Applying for Postgraduate Study
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This document provides information about postgraduate study, including reasons for pursuing it, different types of programs, important considerations, finding opportunities, funding sources, and how to apply. It discusses masters programs, which are typically 1 year and involve coursework and sometimes a dissertation, and PhD programs, which typically take 3-4 years and involve independent research and thesis work under a supervisor. It provides resources for finding postgraduate courses and funding options for both UK and international students. It emphasizes starting the application process early and seeking support from the Careers and Employability Centre.
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Applying for Postgraduate Study
- 1. Careers and Employability Centre Applying for Postgraduate Study
- 2. • Reasons for applying to postgraduate study • Different study types • Important considerations • Finding opportunities here and abroad • Funding sources • How to apply • Getting support This session will cover…
- 3. - Interest in the subject - Future career prospects - A suitable current option - Deepen understanding of subject area NOT: - Because someone has told you to - To keep on being a student - To put off making a career decision Reasons for Applying
- 4. • Undertake a structured programme of study • Titles vary according to subject (MA, MSc, LLM etc) • Taught courses follow a similar structure to undergraduate degrees. The programme may include seminars, lectures, coursework and include a dissertation or project • Typically 1 year full time What is postgraduate study? - Masters Programmes
- 5. • Typically 3-4 years • Involves an extended period of supervised research • Work independently to prepare a thesis under the guidance of a supervisor • Highest level of academic qualification What is postgraduate study? - PhD (Doctor of Philosophy)
- 6. Carefully choose: •Area of Study/Research •Supervisor •University/Institution Considerations
- 7. • Database of postgraduate courses and research www.prospects.ac.uk/postgraduate-courses • 20,000 searchable courses http://targetpostgrad.com • Choosing a masters http://targetpostgrad.com/content/choosing-a-masters • Choosing a PhD http://targetpostgrad.com/content/find-a-phd • Postgraduate Search www.postgraduatesearch.com • FindAMasters www.FindAMasters.com • FindAPhD www.FindAPhD.com • Finding a PhD www.jobs.ac.uk/phd • University of Sussex Postgraduate Courses Where do I find opportunities?
- 8. Studying abroad offers an amazing opportunity to experience living in another country. From choosing the right course to arranging visas, it requires extensive research and foward-planning. TARGETpostgrad - includes a postgraduate guide to studying abroad and detailed country information Prospects - include a study abroad checklist and specific country information GoinGlobal – detailed country information Studying Abroad
- 9. • UK Postgraduate Loans • International students – Commonwealth and Chevening Scholarships • Career Development Loans • Erasmus funding – supports students to study abroad across Europe • Charities and alternative funding sources – postgraduatefunding.com • University scholarships (https://www.findamasters.com/funding/guides/masters-funding-guide.aspx ) Masters Funding Overview
- 10. • UK Research Council Studentships • UK PhD Loans • University Scholarships • Research charities and academic foundations • International PhD funding • Funding for study outside of the UK https://www.findaphd.com/funding/guides/phd-funding-guide.aspx PhD Funding Overview
- 11. • Research when institutions are accepting applications, their deadlines and how you need to apply • You need to apply individually to each university and make sure you follow their application criteria • Advisable to apply early as applications can close at short notice • You may be asked to submit a CV and a: • Personal Statement • Research Proposal How to Apply
- 12. • Further Study Pages • Events & Workshops • Online information and resources • Careers appointments Get support – Careers and Employability Centre
Editor's Notes
- Area of Study/Research Go back and think about your reasons for applying. If possible try to be as broad as possible on the area or research that you will apply to. You will need to make multiple applications. Supervisor Particularly important when choosing a PhD. Make sure they are active in your area of research Make sure the supervisor has enough experience and is able to provide time for you. The most prize winning supervisor in the field may not be available for you as much for example. Get to know your potential supervisor before you accept to make sure you will ‘get on’ University/Institution Choice may be restricted depending on course You may decide to stay at Sussex as you know the university, teaching staff and area. On the other hand it may be good to move outside of your comfort zone and where you may be exposed to fresh ideas and methods If you want to study elsewhere in the UK make sure you research the institution as much as possible and ideally go and visit.
- UK Postgraduate FeesTypeE.g.UK / EUOverseasClassroomMA (Arts / Social Sciences)£6,482£14,096LaboratoryMSc (Science / Engineering)£7,555£16,222ClinicalMSc (Medicine / Dentistry)£9,125£21,767 UK Postgraduate Loans – UK Government for English-resident students at universities across the UK. Currently offer up to £10280 International students - a number of schemes exist specifically to support international Masters students, including prestigious government programmes such as Commonwealth Scholarships and Chevening Scholarships. Professional and Career Development Loans (PCDLs) are currently offered by the Co-operative Bank. Unlike typical bank loans, the UK Government pays your interest whilst you study. PCDLs haven't been replaced the new postgraduate student loans and they can still be a good source of support if you aren’t able to apply for other forms of funding. Repayment requirements can be stricter than those for student loans, but the eligibility criteria may be more relaxed. You’ll need to meet certain credit criteria to qualify for a Career Development Loan for postgraduate study, but you can borrow anything between £300 and £10,000. Erasmus funding The European Commission's Erasmus+ Programme isn't specific to the UK, but it does support students to study abroad at universities across Europe (and beyond). You can study at multiple universities with a Joint Masters Programme scholarship or spend shorter periods of study or training abroad with a Masters Mobility Grant. And now, Erasmus+ also offers its own Masters Degree Loans to postgraduate students studying abroad in Europe. The system was extended to the UK in 2016, meaning that European students can take out an Erasmus loan to study in the UK and UK students can access funding to study abroad in Europe. Charities and alternative funding All sorts of organisations are interested in helping promote new research and training in particular fields and, as a talented postgraduate, you could be just the sort of person they’re looking for. Grants from charities and similar organisations tend to be relatively small – between £100 and £1,000 on average – but there’s no reason why you can’t combine lots of them to cover your costs. In fact, this approach to financing postgraduate study has become so popular it’s even got its own name: ‘portfolio funding’. University scholarships It’s important not to overlook the assistance that might be offered by the institution you’re going to study your Masters at. Universities are keen to encourage and support good applicants to their postgraduate programmes and some will have significant financial resources available to help them do this.
- UK Research Council studentships The UK Research Councils (RCUK) offer PhD studentships in a range of subject areas. These awards are available at UK universities and are usually awarded to the best students applying each year. Studentships are open to UK and EU residents. International students may also be able to apply to a limited number of studentships with 'open eligibility'. This funding will usually pay your PhD fees and may also provide a stipend for living costs, depending on eligibility. UK PhD loans The UK will introduce doctoral student loans of up to £25,000 in time for the 2018-19 academic year. UK students will be able to apply for a loan to study a PhD anywhere in the UK, provided they are ordinarily resident in England. EU students may be eligible, but this is not yet confirmed. University Scholarships The majority of universities have their own scholarships and bursaries available to support students. These vary by institution, but they often take one of the following forms: Merit-based (academic) scholarships - Universities want to recruit the best postgraduate researchers and one way of doing that is to provide incentives in the form of support for PhD fees and living costs. Need-based scholarships - Most universities also want to be sure that their education and training is available to suitable students, regardless of their background. They may help with this by setting aside fee waivers or bursaries for less wealthy students or those who might otherwise struggle to pursue a PhD. International scholarships - Attracting students from abroad can boost a university's research potential by broadening the pool of researchers it attracts and providing an opportunity to combine new ideas and perspectives. Many institutions support this by funding PhD students from other countries. Research charities and academic foundations Some are large research charities with substantial budgets for scholarships and grants. Others foundations and charities are smaller, but may still provide financial support to students in their areas of interest. Details of eligibility requirements for some of the major research charities are available through the links below: Leverhulme Trust Wellcome Trust International PhD funding in the UK For any overseas students, your first port of call should be grant-awarding bodies in your own country (eg The Ministry/Department of Education) and your local (or nearest) office of the British Council Funding for study outside of the UK Most countries have some form of PhD funding available for their own students and for international postgraduates.