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Original poster

History of Art - Would my daughter get student loan for MA?

27 replies

MokaEfti · 23/05/2023 16:27

My DD is considering doing a History of Art MA. I believe you can get student finance for this if you don't already have an MA but did do a BA with student finance. However, some of the Uni websites state that funding is only for BA courses.

Can anyone offer clarification?

Also, has anyone on here actually done an MA in History of Art? Was it worthwhile ?

OP posts:
titchy · 23/05/2023 16:36

She should be able to get a PG loan for any Masters course (with very few exceptions for some part time courses).

titchy · 23/05/2023 16:38

It will be paid back at a rate of 6% CONCURRENTLY with her UG loan of 9%.

Speermint · 23/05/2023 16:39

I’ve never known anyone get a student loan for a masters degree of any kind. Unless it’s a four year degree from the start, then you get a loan for four years. But they don’t offer student loans if you already have an undergraduate degree and want to do a separate masters.

You can get a postgraduate loan, but that’s a bank loan with much higher interest and shorter repayment period. Not the same as a student loan from the government.

Rebootnecessary · 23/05/2023 16:49

Speermint · 23/05/2023 16:39

I’ve never known anyone get a student loan for a masters degree of any kind. Unless it’s a four year degree from the start, then you get a loan for four years. But they don’t offer student loans if you already have an undergraduate degree and want to do a separate masters.

You can get a postgraduate loan, but that’s a bank loan with much higher interest and shorter repayment period. Not the same as a student loan from the government.

Sorry but this is incorrect. DS has just completed an MSc and got a postgraduate loan.

1smallhamsterfoot · 23/05/2023 16:57

@Speermint please don’t give out false information when you don’t know what you’re on about.

GeraltsBathtub · 23/05/2023 17:02

Speermint · 23/05/2023 16:39

I’ve never known anyone get a student loan for a masters degree of any kind. Unless it’s a four year degree from the start, then you get a loan for four years. But they don’t offer student loans if you already have an undergraduate degree and want to do a separate masters.

You can get a postgraduate loan, but that’s a bank loan with much higher interest and shorter repayment period. Not the same as a student loan from the government.

There have been specific government student loans for postgrad study for several years now. I have one!

I don’t recommend one if avoidable though because as titchy says, you pay it back concurrently with the undergrad loan which is a big chunk of income going out each month.

Rotterdammer · 23/05/2023 17:07

My DD is doing a design related MA and was entitled to a post grad loan. However it did not quite cover fees and there is no subsistence element.

She also received a quite generous scholarship from The Royal College of Art which more than makes up the difference though.

msisfine · 23/05/2023 17:08

Yes, she can get a PG loan if she hasn't already got an MA. It's very straightforward to apply and you pay it back once you finish the course.

TizerorFizz · 23/05/2023 22:16

@MokaEfti You ask if the MA is likely to be worthless? Yes - possibly. No if it’s targeted to getting a job. If she just thinks it’s fun and putting work off for a year, it’s not a great choice. If she wants to teach the subject or use it to pursue a career in art, eg working for a museum or auction house, it’s worth it. Possibly not well rewarded financially but interesting.

TheaBrandt · 23/05/2023 22:23

Family member did this degree and MA and as a direct result has had a very interesting enjoyable (and actually extremely lucrative) career.

Original poster
MokaEfti · 23/05/2023 23:03

Thank you for all the replies!

Yes it would be for a career working in a gallery or museum. She already has a BA in Photography.

She is not looking for a career that makes loads of money - being in the arts she knows that what she loves doing doesn't pay as much as other things.

I suppose she is less likely to reach the threshold where she has to start paying the loan back!

She would do it part time and still be working so as well as a loan I think it might be doable.

OP posts:
thing47 · 24/05/2023 17:58

Speermint · 23/05/2023 16:39

I’ve never known anyone get a student loan for a masters degree of any kind. Unless it’s a four year degree from the start, then you get a loan for four years. But they don’t offer student loans if you already have an undergraduate degree and want to do a separate masters.

You can get a postgraduate loan, but that’s a bank loan with much higher interest and shorter repayment period. Not the same as a student loan from the government.

Absolute rubbish. Of course you can get a student loan for a Masters.

DD2 finished her undergraduate degree in 2021 (4-year course) and went straight on to do a separate 1-year MSc at a different university the following year. I can state categorically that she got a student loan from the government for it.

It covers not that much more than the cost of the course@MokaEfti so your DD may need money for accommodation/food on top of that.

Original poster
MokaEfti · 24/05/2023 18:06

Thank you @thing47
My DD is currently working in London and would continue with that, and do the MA part time.
I think the one at Birkbeck looks good.

OP posts:
burnoutbabe · 24/05/2023 18:25

The loan is around £11,000 max so may cover fees (just about but probably not most popular London coyrses)

Nothing for living costs.

TizerorFizz · 25/05/2023 15:21

@MokaEfti The Courtauld is the most prestigious. However, not sure they do part time.

Original poster
MokaEfti · 25/05/2023 19:04

@TizerorFizz you're right - Courtald v. prestigious... but only full time. I wonder if it's worth applying there just to see! I don't think they take many students and one of the criteria is "academic excellence" - I don't think my DD could provide evidence of that, particularly.

The Birkbeck course offer History of Art with either a "curating" pathway or a "collections management" pathway - which strikes me as quite vocational.

OP posts:
girlwhowearsglasses · 25/05/2023 19:08

Look into grants! Arts and Humanities Research Board might have funding worth applying for. It’s worth trawling through all the places that do grants.

I got a grant from the AHRB a few years back. When I started the MA I was astonished at the number of people who hadn’t bothered to look into this. I got tuition and 4k maintenance grant.

lots of them are quite niche so if you look you might find she fits the bill

Original poster
MokaEfti · 25/05/2023 20:51

Oh thank you so much @girlwhowearsglasses
I we will certainly look into that!

OP posts:
Moominmammacat · 26/05/2023 09:05

Of course you can, also through SLC I think. DS did, friend's son did ... one for history of art MA at Courtauld. Both now approaching 30 and not earning enough to repay.

nimple · 26/05/2023 11:55

If I’m frank, I wouldn’t personally do it unless I got a scholarship. Has she thought about working for a few years and then going back to do one? That’s fairly common in the arts and heritage sector.

PettsWoodParadise · 26/05/2023 12:49

I work in a different field but we would advertise graduate roles with day release for the PG qualification and pay the fees. That way the person could earn, get qualified and we’d have them for at least two years. Especially as the job market is quite tight (don’t know how desperate galleries etc are) that may be an option to explore?

Original poster
MokaEfti · 27/05/2023 18:43

@nimple
I hear you.
She's thinking of a Part Time course (over 2 years) however, where the fees are under £5k a year and I think we can cover that. So she won't be lumbered with more debt. In the meantime she could apply to work at galleries saying she's in the process of applying for/doing a History of Art MA. At the moment she's in Hospitality and that's enough to pay rent etc.

OP posts:
Original poster
MokaEfti · 27/05/2023 18:44

@PettsWoodParadise
Yes if she can get her foot in the door at a Gallery.

OP posts:
Needmoresleep · 05/06/2023 07:26

MokaEfti · 27/05/2023 18:44

@PettsWoodParadise
Yes if she can get her foot in the door at a Gallery.

As you suggest, a lot is about contacts. Possibly worth working for a year for two then trying the most “prestigious”, ie the place where you are likely to make best contacts, when she has saved up a bit and has firmed her ideas of what area she wants to work in.