Quo Vadis:
A Taught Masters
might lead the way.
Having obtained your first Degree, a Ph.D. in the Biosciences may beckon as an
attractive career choice that will open doors to a future in Industry or Academia.
But a Ph.D. is based on highly specialised research, often focused in areas that
are not well covered at first Degree level. How can you choose the right Ph.D.
project if you can’t understand the terms used to describe the research area
or if the research topic seems many miles away from your knowledge base?
How can you get an interview for a Ph.D. position if your background doesn’t
seem appropriate to the topic? One way forward might be a taught Masters
Programme.
Taught Masters Programmes
allow students with a first
Degree in disciplines such
as Biology, Chemistry,
and related areas, to gain
experience in cutting-edge
areas of current research.
Typically, taught Masters
in the Biosciences are one
or two year Programmes
delivered as a series of
Units or other teaching
Blocks. Some Programmes
offer a wide-range of Units
whereas others are more
tightly grouped around a
central theme. By choosing
appropriate Units, Masters
students can get a taste of
current research in areas
far removed from their
first Degree. Biochemistry
graduates, for example,
might study Cardiovascular
Research or Neuroscience
while Chemistry graduates
might choose to study
Cell Biology or Anatomy.
The diversity of Units on
offer reflects the research
specialities of the host
University. At the University of
Bristol, for example, our M.Sc.
Programme in Biomedical
Sciences Research offers
Units in Neuroscience,
Neuropharmacology,
Cardiovascular Research,
Cancer Biology, Infection
and Immunity and Cell
Biology. This allows our
M.Sc. students to experience,
at first hand, research in
areas that lie well outside of
their previous studies. After
completing their choice of
Units students then choose
literary and research projects
that explore specific research
areas in more detail. The
students are then in a better
position to make informed
choices regarding Ph.D.
level studies. These projects
also bring the students into
contact with researchers
working in these diverse
areas and the mentoring and
training that the students
receive is invaluable in
obtaining that all-important
interview for a Ph.D.
studentship.
If a Taught Masters is the
next step in your career, it is important to find the
right Programme. In some
cases a narrowly focused
Programme might be the
best option, providing a
direct route to a chosen
Profession or area. The
M.Sc. in Meat Science and
Technology at the University
of Bristol, for example, is
highly regarded by the
meat industry and attracts
students from around the
world looking towards a
career in this area. In other
cases, a broad range of
topics might provide just the
right breadth of experience
required to allow you to
choose your future research
area with confidence. In
both cases, the web offers
a convenient starting point
for your search and provides
many excellent sources
of information such as
Findamasters.com,
www.educationuk.org, and
many others.
Funding is of course an
important consideration and
Masters Programmes are
generally very expensive.
Often this is an unavoidable
consequence of the small
numbers of students that
are admitted to high-quality
courses. In many cases M.Sc.
Programmes run with only
20 or so students. While this
enables high-quality teaching
at an excellent staff-student
ratio, it is obviously more
expensive to run than an
undergraduate Programme
with 200 students or more.
In the UK, Scholarships
for Masters level studies
are difficult to come by.
However, some are available,
such as those funded by
the Biotechnology and
Biological Sciences Research
Council (www.bbsrc.ac.uk)
and the British Council
has a very useful database
(www.educationuk.org/ scholarships).
Location is a crucial factor
in choosing the right M.Sc.
Although any Masters
Programme provided
by one of the UK’s topten
Universities will be
good value for money, it
is worth looking at recent
assessments of teaching
quality and student support
such as those carried out
by the Quality Assurance
Agency. This body awards
each University Department
a score for teaching quality
and student support out of
24, with 20 or above being a
respectable level. Similarly,
it is worth looking at the
results of recent research
assessment exercises. These
assessments rank University
Departments on a Scale from
1 to a maximum of 6* with 5
and above being excellent.
Living expenses and quality
of life are also important
factors in choosing where
to study. Although big cites such as London, Manchester,
Glasgow and Birmingham
have obvious attractions,
they can be expensive
places to live and they suffer
from all of the problems
associated with big-city life.
The smaller University cities
such as Cambridge, Oxford,
York, Edinburgh and Bristol
have the edge here and can
provide most or all of the
advantages with fewer of the
disadvantages.
Wherever and whatever you
choose to study, a taught
Masters can widen your
knowledge, improve your
career prospects, broaden
your horizons and provide
the springboard to your
future success.
Dr Kevin Gaston,
Biomedical Sciences Research
M.Sc. Programme Director,
University of Bristol.
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