Career growth is not only and not so much an increase in the amount for which you sign monthly in the accounting sheet. Young doctors, lawyers, managers, philosophers, already having work experience, want to improve in their profession. There is a thorny Soviet path - candidate and doctoral dissertations. Painfully long, laborious and ineffective from all points of view. Continuing education in the UK takes much less time, and a diploma issued in the United Kingdom is one of the most convertible in the world.
To obtain a master's degree, there are two types of programs: research activity or professional development in one of the specializations. A research master is also called a master of philosophy. Future masters lead a purely student life for eight to nine months - lectures, seminars, exams. Then three to four months are allotted for writing a thesis project. The master's degree is awarded based on exam results and defense of the thesis. That is, a year of intensive study, and you, in Russian terms, become a candidate of sciences.
If you haven't had enough of studying, storm the last peak of British science and get a doctoral degree. For this, it is not enough to have a higher education diploma and complete a master's program. The main thing is to interest a specific British luminary with yourself and your scientific potential. Because you will have to conduct independent research work for two to three years under the guidance of the senior faculty of the department you have chosen. British snobs will not bother with an unpromising protégé. Most programs leading to a doctoral degree are purely research-based. The time for lectures and seminars is left in the master's program. The supervisor determines the topic of your research, provides a workplace, equipment, and necessary materials. The results of your scientific work are published in official reports and in specialized media, for example, a newspaper or industry magazine would be suitable. Based on the research conducted, you need to write a dissertation and defend it. A doctoral degree is awarded after a successful defense.
Big prospects cost a lot. A second higher education in the UK is an expensive pleasure. A master's degree in humanities costs 6,750-8,200 pounds per year, in natural sciences - 6,500-9,950, medicine reaches 18,000. This, I remind you, is the price of the study itself. A separate item of upcoming expenses is accommodation. Renting housing in London, Oxford, and Cambridge will cost 7,500-9,000 pounds per year. In less expensive cities - 6,500-8,000 per year. A room in a student dormitory is cheaper - 200-350 pounds per month. Another 100-150 per month will have to be spent on food. About 300 pounds will be "eaten up" by textbooks and various manuals. Plus transport costs. The money is considerable, and it should be spent with maximum effect for your future career.
Or not Oxford?
Since we failed to send grandfather to Oxford, think carefully about where exactly to get master's and doctoral degrees yourself, so that in the end you can get a prestigious job in your specialty rather than mow the lawn for 300 years. Everyone says out loud: "Ratings cannot be trusted," - and continue to be guided by them when choosing an educational institution. Let us also trust the ratings. The Daily Telegraph newspaper considers Cambridge to be the best university in the UK. In second place is the University of York. The London School of Economics follows. Oxford is only in fourth place. The Times confirms Cambridge's leadership. But it gives the silver medal to the University of London. "Bronze" goes to Oxford, in fourth place is the University of Bristol.
When choosing a place for future study, it is necessary to take into account the specifics of your particular specialty. Therefore, you should focus on the institution that leads in professional rankings. Let's say you are a lawyer and plan to get a Master of Law degree (LLM). The Times believes that Cambridge produces the best high-class lawyers. It is followed by the Law College of the University of London, the London School of Economics, and Oxford. The Guardian, on the contrary, calls Oxford's master's program in law the best. It agrees with the "silver" for the Law College of the University of London. However, it gives third place to Cambridge, and fourth to the London School of Economics.
In the professional ranking for medicine, according to the Times, the University of Manchester leads. Next in descending order are the University of Glasgow, King's College London, and Oxford.
Economics is a multifaceted concept. Business and management practitioners should certainly enroll in the London School of Economics. Those who are engaged in research in the economic field should know that the Times places this school only in third place. Cambridge and Oxford lead.
To get a Master of Science (MSc) degree, you should go either to Bristol or to Cardiff. Humanities majors applying for a Master of Arts are in the most advantageous position. Both the Times and the Guardian are unanimous in determining the top three - Cambridge, Oxford, Cardiff.
The most frustrating thing is to choose an educational institution to your liking and find that you have either no money at all or not enough. The situation is difficult but fixable.
Chevening is not a freebie
For UK residents, Chevening is an estate in Kent, the official country residence of the United Kingdom's Foreign Secretary. For "white collars" from the former Soviet Union, Chevening is an opportunity to obtain a second higher education in the UK. This is the name of a program that awards scholarships to especially gifted candidates for a master's degree. It is funded by the UK Foreign Office, and the program administrator is the British Council. The Chevening Scholarship has been awarded since 1983 in 150 countries. Here, this program has been operating for more than 10 years. Thanks to this prestigious scholarship, several hundred of our compatriots have already received a second higher education of the British standard. Study is possible in ten fields, from environmental management and healthcare to design and telecommunications. A few years ago, everyone sought a second diploma in general business education. Now international relations, public administration, design, architecture and urban planning, the oil industry, and journalism are more in vogue. As a rule, humanities scholars find it easier to obtain a scholarship, since technical specialists have poorer English.
Requirements for Chevening applicants are standard: age from 22 to 35, a university degree, and fluency in English. All else being equal, preference is given to those who have already worked in their specialty for two or three years. Bear in mind: the competition is enormous.
Chevening applicants go through four stages of selection. The British Council first checks the correctness of the completed documents and applications. Then the best applications are selected. Their authors undergo an interview and an English language test at the British Council. Only after this is the list of candidates approved.
The Chevening Scholarship covers all costs up to 20,000 pounds, including tuition, travel, accommodation, and pocket money. Scholars decide for themselves which university they want to attend.
But Chevening is far from the only British scholarship our compatriots can count on. Every year, the UK government provides 800 grants that cover about two-thirds of the cost of tuition. They are distributed by the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Rectors of Universities. There are royal scholarships that Her Majesty established during her visit to Russia in 1994. They provide additional funding for a research project or for a scholar's participation in conferences. For each field, you can search for corresponding grants.
300 words about self-love
All types of education for our compatriots in the UK are overseen by the British Council.
"When choosing a university, first select three or four," recommends Maria Kotlyarevskaya, a specialist on UK language schools at the British Council in Moscow. "The English like everything to be done in advance, i.e., you need to decide on a choice a year before your desired enrollment. For each university, you will need to fill out an online registration form. This includes personal information, your educational achievements, character, and work experience." The most important thing is the essay. In approximately 300 words, you must tell about all your merits, explain why you and the given university need each other. Prepare copies of documents confirming your education in English in advance, notarized. You will need two recommendations: one academic from your educational institution and one from your employer. They also need to be submitted in English and notarized.
The English language test is IELTS. It implies fluency. The minimum score for someone seeking postgraduate education is 5.5 out of 9. But, for example, the London School of Economics will not accept you with a score below 7-7.5.
When applying for a doctoral degree, you need to interest your prospective supervisor directly. With a master's degree, it is simpler if your specialty is not very rare. But, for example, Oxford and Cambridge always select students based primarily on their own research interests.
You will definitely receive any answer - positive or negative - from the educational institution in the UK. The principle that often works is: he who gets there first has a better chance. So do not delay in submitting your documents.
For the lucky ones, an important stage is obtaining a study visa. You must attach the original invitation letter to the standard package of documents. Naturally, you will need to confirm your own solvency. A certificate of income from your place of work on your company's letterhead is required. You will need a bank statement for the last three months or a certificate of bank account balance. The required amount is the cost of tuition plus the same amount again. You will have to wait from three to eight weeks for the visa, and the documents collected for it are valid for three months.
The visa is usually valid three to four months longer than the period of study. The UK government thus gives the master's or doctoral graduate the opportunity to do an additional internship, to work in a new capacity. You can also work part-time during your studies, but no more than 20 hours per week and only if your study period is longer than six months.