Masters then PGCE?

Hi

I want to eventually do a masters. I’m not sure if I should do it after my undergraduate or if I should do it while doing my NQT year part time?

Just need some advice...

Reply 1

username1230881

Original post by BewareTomato

Hi

I want to eventually do a masters. I’m not sure if I should do it after my undergraduate or if I should do it while doing my NQT year part time?

Just need some advice...

A Masters in what? If Education, then definitely do it after your PGCE - PGCEs provide a certain amount of credits towards a Masters, typically about half, so you can then do the rest of it part-time, based at the same university, while you're teaching. It doesn't necessarily have to be in your NQT year but there may be some kind of time limit to essentially 'claim' the credits.

If you want to do a Masters in something else, such as following on your undergraduate degree, then you wouldn't get credits as part of the PGCE and so you can do it whenever. The NQT year is inevitably very, very stressful so perhaps doing it before entering teaching would be easier.

(edited 5 years ago)

Reply 2

04MR17

Volunteer Section Leader

Original post by BewareTomato

Hi

I want to eventually do a masters. I’m not sure if I should do it after my undergraduate or if I should do it while doing my NQT year part time?

Just need some advice...

What would you be doing your masters in and why would you want to do one? Plenty of teachers do an MA in Education for career progression into school Senior leadership.

A masters in your subject might make you more employable, especially at a more academically-driven school. And you could either do one straight after undergrad, accumulate a bit more to owe to SLC and risk it not having a lot of differenve when you enter the workplace depending on what the job market is like.

You could do your masters part time while you're teaching but that's a lot of effort.

NQT year might be a happy medium between the two.

Reply 3

Findlay6

Original post by BewareTomato

Hi

I want to eventually do a masters. I’m not sure if I should do it after my undergraduate or if I should do it while doing my NQT year part time?

Just need some advice...

I did a MA in my subject prior my PGCE, but I can also do a MA in Education and top-up my PGCE into a MA, which obviously would be after.

Reply 4

username4094562

Original post by BewareTomato

Hi

I want to eventually do a masters. I’m not sure if I should do it after my undergraduate or if I should do it while doing my NQT year part time?

Just need some advice...

It depends upon what you want to do with the Masters. If you want to teach a subject that you don't have a first degree in, then doing a Masters is definitely very useful in allowing you to teach other subjects. I want to teach Latin/Classical Civilisation so I plan to do a Masters in Classics for it after my PGCE.