Is postgraduate study for you?
A postgraduate qualification can set you on the path to a new career, or increase your chances of securing a job in the creative industries. Whether you want to carry on with your degree subject or tackle a different field, you need to consider what qualification you need and where it will lead. There are over 800 arts based courses to choose from. So personal research is vital to make the right choice for your future. 
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Postgraduate study: what to consider
Postgraduate education is open to anyone with a good first degree. (FDAs needs to be topped up with a 3rd year degree.) There is a huge variety of courses on offer around the country, ranging from arts administration to sequential illustration. What are the reasons for taking postgraduate course:
- studying your degree specialism in more depth, for pure enjoyment
- enhancing your job prospects in your chosen career
- retraining in a new specialism
- to make you stand out from the crowd
- taking a postgraduate qualification as the next step in your career, for example in arts administration, teaching or journalism
- Give you more time to make a decision about future career path
There are two kinds of postgraduate course: taught courses and research.
Taught courses
These are courses where you work through modules and units, learning in a similar way to your degree. There may be continuous assessment and final exhibitions, and you may have to do a lengthy dissertation by the end of the course. Taught courses usually take a year to complete full time, although some colleges offer students the chance to study part time, spreading modules over two or even three years. Some courses are work-related, for students who studied other subjects at college and want to retrain - for example in the fashion industry. Taught courses can lead to a range of qualifications, including master of arts (MA), master of science (MSc), master of business administration (MBA), postgraduate diploma (PGDip) or postgraduate certificate (PGCert). They can also be the first step towards a doctorate (PhD).
Research opportunities
If you want to study your degree subject in more depth, you need to look for a university or college that has a research programme. You'll need a BA degree with a grade of at least a lower second (2:2) and sometimes an upper second (2:1). You will have the opportunity to undertake an original piece of research, with guidance from a supervisor. It may involve no studio based work at all. A supervisor will advise you about your research and set deadlines you have to meet.
Example – Range of Postgraduate courses on offer at the University of the Creative Arts
- Graduate Certificate: (partime pre-masters) Contemporary Practice in Photography, Design, Fashion or Graphic Design
- MA: Animation; Artists' Film, Video & Photography; Curating Contemporary Craft; Contemporary Crafts (Ceramics, Glass, Jewellery); Contemporary Crafts (Textiles); Creative Enterprise; Design and Strategy; Urban Design; Digital Games Design; Fashion; Film & Video; Fine Art; Fine Art (International Practice); Graphic Communication (Branding, Printed & Interactive Media); Graphic Design & New Media ; Graphic Design ; Innovation & Brand Management; Interior Design; Photography; Spatial Practices: Art, Architecture, Performance ; Sustainable Product Design; Design
- Mphil/PhD: Architecture; Arts and Media; Contemporary Crafts; Design; Fashion and Textiles; Fine Art; Media Arts & Communication Design; Photography; Visual Identity and New Media
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