→ Exploring your career options

Further study

Why undertake further study

Towards the end of your degree programme, you may wish to explore options for study at postgraduate level. Here are some of the reasons that motivated previous OU students:

  • I really love my subject and want to study it in more depth.
  • Having returned to study as a mature student I have found huge personal satisfaction from this and want to continue!
  • It’s necessary to gain a professional qualification to make a career change.
  • I want to develop my skills further.
  • I am keen to embark on an academic career and know that this will require a PhD.
  • An additional qualification will enhance my employment prospects.

How employers view further study

Many students assume that the more highly qualified they are, the more attractive they are to an employer. This depends, however, on how relevant your qualifications are to the post you are applying for.

In an online discussion hosted on the Guardian website, experts suggested that practical experience could actually be more worthwhile for recent graduates than investing in a masters course, unless it was directly vocational.

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Further study options

The option you choose will depend on your motivation for further study.

Think about whether you would prefer further academic study or a vocational course leading to a work-related qualification. Do you plan to study full-time, part-time, or through distance learning?

For academic qualifications, routes you might take are:

  • a taught course that involves a short research project, leading to a postgraduate certificate, diploma or a masters degree
  • research leading to an MRes, MPhil or PhD
  • a combination of formal courses and research – There are so-called 'taught doctorates' in fields such as clinical psychology, education and engineering. These involve more lectures and seminars than a traditional PhD and the research project is normally directly related to professional practice.

For vocational qualifications, you might consider

  • a mixture of university-based study and assessed work placements, leading for instance to an MA Social Work or a postgraduate teaching qualification (PGCE or PGDE)
  • a conversion course, typically a one-year taught course which allows you to convert to a new subject area e.g. Graduate Diploma in Psychology (GDP), or Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL)
  • a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP).  Here you would be employed by an organisation to undertake a specific research project, with the support of an academic supervisor in a higher education institution.

Postgraduate study within the OU

You can look at our postgraduate programme website and explore the range of options available to you.

Postgraduate study outside the OU

The Prospects website has a comprehensive section on postgraduate study options in the UK, including a courses and research database. Postgrad Ireland provides a similar resource for students in Ireland.

Further study abroad

Do you wish to study overseas and would you be willing to relocate if necessary? The Prospects website offers information about studying abroad. Remember to check whether the overseas training and qualifications have the recognised status to allow you to practice in the UK, if you wished.

Researching your options

Make sure to check the specific entry requirements for your chosen route of study. This may be a combination of academic qualifications and professional experience. There may also be medical and Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks undertaken.

Contact the admissions tutor or your prospective research supervisor to find out more about either the course content or your potential research project. Prepare a list of relevant questions to gain the information you require. You could also contact the Careers Advisory Service at the relevant institution to find what past students on your chosen course have gone on to do.

If you are an OU student and would like to talk to a Careers Adviser about your future plans, contact your OU regional or national centre.

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The application process

How to apply

If you are interested in postgraduate study, you need to find out about the application process from the relevant institution. For training in professions such as teaching and law, applications are made through a central 'clearing house' (e.g. the Graduate Teacher Training Registry (GTTR)). Check whether there is a closing date for applications.

Referees

If you are applying for a postgraduate degree, you are likely to be asked to nominate two referees. Remember that nominating a recognised academic in your chosen research area will carry weight.

With a vocational course such as teaching, one person will normally be an academic referee, (e.g. a personal tutor) and the other, a professional in your chosen field (e.g. the head teacher of a school where you have undertaken some work experience).

Always seek permission from those you wish to cite as referees. Brief them on your future plans so they can fine-tune their reference accordingly.

Personal statements

You will almost certainly be required to write some form of personal statement as part of your application for postgraduate study. A strong and persuasive statement needs careful preparation. Check the department's research rating and the quality of its teaching. The questions you will need to address include:

  • Why do you wish to undertake this particular course of study or research?
  • Why have you chosen to apply to this particular institution?
  • How does this study option fit into your longer term career or life plans?
  • What is the relevance of any previous study, with the OU and elsewhere?
  • What other related experience can you cite?
  • What personal skills and qualities do you possess?

To improve your application, seek advice and feedback from either a careers adviser or a tutor. The careers sites at the universities of Essex and Kent provide examples of personal statements.

Applying for a PhD

The most common routes for applying to do a PhD include:

  • applying for an advertised PhD with a defined project and secured funding
  • applying for a free-standing research studentship where the project has not been pre-defined
  • targeting a potential academic supervisor who specialises in your area of interest and enlisting their support to secure funding for a PhD. 

Advertisements for PhD research can be found in publications such as the Times Higher Education, the Guardian on Tuesdays, the Irish Times, and specialist magazines such as New Scientist. Check out websites such as jobs.ac.uk and findaphd.com.

If the research project is as yet undefined, you may need to produce a statement outlining your areas of interest, or even to write an initial research proposal.  You may also have to submit a CV as part of your application. Academic CVs may be longer than the standard two A4 pages used for non-academic CVs and would include:  

  • your areas of research interest
  • research activities that you have undertaken (e.g.  a dissertation)
  • any experience of teaching, supervision or training
  • attendance at conferences, seminars or events organised by relevant professional bodies
  • details of any publications or academic papers you may have contributed to.

Prospects website has more information on academic CVs.

The selection process

For many taught postgraduate courses, selection is based purely on the application form and references. Others also require an interview, either one-to-one or with a number of academic staff.  Additional selection techniques may involve group discussions, written tasks and aptitude tests. Many of the same principles apply when preparing for an academic interview as for preparing for a job interview.

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Sources of funding

The funding options available will depend on whether you are applying for a taught course or research. Common sources of funding include research council awards, scholarships, and bursaries offered by universities. For taught courses, the admissions tutor may offer information on the normal funding routes for students. For vocational courses, advice is often available from the appropriate professional association. In social work or clinical areas of the NHS, bursaries may be available to cover both fees and maintenance.

Competition for postgraduate funding is fierce, but students may fund themselves through a government tax-free Career Development Loan (CDL).
Please Note:  the Open University has withdrawn from the Career Development Loan Scheme, so this option is no longer available for students to fund an OU course.

Charities Direct and the Charity Commission provide information on the finance available through grant making trusts and charities.  Newcastle University has a funding database that can be searched on a variety of criteria. The Prospects website also provides comprehensive information on funding for postgraduate study. For students in Ireland, the Postgradireland website has information relating to funding for postgraduate study.

Support for disabled applicants

Additional financial support is available to disabled students who wish to study at postgraduate level. SKILL, the National Bureau for Disabled Students, produces an information sheet Postgraduate Education for Disabled Students (Word DOC) that can be downloaded from their website.

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Further resources

Here are some additional sources of information to assist your research into further study options:

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Need more help?

Contact a careers adviser if you'd like more help with career planning or getting into a profession.

Find out more

To find about vocational qualifications in the UK linked to your area of work try

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