Masters with a 2.2 UG degree?

Does anyone know of a definitive list, or at least a general guide as to which unis and courses will accept a 2.2 first degree for masters courses?

TIA

Scroll to see replies

Reply 1

march or die

Original post by Riderz

Does anyone know of a definitive list, or at least a general guide as to which unis and courses will accept a 2.2 first degree for masters courses?

TIA

What will you be studying? My friend got in to Birmingham to study Economics with a 2.2. I think they will consider you, if explain yourself well in your personal statement.

Reply 2

TariHana

Usually, the highest chance of being accepted onto a masters course with a 2.2 is applying to the uni which you graduated from. They seem to support their own students if there are still spaces left on the course.

Reply 3

hobnob

Original post by Riderz

Does anyone know of a definitive list, or at least a general guide as to which unis and courses will accept a 2.2 first degree for masters courses?

TIA

There's no such thing, I'm afraid. You'll just have to look through university and departmental websites. :dontknow:

Reply 4

brownbear88

One of my friends got a 2.2 in Maths from Oxford and was accepted to a Computer Science masters course at Kent.

Reply 5

march or die

As I said, you can get into most mid range unis if you have a good personal statement. You need to determine what you want to do, where you want to do it and "why" you want to do it?

Reply 6

edjunkie

Depends how long ago you achieved your 2.2 and what you have done since. If you have relevant work experience and are not applying to a high demand course or institution, your chances of gaining admission will be improved. Evidence of recent successfully study will help strengthen your application. Check if the university that you are interested in offers master's level options as standalone modules, you may be able to do one of these to demonstrate your ability to study at masters level. You may gain admittance for a Post Graduate Diploma, satisfactory completion will enable you to submit a dissertation and achieve the Masters.

Reply 7

The_Lonely_Goatherd

Were there extenuating circumstances behind your 2.2? If so and you can get strong references from academics at your old uni (the more well-known they are, the better), you might still have a chance with applying for unis that ask for a good 2.1 :yes:

Reply 8

*Elizabeth*

Original post by Riderz

Does anyone know of a definitive list, or at least a general guide as to which unis and courses will accept a 2.2 first degree for masters courses?

TIA

Hi, I have a 2.2 fron kent uni, but was accepted onto three different MSc courses (including UCL), received MSc offers from Surrey and Warwick and won a PhD scholarship.

Granted the MSc offers came flooding in after I received good marks from my first MSc at Westminster uni which landed a place on an MSc course at UCL and places on doctoral courses.

For my first MSc, I looked at unis in London and looked at 'good honours degree' or 'second class honours degree' in the entry requirements and contacted the admission tutors of the unis to see whether they accepted people with 2.2s. For my first MSc, I did not look at high ranking unis or unis that state '2.1 or higher'- waste of time.

In your MSc application, you need to highlight strong performance (ie 1sts) in any undergrad modules, obtain good references, highlight any relevant experience and state that your 2.2 is unrepresentative of your academic abilities. Be prepared to defend why you obtained a 2.2. I was grilled about my 2.2 at my UCL and PhD interview but received offes from both unis. My 2.2 was not even mentioned by my interviews for my professional doctorate in health psychology, even for courses with a strict 2.1 criteria (thanks to my PhD).

Research unis that interest you and email admission tutors and course directors

Happy to help x

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 9

zziippoo

i have some friends who had 2.2 and have done a master.
a friend from university of reading got 2.2 and finish now his master from sussex university (biology)
i know a girl who studied at sussex business management and she had finished her msc in accounting at sussex now.
a friend got 2.2 from sheffield law and he will do now a msc at bristol university.
also i know a guy with third from leeds and he is doing his msc at kingston university
also ... queen mary accept students with 2.2, manchester university and cardiff.

Reply 10

Klix88

Your undergraduate organisation is most likely to consider you for a Masters with a 2:2.

I applied elsewhere and was given an offer based on a First or 2:1. However, I was told by my programme leader that they would consider me on a 2:2 if I could produce undergrad coursework of a decent quality, which would be relevant to the Masters course for which I'd applied. Basically, my application and interview were good, they wanted me, so they were prepared to be flexible.

Sell yourself in advance of any application - email/meet the course leader and ask some intelligent questions about the course. Show an active interest. Make yourself the sort of candidate that they want, regardless of your degree result.

Reply 11

kandy666

I know someone who got 2.2 for BSc in Maths at UEA and got accepted onto MSc Maths at UEA. (It was a high 2.2 though - 57%)

Reply 12

Beckieee

I got a 2.2 (57%) on my undergraduate degree at The University of Manchester and am now going on to do a MA at MMU in a different subject. I got offered anything over 55% average. It's very possible.

Reply 13

zziippoo

i think that with 2.2 you can find a university to do a master. but what about the universities in london? kcl, lse, ucl, cass, city, imperial. do they accept students with 2.2?? i don't know anyone .. do you know anyone guys?

Reply 14

*Elizabeth*

Original post by zziippoo

Yes, I completed an MSc at UCL and I've got a 2.2 degree. However, I almost finished my first MSc when I went for an interview at UCL which probably swung the balance in my favour.

I received an interview offer for an MSc in Mental Health at Kings, but I opted for UCL instead.

I also got on the Professional Doctorate in Health Psychology at City Uni and they have a minimum 2.1 entry requirement.

Gather postgrad admission tutors look at a wider range of factors, not just the 2.2/2.1 entry criteria.....

Reply 15

zziippoo

Original post by *Elizabeth*

thank you for your reply. i am not sure that this works for the msc in business/finance/management. i think the competition for these postgraduates degrees is higher ...!!

Reply 16

*Elizabeth*

Original post by zziippoo

thank you for your reply. i am not sure that this works for the msc in business/finance/management. i think the competition for these postgraduates degrees is higher ...!!

Psychology is really very competitive (at least in terms of my experiences!) But I think universities, courses, departments etc differ, but generally look at the whole application.

Best of luck! :smile:

Reply 17

zziippoo

Original post by *Elizabeth*

thank you very much. you too.. :smile:

Reply 18

MagicNMedicine

You have to be really careful about going for a Masters with a 2:2 IMO.

Given the pressure on universities to boost their taught postgraduate numbers, it's often possible to find someone that will take a chance on you with a 2:2, but you are bearing the risk because you are paying the fee and the uni will fail you ruthlessly if needs be and your money has gone down the drain.

A lot of people struggle with Masters degrees even if they had a 2:1 and if you got a 2:2 at undergrad then you probably aren't the most naturally academic person so you are in for a year of struggle. If you are going to spend upwards of £10k or so on fees and living costs to struggle for a year of stress and come out with a bare pass or worst, get awarded "postgraduate diploma" because you didn't fulfil the requirements for the full Masters, then all you've done is adorned your CV with another qualification that says "did the course but wasn't very good at it" which is what your 2:2 said anyway.

If you are going to do a Masters it has to be for the right reasons, ie you really want to study that subject at a higher level. If you are doing it thinking it will make up for missing out on a 2:1 at undergrad level when it comes to applying for jobs then you will end up disappointed because most grad schemes that want a 2:1 will filter you out even with a Masters - there have been loads of threads on TSR with people complaining about this. If it's to boost your employment prospects then given that most graduates with 2:2s are likely to end up with 'pass' or 'postgraduate diploma' in their Masters then I doubt that will enhance their employability.

Reply 19

aimzdy

I got a 2.2 (as i struggle to concentrate in exams which sucks as my coursework always gets a 1st or 2.1 mark and i actually did miss out by 2 points for a 2.1 in the exam lol) in Microbiology at Aberdeen and didn't have any problems getting an MSc. I got an offer from UCL even though the original requirements were a 2.1 minimum (I'm now starting there tomorrow yay). I also got accepted for MSc's at Imperial and and MRes at Liverpool . I've also been invited for interviews for PHds at every uni i've applied to prior to getting the 2.2 so im pretty hopeful that getting a Phd shouldn't be an issue this year, a lot of places have been understanding about the fact that as i have dyspraxia i cant concentrate to save my life in long exams and they know from my coursework and the recommendations my project supervisor sent that when it comes to Microbiology and Immunology i'm good at what i do. It also helped that i did a lot or work experience whilst in Aberdeen so i can pretty much be left to my own devices when it comes to lab work :smile: