So, what happens next?
Because, whatever year you are in now, there will come a time when the hedonistic sleigh-ride (otherwise known as a Bachelor’s degree) you are currently on will come to an end. buffers. What then?
One option will be further study. Your four-year arts, humanities and social science course at Edinburgh will get you an MA, but even the University concedes on its own website: “this is… not equivalent to a postgraduate masters.”
For a number of disciplines, and for would-be academics in almost any field, a proper postgraduate Master’s degree will be not so much an option as a requirement. Some Schools, such as Moray House, have more post-graduates than undergraduates.
For anyone considering undertaking postgraduate study, I, who first graduated in 1978 (Jurisprudence, since you ask), managed an M.Litt. in 1997, and completed a Doctorate in 2024, offer some thoughts.
The first thing to note is that there is a lot of post-graduate study about, and it is growing. The total number of students in higher education in the UK rose by 14 per cent in the five years up to 2022. The number of post-graduates rose by 34 per cent over the same period. You may find a Master’s which is not vocationally critical is not quite as shiny a bauble as you had hoped. That’s perhaps even more true at the University of Edinburgh where nearly 40 per cent of the student body is doing some sort of post-graduate degree.
For this reason alone, if you think that doing a Master’s is a good way to make up your mind about what to do with the rest of your life, my advice would be to resist that temptation. Spending more time at university is not likely to provide the answer. Get out and do something – anything really. In due course, it will become apparent if a Master’s becomes valuable for career advancement or for clarifying what you think.
A PhD is a different animal and an altogether more significant commitment. Your doctoral thesis will require original research – you have to “make a contribution” in the jargon. And although they vary widely, it is likely to run to something like 75,000 words. So, a bit more than a fourth-year dissertation.
You will find people from many walks of and stages in life among doctoral researchers. The cohort I joined included an army officer, a senior civil servant in the South African treasury, a leader of Edinburgh City Council and an award winning-television producer (that was me).
It is not all about sitting in libraries either. Stella Kyratzi, 26 from Greece, is just finishing up her thesis on the gig economy. In order to win the trust of people working in this shadowy area, she became a Deliveroo rider herself. Her one piece of advice was to make sure you know who is going to be guiding your work. “I was spoiled because of the supervisors I had. People don’t realise; it’s very important.”
Colin McIlwain, 63, found supervisors across three different schools, architecture, history and politics, for his research into the development of Scotland’s new towns. A former editor of The Student who went on to a career in specialist journalism, he did his Master’s (in Economic History) in his thirties. “It’s really about curiosity and enjoyment”, he said. “My Master’s was such a good experience and helped with my career. But the PhD has massively surpassed my expectations.”
Like Colin, Jenny Britton, 51, is pursuing her thesis part-time while holding down a job working for the University of Edinburgh as Director of Executive Development at the Business School. Her research is into how ideas get translated into actions within organisations:, she explained: “I was always interested in ideas – where do they come from?” But the process has not been without its challenges: “It’s been a bit like having kids. I wish a PhD course came with a manual.”
Andrew Burns, 61, has eighteen years in frontline politics and several senior non-executive positions in public organisations behind him. But he too acknowledged the demanding nature of the work. His research is into the way the Scottish Parliament has developed as an institution over its first twenty years. “I found it really difficult, intellectually challenging. But it’s been a massive positive. There are not so many opportunities later in life to make such a change.”
Further study can be rewarding in many ways at many life stages. Make sure it is you who is making the decisions, though, and not just because you can’t think of anything better to do.
Photo by Joshua Hoehne on Unsplash