The Student Room Group

Masters or Industrial year?

I could do an extra year on top of my BSc to make it an MSc (what's the difference between MSc and MSci?!) or I could do an industrial year...

The chances of my going into further studies after uni is, I think, 50/50, I know I can make the grades etc... but lately I don't think I want to study all my life.... altho I might change my mind again.

I'm doing my first year of Maths and Comsci and I really don't know if I should do an industrial year or do the three years, then head somewhere else to do a Masters?.... I'm posting just for some insight, maybe someone could ask a good question which I haven't considered yet...

Do employers really prefer people with an industrial year more than people with a Masters? I dunno......:frown: :redface:
Reply 1
Personally I am not doing the industrial year, the work experience is good but it does not guarantee you a job after University say do the masters and find your own job placement with flexible hours as experience.
MRLX69
I could do an extra year on top of my BSc to make it an MSc (what's the difference between MSc and MSci?!) or I could do an industrial year...

The chances of my going into further studies after uni is, I think, 50/50, I know I can make the grades etc... but lately I don't think I want to study all my life.... altho I might change my mind again.

I'm doing my first year of Maths and Comsci and I really don't know if I should do an industrial year or do the three years, then head somewhere else to do a Masters?.... I'm posting just for some insight, maybe someone could ask a good question which I haven't considered yet...

Do employers really prefer people with an industrial year more than people with a Masters? I dunno......:frown: :redface:
MSc I think is usually a postgraduate course and I think its the step before a PhD, it's called a Master of Science. MSci is an undergraduate masters and is called a Master in Science.
Reply 3
pcWizz
Personally I am not doing the industrial year, the work experience is good but it does not guarantee you a job after University say do the masters and find your own job placement with flexible hours as experience.

But I've been told by some people on the industrial course that your chances of getting a job after you've done a degree with an industrial year are greatly improved. Plus most jobs uses less than half of the knowledge of what you learn at a Masters level and so doing a Masters and a BSc isn't much different from an employers point of view, right? Although I had a convo with a lecturer at LSE once, he said that if two people were equal except that one had a maters and the other didn't, he would choose the one with the masters.... I dunno...
Reply 4
Well, if you have a Masters you can legally demand a higher pay because of your increased qualifications in comparison to others who may just have a BSC. The industrial year does increase chances of getting a job because of your experience, however that is why I suggested that you work during university or during the summer doing a job related to your trade as a valid means of experience, that way you will not have to waste an academic year gathering experience in the industrial year. If I am honest computer science is a popular course, I think a masters is necessary as the competition is strong. Alternatively you could take the instrustrial year as well as do the masters? It is only an extra year!
Reply 5
pcWizz
Well, if you have a Masters you can legally demand a higher pay because of your increased qualifications in comparison to others who may just have a BSC. The industrial year does increase chances of getting a job because of your experience, however that is why I suggested that you work during university or during the summer doing a job related to your trade as a valid means of experience, that way you will not have to waste an academic year gathering experience in the industrial year. If I am honest computer science is a popular course, I think a masters is necessary as the competition is strong. Alternatively you could take the instrustrial year as well as do the masters? It is only an extra year!


:eek: , really?!?! I didn't know that at all..... I could do both but that would mean I'll be 23 by the time I get out and start proper work..... I dunno....
Reply 6
The masters will improve your chances of getting a job, but I wouldn't do it if your hearts not in it, which it doesn't seem to be :smile: . As you said, the industrial year will also improve your chances of getting a job and if you'd enjoy it more then do that. Its really a choice between staying on for an extra year of study, which you're not going to enjoy if you don't really want to do it, or getting out there and getting work experience.
Reply 7
Indeed you can do both the industrial year and the Masters. Universities never make you choose between the two. You apply for your course with Industrial year, and then when you graduate you re-apply for postgraduate course.

23 is still very young, what is the rush to finish University? It is suppose to be a warm experience.
Reply 8
(sorry to bring up a dead thread, but it's better than to start up a new one!)
Who told you that you can legally demand more money if you've done a masters? or is this just a fact... which i seem to be oblivious to:redface: .