A Master's degree is a postgraduate qualification showing advanced knowledge and skills in a specific field of study. The following resources are available to help you to decide if doing a Master’s degree is right for you.

Careers appointments

If you are considering a Master’s programme our Careers, Employability and Student Enterprise team would be pleased to talk to you about your options. Our Ask the Adviser appointments are 15 minute conversations to chat about anything careers related, including postgraduate study.

Open days and information

The University of Southampton run postgraduate open days to help you to review Master’s courses that may be of interest to you. We also have a range of videos that explore what Master’s study is and why you may choose to pursue it. These resources can be found on our Postgraduate open days and visits page.

‘Demystifying the PhD’ is our careers programme designed to provide information, advice and guidance on PhD study. As part of Demystifying the PhD we offer:

‘Demystifying the PhD’ workshops

A four-part live workshop series delivered termly. Please check the MyCareer Events Calendar for the most up to date workshops. Our workshop series are based on the following topics:

1. What are doctorates and are they for me? 
2. Process for applying to PhD programmes 
3. A day in the life of a PhD student 
4. Career prospects beyond the PhD 

A ‘Demystifying the PhD’ online course 

Our Demystifying the PhD online course guides students through a series of activities and information about PhD study in an easy-to-use format. The course covers the same topics as the workshops but the information can be accessed at any time through MyCareer.

The ‘Progress to PhD’ mentoring scheme

‘Progress to PhD’ has been designed by the Doctoral College and Careers, Employability and Student Enterprise to improve access into PhD study. In this scheme, undergraduate and master’s students from underrepresented backgrounds are paired with a PhD student who will act as a mentor, providing information, advice and guidance about doctoral study.    

The Undergraduate Summer Research Internship Programme

The University of Southampton Undergraduate Summer Research Internships are coordinated by Careers, Employability and Student Enterprise in conjunction with the Doctoral College and University of Southampton research groups. 

These internships offer students in the second year of their degree (or the third year for those on an undergraduate course with an integrated masters) with the opportunity to apply their degree-specific knowledge to exciting research projects with the support of an academic supervisor. Supervisors considering taking a research intern for future schemes can get more information on our dedicated Sharepoint page. Student applications open in the Spring term and can be viewed on the MyCareer Jobs Board.
 

Opportunities for postgraduate study abroad are increasing. You will get the chance to learn about another culture, develop international experience and work with specialists in another country.

Planning your abroad course

Applying for a course abroad needs careful planning and may involve considerable financial commitment.

• Find out about courses as early as you can - for full scholarships you may need to start researching 18 months to 2 years ahead
• Check the content of courses and entry requirements - you may have to book and pay for an entry test
• Contact the departments that interest you and get detailed information
• Academic years may begin at different times from the UK

Funding resources

Getting funding can be difficult but there are a number of awards and scholarship schemes that you may be eligible for. You could look at Studee, the Prospects website and organisations such as Fulbright Commission (study in the USA), DAAD (study in Germany) or Study Options (study in Australia and New Zealand) for ideas. Please also see our Funding for Study Abroad and Exchanges webpages.