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Further Study and Your Career
Postgraduate study and You
Well done! You have completed your degree! Do not underestimate your achievement, you now have a rich set of skills and knowledge that set you apart and can be applied across a diverse range of sectors. Just because you have completed your degree does not mean you should stop learning! Lifelong learning is the secret to success in both your career and personal life. The world of work is in constant change and evolution, you will find yourself needing to learn new skills and engage in new learning all the time in your career. In fact “Willingness to Learn“ is a highly-ranked, sought-after attribute that employers look for in potential employees.
At its core, Postgraduate Study provides you with opportunities to take the next step in your career path. It can be the launchpad for you to expand your horizons and future possibilities. You can deepen your knowledge and skills in your chosen field or steer yourself into an entirely new career direction.
- Genuine interest and motivation to deepen your learning, knowledge and expertise in a particular area.
- Further enhance your current graduate skills and knowledge to strengthen your employability potential and attractiveness to employers.
- Acquire more specialised, knowledge and skills that target specific jobs and career sectors.
- Create new opportunities to build a career in an entirely new area.
- Get a professional qualification or, accelerate gaining a professional qualification.
Postgraduate Study Options
Postgraduate conversion courses enable you to delve intensely into a new subject area and learn a whole new set of skills. UCC has a wide selection of postgrad conversion courses to choose from. While most courses accept graduates from any degree background, some courses like Maths or Science related ones require you to have a relevant background:
Advantages:
- Increased job prospects.
- Skills and expertise in an entirely new area.
- Skills and expertise that are relevant and enhance your degree.
- A valuable combination of at least two distinct skillsets.
- A stepping-stone to your ideal course or career!
Important questions to ask before selecting a Postgraduate course that is right for you:
- How will this qualification complement my primary degree?
- Am I interested in this subject area? / Am I sufficiently interested to immerse myself in the intense learning required?
- Have I examined the modules in detail?
- Have past graduates of my degree gone on to do this postgraduate course?
- What is the reputation of this course with employers?
- What kinds of jobs do graduates go on to do? Where are they working?
- Where courses provide a professional qualification: Is it accredited? Does it provide exemptions from certain relevant professional exams?
Find out more about PG Conversion courses with this recorded presentation. You will be prompted to login with your UCC Student IT details.
Ireland
Learning on digital platforms has becoming our new normal. As a final year student in 2020 you have adapted quickly to completing your study and assessments online. Now that you have successfully made the transition to online digital learning it is a good idea to examine what’s on offer.
There are currently 97 online masters courses available in Ireland with fees under 5000 Euro
- 59 postgraduate Masters with fees from 5000-10000 Euro
- 38 postgraduate Masters and Diploma courses with fees from 1000-5000 Euro
Advantages
- Flexible, self-paced learning
- Low cost, most fees range between 2000-5000 Euro
Explore the full range of online postgraduate options available to you in Ireland, Northern Ireland and the UK. There are over 1400 online postgraduate courses available in the UK, they include, Masters, Diplomas and Professional courses.
Flexi-Options in UCC
You can study up to 20 credits worth of modules from a range of postgraduate courses. UCC offers wide choice of modules across many disciplines. As a registered UCC student, you have access to campus facilities and to the academic stimulation of the module peer group. On successful completion of the module, students receive a transcript of results. This is your certificate of attendance, an official record of having completed the module.
If you decide to pursue the full postgraduate programme at a later stage, you may be eligible for an exemption from that module if you do so within a certain timeframe.
Advantages
- You can choose modules.
- You only pay for the number of credits you register to study.
- You can add to your knowledge and skillset.
Did you know that there are a range of affordable further study options open to you?
Postgraduate courses incur fees, banks offer postgraduate study loan options, possibly family and other resources may be available to you to cover the costs. However, if you cannot afford the cost of a fulltime postgraduate course, do not despair! There are a variety of low-cost further study and learning options available to you.
Low cost further study options include;
- Online part time master's courses
- Study in Europe
- Flexible study options for postgraduate study in UCC
- Online short courses
Watch our short Affordable Options for Further Study presentation on Panopto. You will be prompted to login with your UCC Student IT details to view.
If you are searching for a Postgraduate option in the UK you can find a full listing of courses on the Prospectus website. You can also search the FindAMasters and FindAPhd databases- two of the world’s most popular databases for postgraduate courses and research projects.
FindAMasters and FindAPhd
2021 Funding Guide
Our brand new, all-digital guide for funding postgraduate study is available to download for free. The guide includes contributions from partners including Student Finance England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, as well as UK Research and Innovation, and the FindAMasters and FindAPhD students of the year!
https://www.findamasters.com/mastersfundingguide/?ct=895
https://www.findaphd.com/phdfundingguide/?ct=895
Additional online learning options
You have so many further learning options – A masters degree is not the only route to increasing your knowledge and skills.
Massive Open Online courses (MOOC) enable you to learn flexibly and equip yourself with combinations of valuable, sought after 21st century skillsets. Popular examples include -Design Thinking, Python, Digital Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning,Data Analytics, Statistics, Project Management, Understanding Europe
Potential employers want to know that you can contribute and add value to their team, that you are motivated, have initiative and a willingness to learn. By acquiring an impressive, relevant skillset through MOOC courses, you can demonstrate initiative and an innovative, proactive mindset and commitment to ongoing learning and development.
Online platforms such as Coursera were established from the vision and belief that everyone should have equal opportunities to engage in education. They offer short courses delivered by top institutions and highly ranked universities such as ; Stanford, Penn State University, John Hopkins University, Imperial College London. All courses have low cost fees, and many are entirely free for those who wish to participate without earning certification.
EDX offer hundreds free online courses from 140 leading institutions worldwide including MIT and Harvard. Future Learn is a UK founded platform, it provides short courses across all disciplines as well as postgraduate degrees.
Funding your study
Scholarships are generally competitive; selections are made based on academic / extracurricular merits and achievements. It is always worth exploring further, you might be surprised to find you are eligible- 'If you’re not in you can’t win'.
University College Cork:
UCC offer scholarships and bursaries across all disciplines to prospective and current postgraduate students. Find out more about the fuding options/ scholarships available with each UCC college below. There are a diverse range of national and international postgraduate scholarships on offer by UCC.
External funding options in Ireland:
The HEA also offer 60 scholarships annually. There are hundreds of scholarships you can apply for to support you in your further study abroad just waiting to be discovered. Scholarship Portal is an excellent hub website for comprehensive scholarship lists abroad. There are over 1000 opportunities for student financial aid available in the United Kingdom, Germany, Finland, France, the Netherlands, the United States and many others. Click here for additional advice on funding in Europe.
Making the right decision
When making decisions about the most suitable course for you, it can be helpful to answer some key questions to ensure you are on the right track, the UCAS Personal Statement Worksheet can help you with this. In addition, the below Self-Assesment webpage and Career Decision making tools will equip you with the skills you need to make the right decision for you based on your personal strengths and attributes:
