Getting ahead with a Masters

In a crowded job market, many graduates are looking to a second degree to give them the edge, says Caroline Haydon

Are graduates under increasing pressure to take a second degree? Across the country, universities report a significant boost in applications for further study. It's a trend that looks set to continue as employers get choosier, and graduates opt to distinguish themselves from increasing numbers holding a first qualification.

At the University of the West of England, the head of communications Keith Hicks has seen "an extraordinary leap" in numbers of postgraduates in the past year – a 53 per cent increase. "We were surprised," he says. "Students themselves are feeling the pressure and that's leading them to the perception that a Masters degree will automatically give them the edge – though it's not always as simple as that.

"It's a complex judgement. If students are taking another degree, say, because they think a further degree will make up for poorer A-level results, then it won't work. But in vocational, professionally oriented courses, it does work."

The biggest increase at UWE has been in just that sort of vocational area, and particularly in "built environment" courses such as urban regeneration, transport planning and facilities management, where applications have shot up by 100 per cent. In IT and engineering, the increase is 35 per cent, although Hicks thinks the figure will grow as the IT market becomes less depressed.

In some areas, employers are already asking for second degrees in job-vacancy adverts. Andy Marsh, an environmental consultant with the agency Entec, believes he would not have made the move from the chemical industry to environmental consultant without an MSC from the Open University.

"Five years ago, the employers were just asking for a good first degree – a 2.1. Now, more and more people have got first degrees and the next thing is an MA or PhD or extensive experience. The market is demanding second – and relevant – degrees," he says.

At the OU admissions, tutors have noticed another phenomenon. As well as opting for second, higher degrees, many want to add another first-level degree – in a different subject – to their CV. "In 1999, 31 per cent of BA graduates already had a higher qualification before they came to us," says Neil Coaten, an OU spokesperson. "That's gone up to 48 per cent in 2002."

The OU has also noticed an increase in the numbers taking shorter professional-development courses to increase their value in the workplace, particularly in business, computer studies and education.

At Sheffield Hallam University, 12 per cent of students immediately go on to further study or training. That compares with 9 per cent two or three years ago, when numbers were steady, and 11 per cent last year. This less-dramatic increase varies across subject areas, with business and finance students less likely to go straight into a Masters degree, often returning to study MBAs and other Masters courses after a couple of years in work.

According to Sheffield, students in highly competitive areas such as broadcast journalism feel the need to add to their market value by choosing further study. And at the University of Essex, popular courses on human-rights law, as well as those on accounting, finance and business, have seen an increase in numbers. Intake on the last three has more than doubled this year, although foreign students also feeling the pressure account for many of the places.

"There has been a trend away from non-vocational courses into things people feel they can make money from," says Paul Walker, a post-graduate admissions tutor. "Students do have to face the cost in the short term, but they are banking on that increasing their lifetime earning capability."

At the University of the West of England, Keith Hicks thinks we are seeing just the beginning of the rise in applications for further degrees. "Employers aren't automatically asking for second degrees – except perhaps in MBAs – just yet," he says. "But maybe in five years' time they will."

By all accounts, the students are getting ahead of them.