Specialising for particular vocation, increasing employability, or pursuing an intellectual passion – postgrad study can satisfy many demands. But the additional financial burden of another year, and maybe more, of tuition fees and living costs, intense academic workloads and the challenge of adapting to a new university environment make postgraduate study something which requires serious thought.

A postgraduate arts qualification allows you to further explore a subject which you found particularly interesting at degree level, while still exploring new subject areas.

Cross-pollination in the humanities

You don’t necessarily need to have a history degree to study history at postgraduate level. Humanities subjects have a lot in common, particularly in modes of thought and rhetoric. The degree of cross-pollination, as it were, is noticeable even at undergraduate level. Students pursuing a degree in history or English literature will likely be exposed to strands of philosophical and political thought and even social sciences like psychology and economics. Across the humanities assessment is generally achieved through coursework, exams and dissertations.

It could be that studying the history of the philosophy of science sparked an interest in studying philosophy itself. An arts MA is a great way to explore something which was only briefly covered in a module of your undergraduate degree.

There will be some benefit to staying within the confines of your degree subject. Some universities will require you to take introductory modules if you didn’t previously study the subject at undergraduate level. And it may be a struggle to familiarise yourself with methodologies and contexts that others have spent several years studying.

How best to pick a subject

A good place to start is with a trusted academic advisor. Many universities will have advisors for just this purpose; they will be able to tell you about the kinds of MAs on offer and the benefits of postgraduate study. Or you might talk to the tutor you got on best with, perhaps even the one that mentioned postgraduate study to you in the first place – this is a person likely invested in your future and someone who will have experience of postgraduate study themselves.

It might be helpful to spend an afternoon looking through your degree coursework. What subjects did you particularly enjoy? What do you want to explore more?

Lots of research

Finding the right course will be a matter of research. You can talk to tutors about the postgrad options at your undergrad university but for other institutions your best bet will be internet searches – MA in ‘subject’, where ‘subject’ is replaced by whatever you are interested in. The department webpages of universities should have links to postgraduate options and UCAS collates a list of institutions and MA courses. These searches can throw up interesting and attractive combinations – unique courses which combine different disciplines, a history element and a philosophy element, for instance.

Whatever you decide to study at postgraduate level make sure you are fully committed to another year, maybe two, maybe three of intense work. Many view an MA as an essential stepping stone before a PHD, so expect an intellectually challenging (and stimulating) classroom environment. More and better work will be expected of you; a first at undergrad level is much more easily achieved than a first at MA level.