Master Level | Teacher

Master Level Education

Master Level of Education :

A Masters is an advanced academic degree that takes place at postgraduate, or 'second-cycle', level, building on existing undergraduate qualifications or professional experience.

By completing a Masters you'll gain higher level skills and more specialized understanding of your subject area or profession. Most programmed require one or two years of full-time study and conclude with an independent project or dissertation.

This page presents a simple introduction to postgraduate study at Masters level. You can read answers to basic questions and learn where to look for more detailed information elsewhere in our guides.

Understanding postgraduate study

Whatever your undergraduate subject, your experience probably wasn’t that different from other students at your university.

You probably studied for three years full-time and lived near (or on) your campus.

Your degree was probably made up of taught units, ranging across an entire subject area. Most of your study time was probably spent attending classes and completing assessments.

The qualification you received was probably called a BA (Bachelor of Arts) or a BSc (Bachelor of Science).

Postgraduate study is much more varied – particularly at Masters level:

Whereas a Bachelors is always a taught degree and a PhD is always research-based, a Masters can be either.
Whereas a Bachelors normally awards a BA or a BSc, the MA and MSc are joined by a range of other Masters degrees. Some are only offered by specific institutions. Others are only offered in certain subjects.
And, whereas most undergraduate students study full-time, on campus, it’s much more common for Masters students to enrol part-time, combine work and study or even study by distance learning.

This is all part of what makes studying a Master such a valuable opportunity.

You’ll have the chance to select from a variety of different degree types and pick the right qualification for you. As part of this, you’ll have the opportunity to really specialise, with subject-specific degrees, or other highly focussed courses.

'Masters' vs 'postgraduate'

(Almost) all Masters degrees are postgraduate qualifications, but not all postgraduate qualifications are Masters degrees.

In fact, a wide range of other courses are available. These include shorter 'Masters-level' courses such as Postgraduate Certificates and Diplomas as well as even more advanced degrees such as PhDs and other doctorates.

Here's a quick summary of the different 'levels of postgraduate study':

Taught vs research

Unlike undergraduate degrees, Masters courses can be ‘taught’ or ‘research’ based:

Taught Masters are a lot like undergraduate degrees. You’ll study a series of modules before going on to complete an extended dissertation.
Research Masters involve much more independent study. They can still include taught units, but you’ll spend more time on your own supervised research work.

As a general rule, taught degrees are best for students who wish to expand upon their subject knowledge. Research programs are designed for postgraduates who wish to spend more time on their own independent scholarship or project work.

Masters vs PhD

If you’re beginning to consider postgraduate study, you may also be wandering about the difference between a Masters and a PhD.

Put simply, the PhD is a fully independent research degree. A Masters still involves acquiring existing subject knowledge through teaching and mentoring. But a PhD consists entirely of original scholarship.

In fact, the core requirement for a PhD is that a student makes an ‘original contribution to knowledge’.

You might say that a Masters gives you a ‘Mastery’ of your subject as it’s currently understood. A PhD, on the other hand, is your chance to expand that understanding.

Some students use a Masters to prepare for a PhD by gaining additional knowledge, expertise and research skills.

But a Masters isn’t always a prerequisite for a PhD. In some subjects (such as Science and Engineering) students may go straight to doctoral study after an undergraduate degree.