When it comes to graduation, students will often start to think about what to do after they complete their undergraduate course. While some students may decide to progress on to a Master’s Degree, there are a number of reasons why it’s not always the best move. In some industries, a Master’s degree can not only add to your student debt but it can also prove unnecessary. A postgraduate degree requires more time, even more essay writing and commitment to name a few.
1. Time Commitment
Obtaining a Master’s Degree can take a number of years and a lot of this time you may spend learning things that you either already know or things that you don’t really need to know. You really have to be committed to further academic study if you wish to pursue a Master’s and be willing to put in even more time and effort. There are many reasons why time can be a barrier to obtaining a Master’s Degree. Perhaps you have family commitments or maybe you have a full-time job that demands a lot of your time. In either of these scenarios, you really have to think whether you can accommodate additional work associated with studying for a Master’s degree. Do you really have the time to write coursework? If you find that time is going to be a problem, it might not be right for you to take a Master’s Degree. After all, for such an investment it is important that you have the available time to set aside to focus on your studies.
2. Finances
A Master’s Degree can be expensive. Who has thousands of pounds laying around to fund a further two years of academic study? Funding is very limited if not impossible to find for postgraduate study. There are very few grants or scholarships that you can find. Where grants and scholarships are available, they are extremely competitive and you often have to fit certain criteria before you are eligible to apply. As a result, you really have to think about whether the benefits of studying a Master’s Degree will outweigh the financial element.
Although a Master’s degree can be rewarding, there are a lot of obstacles to overcome. From finding the time to allocate to your study to worrying about how you are going to fund your course, you really have to weigh up the pros and cons of studying at this level and deciding whether it is a viable option.