Finding the Right Postgraduate Course in the UK

Finding the Right Postgraduate Course in the UK

Researching a UK Degree Program

Trying to decide if you should apply for one or more of the prestigious fellowships that will take you to the UK, such as the Churchill, Fulbright, Marshall, Gates or Rhodes? Before you worry about your chances take stock of your academic and professional goals and look at the degree programs available to you in the UK.

For the Churchill, you are restricted to programs at Cambridge University; for the Rhodes, programs at Oxford. The Fulbright and Marshall give you the full range of the UK.

Even if you are currently considering applying only for the Churchill or only for the Rhodes, look at your options beyond Oxbridge. It may turn out that another university offers the best option in your field.

A well-researched plan and a clear understanding of the degree program you have chosen will not only ensure that you are applying for an appropriate fellowship; your efforts will strengthen your application. The selection committees for these prestigious fellowships weigh the thoughtfulness of your choice when considering your candidacy. The time you take now to research and consider your degree options may make the difference between winning an award and being passed over.

The Marshall and U.K. Fulbright fellowships require that you name the particular institution where you want to study and the program that you want to pursue while on the fellowship. You need to have very sound academic reasons that fit into your professional plans for wanting to study in the U.K. In order to learn about the most appropriate programs for you and interests, research the opportunities available at various U.K. universities, programs, and institutes.

This will involve a great deal of footwork as well as patient library and on-line research. Read catalogues and web sites thoroughly and be able to show how a specific department or degree program matches your abilities and interests, as well as what specific assets and liabilities accompany that set of courses or program. You should be able to name who teaches what and how their research relates to yours.

Narrowing the field among the more than 150 universities in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland may seem overwhelming. Excellent electronic resources, listed below, will help you get started. Personal contacts are also invaluable resources, so start talking early on to faculty, who may well know scholars and programs that would be appropriate matches for your interests.

While researching, note the following terminology differences:

Taught Masters: A taught masters is a degree program that primarily involves taking seminars and/or tutorials; it has a thesis component as well as or in place of exams, but the research grows out of coursework and is usually limited to a 10/20,000-word dissertation. You do not need to have a thesis topic established when applying to a taught program.

Research Masters: A research masters is a degree program that requires you to have a clear research agenda.

M.Phil: A degree roughly equivalent to something between a Masters and Doctorate degree at a U.S. institution.

Faculty: Division, School or sometimes Department (e.g. Faculty of History = History Department), Faculty of Arts may include subjects we would term Humanities.

Academic Staff: Faculty.

Postgraduate: Graduate.

Course: A course is a whole program of study leading to a degree or diploma.

Module: A class

Tutorial: Independent study or group independent study. Typically a one-on-one academic meeting with an instructor.

Revising: Reviewing, as in “We stayed up all night revising for our exam.”

Scheme: Plan, way of doing something (no negative connotations).

Term: Quarter or semester. Term refers to the duration of a particular class.

Where to start:

Check out our fellowship page focused on study in the UK

Choosing a University

Map of UKinstitutions withlinks

Look at the postgraduate PROSPECTS databases giving detail of all taught courses and research opportunities at UK universities:

The web site can be searched by institution, by subject, or by key words. This allows you to select where you would like to study and then what they offer or select what you would like to study and see where it is available.

Each entry on the database provides you with some basic information about the course and the institution you have selected.

You can get independent assessments of the quality of teaching and research in most subject areas at most universities: Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education

SITES THAT SEARCH SPECIFIC “COURSES” OF STUDY (DEGREE PROGRAMS)

SITES THAT RANK COURSES (PROGRAMS) AND INSTITUTIONS

The Times' and the Guardian ’s rankings are similar in terms of standards to the U.S. News and World Report ’s rankings of American colleges and universities.

The British Council website offers 'subject sheets', particularly in the area of professional degrees (law, teaching, psychology, medicine, engineering, business, architecture, art & design, etc), which may be of use to you. The subject sheets discuss howthe degree programs are structured and where to find additional information. Please feel free to take a look at those, as they may be of use.

Some helpful links:

• Resources for Studying in the UK and Ireland: Yale University
• Universities UK
• UK Student Life

• Advice on the RhodesScholarship
• Cambridge University Students’ Union Alternative Prospectus