Prospects Postgrad 1

ADVICE AND GUIDANCE Postgrad www.prospects.ac.uk 2008/9 Postgrad What’s Inside Postgrad Autumn 2008 4 FOR LOVE AND MONEY Further study can lead the way to a job you love. CASH FOR QUALIFICATIONS Finding funding for postgrad study. 6 10 A TALE OF TWO STUDENTS A games designer and F1 engineer swap stories. 13 MEET THE POSTGRAD PEOPLE Postgraduate fairs open doors to further study. 18 ALL ABOARD Studying overseas offers a world of opportunities. 27 THE POSTGRADUATE ENVIRONMENT Caroline Carson studies the environment at LSE. 31 MATHS MARKET Alex O’Neil shares his PhD experience. 35 THE POSTGRAD PROGRAMME Vitae lends a hand to postgraduate researchers. ADVICE AND GUIDANCE Postgrad Meet the postgrad people Postgraduate fairs and open days offer a great opportunity to find out more than the prospectus tells you. If you want to get the best out of an open day or fair you must do some preparation. Find out who is exhibiting, how to get to the venue, opening times, and what talks are being held. Most of this information can be found on the website of the university organising the fair. A SNEAKY PEEK If you are interested in a specific course or institution, paying a visit to an open day at a university can offer greater insight. Open days are a way of getting a deeper understanding of the course but also a feel for the institution. You may decided upon visiting an institution that it is, or isn’t, the place for you. Remember, it is likely that you will be living in the same town and city you are studying in, so think about whether or not it’s a place you want to be. At open days you will be able to talk to representatives from departments across the university and ask important questions about accommodation, library facilities and, perhaps most importantly, if there are any scholarships or bursaries available. It’s also an opportunity to check out the institution’s facilities first hand, and meet with the people who are likely to be teaching you, which is of extra importance to those considering a research specialism. All taught courses and research opportunities as well as academic schools and research institutes should be represented at open days. FURTHER INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL ADVICE Not only will you be able to talk to representatives from different universities, a number of talks will take place to give you more information on the world of postgraduate study – ways to fund your study, for example. As well as this, you will be able to get free professional advice from careers A FAIR CHANCE Postgraduate fairs are an consultants. Elizabeth Wilkinson, a excellent way to find out more about careers consultant at the University of what further study involves. Armed Manchester Careers Service, says fairs with information gathered at fairs you are an opportunity to find out whether will be able to make a more informed or not further study will be a good decision when it comes to choosing a investment for you. To do this, she says, course and place of study. you must ask the right questions. Anyone can attend postgraduate fairs. ‘Postgraduate study is a big You can usually just turn up to the event investment, in time, money and effort. If but sometimes you can register online you’re investing to improve your career beforehand, which is worthwhile, as you prospects, make sure the investment is may receive more details about the likely to pay off. Check out what event. Prospects delivers funding talks at graduates from postgraduate courses go some open days, for example. Academic on to do next - ask course providers for departments may also host talks and the employment destinations of their events throughout the day. You may postgraduates. Also, find out if a even get to meet current students, who postgraduate qualification will make will give you the inside track on what you more employable, or if you might be better getting work experience.’ it’s really like to study there. To find out when your nearest fair is taking place visit www.prospects.ac.uk/fairs or check on the universities’ websites. Graduate Prospects is an agency of Universities UK (UUK) and the Standing Conference of Principals (SCOP). Prospects Postgrad is published by Graduate Prospects, Prospects House Booth Street East, Manchester M13 9EP 00 44 161 277 5200 prospects@prospects.ac.uk www.prospects.ac.uk Company Reg No. 2626618 Publisher Paul Naylor Editor Zannah Ingraham Sales Manager Emma Irving Cover designed by Funnel Creative Graduate Prospects is owned by and gifts its profits to the registered charity HECSU. HECSU supports the work of higher education careers services in the UK and Ireland, commissions and funds high quality research and gives financial support to the organisation AGCAS (Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services). Graduate Prospects publishes the Prospects series of graduate recruitment and postgraduate study publications and provides online information via the UK’s official graduate recruitment site, Prospects.ac.uk Prospects Postgrad 2008/9 Issue 1 © Graduate Prospects 2008 Prospects Postgrad is printed on Galerie Silk PEFC Accredited Paper. PEFC promotes sustainable forest management - environmentally, socially beneficial and economically viable management of forests for present and future generations - through independent third party forest certification. ADVICE AND GUIDANCE Postgrad The postgraduate environment CAROLINE CARSON is studying an MSc in Environment and Development at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). After the completion of her Masters she will be remaining in London to work as a researcher. Below she shares her postgraduate experiences with us. I studied for a BA in Latin American Studies with Human Rights at the University of Essex and became interested in the area of international development. After spending some time researching careers, it was clear that a postgraduate qualification was a valuable asset to have. A postgraduate degree can provide you with an edge over other competitors that is necessary in today’s employment market. As it was important for me to gain work experience with a major organisation whilst studying, I wanted to be based in London. The multidisciplinary nature of the degree matched with my existing academic background and that, combined with its outstanding reputation, meant that LSE was the obvious choice. With the amount of cost involved in studying at postgraduate level, this can put people off but LSE offers various methods of funding. A lot of students apply for this so you need to be quick as I applied too late! Therefore, I am funding the course with savings and earnings from a part-time job. I volunteer on a regular basis and also have a waitressing job in the evening, which allows me to study during the day. As I do not have lectures or seminars every day I sometimes volunteer during the week. NEW BEGINNINGS My Masters is very additional material and there are more set texts for lectures. Students at postgraduate level come from a much wider variety of academic and professional backgrounds as well as different countries. These different experiences and opinions add another dimension to seminars. Also, further study has proven to be more stimulating as you have more freedom to pursue your own particular areas of interest. I was delighted to discover that being a postgraduate student offers a higher degree of mutual respect with lecturers and other academics. However, the workload can be stressful at times with more effort and concentration required compared to an undergraduate degree. I am coming to the end of my Masters now and already have a research internship lined up for when I finish my dissertation. I am hoping to get a job with the same company when I have finished the three months and I plan to remain in London for the immediate future, working in policy research and/or consultancy within the environmental sector. I am also investigating opportunities within development NGOs and in British different from my first degree and some aspects of development theory and environmental degradation are new to me. As I am studying a joint Masters it includes courses from the Development Studies Institute and also from the Geography and Environment Department. Within this aspects of environmental policy and sustainable development practices are covered, particularly in the context of developing countries which is really interesting. Dissertation projects vary and my own topic looks at the influence of the Hugo Chávez presidency on the emerging environmental movement in Venezuela. Postgraduate life is very similar to the final year of an undergraduate degree. You are expected to contribute to seminar discussions through reading politics. Sponsored by BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT Postgrad Business at Warwick Business School (WBS) Warwick Business School has an excellent global reputation as a leader in business research and teaching. It was the first UK business school to gain the key accreditations from EQUIS, AACSB and AMBA. COURSES OFFERED MSc Business Analytics & Subject sections All the latest postgraduate opportunities at UK HEIs, including feature articles and student profiles. Consulting; MSc Finance; MSc Finance & Economics; MSc Financial Mathematics; MSc Information Systems & Management MSc Management; MSc Management Science & Operational Research; MSc Marketing & Strategy; MA Industrial Relations & Managing Human Resources; MA International & European Employment Relations; MA Management & Organisational Analysis LEARNING AT WBS There is a dedicated Postgraduate IT Centre at WBS, Wi-Fi CAREER PROSPECTS There is an exciting range of fantastic community atmosphere and career opportunities and enormous scope for provides a huge range of social, sporting and graduates of WBS, who are sought after by cultural activities. The large Students’ Union employers because of the specialist skills boasts a completely redeveloped building and they acquire dur http://www.prospects.ac.uk http://www.prospects.ac.uk http://Prospects.ac.uk

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Prospects Postgrad Autumn 2008 Contents: What’s Inside For Love and Money Cash for Qualifications A Tale of Two Students Meet the Postgrad People All Aboard The Postgraduate Environment Maths Market The Postgrad Programme Teacher Training Arts and Humanities Science and Engineering Business and Management Social Sciences

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