Postgraduate Study in Great Britain
In the last ten years, postgraduate study in the UK has experienced phenomenal growth, from around 100 000 students to almost 400 000. This increase reflects the United Kingdom’s extraordinary range of taught and research opportunities at higher education institutions, both for students in the UK and from overseas.
A quick look through the postgraduate prospectus of any UK university will reveal that there are two distinct types of study possible, the first is by instruction or a taught course, the second is by research. There may be a combination of both too, as an increasing number of postgraduate courses now contain both research and taught elements, although the traditional division between the two modes of delivery still exists.
People undertake postgraduate study for all sorts of reasons. These may be academic (intellectual challenge, development of knowledge), vocational (training for a specific career goal), or only vague (drifting into further study). It is absolutely essential for a person to determine the reason he or she wants to become a postgraduate.
The most common type of course in terms of the number of people undertaking them are taught courses, or courses by instruction.
Taught courses usually last one academic year full-time or two years part-time and lead to a higher degree such as a Master of Science (MSc) or a Master of Arts (MA). Applicants should usually hold a degree in the same subject as the intended area of study, but there are some important exceptions to this rule, particularly in subjects such as information technology and business administration. Where an appropriate qualification is not held, it is sometimes possible to undertake a preliminary course, such as a certificate or a diploma, in order to prepare for a more advanced study to follow.
Degrees by instruction are very similar to undergraduate courses in that most of the time is devoted to attending lectures. This may take up the first eight or nine months of the course and is followed by written examinations. A period of research lasting for two or three months usually follows and the results of it are presented in the form of the thesis. Finally, an oral examination is held, lasting perhaps an hour or two, to test the knowledge accumulated throughout the year. It is important to perform satisfactorily in every part of this assessment procedure.
The different courses on the programme are coordinated so that students’ workload is manageable and evenly spread throughout the year. The courses are taught intensively through lectures and small group tutorials, and rapidly bring students to an advanced level of understanding. A postgraduate’s progress is continually assessed and regular contact with teaching staff adding to the vital interchange of ideas. In addition to tutorials, most courses include projects and practical work, essays, problem classes and lectures. Case studies on – and visits to –relevant organizations are a feature of many courses.
Traditionally students have been tested by written exam papers, although an increasingly common method is the assessment of work submitted throughout the period of study.
Dissertations or supervised projects – major components of Master’s courses – are essentially research-based and are a valuable preparation for a research Doctorate.
The nature of a research course is completely different, however, from that taken through a taught course. First of all it lasts longer. The most popular qualification is a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), which usually takes three years. There is a shorter version called a Master of Philosophy (MPhil), but minimum amount of time, which this takes, is usually two years. Both of these qualifications require the student to carry out a piece of innovative research in a particular area of study. It is essential that the work has never been done before. Research study, whether at Master’s or Doctoral level, depends upon the individual supervision of students by a member of the faculty who shares their interests. This emphasis on personal guidance and teamwork is an important feature of research degrees. Students are given training in research methods as well as the opportunity to pursue independent research under the guidance of experienced academics and, if studying a technical subject, to use highly sophisticated equipment.
The start of a research degree involves a very extensive survey of all previous work undertaken in that area. The preliminary part of the study can take up to six months, but it is important to note that the process of keeping up to date with other work going on in the subject must continue throughout the entire period of the research.
The next stage of a research course usually involves collecting information in some way. This might be through experimentation, in the case of arts, social sciences or humanities degrees. The important thing is that something new must be found. This second part of the procedure takes about two years in the case of a PhD. The research is written up in the form of a thesis during the final six months of the three year period. Typically, this will contain an introduction, methodology, results and discussion.
At doctoral level, the work will consist of an original piece of research which is to make a substantial contribution to knowledge in a specific area, followed by a defence of the dissertation in front of a panel. Research students meet regularly with their supervisors to discuss the progress of their work. A PhD thesis should be produced over three or four years’ full-time study and will take longer for part-time completion.