IN DEPTH
How to choose CILIP accredited courses
What factors should influence your decision when choosing a course? How do you balance your ambitions with your practical needs?
THIS article takes some general guidance about how to choose courses, degrees and masters degrees and focuses specifically on CILIP accredited courses.
There are 14 universities and colleges that offer CILIP accredited courses in the UK ranging from foundation through to Masters. The number of institutions and courses means that a prospective student could realistically evaluate all the options, unlike some other subject areas. The fact that all of these courses are accredited should make the process easier by removing the anxiety of having to assess a course and an institution on your own. Instead, you can lean on an external assessment.
Bottom line However, the decision may still not be easy. Accredited course providers are evenly spread across devolved nations and regions, but accreditation means uniformity of quali- ty, not uniformity of content. So prospective students may find the content or teaching style they want isn’t on their doorsteps. While they might find it is available online, if it isn’t, they will have to weigh up their personal circumstances and their personal goals to find the way forward. Charlie Inskip, Associate professor, who teaches and is admissions tutor on the MA / PGDip Library and Information Studies at the Department of Information Studies, Uni- versity College London, recommends anyone considering taking a Masters’ (or a PGDip, also accredited widely) to do consider the following:
22 INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL
l If working, ask colleagues where they stud- ied and what the experience was like
l Sign up for open days – many are online nowadays
l Attend events run by the department – often open to the public
l Look at the social media of the department and the staff
l Apply early, places are becoming a premium in some institutions
l Don’t over-commit – can you afford to study and work part time? How many hours can you spare in a week? Can you get your employer to subsidise your studies financially or with day-release?
l Can you see yourself studying on that pro- gramme? They all vary and you will find one that suits your learning and career needs.
Career prospects
Here we often refer to how to choose postgrad- uate courses but many of the considerations are equally valid for courses aimed at different stages in their career or education. Whichever level you may be at now, you will probably have an eye on your future career. And that is one of the first issues raised in a piece called “Which Masters degree is right for me?” (
www.prospects.ac.uk/postgraduate-study/ masters-degrees/which-masters-degree-is-right-for-me), published by Prospects, a graduate careers organisation which is part of Jisc and funded by the UK higher and further education sector. The first suggestion is to ask yourself “Is a Masters degree necessary for my career?” Careers in some sectors like the sciences or
September 2022
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