Postgraduate degrees

[Decky]

Quick question, has anyone ever graduated and went onto do a postgrad course that wasnt anything like their undergrad course? This time next year ill have a degree in Interactive Multimedia, but i am hoping to move into the television and/or radio production industry, they are different, but because ive a media degree ill get into the postgrad course. Anyone done it? Ridiculously hard?

 

For what its worth, im expecting people to not recommend it, but its this or a 2nd degree, which isnt worth it really when a PG is better than another UG course, regardless of how hard it is I will be doing it, just looking for some experienced opinions.

 

Ta

 

Edit: while im on the subject, is there student support for postgrad degrees?

[Guest float one in]

I am about to come to the end of a post-graduate degree in a discipline of engineering that had nothing to do with the type of engineering that i studied in my undergraduate degree. So I'd say my situation is pretty similar to yours since you seem to moving between different types of media. In my experience the fact that I did an undergraduate degrre in a different area doesn't matter at all. It seems to me that the stuff you learn in undergraduate studies very rarely gets put into direct practice in a job or in further education, apart from a few really vocational subjects like medicine or law. You might require some of the principals and general technical/software skills you learned in your previous media degree, but I'd expect very few things you'll learn in the postgraduate degree will rely much on prior knowledge.

 

To be honest sometimes I've found myself wishing that I'd known when i graduated from my undergraduate degree that there was a much wider range of subjects available to me for postgraduate study - at the time i assumed everything apart form engineering was closed to me, which couldn't have been further form the truth. I would say definitely don't assume you are tied down to your undergraduate subject.

[Decky]

I am about to come to the end of a post-graduate degree in a discipline of engineering that had nothing to do with the type of engineering that i studied in my undergraduate degree. So I'd say my situation is pretty similar to yours since you seem to moving between different types of media. In my experience the fact that I did an undergraduate degrre in a different area doesn't matter at all. It seems to me that the stuff you learn in undergraduate studies very rarely gets put into direct practice in a job or in further education, apart from a few really vocational subjects like medicine or law. You might require some of the principals and general technical/software skills you learned in your previous media degree, but I'd expect very few things you'll learn in the postgraduate degree will rely much on prior knowledge.

 

To be honest sometimes I've found myself wishing that I'd known when i graduated from my undergraduate degree that there was a much wider range of subjects available to me for postgraduate study - at the time i assumed everything apart form engineering was closed to me, which couldn't have been further form the truth. I would say definitely don't assume you are tied down to your undergraduate subject.

 

Superb mate, thanks!

[James]

I'm doing similar, I did economics undergraduate and am doing transport planning postgraduate and i think the general assumption is that because everyone does different undergraduate degrees, they build up a few necessary skills.

 

Obviously there is a starting point expected of you, and if you blatantly don't have the skills to do the course they wouldn't let you on, but you sound close enough.

 

Level of student support depends on the subject and the university, and there is a cutback on the number of people getting it at mo due to recession. I'd say about 3/4 of the British students on my course get between £200 and £800 per month, but I think that is towards the high-end.

[Rob W]

PostGrad degrees are relatively easy - you are normally doing ONLY what you want to do and not the extra dross, you have more time, you're older and wiser and they are  a better entry into a job - they get you higher up the pile in the In Tray

[cubaricho]

My friend got his undergrad in History and got his postgrad in Hospitality Management.  I know a few others that have gone from their undergrad into a postgrad field that was nothing like what they had studied prior.  As long as you get accepted into the program it's really up to you to fill in the stuff you possibly should have known from an undergrad degree.

[Ally]

Unless you're doing something necessary, ie the LPC to be a solicitor I think Postgraduate degrees are a waste of time. Its usually just lazy bastards who can't be arsed getting a job so take the easy option of another year at Uni. Then another year....

 

I know people who are about 28 and have never had a job, instead they just do degree after degree.

[Aphrodite]

Unless you're doing something necessary, ie the LPC to be a solicitor I think Postgraduate degrees are a waste of time. Its usually just lazy bastards who can't be arsed getting a job so take the easy option of another year at Uni. Then another year....

 

I know people who are about 28 and have never had a job, instead they just do degree after degree.

 

What are you doing nowadays mate? I'm doing the same degree as you did, would be interesting to see where you ended up.

[Ally]

Unless you're doing something necessary, ie the LPC to be a solicitor I think Postgraduate degrees are a waste of time. Its usually just lazy bastards who can't be arsed getting a job so take the easy option of another year at Uni. Then another year....

 

I know people who are about 28 and have never had a job, instead they just do degree after degree.

 

What are you doing nowadays mate? I'm doing the same degree as you did, would be interesting to see where you ended up.

 

As much as I enjoyed my degree, I now manage a marketing department in a big electrical testing company.

[Karjala]

went and did it in Europe where it was free!

[chicago_shearer]

Ask yourself exactly what field you want to go in to and find out whether the top professionals in that field have an advanced degree themselves.  In your case there are probably technical skills that you would need to learn in order to get in the door of the TV/radio industry, so it might make sense to do some continuing coursework if not a post-grad degree.  My brother is doing a degree in Film & Television editing (not sure if that is what you are talking about) but there are specific software programs that you need to master in order to advance.

 

As for jumping in to new subjects in general, I wouldn't worry too much about it.  Interactive Media to TV/Radio Production doesn't seem like an incredible leap.  The only time it would be a real problem is in the hard sciences where the study is cumulative (you learn the basics as an undergrad, and do the research as a grad student).  I have a friend with a B.A. in the humanities who wants to enroll in Biology graduate programs and is having difficulty finding a school that will take him.  I, on the other hand, went from a humanities B.A. to a social sciences grad degree with very little problem. 

[Decky]

went and did it in Europe where it was free!

 

I live in a border area, so i could go 10 miles down the road and do it for free myself

[Decky]

How do you apply for a postgrad? I havent even bothered looking tbh, but is it through UCAS or something similar? Or do I go through the University directly? Also when should I apply? I applied for my Undergrad in October 2005 for a 2006 start, so im wondering incase I have to apply soon for a September 2010 start.