To explore the potential impact of a course of further study on your career prospects:
- Read sector insights from Careers Advisers on entry points for different careers. In some sectors postgraduate study may be essential or highly valued, but in others work experience or other qualifications may be more valuable than an additional degree.
- Attend careers fairs, presentations and speaker events to ask recruiters and those working in the sector for their view on the value of a higher degree.
- Use the University of Oxford alumni page on LinkedIn to review career paths and find contacts to ask for sector-specific insights.
- Research content and benefits of individual courses/programmes in detail by attending open days, webinars, or reach out to speak to course leaders and alumni. Some courses may offer specific modules aligning with your goals or embed opportunities to gain practical experience valued by employers though internships, placements, and project opportunities.
- Review destination statistics for courses. Individual institutions should be able to provide these, the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) provide a national overview of course destination ‘Graduate Outcomes’ data, and you can use the LinkedIn pages for specific universities to explore the career paths of alumni who graduated from courses you are considering.
Ask tutors, supervisors and others for their view on your suitability for further study, and for recommendations of courses and institutions.
Graduate study is a global marketplace. You may consider options for further study in the UK, graduate school in the USA, or further study elsewhere in Europe or beyond. Courses vary in their length and nature and there is a great variation in tuition cost in different countries, with some countries offering more affordable options for international students (research guides on tuition costs using the guides on websites Find A Masters and Find A PhD). Even within the UK there are significant variations in the cost of living in different regions (see UCAS Spending and Budgeting guide).
If you decide that further study is the right option for you the next step is to research in detail which courses can satisfy your aims. Read our advice on choosing where to study in the UK, choosing where to study in the USA or postgraduate study in other countries for help with this.
