Studying at Masters Level

Studying at Masters Level requires you to become more of an independent learner and not to rely solely on classes or tutors for your information. Studying at M-level requires you to be becoming an ‘active learner’, this means taking responsibility for motivating yourself, pacing your studies, and managing your workload. Naturally there will be deadlines to meet such as assignment submission dates, but matters such how, when and where you study (apart from attending classes) are very much up to you. You will have the support of a personal tutor who will help with your progress throughout the course and providing advice when needed.

The underlying premise here is that managers have to study detail in depth in order to make conclusions that influence their decision-making. It is this foundation that we are attempting to develop in out masters students. Below are some key skills required at Masters level:

Self-discipline and motivating yourself

Studying at a postgraduate level is different to undergraduate study insomuch that studying at master’s level requires more self-discipline. Students are expected to be able to cope with increased independent learning, and to see their tutors and classes as pointers rather than providers of knowledge. Therefore, a high level of motivation is required to assist you to study, largely on your own, on top of other demands for your time.

Reading

Studying at a postgraduate level is different to undergraduate study insomuch that a key requirement for students studying at M-level is making the time to read. You will be expected to do more reading than is required at undergraduate level and to read around the subject area, often by reading articles provided in the course material, but also academic journals and occasionally using internet sources. You need to be able to make decisions on what is worth reading in detail. Students must be able to read at a deeper level, that is reading more and making connections between sources and to keep track of themes and debates. There is a requirement for a large amount of reading at M-level and therefore a good standard of English is one of the admissions requirements.

The ability to argue, criticise, interpret, discuss and reflect

These are all key terms that you must understand what they mean. You are not expected to take what you read for granted, but should be able to read, compare, and contrast differing viewpoints, and put what you read into context. You will need to argue logically and to support your point of view with evidence. We develop this theme in our Learning and Managing at Masters Level module.

Presenting your work

Presentation of your work is also extremely important at M-level. You will be expected to know and adhere to academic conventions that your host University uses (for example Harvard Referencing) in your writing, including adequate and accurate references.
Make time to check your work before hand-in. Proof-reading is vitally important ! You can lose marks for silly mistakes.

Writing in your own words

Learning to write using your own words is an important part of academic convention, and is sometimes difficult to grasp exactly what ‘writing in your own words’ means. Academic writing often involves summarising, analysing or evaluating other people’s arguments, and to write in your own words means to reflect on other material and then discuss using your own vocabulary and style. The ability to explain something using your own words demonstrates your understanding of it and using your own words clearly demonstrates your understanding and that your work is your own.