Some people say I haven’t been very generous with posts about choosing a good Master’s degree program. Well, I was once a Master’s student and I have a lot to say about it from my experience.
This exclusive piece will be for Master’s students; How do you search for and find a good program for Masters? While “good” may be subjective, we will define it as a program that suits your career goals and plans. Here are Seven (7) tips for searching and finding a good program;
1. Check Subject matter on University tables
A University league table is a good place to start your search. Apart from showing you the rankings of universities, it will also show you what courses are offered by each university. You will be able to filter your search according to course, region, degree type, etc.
For example, to search for a master’s program in Accounting in the UK, we can go to this University league tables and navigate to the “subject league tables” as shown in the figure below;
2. Choose the Course of Interest from the Subject League tables
The next step is to choose the course of interest from the ‘subject league tables’ as shown in the figure below:
3. Note down 10-20 Universities from the League tables
At this point, you might not know much about any university aside from the ranking and country, but you can start making a list of your preferred universities based on the ranking displayed.
Note that the higher the university ranking, the more competitive getting admission becomes. You might need to comment in the chat box if you need additional help or talk to your private mentor who can help synchronize your educational qualifications and leadership experience with the appropriate university ranking.
4. Check the Website for Program Information.
It is now time to browse through the websites of each university to find out specifics about the course. Do not assume a course like ‘Computer Science’ will be the same in all the universities as there might be slight or significant differences in the course specifications. Some of the questions to ask while checking the course page are:
● What are the modules offered in the course and the learning outcomes?
● Does the course have practical components?
● Does it align with your career goals?
5. Check your Grade and Eligibility
The next thing you want to look at is the entry requirements of the program to see if you are eligible for it. Are there prerequisite qualifications or grades required of you?
NB: For each university, you will find the course-specific entry requirements on the course page where your course of the study appeared.
6. If in doubt, Contact the Course Administrator
Each course usually has a course administrator with their contact details on the website. If you have doubts or further questions, do well to reach out to them. You could pose questions to the course admin concerning your grade and eligibility as well as get advice on whether your qualifications match the program.
7. Shoot for the Moon and the Stars
There is a saying, “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” For admissions I will say, shoot for both the moon and stars simultaneously. In other words, apply to high ranked as well as ‘safety net’ universities. That way you are not lowering your ambitions and you are also not hurting your opportunities or risking losing time.
The next step after choosing a good Master’s program is getting a graduate supervisor. This is a step-by-step guide on finding potential graduate supervisors.
Anything else you want to know or say about choosing a good Master’s degree program? Please share your thoughts in the comment box below.
Very excellent information, Thank you so much for sharing this knowledge.
You are welcome.