A UNIVERSITY VIEW

now being implemented by Welsh Government.

The Diamond Review took a strategic view of the importance of a sustainable postgraduate offer to the new graduates of Wales. It recognised the importance of higher level degrees (known as Level 7 – undergraduate degrees are levels 4, 5 and 6) to the economy: “Knowledge based societies require highly educated employees and it is important that, as with undergraduate education, entry into postgraduate education is based solely on aspiration and ability.”

For 2018/19, opportunities for Welsh students to study at postgraduate levels at Welsh universities have never been better – in terms of access to both grant and loan funding.

As a one or two year arrangement, funds are available from Welsh Government via universities providing a finite number of grants of £3,416 per

full time or part-time entrant (spread over a certain period in the latter case) either in fee waiver, or maintenance cost support or a mixture of both. Universities are taking applications for Masters programmes now. To learn how to access funding go on to Welsh universities’ websites to find out how and under what criteria the funds are available, as well as establishing how loans of up to £13,000 could be accessed via Student Finance Wales.

And the analysis of the Diamond Review Panel is surely right – our modern economy needs training, critical analysis and skills often at a level which is higher than that achieved by undergraduates.

Increasingly employers are asking for a higher degree as at least a desirable further attribute for would-be managers.

There are three main reasons why people choose to take a Masters – as a stepping stone to a research degree, to gain a vocational qualification and / or to broaden their undergraduate subject knowledge, sometimes with a complete change of subject.

Along with other Welsh universities,

Aberystwyth University has been reviewing its Masters offer to keep up with the needs of both students and employers.

An example has been a refocus of the portfolio of Masters programmes at Aberystwyth Business School. Our new MBA – designed both for students progressing immediately on from their undergraduate offer and for those with some business experience already – is being launched for October 2018 entry.

The MBA can be studied both fulltime and part-time.

Another key Masters programme developed with employability in mind is the Aber Masters in Professional Translation Studies. This is a Welsh-medium Masters with support from the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol and taught collaboratively with the University of Wales Trinity St David’s. It is supported by a national consortium comprising some of the main employers in the Welsh translation sector, including the relevant Welsh Government unit and the National Assembly of Wales.

The MA is suitable for anyone seeking to develop a career in professional translation or for experienced

translators who wish to gain further qualifications.

In another vein, Aberystwyth University also offers research-intensive MRes (Masters of Research) programmes which are ideal for undergraduates who catch the “research bug” doing their extended undergraduate dissertation project – particularly as this can mean one to one supervision from academics leading on pioneering projects in the fields of epidemiology, animal health or conflict resolution.

Masters programmes such as our MSC in Remote Sensing build on and make more employable areas of work already touched on but not explored at undergraduate level.

The application of Master’s level qualifications is becoming broad enough for there to be calls for a Masters level element to be introduced in the new degree apprenticeships schemes, which currently have only been funded at undergraduate level.

So it’s a good time to think about postgraduate study. Pop into your local university to find out more.

■ Lucy Hodson is director of planning at Aberystywth University