Career Prospects for Postgraduates

Postgraduate sector is mushrooming today. Further study is undertaken for a variety of reasons but usually with some career aim in mind. Just getting a university degree isn’t enough nowadays, many undergraduates feel an extra qualification is a way to distinguish themselves from a large number of job-hunters clutching a first degree certificate. A higher degree can open new options to them when entering the same job market as an undergraduate. Employers are increasingly looking for graduates who can hit the ground running, who can demonstrate both breadth and depth of subject knowledge.

To find the right career for you, you need to think about the occupations and jobs available – the skills, qualifications, experience and aptitudes you need and whether they are right for you. Postgraduate study is fundamental to the development of higher level skills. The process of achieving a research degree develops an enquiring mind, independence of thought, problem-solving abilities, an ability to work autonomously and the ability to assimilate, articulate and defend new ideas. The benefits of post-graduate education are obvious: development of key skills, the chance to put theory into practice, greater understanding of career choices, valuable career contacts for the future.

Postgraduates are among the most intelligent students. They tend to be people who have succeeded academically. The view that postgraduates are other-worldly and lacking in drive is outdated, and there is evidence that employers are taking postgraduates much more seriously. Having organized their own studies, postgraduates can be good project managers, experts in analysis, and capable of working through complex processes without being intimidated.

A postgraduate qualification from the BSU is one that is recognized globally and will provide an excellent route to better career prospects. Major companies say they would rather employ students from the BSU. The University’s graduates benefit from the tradition of strong ties with business and industry. The BSU’s high quality facilities and teaching and its interdisciplinary approach to research will enable trainees to make the most of research and learning opportunities available whilst studying for a scientific degree. All students here receive “appropriate and relevant preparation, training and support for their development, are helped both to complete a high-quality master’s or doctoral thesis and to develop a range of knowledge, understanding and skills necessary for their future employment”.

The current crop of PhD students are surely busier than their predecessors, and are being required to professionalize earlier. Not only are they working to finish their dissertations within the three-year period of their awards; but engaged in other activities entirely appropriate to their stage of career: they often do teaching, attend conferences, make research trips, attend meetings. By the end of the second year of the program the postgraduates are taught to make practical progress in the number of key areas of academic endeavor, with a view to having a significant body of experience by the time they complete their degrees. By this stage of the programme they will have had experience in delivering their material in a public forum, and will have made an attempt to develop their presentation skills.

Combining subjects in a degree programme is a popular way of tailoring a course to reflect one’s career aspirations. Employment opportunities demand well developed language skills. The course of a foreign language will provide a broad range of language training opportunities for all students whatever course they are taking.

Tuition also helps to focus students’ minds on the key question of whether or not to further pursue academic careers. As such study involves commitment and investment of time and money, those pursuing it may well seek reassurance that it is worth the effort. It is therefore crucial to present them with opportunities to hone their skills in this area.

Students working towards a PhD have already completed a Master’s degree. It is crucial that learners considering this option have a deep interest in their subject and a commitment to producing a piece of original research despite the pressure to complete the dissertation on time and have a certain number of publications. It is equally important that they have a research topic which is both interesting to them, and viable in the context of a research degree.

Whatever career path a postgraduate chooses most employers are sure to value the skills he has developed while doing a degree.

It is difficult to generalize about the reasons for doing postgraduate study as everyone will come to it with different circumstances, motivations and aspirations. Research the area of work you wish to enter to identify how potential employers would view applicants with postgraduate qualifications. What new experience and knowledge will you gain from the post-graduate course?

Discuss with your groupmates the issue of…

a) motivating reasons for doing a post-graduate course (to undertake further studies, career plans, to make more employable, to provide advantage, to stand out of the crowd, to enjoy the subject);

b) qualities a young researcher must possess to be a success (to enjoy problem solving, creative abilities, industrious, patient, inquisitive mind, a high level of intellectual ability, a high degree of organizational ability and time management, to work in a library);

c) career prospects for post-graduates (better career prospects, a key role, to make a person more employable, to put theory into practice, to benefit from, specific skills).

Progress Questions

1. What are the main motives for undertaking study for master’s/PhD degree?

2. What is your motivation for taking a post-graduate course?

3. Is there a difference between studying for a research degree and studying for an undergraduate degree?

4. What qualities should a post-graduate student possess and develop?

5. Do you agree that a master’s qualification is a way to distinguish yourself from the large number of first degrees on the job market?

6. What are the benefits of having a postgraduate qualification in relation to future employment?

7. Do you think that most employers will appreciate the skills that you bring after your postgraduate course?

8. Why did you choose to take a postgraduate course at the BSU?

9. Do you think that now you have any definite opportunities for a career promotion?

10. Are you going to deepen your research experience and enroll for studies for another degree?

In Focus

Expressing Likeness

Phrases

Examples

… is similar to… in… … is like… in … is identical to… in … resembles … in … has a similar… to… ‘s … and are alike in …

1. The situation with academic degrees in Austria is similar to the situation in Germany. 2. The findings of these two scientists are alike in terms of their practical application. 3. The analysis provided for in the recent article is like the previous analysis based on a literature review, case studies, expert interviews. 4. European universities have similar patterns of postgraduate courses. 5. His motivation for doing a higher degree is like mine in the hope of becoming more employable in future. 6. The experiment described in the article resembles in many respects the experiment conducted in our lab.