What’s it like to do a masters?

Hi guys, I’m just looking into doing a Masters course. I’m currently at uni to study Business Management. I’m thinking of looking into marketing and advertising or digital marketing for MSc.

What’s the workload like? I know it must be a lot, I just want to hear it from other students. Any ‘expectations vs reality’ situations? Like what you expected vs what it really was.

Do you recommend someone else do it? Any tips? Thanks

Hi @blitterflicker,

I returned to university to do an MA in English Literature after several years in industry. My primary motivator for doing the course was to change career into academia and get the necessary qualifications for entry onto a PhD programme (I'm in the final year of my PhD programme now so clearly that all worked out! ) but, having had some years out of full-time education, I have to admit that I was worried about things like workload.

In my experience, a Masters year is pretty tough workload-wise. Because it's only a year's course, there is a lot to fit in and, if you're thinking of applying to a PhD programme or a graduate scheme, you'll be doing that alongside your Masters degree because the course takes up the entire academic year.

I'd definitely equate the workload to a full-time job although that isn't to say you can't work alongside your Masters programme. I self-funded my Masters degree so I worked around 10-15 hours a week during my MA year to help support my studies. The work I did was mostly weekend work and was on a zero-hours basis, which was perfect for me because it meant that it didn't interfere with my classes and allowed me to reduce my hours during busy assessment periods. I was, however, frequently working into the evenings and at weekends to fit all that in and I definitely had less 'free' time during the year.

That all said, I absolutely loved my Masters programme. I really enjoyed being able to get in-depth with certain aspects of my subject. Crafting my own essay questions allowed me to explore aspects of the text that interested me, whilst my MA dissertation allowed me to take a deep-dive into an area entirely of my own choosing (and, later, became the basis for my PhD project). I also really enjoyed becoming part of the research community at Keele and getting to know staff members a little more. There's definitely less of a staff/student divide in postgraduate study, as you're transitioning to becoming a researcher more than a 'student' in the traditional sense.

I also loved the extra opportunities that the Masters year presented for personal and professional development. During my MA, for example, I was able to do a work placement that allowed me to combine some of the skills learnt during my years in industry with my academic interests. I also took part in research training events such as conferences, and got involved in peer-review for the in-house postgraduate journal.

In terms of whether you should pursue a Masters programme, I think only you can really answer that. Like any programme of study, I think the main question you have to ask yourself is why you want to do it. Personally I think you do need a clear motivation - be that career-orientated or a passion for the subject - to succeed at a postgraduate level study programme.

Hope that helps!

Amy Louise
Student Ambassador, Keele University

Hi, thanks for the detailed answer. Sounds quite tough! I don’t plan on doing any further studies after a masters. I really do love marketing and my ideal job would be to have a marketing manager position in a fragrance company.

I’m not sure how passionate I am, I am definitely passionate enough for the field but for a Masters, I guess we will see as I gain more experience in marketing alongside my degree.

Is there any science, maths based work? Probably a silly question since you studied English but I’m wondering if there’s any research involved and how in debt it goes

No problem at all!

Given your interest in marketing - and your hopes for you future career - I can definitely see how continuing onto Masters would be beneficial for you. Obviously different Masters courses stress different elements of a subject but you could, for example, look at a specific Masters in Marketing.

At Keele, our MSc Marketing (https://www.keele.ac.uk/study/postgraduatestudy/postgraduatecourses/marketing/) is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) and can provide maximum exemption towards its professional qualifications, in addition to giving you the opportunity to study modules on more specialist aspects of business, such as international/global marketing, marketing research, and digital marketing. Plus there are entrepreneurship and placement pathways for those who want to use their Masters degree to develop first-hand professional experience or develop their own business ideas.

At Keele, as in most universities, there are researchers working across different fields and subject areas so whilst my own experience is within the Humanities, there's certainly opportunities within other subject areas. Our Placements and Internships team also offer opportunities in a number of different fields (including within Science and Maths) whilst most of our faculties have in-house journals and/or conference opportunities. Plus, as I mentioned above, we offer placements alongside or integrated into some of our Masters programmes to allow students on those courses to gain first-hand experience within a particular field of work.

Ultimately, it's about finding the right course for you that will offer you both an engaging and interesting programme of study, and the degree outcomes that you're seeking

Hope that helps!

Amy Louise
Student Ambassador, Keele University

I'm doing a part time online post grad whole working full time. I'm 100% doing it because my degree is worthless, not cos I have a passion.

I do all the lectures and take notes, comment when I should etc. It can be hard work when it's essay time other than that it really isn't. It's like university mark 2: most people do no work (only this time it's cos we all work full time not because of laziness).

What would you say is different to the work you do in an undergraduate degree vs postgrad? Are the assignments more difficult? Writing style etc? What about it makes it intense?

Hi guys, I’m just looking into doing a Masters course. I’m currently at uni to study Business Management. I’m thinking of looking into marketing and advertising or digital marketing for MSc.

What’s the workload like? I know it must be a lot, I just want to hear it from other students. Any ‘expectations vs reality’ situations? Like what you expected vs what it really was.

Do you recommend someone else do it? Any tips? Thanks