Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Doing a masters with a 2:2 at undergraduate level

110 replies

jumpingjack5555 · 25/05/2021 23:57

Hi just looking for a bit of advice

DS 21 has just completed his third year on his undergraduate course, he has not got his degree classification yet but it looks very likely he will get a 2:2. He has applied for a masters which has a requirement of a 2:2 to be able to go on to the course. DS has been wondering whether a masters is the right thing to be doing with a 2:2 degree, he has said that he always would have thought you needed a 2:1 to get on to a masters but the requirement for his masters that he is applying for is definitely a 2:2. However DS also feels that if they accept him on to the course then surely they must think he is capable of taking on the degree otherwise they wouldn't accept him if they thought he would fail.

Does anyone have any insight and know if there DC's have gone on to do a masters with a 2:2 in their undergraduate degree and how it turned out?

OP posts:
CrazyNeighbour · 26/05/2021 06:22

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

stayingaliveisawayoflife · 26/05/2021 06:25

I got a 2:2 for my first degree. A few years later I did my masters via distance learning and passed with Merit. I actually did better at my masters because I had spent a few years working and had experience to directly reference instead of just quoting others.

Tickledtrout · 26/05/2021 06:28

I'm the owner of a 2:2 from the mid eighties and went on to get a 1st in another discipline, a masters and a doctorate, and a couple of other professional bits and bobs along the way. Education was far cheaper to the student in those days though.
Of course your son could complete a masters but the question is should he? And if so, is now the best time.
I think many if not most universities are sticking to online for much of their delivery next year. Given online hasn't thrilled him this year- and he's not alone in that- then next year might not be any better. Especially of it's with the same university, in the same discipline.
Is he planning on teaching? Would a year gaining experience in a school or wherever be better spent?

Maray1967 · 26/05/2021 06:51

Univ lecturer here. Your DC should be aware that the academic staff might not be happy at all at recruiting students who cannot secure a 2:1 on to an MA course and do not agree with the university setting 2:2 as the entry requirement.
Much depends on the cause of the 2:2. If the student is not great at exams and there are no exams on the MA and it is poor performance in exams that is the key issue as coursework and crucially the dissertation are of 2:1 standard then the student should be fine. But if coursework and dissertation grades are 2:2 in third year then that does not augur well for the student unless he/she knows that they have not put in the effort.
Third year is more challenging than first and second year and it quite common to see grades slip. If the student has had seminars etc albeit on zoom then this year’s teaching arrangements are not the issue. MA courses expect students to be more self-directed than undergrad ones so students who say they need to be in a classroom to do well are not good MA material I’m afraid.

EverythingWasGolden · 26/05/2021 06:53

This is what my DH did. He's extremely clever and got straight As at school. He went to university and buggered about in his undergrad, graduating with a 2:2 when he should have been aiming for a First. He went on to do a specialised masters and having had a kick up the backside he aced it.

He got a job in his field which he probably wouldn't have got without the masters and it has opened every door to him. He's now massively successful.

It definitely worked out for him but partly that was because the 2:2 was not a reflection of his potential, the distinction at masters level was.

PriestessofPing · 26/05/2021 06:54

Well, what does he want to do for a career and does he need the masters for it? That’s the most important thing to consider.

Friendofdennis · 26/05/2021 06:59

I got a 2.2 in my first degree and went on to do a Masters I achieved a distinction because I was more motivated

Monkeytennis97 · 26/05/2021 07:01

@caringcarer

If the Masters degree is in education it is not worth it. He will start on same salary with or without it. In teaching you get promoted on performance or shortage subject. It will just add another year of debt he will end up having to pay back and delay him earning a wage. His best option is to get s teaching job straight away.
Been teaching for 25 years. Agree with this.
MySocalledLoaf · 26/05/2021 07:08

Master’s degrees can be both worthwhile and a cash cow for the university (they are indisputably the latter, and I do have one myself). They do set you apart when everyone has a BA.
It may be a chance to turn a poor result around. However, in education it won’t have much value. I would suggest he work a couple of years and then see whether he still wants to do it.

Lavender201 · 26/05/2021 07:13

Well does it lead to specific job?

Does he have qualified teaching status after his undergrad? Or was it just a BA in Education and he’s not a teacher. I’d think if he’s done a teaching degree, he’d be much better off teaching for a few years to see what he’d like to do his masters in (with the view of becoming senior leadership, SENCO, counsellor, whatever).

If he’s not a qualified teacher after his undergrad, I’d query what the point of doing the masters is. Does he want to end up in the classroom eventually? What is his career goal?

I have a masters so I don’t think they’re pointless, but it’s a masters that ticks the box of “medical/science related” so it has allowed me to meet the entry criteria of my career, even though it’s not directly related. I’m not sure what Education MA opens doors for.

ArnoldJudasRimmer · 26/05/2021 07:17

I did a lot better in my Masters than my undergrad, although part of the problem with my undergrad was with the lecturer, lots of people suffered grades-wise due to it.
My MSc is in education and I wouldn't have been able to get the job (and salary) I have without it, so it was worth doing and got me out of a job I really didn't like. I did originally want to do a PhD afterwards but might leave that until later in life.

musicinspring1 · 26/05/2021 07:18

Ex teacher here and I also think it depends what he wants to do as a career. If it’s teaching then I would teach for a couple of years before doing further study in to the area of specialism he is interested in and he would find his school may fund it - eg senco , leadership etc. In my experience that would help progression more than a general masters. If he doesn’t want to go in to teaching it’s slightly different I feel.

rosy71 · 26/05/2021 07:21

MAs in Education are usually aimed at teachers, allowing them to focus on leadership or particular aspects of education. If his undergraduate degree is a teaching degree, I'd recommend finding a teaching job. If it isnt, I'd recommend doing a PGCE if he wants to go further in education. Some PGCEs have credits towards MAs. As a teacher, there are plenty of other, part time, postgraduate courses you can do following a few years experience. E.g. SEN or Maths courses.

GCAcademic · 26/05/2021 07:22

I recruit for an MA programme at an RG university with a 2:1 entry requirement. It wouldn’t be impossible to get into our MA programme with a 2:2, but I would have to look very carefully at the BA transcript. I would be looking for evidence of working at 2:1 level, the dissertation mark, marks in the modules most relevant to the MA, etc. In most cases, I turn down applicants with a 2:2, but if it was close to a 2:1 and there was evidence of improvement over the course of the degree, then an offer is possible.

MyNameIsArthur · 26/05/2021 07:24

I got a 2.2 in my first degree in social sciences and then did a masters in macroeconomics. This was 32 years ago now. I passed the masters but must admit the mathematics involved was at a greater level than my capability. I worked hard and got through it though.

Camomila · 26/05/2021 07:30

I suppose it depends why he got a 2.2 - DH got a 2.2 in his undergraduate degree because it was all exam based and he panics in exams, but a distinction in his masters because it was coursework based.

MA in Education seems a bit of an unusual choice if he's not a teacher though.

PostieModern · 26/05/2021 07:32

My eldest dd got a 2:2 in her undergraduate course (according to her, because the teaching was poor and the marking harsh). As a result, she struggled to get a job in her chosen field. She did a Master's, which she got a distinction for, and now has a relevant job, which she loves.

TheGlitterFairy · 26/05/2021 07:36

I have a 2:2 in undergrad and completed an MA with a mixture of distinctions and passes over 2 years (part time while working). Overall mark was pass (though 2 under a distinction!)
I recruit now in my industry and most grads these days have a Masters. It’s more unusual not to. Tell him to go for it!

Whinge · 26/05/2021 07:40

I recruit now in my industry and most grads these days have a Masters. It’s more unusual not to. Tell him to go for it!

If Ops DS is going into education / teaching it's a very different story. As others have said experience will be more beneficial than a masters.

person6743 · 26/05/2021 07:51

Rather than stressing over the grades he needs to assess exactly what he wants to do and what he needs for it. I wouldn't rush into an MSc until he has some idea what career he wants, it's better to get some work experience and come back to the MSc later if required (in my opinion!)

3scape · 26/05/2021 07:58

I know 2 friends with 2:2 who both went on to have an MA, one as an information specialist after a BSc. Another doing a BSC went on to do two MScs over a few years, in Environmental science management etc.

Smurfsarethefuture · 26/05/2021 08:09

@GCAcademic

Would you take into account if the student had an undiagnosed health issue?

I had serious health problems in my teens/20s that took a long time to get to the bottom of. I’m a different person now. I often wonder what my grades would have been if I hadn’t been struggling so much (and told people).

GCAcademic · 26/05/2021 08:22

[quote Smurfsarethefuture]@GCAcademic

Would you take into account if the student had an undiagnosed health issue?

I had serious health problems in my teens/20s that took a long time to get to the bottom of. I’m a different person now. I often wonder what my grades would have been if I hadn’t been struggling so much (and told people).[/quote]
Yes, we would definitely consider that. The degree transcript is only part of the picture, so if there are mitigating circumstances that might explain a 2:2, we would be looking closely at writing samples (which need to be recent) and also interviewing.

Jet22 · 26/05/2021 08:33

I got a 2:2 and I am now doing a MA, and the entry requirement for my course was a 2:1 ( I was requested to submit a piece of written work with my application because I had a lower degree). I am doing much better at MA level than my UG degree and getting high merits/distinction grades. I did take a 10-year break, I think straight out of my BA, I would have struggled, mainly my low grades was the result of confidence issues and needing to realise why a struggled. I think it can be good to go back to the masters after a few years.

Original poster
jumpingjack5555 · 26/05/2021 09:18

Thank you all for your responses, I really appreciate it.

DS had not made his mind up if he wants to go in to teaching, I should have mentioned this earlier but he has a conditional offer for a PGCE at the same university. In regards to the masters if he decides not to go in to teaching then obviously he wouldn’t do the PGCE and would be looking at the masters. He is interested in education policy/research. DS is looking at speaking to the course leader of the masters to get some more information.

OP posts: