Completing a Master’s doesn’t pause your career journey. It strengthens it. A Master's can help you build the skills and experience that employers value.
If you're looking for career progression, a postgraduate degree connects you with expertise in your field. Crucially, you'll find dedicated time to specialise in your subject.
We all know that today’s job market can be highly competitive. For certain positions, such as becoming a teacher, a postgraduate qualification is essential.
Having a Master’s degree will typically make you more employable. Postgraduates are 25% more likely to hold a professional occupation 15 months after graduation compared to undergraduates, according to Graduate labour market statistics (2024).
Which careers require a postgraduate degree?
Architect – In the UK, to become a fully qualified architect, you need a Master’s degree. The typical route to becoming an architect involves an undergraduate degree in Architecture (RIBA Part 1), a Master’s degree in Architecture, a MArch, (RIBA Part 2), and a part 3 professional practice qualification before registering with the Architects Registration Board (ARB). In this case, a Master’s in Architecture is an essential step towards professional registration.
Psychologist – Many qualified psychologist roles require you to have a Master’s degree. Depending on the field of Psychology you want to pursue, a postgraduate degree is a key step for most routes. For example, to specialise as a Forensic Psychologist, you may complete an MSc in Forensic Psychology, or to become a charted Health Psychologist you may complete an MSc in Health Psychology.
To use the title psychologist professionally, you must complete a postgraduate course accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS) and, for practitioner roles, register with the HCPC.
Law – Law careers, such as a solicitor or barrister, do not necessarily require a Master’s degree, but do require you to take a Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) and Qualifying Work Experience (QWE) to become legally qualified. A Master’s in Law (LLM) is designed to equip you with both the in-depth legal knowledge and practical skills required to prepare for the SQE and to succeed in legal practice. A Master’s in Law also supports with specialising in areas like international law, human rights, or commercial law.
Advanced Nursing Practitioner – Whilst a postgraduate qualification is not required to qualify as a nurse, it can strongly enhance career prospects if you are looking to specialise or progress into a managerial nursing role. If you already have an undergraduate degree in a health or science related subject with some prior experience, a Master’s in Nursing gives you the opportunity to become a registered nurse in two years.
Academia / University Lecturer – To work within higher education as a university lecturer, a Master’s degreeis typically required. Having a Master’s degree demonstrates advanced subject knowledge and research skills, which is often the minimum academic qualification required for teaching at university level. More advanced positions, such as senior lecturer, associate professor, professor or research-focused roles also require undertaking a PhD.
Chartered Engineer – A master’s degree in engineering is strongly recommended to become a chartered engineer. This typically requires demonstrating that your education meets UK-SPEC (UK Standard for Professional Engineering Competence). A Master’s in engineering can also support you to become highly skilled in your area of interest, such as Automotive Engineering, Logistics and Supply Chain Management, Medical Imaging Tehcnology and Project Management.
Education – To become a teacher in the UK, you need to have Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), which can be gained via studying an undergraduate degree with QTS, such as Primary Education with QTS.
Alternatively, you can study an undergraduate degree in a specialist subject, such as Art and Design, followed by an additional one year Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE). If you have started your undergraduate degree without planning to go into teaching, a PGCE is a great way to change your career path.
Completing a Master’s degree in Education supports you to specialise in leadership and managerial roles, education research or to become a senior teacher or headteacher.
What if my undergraduate degree is in a different subject?
If your undergraduate degree was in a different subject from the one you want to study at Master’s level, then a postgraduate conversion course might be the perfect solution for you.
A conversion course is a postgraduate course which does not require you to have a specific undergraduate degree. These courses usually start with a brief induction period, which gives students a general overview of the subject before moving on to the more in-depth part of the course.
At BCU, we offer a variety of postgraduate conversion courses in subjects like Law and Psychology, as well as PGCEs to get into teaching. This gives you the freedom to switch your career path and pursue new opportunities, even if your chosen career requires you to have a Master’s. See the full list of our postgraduate conversion courses and find the one that suits you best.
Take the next step with us!
A postgraduate course could be the ideal way for you to develop the skills you need to stand out. Explore the range of postgraduate courses on offer at BCU and start developing the skills you need to unlock future career opportunities.
