Help, I don't know which offer to accept

MSc Geographical Information Science @ Manchester
or
MSc Geoinformation Technology & Cartography @ Glasgow

Which course would give me better employment opportunities? Which University is 'better' in terms of employment and reputation?

Reply 1

megascream

Glasgow, as a solid top3 Scottish uni, can open more doors in Scotland than Manchester can do in England, but Manchester is a relatively larger city and will offer more intern opportunities. Glasgow is still large tho. For UK-wide reputation the two unis are rather similar because Scottish unis are not very popular overall.

Reply 2

Calliso

I don't know much, so I won't be of incredible help, but Manchester is allegedly the top targeted university in the UK by employers, so if you're concerned about being 'employable' then this may be something to consider.

Reply 3

QuentinM

Universities Forum Helper

Original post by slothonist

What are you hoping to do after your degree?

I'm very skeptical of using employment statistics offered for courses by universities, or just looking at their "reputation"-I went to two UK universities in the top 10 in the league tables for my course, both offered minimal assistance in helping me find a good job after. Just because 95% of a particular cohort ended up in employment within 6 months doesn't mean they will next year (or that you will be in the 95% over the 5%). Focus instead on the content of the course (does it suit what you want to do after your degree?), but more importantly the opportunities to develop relevant experience. Which course do you think would offer the best Masters research projects to develop the best experience? Are there any businesses/university researchers you could intern with during holidays at that specific university, that would seriously boost your CV?

Reply 4

slothonist

Original post by megascream

Yeah I did my undergrad at St Andrews so reputation-wise I prefer Glasgow, but I don't like some of the module options on the course and I know 2 people who did their MSc there in 2018 and both of them are still looking for jobs :/

Reply 5

slothonist

Original post by Calliso

Yeah that's initially why I applied to Manchester. I've heard that its a really good uni employment-wise but I wasn't sure if its generally regarded as a good uni or not

Reply 6

slothonist

Original post by QuentinM

Either research or employment, haven't fully decided yet to be honest but I think the course at Manchester would set me up very well for both. I prefer the modules there and I just feel the course would equip me with valuable skills for whatever I decide to do in the future. There's also an optional applied study unit which would entail working with a researcher or business depending on your interests.
However, I assume Glasgow has a better reputation so I wondered if that would be the better option in the long run

Reply 7

QuentinM

Universities Forum Helper

Original post by slothonist

As I said, ignore reputation as in my experience, I've never once had people choose me based on reputation of my previous universities. If you think the Manchester course is the best for setting you up for afterwards, definitely go with that.

(And if we were going with rep, I would say I personally viewed Manchester as better than Glasgow just in general anyway, though I should preface that by saying I don't know either university that well )

Reply 8

eorsborn

Original post by slothonist

Hi! I'm an international student that applied for the MSc Geoinformation Tech and Cartography at University of Glasgow. Did you decide on your school?

Reply 9

slothonist

Original post by eorsborn

Hi! I'm an international student that applied for the MSc Geoinformation Tech and Cartography at University of Glasgow. Did you decide on your school?

Hey!

I ended up picking Manchester. Better opportunities for employment and I preferred the modules and research there :smile:

Reply 10

Maxxx17

I personally don't see the point of going into mapping at all. If you yourself without a university can become a map creator for all this cartography. This specialty will not give you much. You will just be specializing in maps and terrain. If you can learn it yourself. Even the banal creation of maps on the Internet. There's no programming skills required. So choose another specialty. This one will definitely not sound solid.