Smart Moves: No distractions for postgraduates

Postgraduates work harder and longer than their graduate counterparts and are often isolated. So what are the benefits? asks Philip Schofield

IF you choose to do a postgraduate course, do not imagine it will be like a continuation of your undergraduate studies. The changes may be almost as great as those you experienced in making the transition from school to university, particularly if you become a research student.

To begin with, you work longer hours and more intensively. The postgraduate year is 44 weeks, and you normally work a long day.

Much of the time on a one-year taught course, particularly the first two terms, is timetabled and involves lectures, seminars and classes. You also work on projects during evenings and at weekends. And a dissertation or thesis will occupy much of your final term and perhaps the long vacation.

A research-based course, particularly a PhD or DPhil lasting three or four years, may initially appear more relaxed. There is no timetable, unless you have been wise enough to choose a course which provides some initial tuition in research techniques and other skills. You have to fix your own timetable. You must learn to organise your programme of research and manage time effectively. It should be noted that many students have difficulty in completing their PhD within three years.

As a booklet produced by the Economic and Social Research Council booklet warned: "Graduate schools abound with legends of students who become bogged down in libraries, or who spend too long on fieldwork, or who had no idea of the extent of crucial manuscript holdings until their arrival at an archive, or who didn't realise that there was a dissertation on unrestricted university shelves in a field closely related to their own."

The second big difference lies in the size and composition of the student body. On taught courses there will be fewer people than on an undergraduate programme, and on specialised courses you may have only a handful of fellow students. On a research programme, apart from the initial skills training, you may not need to meet other students at all.

However, students are advised to meet one another socially if in no other way. Some universities have separate halls of residence for graduate students so that they have somewhere exclusive to meet and share interests, problems and experiences. The breadth and depth of experience is far greater than among undergraduates. Some are likely to have obtained several years' work experience between graduation and their return to postgraduate study. Moreover, our universities attract many graduate students from overseas.

Discussing your work with fellow students also has practical applications. It is surprising how often work being done in a related, or even a different discipline can have implications for your own work. Others may also have found ways around problems which you are still meeting head-on.

Postgraduate courses, except for the Postgraduate Certificate in Education, get no mandatory government grants. Although the research councils and British Academy provide funding, there is not enough for all postgraduate students. Few postgraduates in the arts get funding from anybody. Those who hope to combine a full-time programme with part-time or vocational work will find it almost impossible, if not forbidden.

Many taught postgraduate courses are available on a part-time basis. These let students both work and study and lightens the burden of funding. However a "full-time" job is realistic only if an employer is your sponsor and releases you to attend lectures, tutorials and so on. This is not uncommon in science and technology, where employers need staff who are abreast of current developments and who can introduce them into the business. It can also occur on some vocational courses in other fields of learning. But it is extremely rare in the arts.

Another benefit of being on a part-time sponsored course is that you can directly relate your studies to your work. Moreover, project work and your dissertation could be work-based and so make a valuable contribution both to your employer and to your own career development.

However, part-time sponsored courses have two weaknesses. It is harder to interact with other students and the workload can be horrendous. Employers are usually good at providing time off for formal activities such as lectures and seminars - but private study, library work, essays and dissertations normally have to be completed in one's "spare time".

Part-time students, doing casual part-time work, escape these pressures. But they lose the benefit of being able to relate their studies to their work. And potential employers may be unimpressed with "casual" work experience.

When postgraduates enter the jobs market they are often accused of having poor transferable work. Often this is a misunderstanding. Most postgraduates acquire many of these skills during their course but fail to recognise their vocational value. Consequently they do not mention them at interview. Among them are good oral and written communications, the ability to prioritise work, good time management, problem solving, computer literacy, and the ability to work in multi-disciplinary teams.

Some postgraduate courses include training specifically to develop vocational skills. Others offer optional courses. These latter are valuable and usually over-subscribed. Aim to get on such a course by consulting the university careers service as soon as possible. Apart from the intrinsic value of such courses, attendance gives a distinct edge in any subsequent job application.

One class of postgraduate programmes is unique, the Masters in Business Administration (MBA). Newly qualified first degree gralduates are rarely accepted on to reputable programmes. The minimum entry level is usually two or more years' post-graduation management experience. These courses are very demanding, and most students study part-time or by distance learning while doing a full-time job. Prospective students should get Sheila Camerun's fine MBA Handbook, Study Skills for Managers, published by FT Pitman.

Although the workload and funding can present difficulties, postgraduate study is worthwhile whether done to pursue an intellectual interest, improve one's vocational knowledge or to secure a better job. That is probably why one in four graduates continue into postgraduate study.