Postgraduate study options for computer scientists and technical graduates
Every year around 20,000 students are busy with computer science-related postgraduate studies. But finding the right course or studentship requires as much thought and planning as finding a graduate job in IT. You need to understand the different options, and also consider the long term, so that further study provides a springboard into employment later on.
MSc or PhD in IT?
There are two main postgraduate study options for graduates from technical undergraduate degrees.
Masters (MSc, MRes) Masters degrees can be either a one-year, taught course resulting in an MSc, or a research-based degree called an MRes. Graduates typically choose masters courses to specialise further in a particular area of technology, for example software systems engineering, bioinformatics, networking or animation design. You’ll find a wide range of different course options by looking at universities’ online postgraduate prospectuses.
Doctorate (PhD, DPhil) A doctorate is a research-based qualification. It’s a career in itself and requires the same level of forethought and preparation as finding a graduate job. You will need a good first degree (2.1 minimum) and you will need to feel confident of your love of a particular research subject as you will be focusing on it for three to four years.
Choosing your postgraduate study programme
- Start thinking about postgraduate study at least a year in advance. Academic departments usually promote their courses and programmes that begin in September/October in the previous October. Keep an eye out for postgraduate fairs to attend.
- Read up on the subject/field you want to pursue. Read up on it thoroughly and track down the courses and academic research groups that are actively working in the area. Do a literature search to find the recently published papers in key journals – your university library should be able to help, or try Google Scholar for an initial search.
- Compare courses or programmes on their relative merits: course content, modes of study and university facilities. Do basic checks on the department so you know its teaching standards (www.qaa.ac.uk) and its Research Assessment Exercise rating (www.rae.ac.uk).
- Talk to current postgraduates and researchers when you visit a department. They can give you a realistic view of life in academia and they will also be able to tell you how their group functions practically.
Where to study?
A good number of postgraduates stay at their current university. This can be positive – you will be familiar with the department, its specialist fields, teaching staff and potential supervisors. However, don’t choose it as a safe option: it needs to offer the course/research opportunities that are right for you. Moving to a new university could be better as you’ll broaden your horizons and also expand your network of contacts.
Finding funding for masters and PhD postgraduate study
- The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is the main funder of technical and science-related postgraduate research in the UK.
- Studentships and awards typically cover your course fees and pay your maintenance (stipend).
- EPSRC studentships and awards are allocated to university departments and research groups and not directly to postgraduate students. You need to apply to the department or research group for your research programme or course, and they then decide which successful applicants are put forward for funding awards.
- Commercial sponsorship may also be available for certain research projects. As well as boosting your EPSRC funding, these opportunities also give you the opportunity to gain some commercial experience working alongside the sponsor organisation.
- Visit the EPSRC to find out more about how postgraduate study can be funded, the current level of maintenance awards and whether you are eligible for funding.
To find out more about postgraduate study and to start comparing courses go to targetcourses.co.uk
