Postgraduate study

A master’s degree is a second-level qualification, which is almost always completed on the basis that you have completed an undergraduate degree.

If studying for a master’s related to your undergraduate degree subject, you will be able to gain a deeper knowledge and level of understanding in that field. Some people, though, opt to go in a completely different direction and move into a field that they haven’t studied - or formally studied - before. If you are planning on studying something vastly different from your undergraduate studies, check what the requirements are on individual university websites, or speak with their admissions teams.

There are two main types of master’s degrees: taught and research.

Some common master’s degrees include:

• MA (Master of Arts) in a wide range of arts or humanities subjects.
• MSc (Master of Science).
• A range of subject-specific qualifications including MEng (Master of Engineering), MFA (Master of Fine Arts), LLM (Master of Laws), MArch (Master of Architecture), and more.
• Courses leading to an MPhil (Master of Philosophy) qualification are research-led and often designed for students to progress to a PhD.

Note that some Scottish universities offer an undergraduate degree called a Scottish Masters of Arts which is completed over three or four years. This shouldn’t be confused with a postgraduate master’s.

A Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree is an internationally recognised qualification which gives you the skills you need for a successful management career.

A Doctor of Philosophy, or doctorate (PhD/DPhil), is the highest academic level a student can achieve. These degrees are very demanding and often lead to careers in academia (as a lecturer or researcher, for example). Most students will complete a master’s degree before progressing to a PhD, although this isn’t always necessary - especially within scientific subjects.

Postgraduate certificates and diplomas allow students to study something new or build on the skills and knowledge they have already gained during their undergraduate degrees. They are usually shorter than a master’s and do not require you to prepare a thesis or dissertation.

These qualifications help you improve or gain skills for specific jobs. Most awards involve practical training. This gives you the opportunity to experience a job first-hand.

A conversion course is a vocational postgraduate qualification usually taken by graduates who want to change their subject area following on from their first degree. Often students do this to develop more professional skills. For example, you could study history for your undergraduate degree and do a law conversion course to begin your career as a lawyer.