US Masters vs UK masters

[SD141255]

Hey there,

I was wondering if anyone out there has any advice on choosing between MA programs in the US vs the UK. I applied to both US and UK Masters programs for archaeology and I was wondering if a UK Masters degree will be recognized in the US as equal to a Masters degree from the states. The UK degree is only one year whereas the US ones are two years. The programs I applied to are all comparable so basically my main concern is whether or not a UK Masters will be recognized in the states. Any advice would be appreciated :-)

Thanks

The UK schools I got into are: University College London, University of Durham, Cardiff University

The US schools still waiting to hear from: Boston University & Tufts University

[pomegranate]

Hi,

although I can't compare US and UK masters as i only have experience of the UK education, there are loads of US students here and they all say that they opted for UK because it was quicker and cheaper to get an MA here and that it was recognised back in US. The only thing that they all strassed was the importance of going to a school that is widely recognised in US. I guess in your case UCL would be the best bet. Durham for example has an amazing reputation in the UK but I don't think it's aprticularly well known abroad. UCL is a global brand though.

[zerolife]

yeah I have considered a UK Masters too and from what I've heard, some UK schools have a even better global reputation than comparable US schools ... you just have to pick the right one

[j.ice]

I second the University College London assumption.. plus studying in the UK should be a bit cheaper...

[N8opot8o]

I was looking at this option as well, as an anglophile, and a debt-o-phobe It seems great...until you consider a few factors:

The biggest one for me is that grad school should ideally help you make connections that will lead to employment in your field. UK immigration is some of the toughest in the world which means you will more than likely get the boot once you graduate, making it hard to tap into those contacts and resources. This may not be as much a consideration in your field though, so don't take my word for it, but just to say that is a big consideration for me.

schools are cheaper and shorter there but you probably wont be able to work in the UK while you are in school which makes it tough to afford, plus I think it might be harder to find scholarships and grants as an international student. The U.S. government probably isn't keen on subsidizing your education if you are paying for it abroad.

on the pro side though, you will have an opportunity to live and study in the UK, which is an enviable experience and one that may offset any other disadvantages.

[a fragrant plant]

Did you apply to UK taught master (MA/MS) or research master (MSc by Research)?

[pietjekanarie]

I have a similar situation. I got into Oxford and Cambridge for master's programs, but also into NYU. I read on this forum that UK masters from Oxbridge are not considered very competitive, because they often don't give any funding. That last thing is true, but as an international student, I also don't have to expect funding from the US universities I applied to (some US universities even stated: no funding for master's programs for anyone).

Right now I'm still waiting on 2 universities and on my (external) funding decisions before I can really decide. But I find it very hard to compare NYU to Oxford, US vs UK. I have no clue what would be better. The UK program is 2 years and the US program 3 semesters. On the one hand I'm leaning more towards Oxford, on the other hand: New York would be great for connections and networking and it would be nice to live on the other side of the Atlantic for a while.

[pomegranate]

schools are cheaper and shorter there but you probably wont be able to work in the UK while you are in school which makes it tough to afford, plus I think it might be harder to find scholarships and grants as an international student. The U.S. government probably isn't keen on subsidizing your education if you are paying for it abroad.

It's harder to secure funding full stop. not just when you're an international student and not just for MA programmes. Only some PhD places are funded and those are extremely competitive. One of the programmes I currently applied to for example offers just 8 fully funded PhDs to all Arts and Humanities admits, so probably about 500 people, if not more.

If you're self funding, UK is definitely cheaper, if you're hoping for funding to finance your studies, it's extremely difficult.

[eucalyptus]

I did a Masters in the UK and I think you really need to consider whether the Masters programs are cash cows for the universities. I went to St Andrews, and was doing a 2-year research Masters (actually started as a PhD, switched to Masters when my supervisor moved to Austria). I had a lot of friends in taught 1-year Masters programs and they seemed to universally find the programs too easy and too little work. Many said that if you had an undergrad degree in the subject, you'd be repeating a lot of material. Obviously not all UK schools are the same (although this was true at St Andrews even for programs that were very well known, like IR), but it's something to consider - ask current students whether they feel like they're learning enough and really being pushed.

Also, in terms of affordability, you can usually work up to 20 hours per week on a student visa in the UK, and many of the MA/MLitt students I knew had ample time to take advantage of this and earn some money.

[tem11]

I think it really depends on your field and how competitive the schools are. I've also heard that taught courses aren't as competitive at Oxford, Cambridge and other UK schools but they're certainly more competitive than a lot of master's in the States.

For example, I applied for social work programs in the US and UK. Got into Columbia and NYU, both of which accept at least 200+ students per year. Oxford accepts 25 max. It's only 1 year, is 1/3 the cost and all previous students I've spoken to have said they all had many jobs to choose from last year and some went onto top PhD programs/university posts. Try to talk to current and former American students at UCL to see what the pros and cons were.

I agree with what others have said though; make sure you go somewhere that is known worldwide like UCL to increase your earning potential.

Good luck!

[pangmao]

Does anyone know when Oxford decisions on colleges/funding will be made? I have an offer for an Msc in Anthro at Oxon, and an offer for a 5 year fully funded PhD program in the States. Many people are telling me to take the US offer and run. The US institution is a very good school but ranked approximately twentieth for my field, and since I plan to teach overseas after graduation anyway, Oxford would seem to carry more international clout. Plus I'd much prefer Oxford to the rural American south, in terms of living environment. Any advice?

[anya11]

I feel that masters offered in UK are too specialized and narrows the prospective job choices while the two years masters in US gives a broader perspective of the subject.

Its atleast true for my discipline, not so sure abt others.

[pietjekanarie]

Anya: Not all masters in the UK are one year. Often there is a 1-year and a 2-year variant. I got accepted into the 2-year MPhil, but there is also a one year MSc. In the US there are also a few one year programs in my field. So I guess this simply depends on the study.

Pangmao: I think it depends on the college. I'm also waiting on a college place at Oxford. I got a place offered at a college in Cambridge almost immediately after I got the offer, so I guess it differs. I think you shouldn't count on too much funding for the masters. As I understood there is often not that much available.

[pomegranate]

Does anyone know when Oxford decisions on colleges/funding will be made? I have an offer for an Msc in Anthro at Oxon, and an offer for a 5 year fully funded PhD program in the States. Many people are telling me to take the US offer and run. The US institution is a very good school but ranked approximately twentieth for my field, and since I plan to teach overseas after graduation anyway, Oxford would seem to carry more international clout. Plus I'd much prefer Oxford to the rural American south, in terms of living environment. Any advice?

Well, with the UK Msc you won't be able to do much but apply for a PhD if you want to go into teaching in academia. And fully funded PhD places are not that easy to obtein, which I am sure you know. So if you know that you want to carry on as an academic, I would really take the US offer straight away.

[tem11]

Does anyone know when Oxford decisions on colleges/funding will be made? I have an offer for an Msc in Anthro at Oxon, and an offer for a 5 year fully funded PhD program in the States. Many people are telling me to take the US offer and run. The US institution is a very good school but ranked approximately twentieth for my field, and since I plan to teach overseas after graduation anyway, Oxford would seem to carry more international clout. Plus I'd much prefer Oxford to the rural American south, in terms of living environment. Any advice?

I'd take the US offer as well. The MSc on its own probably won't get you very far. I also wouldn't count on any funding whatsoever from Oxford. You have like a 7% shot at the Clarendon award which is typically the only award available to students from the U.S. You might be able to swing a college scholarship that covers room and board but again, they're very competitive.

[hall0822]

I'll add my thoughts as someone who is planning to accept a MSc offer from UCL over the insanely priced NYU....

I feel like UK Masters programs and their employability depend heavily on the field you go into. It sounds like there's a lot of sciences being discussed in this forum. I have an American friend who is currently a MSc Anthro major at Stirling and he seems very confident in his employability afterwards although he's also considered a PhD. I'm a policy student so I feel like UCL's location is ideal to attain an international NGO position after graduation. I figure I'll worry about the immigration issues later because the UK student visa gives you 4 months from the conclusion of your studies. My program, and I think many of the taught masters are a ful calendar year (Sept.-Sept.).

I've also spoked with several former classmates from undergrad who work for consulting companies, another field i'm considering post-MSc. They've said that UK degrees from Uni's like UCL & LSE are regarded just as well as degrees from NYU...so that's basically what sold it for me. And the $50,000 savings.

[a fragrant plant]

I'd take the US offer as well. The MSc on its own probably won't get you very far. I also wouldn't count on any funding whatsoever from Oxford. You have like a 7% shot at the Clarendon award which is typically the only award available to students from the U.S. You might be able to swing a college scholarship that covers room and board but again, they're very competitive.

pangmao - If you apply to a MSc by Research or MPhil you will be eligible for the ORS (Overseas Research Students Awards Scheme) scholarship. It covers the fee difference between overaseas tuition and home tuition. But in your case I think you should take the US offer. There is no point to apply again after you earned your MSc at Oxford (in case you want to work in academia).

SD141255 - University College London has a worldwide recognition. It's a very famous 'brand' and often ranked the top five in various world university ranking. At taught master level it's not particularly selective. It's relatively easy to get in. University of Durham has a very good reputation in anthropology and archeology. Many American students do summer field trips/archeology fieldwork at Durham.

Edited March 26, 2010 by Peanut

[tem11]

pangmao - If you apply to a MSc by Research or MPhil you will be eligible for the ORS (Overseas Research Students Awards Scheme) scholarship. It covers the fee difference between overaseas tuition and home tuition. But in your case I think you should take the US offer. There is no point to apply again after you earned your MSc at Oxford (in case you want to work in academia).

They phased ORS out in 2009, unfortunately.

[player23]

Im in the same situation here and am glad that theres a thread about this..

I got an offer to read MSc Immunology at Oxford and another offer for a science masters on immuno and microbiology at JHU sch of Pub health... am really wrecking my brains over which to choose...

I heard that if you apply for PhD after ur masters (which is what I intend to do), US unis tend to be more stern on master students and ure gonna need to have some pubs or else ure quite screwed.. is that true??

[SD141255]

Thanks everyone for the feedback!!! It's been very helpful and I definitely have a lot to think about!

I just found out I got into the MA program at Tufts University for archaeology and the scholarship I got makes the tuition about the same as UCL. So now I guess I just have to weigh the importance of the international reputations of the University with the drawback of being an American with all of my references and connections in the UK. I guess it comes down to which MA will get me a job/PhD. Tough decisions. All your advice is greatly appreciated!!!

[ilikemoney]

I got an MSc from Oxford. For me, it was worth it. I graduated with Distinction which helps separate me a little. I also made some good connections and was able to publish. But I suppose that has more to do with my supervisor than the school. I learned a lot and had a great year. I left with some debt, because, it is true -- funding is pretty much absent from MSc students.

In any event, I taught for a few years and was able to get into Oxford's DPhil programme, which is competetive, as well as two fully funded offers in the US at decent schools (Hopkins, UMD).

Forget US vs UK and think funding vs. faculty quality, time (1 vs 2 year), and consider the experience of living in Oxford. It's unique.

Also -- though I'm not sure if it is true that a MSc/MPhil from Oxbridge isn't as respected in academia (everyone I know has done well) as a comparable US degree -- OUTSIDE academia, the degree is worth loads. Honestly, Americans are impressed by an Oxbridge degree, often undeservedly so. It opens doors.

[gsams]

Two different types of degrees - taught masters (1 year) and research masters (2 years). After auditing classes and talking to students while in the UK for a year, I feel the taught masters are a repeat of material from a US BA/BS. Why? They spend 3 years on a Bachelor's, we spend four. Many places in continental Europe and the UK will allow for you to get into programs with a US Bachelor's when a UK/European student would need a Master's for this reason. Thus, I think you should not waste time on a taught masters.

If you want to do a research master's, you will not get funding most likely. Living in England is expensive. I did it for a year. It's great - public transit is awesome, Europe is right there, and you have many things to see and do. Perhaps you are willing to spend the money to embark on that, but you are not likely to get funded. Also, getting loans IN the UK is very different from here. Repayment is quickly for overseas students and just getting a bank account with reasonable benefits is very difficult to do. You have to pay for most things that are free in the US. If you take out loans in the US, you are looking at tons of private loan debt. The ORS was phased out while I was in the UK, as I had friends that went to London to protest it.

Coming back to the US with an MsC from something outside of Oxbridge, LSE, etc. is dangerous. Even notable Russel Groups like Soto are not well-known here. My ex had a BsC from Soto in Computer Sci and Electrical Engineering and at conferences would get "shown up" by American PhD students who graduated from far-less notable US universities. Soto probably has the best reputation for this in the entire UK, mind you. So, you must be careful. If you want to work in the private or gov't sector (outside of academia) you face the we-don't-know-that-place issue. If you are going into academia, you face the worry that your Master's was far too concentrated and done in a different style than a US degree. For my discipline, UK programs concentrate too much on politics and not enough on political science, so there is a distinctly different approach to problems and research. While I learned a great deal in the UK, I don't think doing a PhD or Master's there would have helped me in academia in the US much.