Is a masters really becoming the norm?

[Terracotta57]

DC who is at Oxbridge, and about to go into final year, feels that many are planning to do masters (and this is in humanities / social science fields not stem, so not funded). I know that the job market may be pushing many to do masters (and of course many others will choose to purely from love of their subject), but I'm also surprised it seems so common given the increasing weight of student loans and exorbitant cost (especially at the top unis where fees alone can be over £20k). Is it really becoming the new norm and does that mean that even an oxbridge degree isn't able to compete if there isn't a masters attached to it?

Presumably most of the yp doing Masters degrees are either wealthy or earning a significant amount through part-time work.

Loan for tuition fees, live at home to avoid accommodation costs? DD2 was lucky in that we live within commuting distance of London so she could go to LSHTM for her Masters.

Something to note, though - she assumed she could work part-time while studying. She couldn't, she had to study.

I think that was more England as eg in Scotland you always had to have a University degree to teach secondary school.

Yes... we were talking about Master's - teachers do have degrees . An NPQH is a headship qualification!

I think that was more England as eg in Scotland you always had to have a University degree to teach secondary school. Not true.

My Dd got on a grad scheme last year without a masters, but the other 6 taken on did have masters and were a few years older. Her grad scheme has not given her any additional professional qualifications or the chance to study for a masters, so I am a bit concerned she'll get sifted out when she applies for jobs next year.

Perhaps she should look for a part time online one so she can say she is working towards one....

I think this perfectly illustrates the problem for young people at the moment.
A few years ago those grad scheme places would pretty much all go to 22 yr olds with an undergraduate degree. Very few of these youngsters are getting these jobs straight from uni now, employers are taking graduates who either also have some work experience or a masters, or both

.

Really depends on what field you are in. In my profession which is social sciences you need a masters to do my job and I’m not any of those professions you mentioned.

@Terracotta57 i think nowadays undergraduates are two a penny. Which is problematic as they are much less vacancies than applicants. Both my husband and I have a masters degree and we fully expect our children (but ours are younger than yours) to also go into it. It’s a terrible world and job market out there for them 😔

I think there’s a distinction between “masters are increasingly common” and “a masters is becoming necessary.” The data doesn’t really support the latter.
There are certainly fields where a postgraduate qualification can be useful or expected, but that varies enormously by subject and career. For many humanities/social-science graduates, a masters can be about specialising, improving access to particular careers, academic interest, or strengthening an application rather than being an automatic requirement.
I also wouldn’t assume an Oxbridge undergraduate degree is somehow insufficient without a masters. The more useful question is probably what career the student is targeting and whether that career actually rewards/requires the additional qualification. A year of postgraduate study is a significant financial and opportunity cost if it isn't adding something specific.
Has your DC said what careers or areas they’re considering after the degree? That might explain why so many of their peers are choosing masters.

My daughter graduated with a first in Sociology from a RG Uni in 2024 & struggled to get a job (any job!), grad scheme or internship so has just completed her Masters and is hoping to now get a job. I’m keeping everything crossed for her & all graduates. It’s a tough market for graduates at the moment.

Even in Social Work or Social Care? Surely they're desperate for candidates?

It’s 15% of your earnings OVER THE THRESHOLD. Not total. So 6% on the bit you earn over £21,000.

I paid it for years and barely noticed it.

Social Sciences Masters are also useful for jobs in social research. I did Public Policy after my BA in History and Languages.

@fuschiaproudparrot , you said "always had to have a University degree".
It only applies to state schools. Teachers could get a degree without attending university.
There were teacher training colleges, further education colleges and polytechnics.

My masters was very much vocational training (albeit in a very academic vocation). Loads of social analysts etc have masters - basically as far as I can tell, business no longer feels they're responsible for training people into careers, they want people who are already trained and ready to go and frankly they usually can insist on that as there are so many applicants.

I'm going with the rules as now in the link as stated here and with my then experience in the 1970s. Yes there were teacher training colleges which enabled you to teach at primary school level only . To teach in a secondary school you had to have a degree plus a PG . As for private schools well in my experience they take anyone. In England there were teachers who did not have either in my school there doing certain areas like Business Studies. I know of a very well known private school who employ graduates with no teaching qualifications. 🤷‍♀️ Anyway this is off topic a bit .

https://teachinscotland.scot/become-a-teacher/routes-into-teaching/

Then it wasn't "always" then was it @fuschiaproudparrot .

Just a little note - studying part time for a masters is possible (I did it) but it’s brutal. It adds about 15/20 hours a week a worse during dissertation time… I did mine over 2 years. Just something to consider. I feel this might be unwelcome advise 😂 I wasn’t prepared and wished someone had told me. 🤦‍♀️

I love the term Panic Masters, as that totally what I have. Graduated, had a job I hated so applied for a Masters 2 weeks in, quit and started university again in the September.
It bought me a year and a part time job which became a career.
As DC approaches the end of her degree, I assumed a Masters would be the next step but the costs are huge now!

I don't know why you can't read the rules and understand them. To teach in a high School in Scotland you always had to have what was classed as a university degree . I'm not talking about private schools or others.

When did you study for a masters degree? How much were the fees? There's no cap on fees for masters' degrees now and most start around the £11000 price range and go up to 20,000 or 30,000 or 40,000+ for home students who want to study top courses at top institutions.

And you can only borrow about £13000 for fees and maintenance from SFE (possibly more from other UK countries?) so god knows what students live on if they have no parental support or can't live at home. Do they get a bank loan?

I think lots of parents end up funding accommodation as they have done for the 3 previous years.

DD2's tuition fees for her Masters were £13,000 and that was at one of the UK's very top institutions (in her field), studying a world-renowned course (again, in her field).

Not sure if someone else has said this already but that’s entirely untrue. Degrees at Scottish unis are four years and integrated for humanities.