Where my master's got me
Published on 11 March 15
With the Taught Masters open day coming up and the announcement of the Postgraduate Scholarship Scheme for postgraduate study it's a great time to think about where a postgraduate qualification could take you.
Whether it's the knowledge they needed for their career or the skills a postgraduate qualification helped them to develop, we've asked some of our current students and alumni what drove them to pursue their Master's at Manchester and find out what they're doing now – or where they're going!
Charlotte Hobbs took her MA English Literature and American Studies because of the love she had for her subject - and this passion is still driving her career as an English tutor for Tutor Trust. As well as an in-depth knowledge of the subject she loved Charlotte feels that the most valuable things she took from her postgraduate studies were "the ability to demand a lot of yourself combined with a sense of how valuable it is to have passion for your career".
John McBride studied for his MA Criminal Intelligence Analysis and since graduation has led on several major change programmes that introduced innovative information and intelligence systems. His in-depth knowledge of this particular specialism enabled him to get the career he wanted.
“My master's degree gave me confidence that achievement through study and understanding was within my grasp even in working life. The knowledge around the subject matter itself, as well as academic rigour in research methods has enabled me to talk with authority and professionalism.”
Teresa McMahon's MA International Politics gave her real and practical knowledge about big socio-economic issues, such as poverty, water scarcity and the increasing economic power of emerging economies knowledge she now uses in her job every day:
“In my current role as a responsible investment analyst, I use my firm's leverage as an investor to encourage companies to address their social and environmental impacts, like reducing their carbon footprint or improving supply chain labour standards. Manchester has long been a home for social justice campaigners so it's good to be continuing this tradition!”
Ermione Baimas, is one of the current Postgraduate Scholarship Scheme beneficiaries. She was a qualified teacher working in a primary school when in 2014 she returned to full time postgraduate study to undertake an MA in Educational Leadership. Her return to education was fuelled by her long term aspiration to be a head teacher and assisted by the funding through the Postgraduate Scholarship Scheme.
“It has always been a firm ambition of mine to undertake postgraduate study [and] although not currently mandatory, I believe that undertaking an MA in Education is essential to fully equip myself with the knowledge and skills necessary to become successful within my career…Selecting the PGT course itself was easy as lecturers associated with the course are leading researchers in the field… I truly believe that the knowledge and skills gained from this postgraduate MA in Educational Leadership will provide me with the stepping stones to achieving my long-life ambition of becoming a head teacher in the future”
Have their stories got you thinking? If so, explore your postgraduate study options, including ways to fund your studies at the Postgraduate Taught Courses Open Day on the Wednesday, 18 March.