Making the most of your Masters
Plan ahead to make the most of your Masters. Find out about our Masters Careers programme to help you realise your ambitions
We recognise that, as a Masters student, your experience and career aspirations might be different from that of our undergraduate students and we tailor our support accordingly. Whether you’re moving into further study straight from your first degree, returning to study or looking to progress in your current role, we have the resources, people and support to help you manage and develop your career.
Masters Careers programme
Our Masters Careers programme covers all the career essentials, including making effective use of the Careers Service and employability support, marketing your postgraduate qualification, career planning & decision making, networking and building your professional profile, and understanding and navigating the job market.
Our 2023-2024 Masters Careers Semester One sessions are as follows:
Masters Careers 2023-24: Planning your Masters year: Making the most of your Masters year and how the Careers Service can support you.
Masters Careers 2023-24: Understanding UK graduate training schemes: Interested in UK graduate training schemes? This session will help you navigate what's on offer and what's right for you.
Masters Careers 2023-24: UK graduate training scheme selection processes: Get help with navigating UK graduate training scheme selection processes.
Masters Careers 2023-24: Getting started with LinkedIn: If you are just starting to use LinkedIn this session will help you maximise your use of the platform.
Masters Careers 2023-24: Moving on to a PhD (CAHSS) and CSE/CMVM): A session for Masters students in the College of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences (CAHSS) and a session for those in College of Science and Engineering (CSE) and the College Medicine and Vet Medicine (CMVM) thinking about moving on to a PhD.
Masters Careers 2023-24: UK visa options for international students: Session covering the visa options for international Masters students who want to work in the UK.
All sessions take place on Thursdays, 17.30-18.30, online. For a full listing of dates and details search for Masters Careers 2023-24 under ‘Events’ on MyCareerHub and book your place.
Each session in the Masters Careers programme is supported by a short on-demand online video summarising the action points and the information on each session, including key resources, events, activity and support available. Look out for these appearing in our Masters Careers 2023-24 video playlist:
Masters Careers 2023-24 playlist
Planning your Masters year
You’re likely to have a busy timetable during your Master’s course and the time will pass very quickly, particularly if you are a full-time student. If you are a part-time student, adjust this time scale accordingly.
Whether you’re looking for a job for after your studies, or a place on another course, early planning will give you the best chance of success.
Many major employers start recruiting up to one year in advance. This means you may have to start making job applications just as you begin your postgraduate degree. For further study, too, early planning and applications are essential to give you the best chance of gaining admission and obtaining any available funding.
Start your career planning from the beginning of your course.
Semester 1
Build experience
Investigate opportunities for gaining experience to strengthen your CV, through part-time jobs, voluntary work, or involvement in societies and committees.
Discover what's out there
Graduate jobs: Meet and engage with employers to find out about what opportunities they can offer you. Check the vacancies on MyCareerHub regularly. Many graduate training schemes have deadlines in Semester 1 so plan ahead. If you are an international student who wants to work in the UK ensure you keep informed about your visa options.
Understand the recruitment process
Find jobs for after graduation
If you're on a Student / Tier 4 visa
Explore jobs and sectors: Make time during semester to begin your research into the options available to you. Our sector information pages are a great place to start.
Thinking about a PhD
If you are considering undertaking a PhD after your Masters start your research early. Some deadlines can be as early as December.
Make it happen
Start preparing how you will present your experience as a Masters student in your applications. You don't need to wait until the end of your Masters to start talking about this qualification on your CV.
Semester 2
Discover what's out there
For lots of types of graduate job this is the time to start actively looking for opportunities. For some sectors and types of employers it is much more common for them to advertise at this time of year. Keep checking MyCareerHub and use our sector information pages to research recruitment timelines in the sectors which interest you. Think about using creative job-hunting techniques including networking and speculative applications to unearth jobs which are never advertised.
Make it happen
If you have interviews coming up for jobs or further study take time to prepare and practise for them.
Prepare and practise for interviews