Master's programs in the UK - thoughts, opinions, suggestions?

[grace2137]

Hi all. Am working on narrowing my list of PhD schools, but am considering throwing some master's programs in the UK into the mix. Am still ambivalent as to whether it's the right call for me, but would love to hear from anyone who has experience with attending/applying to these programs. How did you identify programs there that were good for you, were there any notable differences in the application process (IE, is a "statement of purpose" here the same as one there?), were you pleased with your experience in the end, etc? I'm a victorianist btw if anyone has suggestions.

[illcounsel]

1 hour ago, grace2137 said:

Hi all. Am working on narrowing my list of PhD schools, but am considering throwing some master's programs in the UK into the mix. Am still ambivalent as to whether it's the right call for me, but would love to hear from anyone who has experience with attending/applying to these programs. How did you identify programs there that were good for you, were there any notable differences in the application process (IE, is a "statement of purpose" here the same as one there?), were you pleased with your experience in the end, etc? I'm a victorianist btw if anyone has suggestions.

I can't really speak to the differences in applications, but there are two very important factors to consider about UK Programs.

1) Funding - As far as I know, UK programs generally are not funded. Meaning, you are paying for school on top of rent, supplies, food, etc. The U.S. has many funded MA Literature programs which not only make it so that you don't pay to go to school, but also get paid to teach/T.A. I am attending one of these programs in the fall, so if you have more questions about funded MA programs, let me know.

2) Program Length - Generally, MA programs in the U.K. are one year. This may seem appealing because it shortens the time you are in school, but if you want to continue on to a PhD. it can make things much more difficult. Letters of Recommendation are a HUGE part of the application process. If you go to a 1 year program, that starts in September, it basically means that you only have 1-3 months to forge meaningful relationships with your letter writers vs. 1 year+ in 2 year programs. Also, UK letters generally are a little less personal and enthusiastic than US letters. 

 

My advice is that you apply to a mix of PhD. and U.S. MA programs. You may wish to apply to some UK programs too, but know the cons of doing so.

 

Just my opinions of course. Let me know if you want any follow-up!

Edited July 19, 2019 by illcounsel

[onerepublic96]

Hi OP, I'm currently finishing up a 1-year MA in the UK, and prepping for PhD apps. Like the poster above me, I can't really comment on differences in application since I did not apply to any PhD programmes in parallel with the MA ones, but if you have any questions about the experience of doing an MA here I'd be happy to help out! 

As has already been mentioned, funding is going to be an issue when applying. There are some scholarships available from what I've seen and heard, but in my experience they have been quite scarce and very competitive, so relying on that will definitely not help. If money is not an issue, however, and you're able to self-fund, that's a different story.

I decided to do an MA because I had switched majors quite late in my undergrad degree and wasn't quite ready to jump into PhD study, so the year I've had here has really helped me. It may not seem like much, but the programme I'm in has been very rewarding and I feel much, much more prepared to embark on PhD study. It is a good point that if you're going to want to start a PhD right after finishing your MA, you won't really have much time to get to know your postgraduate faculty or form the kinds of relationships that will give you a better chance at a better reference letter, but if you're fine with a gap year, applying after you finish your MA will help with that problem, since you will have had a year to form those strong connections. On the other hand, however, I've found the environment quite different here in terms of submitting assignments, receiving marks, etc., and - at least for me - it has been rather more difficult to form relationships as strong as the ones I had with my professors at my undergraduate institutions. This may be more of a personality issue on my end, however, so take that with a grain of salt.

As for the quality of reference letters in the UK (less enthusiastic, more generic, etc.), from what I've gathered, many US institutions will be aware of the stylistic differences and may be likely to factor that into their review of your application. Universities are all different, as are students, as are admission committees, however, so this too is not necessarily always true.

In my opinion, it ultimately comes down to a cost/benefit review... for me, the rank of the institution, the opportunity to specialise, and the brevity of the programme (I did not want to spend 2 years in an MA) were the main factors, in which case a UK MA programme made the most sense. 

[Indecisive Poet]

On 7/19/2019 at 3:53 PM, grace2137 said:

Hi all. Am working on narrowing my list of PhD schools, but am considering throwing some master's programs in the UK into the mix. Am still ambivalent as to whether it's the right call for me, but would love to hear from anyone who has experience with attending/applying to these programs. How did you identify programs there that were good for you, were there any notable differences in the application process (IE, is a "statement of purpose" here the same as one there?), were you pleased with your experience in the end, etc? I'm a victorianist btw if anyone has suggestions.

I'm finishing a 1-year MA program in the UK and I'm happy with my decision to have done it, but for two me-specific reasons: (1) I was lucky enough to be able to do the program without going into debt, and (2) I was wildly underprepared for applying to PhD programs as an undergrad and absolutely needed to complete a terminal MA before applying to PhDs. As others have mentioned, a funded US PhD or a funded 2-year MA degree in the US will almost always be better options – because they're paying you to be there instead of the other way round, because they are generally more well respected by PhD adcoms in the US, and because you are spending more time with the faculty members who will be writing your letters of recommendation (I also understand that British letters don't read as well as American ones). It all worked out well for me in the end and I think my program is a very good one as far as UK programs go, but I would've done a US MA instead had I known that they existed when I was applying. I have to say, though, that this is because I think the US program would have looked better on paper and I would have gotten stronger letters, and because I wouldn't have had to work part time during the program. In terms of what I've personally gotten out of the program, I'm really, really pleased, feel completely prepared to apply to PhD programs now and I don't think I would have gotten anything more out of a US program than I did out of this one.

Re choosing where to apply – I think you'd go about this the same way you would anywhere else. UK MA programs are almost always in a specific period of literature (which I really like) or in some cases in things like critical theory, so you would want to look for programs that are in your area of interest and then take a look at the faculty members working there. "Fit" is way less important to getting into these programs but it'll be important to you (so you have access to the expertise you need and so that you enjoy your classes) when you're in the program. In most cases you should be able to take a look at the classes that will be available to you as well.

Your statement of purpose can be the same as it would for a US PhD program. The only real difference is that these are weighted way, way less heavily in UK MA applications. To be very frank: my understanding is that almost all qualified applicants will get into UK MA programs – especially international applicants because we pay more. If you have a solid GPA and can write competently, you will get in. The upside of this is that it becomes not very difficult to distinguish yourself amongst your peers in the eyes of the faculty members you're working with. The best piece of advice I can give you is to not stress too much about these applications if you already have good materials written for your PhD apps.

The program I'm completing at Edinburgh is in 18th century, Romantic and Victorian literature – if you have any program-specific questions, I'm happy to answer via PM.

Edited July 21, 2019 by Indecisive Poet

[The Hoosier Oxonian]

I'm in a similar situation to the OP, prepping PhD applications but also wanting to apply for UK MA programs. Can anyone who's gone the route of US undergrad, UK MA, US PhD speak to some of the ins and outs of that process? Specifically I'm hoping to do a Master's at either Oxford or Cambridge immediately out of undergrad (preferable Cambridge because I spent a year of my undergrad at Oxford and I'd like a little more variety!), though I will apply to a few other UK Master's as well. Assuming I get into a UK MA program for 2020-21, would it be realistic to apply for US PhDs for 2021-22? I realize the limitations regarding not necessarily having had enough time to get to know the profs in my MA program to get good references. However I've heard that adcoms mostly look at undergrad work anyway, so if I were applying for US PhDs while having just enrolled in a UK MA, would it look bad if I just had recommendations from undergrad? Would the fact that I'd be enrolled in a UK MA program strengthen my PhD application, or would it be totally negligible since I wouldn't have any grades yet? Would so appreciate anyone's thoughts who's been through this process!

[onerepublic96]

22 hours ago, The Hoosier Oxonian said:

Assuming I get into a UK MA program for 2020-21, would it be realistic to apply for US PhDs for 2021-22? I realize the limitations regarding not necessarily having had enough time to get to know the profs in my MA program to get good references. 

I'm just about to complete my UK MA and am beginning to work on (US) PhD applications. I wouldn't say it's not doable, but most of the people I know are applying for PhDs after completing their MA, meaning we will all have a gap year of sorts. I don't know how long the Oxford or Cambridge programmes are, but mine is set to conclude (diss hand-in) on Sept 6, so you can imagine how starting a PhD the same fall may be overwhelming (and depending on when certain programmes start, perhaps even impossible). In addition, if you were going to begin your PhD in this way, right after your MA concludes, that means you'd have to work on PhD applications in the fall of when your MA begins, which in some UK schools is quite late (mine began in October). So your timeline might look like: May - graduate from undergrad --> October - begin MA --> December - PhD applications due --> September - finish MA & begin PhD. As you've mentioned, this leaves almost no time to get to know your postgraduate professors and even though UK reference letters tend to be a bit more standard and less individual/enthusiastic than US ones, this still gives you virtually no time to showcase your abilities to the professors that would write for you (especially since summative assignments, the ones you will be graded on, tend to only be due in winter and/or spring; meaning that in December, when your reference letters are due, your professors will know little about you as a writer or scholar). Of course, in regard to these timelines I'm referencing my own programme, and things may be somewhat different at Oxbridge, but I imagine it cannot be too dissimilar. 

Ultimately, it comes down to your own decisions and how comfortable you feel in applying to PhD programmes so early on. If you did very well in undergrad and have good relationships with professors that can construct great reference letters, then perhaps you don't have to worry about these timing constraints. However, might alternately like to get through your MA, write a dissertation and work closely with your dissertation supervisor, then have them produce a postgraduate contribution to the 3-4 reference letters you'll need for your PhD apps.