Set a course for success

There is a bewildering array of postgraduate courses on offer, not to mention the minefield of trying to get funding. Philip Schofield profiles a new guide to help you make sense of it all

Almost a quarter of those who earn a first degree now choose to continue with postgraduate study. They can choose from more than 11,500 different courses: academic or vocational; taught, or achieved by research.

Making a choice on the content of a course alone is bewildering enough. However, there are also financial considerations. Postgraduate courses, unlike first degree courses, do not attract mandatory grants, except for the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE). On the other hand, some courses can attract grants from a variety of bodies, although others attract none at all. The choice is bewildering, and there has been surprisingly little published information to help the would-be postgraduate student.

Until now the main sources of information, other than the university careers services, have been directories listing the courses available and containing limited advice. Even these have shrunk in number, the only survivors being Hobson's Postgrad series. However, a valuable new guide, How to Choose Your Postgraduate Course, should do much to help people make the right choices.

The author, Beryl Dixon, is a highly regarded member of the Career Writers Association and draws on extensive experience as a careers adviser. Her book does not list courses, but asks fundamental questions such as, "Why take a postgraduate course?" and, "How do I know which sort of course would be right?" It then goes on to offer practical guidance on choosing a course, making applications, funding, life as a postgraduate student and much else.

At the start she points out that taking a postgraduate course is a major decision - one year's sacrificed earnings at the very least, unless you are unemployed. "Add to that the fact that the year may be going to cost you something in the region of several thousand pounds - and you have to be sure that the investment will be worth it." She asks: "Is postgraduate study always a good idea?" and goes on to discuss the pros and cons of the various reasons people may have for taking postgraduate courses - pointing out that some of the drawbacks are not always immediately obvious.

Readers are then invited to answer a checklist of questions:

Why do I really want to do further study?

Why this course?

What will it give me?

Is my interest strong enough to study one aspect in depth? (ie to take an academic course)

Is it worth the year's loss of income through not starting work?

Can I afford it?

Miss Dixon goes on to discuss entry requirements. She points out that the minimum requirement for a higher degree course is usually a "good honours degree" - which can mean a lower second but in practice usually means an upper second. However, she says, all is not lost even if you want to follow a particular PhD course and fail to get a first or upper second. "It could be worth doing a master's - always assuming you can get a place for that. A lower second plus a master's may equate to an upper second."

Entry requirements to diploma and certificate courses "are less rigid because very often some relevant work experience and/or personal qualities are taken into account".

However, securing entry to a course does not guarantee funding. She notes that there are insufficient funds to finance every course place. So the Funding Councils, which provide most postgraduate awards, can ask for high standards. Many of the awards given by the British Academy (the major funder of arts and humanities courses), for example, are given to students with firsts.

An extremely useful chapter on funding looks at each of the research councils, and details the subjects funded, types and value of awards, academic requirements and closing date for applications. It also describes some of the less obvious sources of funds - including discretionary awards from Local Education Authorities, educational trusts and charities, the European social fund, Training and Enterprise Councils (TECS) and Local Enterprise Companies (LECs, wrongly described here as Councils), as well as university and other scholarships.

The book details the different types and levels of study, the vocational value of particular types of course, the criteria for people to use in choosing between taught and research programmes, the choice of institution at which to study, and how to assess a department's reputation. For example, she advises students to ask: How many staff and postgraduate students are in the department? What are their research interests? Can my work be published? Are bursaries available? How did the various quality assessments rate it? How good are the facilities, and which ones are available during vacations?

Sensibly, it is not assumed that everyone wants to do a full-time course immediately after a first degree. One chapter discusses the pros and cons of studying while in employment or returning as a mature student.

With well over 100 institutions offering Master of Business Administration (MBA) courses of highly variable quality, it is appropriate that a chapter is devoted to describing how to choose an MBA course. As the author points out, with the proliferation of MBA courses, employers are increasingly concerned with where you obtained your MBA.

She also provides guidance for overseas postgraduate students hoping to study in Britain, as well as for Britons hoping to study abroad. The latter includes the thorny question of how British first degrees are perceived elsewhere. For example, Miss Dixon points out that Germany and The Netherlands regard their first degrees as equivalent to UK and Irish master's degrees. She adds: "None of this means study in continental Europe is impossible. But getting qualifications recognised and getting a place can be time- consuming."

The book ends with 10 student profiles, including mature students. These illuminate facets of postgraduate student life that are seldom covered elsewhere.

Because of a publishing delay some statistics quoted are somewhat out of date. But this is a relatively minor fault in a book that fills a long- felt needn

'How to Choose Your Postgraduate Course' by Beryl Dixon is published by Trotman at pounds 9.95, available from bookshops, or direct from the publisher (add pounds 1.60 p&p) at 12 Hill Rise, Richmond, Surrey TW10 6UA.