Benefits of doing a masters
Three of our graduates explain why they carried on with their studies and the benefits a masters has brought them.
Career development
Having a masters can really give your career a boost. You'll be able to demonstrate more in-depth knowledge and a dedication to your subject that'll make you stand out to employers.
Towards the end of my second year, I decided that I wanted to try and pursue a career in publishing. I looked at the modules that I’d done, and there was such a wide breadth, but I didn’t feel that I knew enough about the publishing landscape in the last 50-100 years.
I thought, if I’m going to do an MA, I want to focus on modern, 20th century literature and get more of an understanding of what’s been published in the past 50 years, and what has been the reaction to that. So that's what I chose with all my modules.
Olivia French
English Literature MA
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You're not finished with your subject
Does it feel like you've got unfinished business with your subject? Is there more you want to learn about a topic you covered at undergraduate level?
A masters degree allows you to go much more in depth on an issue you didn't have time to explore fully on your BA. You'll be able to really dig beneath the surface and take your knowledge to a whole new level.
I knew I wanted to do a masters in my second year. I’d taken jazz music with Professor Mervyn Cooke and was genuinely inspired by the passion he had for the topic.
By doing a research course, it's completely tailored to your own preferences.
Amber Frost
Music MRes
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For your love of research
Maybe you've always known you wanted to do a PhD. Maybe the introduction to research your undergraduate degree has given you has whetted your appetite. Whatever your reasons, if you want to progress to a PhD (and a possible career in academia) a masters is your essential next step.
It will help you focus on the areas that most fascinate you and start to build the research skills you'll need to progress further.
As an undergraduate, I only had a vague idea of who academics were and what they did. I had very little idea that being an academic was even a career.
I liked the idea of being able to carry on. That’s the key thing, really. If you’re thinking about postgraduate study, you’ve got to have a love for it. I thought I might as well keep going, see how well I do, and see where it can take me.
Dr Edmund Stewart
Assistant Professor in Ancient Greek History
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