UK Masters, American Academic

[notbritt23]

Hi everyone, I'm hoping you can provide some insight into the American academia perspective on graduate degrees from the UK.

I'm a graduating undergraduate in the States, and I've found some fantastic masters programs in the UK that are far more suitable to my interests than anything I've found in the US. I'll be applying to all of the scholarship grants--Marshall, Rhodes, Gates--although it's possible I can get myself to grad school in the UK without such funding. My hope is to attend a 1 or 2 year program before pursuing a PhD in the US. My question is this--Is it uncommon for an American to pursue a masters degree in the UK without prestigious funding? Would it be frowned upon in the academic community to have a graduate degree from across the pond without the Rhodes or Gates attached to it? Thank you.

[AKJen]

There's at least two people in my program with UK masters and I don't think either had a fellowship. I think it's very similar to any other masters program; if you make the most of your program (do good research, get a good rec from your advisor, try to present/publish, etc.), it will be seen as a plus. I'd also say doing a research degree, as long as it relates to your proposed Ph.D. research, is good evidence for your ability to finish a large, independent research project, which is something very attractive for most programs.