Masters Degrees

cafcdan18

Hi

I am due to leave University next year so am already worrying about next year and what I can do. With the country the way it is, I have heard enough horror stories about graduation and the lack of jobs to last a lifetime.

Anyway, have been looking into doing a masters course, specifically in Criminology and Criminal Justice (taught not research). Having studied Law for the last two and a bit years, this is an area that I am very interested in and the course looks amazing. I am at University of Kent where it is taught, however Kings and LSE also have their own versions.

Thought before I start taking this a little more seriously and going to open days, working on personal statements etc, I would see if anyone here has done a masters course or knows someone that has and whether they have any advice/tips/do's/don'ts etc. For example, the major differences between a Bachelor's and a Masters, whether they thought it was worthwhile- that sort of thing. Bearing in mind, Masters courses are not cheap, I guess it is better to hear first hand.

Thanks in advance.

LenGlover

[cite]Posted By: cafcdan18[/cite]Hi

I am due to leave University next year so am already worrying about next year and what I can do. With the country the way it is, I have heard enough horror stories about graduation and the lack of jobs to last a lifetime.

Anyway, have been looking into doing a masters course, specifically in Criminology and Criminal Justice (taught not research). Having studied Law for the last two and a bit years, this is an area that I am very interested in and the course looks amazing. I am at University of Kent where it is taught, however Kings and LSE also have their own versions.

Thought before I start taking this a little more seriously and going to open days, working on personal statements etc, I would see if anyone here has done a masters course or knows someone that has and whether they have any advice/tips/do's/don'ts etc. For example, the major differences between a Bachelor's and a Masters, whether they thought it was worthwhile- that sort of thing. Bearing in mind, Masters courses are not cheap, I guess it is better to hear first hand.

Thanks in advance.

What do you want to do eventually?

If you want to teach, lecture or stay in academia generally a Masters (or even a Phd)would be worthwhile.

On the other hand if you want to become a solicitor, barrister etc and have a decent (2:1 or better) first degree then you could be better off doing a LPC rather than Masters unless the Masters serves the same function of a LPC when it comes to getting a training contract.

If you don't know what you want to do then a Masters will make you a bit "different" to those with first degrees only and may also open up other avenues as mentioned above.

Good luck whatever you decide.

cafcdan18

Cheers Len, probably should have stated that I do not wish to become a solicitor or barrister, which is why I think I may need more than a first degree to stand out so to speak. Am more interested in teaching or perhaps working for the Police or Home Office.

Seems as though nowadays, a lot of people have good degrees (2:1 or higher) and graduates need that something extra, I know a lot of recent graduates who have struggled.

GNelson

I've just graduated from my masters course. I did it in Business. It was a really interesting course, much more so than my undergraduate, so I got a lot out of it. Not sure how much a masters will actually set you apart in the job market unless a vocational masters is required by the job - for most jobs I don't actually think it makes that much of a difference (compared to say getting some entry level experience). I did it because I wanted to learn more about business.

stilladdicted

I think that these days, I'd be inclined to start at the other end. Which areas are good for employment prospects? Who do you want to employ you when you graduate? Find out what they're looking for and take it from there. My son has a PhD in Philosophy and he is one of the horror stories. You may not end up doing exactly what you want, but you'll be more likely to get a job at the end of it.

razil

do a law conversion, then a bar exam, less coppers, welfare cuts, public sector jobs going, cuts to councils, bound to mean you have plenty of work in the future..

Saga Lout

My son has just finished a Masters in Economics and he has not been inundated with job offers. Part of the reason he stayed on was because of the job prospects in 2009, but mainly because he would eventually like to gain a Phd, but we've told him the "bank of mum and dad" is closed, so he has to fund that himself.

dabos

I did a Masters because I wanted to stay at University for another year. If you can afford it and are enjoying University then I would obviously thoroughly recommend it. However, following on from Saga Lout's post above, I do not think it makes it much more likely that you'll find a job. From personal experience of getting involved in hiring over the last couple of years, only if 2 candidates were identical in terms of experience, personality and skills, and I was close to flipping a coin to decide between them would the Masters applicant be taken over someone with a BSc/BA.

I'm sure others can confirm whether there are many industries who would only be interested in looking at CVs of candidates who have a Masters degree. I certainly do not know of any.

Thommo

Masters courses are very different between institutions in terms of quality and at £3500 for the year you want to get a good one preferably from a good institution. In this way subject specific league tables are worth a look.

If you are in any way interested in taking it on to a PhD look for universities advertising 1 +3year research council studentships these will pay not only for your masters (fees plus about 12k a year) but also for the PhD. Plus Its much easier to get a 1 +3 than a +3 if you suddenly decide you want to do one.

Worth having a good look at jobs.ac.uk where they advertise phd and masters courses and studentships.

paulsturgess

I am just finishing a property and planning masters which will allow me to become properly qualified. But to be honest I would not bother unless you are doing it directly for something you want to do and if it will open a door for you for that. It will cost you and arm and a leg and to be honest I think most employers (rightly imo) value work experience more than an extra degree for the sake of it. You'd be better off trying to get a foothold in some sort of industry and push yourself up I would say - you'll be in a better place in a year with some decent work experience etc than with a masters and a mountain of debt. There are jobs out there but you might have to start on not great money, but if you can afford to do a masters then you can prob scrape by on a low starting salary...

Vienna_Addick

I spend most of my time at work talking to students taking, and thinking about taking, Masters degrees. I'm in a different country, but the situation here is not that much different to the UK. I can only echo what PaulSturgess and others have said. Don't do a Masters to postpone the evil day when you have to go out looking for a job. You will have lost a year or two, plus several thousand quid.
Only do it if you are really, really interested in the course material, plus if you are really convinced that it will add something to your CV. If I were you, I would enquire at the places you listed above as possible careers, whether they think a Masters would help you, and which type of law related degree would help the most.
If you do go for the Masters, make sure that the degree will allow you to move on to a PhD program later on, should you want to. Not all programs do this. You may not be thinking of a PhD now, but who knows?
Finally, the dreaded question of "university prestige". It's not important where I live, but in the UK it is still. If you are looking at the London area, then LSE, UCL and KCL would probably be the best for law, and related areas, but they will also be the most expensive.
I wish you the best of luck, whatever you decide.

thewolfboy

I think I echo what Vienna has said. A Masters does not guarantee earning more money but it may open doors, for example in teaching. If you have a passion and can work it into your dissertation then it may well be worthwhile. In Law it could be worthwhile but take advice from other criminologists. If you are thinking of doing a Masters to fill in time or to avoid chasing a job then it probably won't be worth it. Good luck.

SaoPauloAddick

I used to work in Graduate Recruitment, and in my experience doing a Masters Degree doesn't add anything to your earning potential or employability - unless perhaps you want to work in a very specialised/technical field.

If you're interested in working for the police or Home Office, check out their recruitment sites and brochures, figure out exactly what it is you're interested in doing, and see what their entry requirements are. Trying to get some relevant paid or voluntary work experience will add a lot more to your employability than a Masters.

I work as a teacher these days, and as long as you've got a decent degree, your interpersonal skills are much more important than having a Masters. Get in touch with some local schools and see if you can go in to observe lessons or help out, that'll help you getting onto a PCGE or GTP scheme. In my case doing that actually ended up getting offered a place to train as a teacher, so it's well worth it!