Master’s Degree

[gintonic]

MA in Political Economy

i think he needs to develop a good understanding of what employment in his area might look like and what the demand might be for PgT graduates, and PhDs for that matter. It is one thing doing for interest (which is what i did for my MA) and another for enhancing a career.

 

[mandryka]

Just a bit of an update, the degree he is most interested in is an MA in Political Economy. Since Uni, this has been his main interest, it’s what he did his dissertation in, the financial crash 2008.

In my college there were many people who studied politics and economics at a postgraduate level, and international relations. I remember they had no special problem finding employment afterwards, either in management consulting companies or in investment companies, or by working in some sort of internship for political organisations either here in the UK or in the USA. They got their interviews because their supervisors were well connected and gave them introductions. I think it would be much harder if you didn't have that sort of support, if you were using a more generic "careers service", or going to graduate fairs etc.

This is possibly something to think about when choosing a place to study and a person to study with.

(Basically what I'm saying is, he should think about applying to an Oxford college!)

 

[Bob McC]

Groan

 

[gintonic]

(Basically what I'm saying is, he should think about applying to an Oxford college!)

becoming a Tory donor, joining the Tory party would accelerate matters.

 

[KrisW]

Then there is the tendency for overseas students (especially, not exclusively) to hire others to write their stuff....yes it happens. I think Nigeria has an entire industry writing pieces for students.

Not confined to foreigners. I had a student commission her entire final-year project work. Now, the problem with hiring a professional software developer to write an undergraduate software project might be obvious to us older, wiser, heads, but it genuinely hadn’t occurred to her that the resulting work would contain lots of design idioms and baggage from old computer languages that marked its author out as having around 20 years’ experience of writing software... And thus, parts of the final work would be a total mystery to someone like her, who had spent maybe 18 months maximum with the language used.

As the course was one of those “computing and business” ones, one could argue some credit was due for making the classic “buy or build” evaluation and deciding to go with an outsource provider, but on the other hand, it was cheating, so after a somewhat carefully managed meeting (there are lots of litigious parents around!), she withdrew the practical work completely. Still passed, owing to a high average elsewhere (and we took a fine-tooth comb to the rest of the coursework to make sure that wasn’t procured either).

 

[gavreid]

As the course was one of those “computing and business” ones, one could argue some credit was due for making the classic “buy or build” evaluation and deciding to go with an outsource provider, but on the other hand, it was cheating, so after a somewhat carefully managed meeting (there are lots of litigious parents around!), she withdrew the practical work completely. Still passed, owing to a high average elsewhere (and we took a fine-tooth comb to the rest of the coursework to make sure that wasn’t procured either).

Wow! I would have thought that the project work was part of the learning outcomes. We wouldn't let anyone graduate with fraudulent coursework - every penalty had to be expunged.

 

[mandryka]

becoming a Tory donor, joining the Tory party would accelerate matters.

Not as effectively as an introduction from a fellow.

And if he were inclined towards left wing politics, he could apply to Balliol of course.

 

[sq225917]

My brother did politics and philosophy at Warwick followed by politics and economics at York. He's still working for the VC company he started at 26 years ago. It's a proven route into the field.

Amazingly hes not a massive Tory either as one might expect in such a field and resultingly manages some very large portfolios for some very well heeled but ethically switched on clients.

 

[Bob McC]

Or do your BA at Cambridge and just wait 6 years…

 

[kasperhauser]

Adding complementary knowledge/skills is a good approach. My daughter completed a bachelor's degree in wildlife biology and did field research for a few years, slogging through likely habitat searching for birds, nests, food sources, etc. She's just now finishing a master's in geoscience, adding the capability to do LIDAR mapping of those same locations using drones, with loads of new data analysis skills in the mix. It will open up a great many new opportunities in the field she had already chosen.

 

[gintonic]

with loads of new data analysis skills

there is loads of stuff in applied data science for people that can do the maths. We have a never ending stream of students wanting to do data science (from the hard maths with my colleagues in Maths) or from the computing side - most end up extending their expertise with data analytic skills for their first domain of study.

 

[synapse]

I run an MA in Liverpool (though live in Manchester) and I'd say that if you commit to your studies and to your cohort (they'll be helpful going forward) , and the Uni ensure engagement with the relevant commercial spheres, then all will be good. A Masters is an opportunity to step into a network ....take full advantage of this aspect, it's far more important than any piece of paper. This is probably key if relocating ... I'd say it sounds like a great plan

 

[paulfromcamden]

Interesting thread. I finished a second degree as a mature student last summer and it was a much more positive experience than my original experience an a undergrad where I mostly just wanted to go the pub (education is wasted on the young!) - I've been thinking about a part-time MA, not because it's useful for my career but just because I discovered how much I love learning.

I was kind of hoping that with everyone learning remotely for the past 18 months there would be lots of post-grad distance learning options but that doesn't seem to be the case.

 

[PhilofCas]

I run an MA in Liverpool (though live in Manchester) and I'd say that if you commit to your studies and to your cohort (they'll be helpful going forward) , and the Uni ensure engagement with the relevant commercial spheres, then all will be good. A Masters is an opportunity to step into a network ....take full advantage of this aspect, it's far more important than any piece of paper. This is probably key if relocating ... I'd say it sounds like a great plan

Useful info regarding the network aspect and the link with relocating, many thanks.

 

[gintonic]

Useful info regarding the network aspect

this certainly develops with smaller cohorts. On some larger cohorts, it doesnt happen. Useful question to ask is about the size of the intake - what level of 1-2-1 (if any) or small group support there is.

 

[gintonic]

I was kind of hoping that with everyone learning remotely for the past 18 months there would be lots of post-grad distance learning options but that doesn't seem to be the case.

I think that depends on the HEI and the subject. We've been offering fully online degrees in Computer Science (both Ug and PgT) for over a decade.

 

[PhilofCas]

Really grateful for all the help/advice/comments, my son has read all this and appreciates the help.

(He hasn’t been able to get an answer from Manchester Uni yet, he phoned them a couple of times this morning but couldn’t get through, he’s emailed since and awaits a response).

 

[ks.234]

Brilliant thread. Got me thinking about applying for an OU MA in Philosophy.

No money to pay for it though, need to look into loans.

 

[gintonic]

(He hasn’t been able to get an answer from Manchester Uni yet, he phoned them a couple of times this morning but couldn’t get through, he’s emailed since and awaits a response).

if he knows the dept - see if there is any info on the website about how to contact course director/programme leader/admissions tutor etc......

these days i would say don't bother with the phone. The people in the know are likely to be working from home.

 

[russel]

What a horribly familiar tale. I did my undergraduate degree at Imperial, and guess what? Nobody gave a flying s**t about undergraduates. I too was left to sort it out by myself with no guidance whatsoever. Imperial College is a dump, I wouldn't send my worst enemy there to do a degree. I had the worst 3 years of my life there. I served time. Like you, I survived, but only just. The best part of 3 years was cycling out onto Queensgate when I left, giving the place 2 fingers, saying "F** you" and vowing never to go back. I did go back, for the graduation, which I did for my parents. Never, ever, will I return.

On a more positive note, Masters. Yes, if it will help you do what you want. I know people who have done a Masters, got little from it and ended up doing the job they would have been doing anyway. A few years down the track it's an irrelevance, because it's all about their in-job performance. Conversely I know someone who did an arts degree, decided that it wasn't for her, she wanted to be a nutritionist and went the full BSc-Masters-PhD route. She now works at a University, doing research into nutrition and its role in non-communicable diseases for, amongst other organisations, the WHO. She couldn't have done this without the Masters en route.

Never met anyone from Imperial who said they had a good time there, one of my mates did Physics and on the introduction lecture they were told two out of three would be canned before graduating and things went downhill from then on.