Grad School in the UK

[Dylan Kelly]

Hey everybody. I just accepted an offer to study at Lancaster University next year for my Masters. I'm very excited about going to the UK for the first time. I've heard very good things about the program at Lancaster and British universities in general as far as English Lit is concerned. I was just wondering if anybody else on here is going overseas to get their degree in the UK. I hear a lot about British students coming over to the States to study, but I don't hear as much about Americans going over there, which is strange because it only takes a year to get a masters in England rather than 2 years in the US (which can mean saving quite a bit of money). 

Edited April 7, 2014 by Dylan Kelly

[ExponentialDecay]

Yeah, but there's no funding of any kind for the majority of people in higher education in Britain, so for those of us who can get funded, America is a much bigger deal.

[moderatedbliss]

I'll be in the UK if I can get funding! Waiting to hear back about funding from Edinburgh, UCL, KCL, Durham, Cambridge, and Birmingham... fingers crossed that one of them decides to shoot some financial aid my way!

PS- predominately Comparative Literature programs. 

[Horb]

The UK masters is also only a year because they don't emphasize teaching, which most programs in the US include as a means of reducing your tuition costs. They also don't require as many classes or language reqs. 

[literary_tourist]

I studied in Britain. There is usually no funding. My friends in my program mostly had jobs to pay their fees. Programs mostly emphasize research to help students find topics that they want to explore for MRes or Phd.

 

I hope that helps.

[Kamisha]

UK Master’s are looked upon fondly by research institutions/top schools in the US. This is partially because they are, as has been stated, programs that emphasize a research component, but any sort of “study abroad” experience is highly valued because it shows that you make a conscious effort to culture yourself.

 

When I did my first Master’s in English (which I’m currently finishing), I applied to a bunch of UK schools, was admitted, but couldn’t go because of funding. This time around, though, I’m likely doing a second MA in Film Studies from a UK university and was able to get a good chunk of my tuition covered--so it is possible

 

Overall, though, UK masters are looked upon very fondly by PhD adcomms. 

[Horb]

I really thought studying abroad twice would help me, but I really don't think it mattered. Then again, this was on the undergrad level. 

[Dylan Kelly]

I was usually under the impression that funding for a Masters program was also hard to come by in the US. I know this is a different story at the PhD level though here in the states. I applied for a scholarship at Lancaster, and I'm waiting to hear back at the end of the month. They mentioned on their website that they give 2 overseas literature students complete funding for their tuition fees every year. The competition is pretty fierce though, I'll admit. 

I came out of UCF for my undergrad, and I ended up becoming pretty good friends with one of my professors who ended up getting a PhD at Lancaster as well. He beat out hundreds of applicants for his placement, even people with doctorates from other higher ranked Ivies and the like. I was pretty convinced after talking with him about his grad school experience that Lancaster was a pretty innovative program, so after I applied and got in I went ahead and made my plans. There are advantages and disadvantages I'm sure between studying in both, and I know funding for the humanities in both countries has been gutted over the past decade or so. I definitely see this as a stepping stone into a top-tier PhD program, either back here in the US or in the UK. I need to refine my qualifications a bit more on paper in order to see that happening though, and I think getting a masters abroad will help me with that. I also figure that studying British literature in Great Britain makes pretty logical sense.

[Alex Stinson]

I was usually under the impression that funding for a Masters program was also hard to come by in the US. I know this is a different story at the PhD level though here in the states. I applied for a scholarship at Lancaster, and I'm waiting to hear back at the end of the month. They mentioned on their website that they give 2 overseas literature students complete funding for their tuition fees every year. The competition is pretty fierce though, I'll admit. 

 

 Actually, it seems to me that most people get at least partial tuition scholarship, and many schools without PhD programs offer full funding through TAships. I got a full ride for my masters, and boy does that make it easier for me to commit to an adjunct-like position for a year, or a PhD program! 

[Dylan Kelly]

One thing I've noticed about so many US scholarships and grants though is that even though they partially fund your studies, it's usually only in the realm of 5,000 dollars or so, and it's never nearly enough to cover all the expenses by itself. Even with partial funding it's still pretty expensive, especially considering that you are usually spending two years rather than one to complete your degree. That ends up accumulating especially considering the costs of living outside of the typical university expenses. 

 

If you plan on taking out loans to pay for your study, you are still eligible for FAFSA Direct Plus loans even if you go to the UK. All three of the schools I applied to had a FAFSA code. Since the cost of tuition for only a year long program over there is about the same or even a bit less than out of state tuition at a public university, you could really end up relieving your debt burden by quite a bit if you only need a year to complete the program. The costs of staying in-state would probably come out around the same as far as tuition fees when spread over two years, but anybody who lives here in the state of Florida probably has an idea of why it may not even be worth saving money just to spend any more time living here. This probably applies more to people who aren't as certain they'll be receiving any kind of significant scholarship/grant/assistantship support though, I will admit. But I feel like there's even a kind of financial benefit just in being able to save a year. That's one year less that you have to spend out of the job market or out of the hunt for a PhD program. Like I said though, it isn't necessarily the case of one being completely better than the other. Different strokes for different folks I guess, depending on whatever circumstance they're in. 

Edited April 17, 2014 by Dylan Kelly