. Not only will they help you learn, but they’re also a useful chance to get to know tutors which is a definite advantage if you plan to do further study after your MA degree! You will be tested on these taught elements, though it may not necessarily be an exam. On some courses, you’ll be assigned coursework or short essays to assess your progress, whereas others will be exams.

MSc Degree Definition

The definition of an MSc is a Master of Science degree – meaning you have a master’s degree in a scientific subject. Now, it’s important to note that subjects such psychology may be studied as either an MSc or an MA, so if you’re looking into a borderline you’ll want to consider what style of course you want, because the reason it’ll be categorised differently is due to the teaching style and the content (for instance, theory vs experimental).

Now let’s have a look at the question  – just what is an MSc degree?

Well, to start with, an MSc is a taught masters, rather than a research-only masters – we can tell this due to the fact it’s not considered an MRes. Now, this doesn’t mean there is no research involved, only that there are taught components. These taught components will be similar to an undergraduate degree – lectures, classes, etc – and will be tested. There will then be a thesis which will make up a third of the required credits. This dissertation can take up to anything from two to six months in total.

MScs differ from many other master’s courses as they can be done both standalone and as a carry on from an undergraduate course. If being done as a standalone, then it’s likely to be broader, whereas if it carries straight on from the undergraduate course it’s treated as a fourth year of your degree, rather than as a one year course. Depending on which of these you do will greatly change your experience of an MSc.

When it comes to integrated MScs, you’ll often find the majority of your year taken up with a research project, as well as additional lectures and classes on linked modules. Should you choose to go down this route, you’ll find there’s not as much distinction between your undergraduate course and your postgraduate course as there may otherwise be – you’ll be at the same university, often with the same staff members. Because it’s also the last year in a four year course, rather than a standalone fourth year, you may find more of a direct link between modules you took earlier and the choices you make now.

Should you choose, however, to do a standalone masters, it’ll be separate from your undergraduate degree program and there’ll be the option of a break in between the courses if you want to take a year out, for a start. Usually, you’ll have core modules that you’re required to do, and then certain options available to you. Due to the nature of an MSc, you’ll be studying things more specifically than you would do on an undergraduate course, but still fairly broadly in comparison to a PhD degree.

On the note of research projects, you’ll find they are designed to give you a glimpse into the life of a PhD – you’ll have a combination of independent and team-based work to do. To start with, you won’t yet be in charge of your project instead you’ll choose a supervisor’s project to work on. This doesn’t mean you’ll only do what you’re told; you will have independence to conduct your own experiments and potentially, should you find some interesting results, to follow up on them yourself. At the end of your research project, you’ll be required to write your thesis (or dissertation, as you may know it) discussing what you intended to find, whether you found it, and what your results mean.