l Look out for virtual open days and webinars for prospective courses – or email any questions to institutions you’re interested in;


l Access the online prospectus for the course and check you meet the entry requirements;


l Don’t over-commit– can you afford to study and work part time? How many hours can you spare in a week?


l Discuss your application with your employer. Some offer staff development schemes and may cover the fees or offer study days and time;


l Think about your motivations for wanting to do a course. Can you see yourself studying on that programme, is it a good fit with your motivations?


l What are your longer-term career aspirations? Do you want to study on a course that offers modules in leader- ship, research skills, or other specialist areas?


Factors to consider


Here is a library-focused take on an article called “Which master’s 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 organi- sation which is part of Jisc and funded by the UK higher and further education sector.


Career prospects


Your future career is the first factor you should consider so ask yourself “Is a master’s degree necessary for my career?” The two main career routes in the library sector (academic and public librarians) are both weighted towards postgraduate qualification, specifically accredited ones. Prospects provides details for both academic librarians (www.prospects.ac.uk/job-profiles/ academic-li-brarian) and public librarians (www.pros- pects.ac.uk/job-profiles/public-librarian) with value placed on postgraduate and/or accredited qualifications.


It may also be worth checking the members of CILIP’s expanding Employ- ers Partners Scheme to see how their employment processes and CPD pro- cesses use the PKSB, the tool which also underpins the courses CILIP accredits. Another issue to consider is the employ- ment market: www.cilip.org.uk/news/614568/ What-happens-once-youve-got-the-job.htm


Institutions


The next step is matching your own goals to an institution. Will it help you to develop the real-world skills and knowledge needed to master your profession and also cater for different students, some being career changers


September 2023 Jessica Bates.


and others enhancing existing careers? Scrutinise your potential department, its research reputation and the academic profiles of lecturers. A big benefit of accreditation here is the requirements for staff CPD, which ensures skills and knowl- edge are current.


The advice is also to “look into the institution’s reputation” but with a warning that “while overall league tables can provide an indication of a university’s strengths and student satisfaction, they’re usually based on undergraduate courses.” So an institution may be strongest for your area of study even if it doesn’t score highly overall.” Again, accreditation can provide a mark of quality if for some rea- son a host institution falls short.


Your interests and style To narrow down your options when choosing a master’s, target programmes and institutions that satisfy your inter- est. Hopefully your career choice and personal interests will be well aligned, but one of the messages from the case studies is to find as much common ground between your personal interests – the subjects that motivate you – and the requirements of your career. You should consider if some forms of teaching suit you better than others and then check if the course is exam-based, continually assessed or both and ask yourself if you enjoyed the rigours of exams or writing your dissertation and the freedom this afforded you.


Course content


Prospects advises looking past the course title saying: “Courses with similar titles vary significantly in terms of content”. This is certainly true in CILIP accredited courses too.


Look at compulsory modules, whether they support your reasons for doing the


course and add to existing knowledge. Scrutinise optional modules and con- firm that your specialist interest will be covered. Prospects suggests that you also check that modules won’t be cancelled if only a small number of students select the option. Again, accreditation should help with this – although courses and modules do come and go.


Links with employers


Prospects refers to links with industry. It says: “Not all institutions offer the same opportunities, so check before making your decision.”


Accredited courses will all offer different kinds of opportunities and they must all meet certain standards and be compatible with CILIP’s conditions (see benefits of accredited courses).


But strong industry links to employers can be manifested in different ways and the advice is to look at whether there is access to mentoring schemes, opportuni- ties to work with businesses, networking with employers and alumni.


Location


This will mean different things to different people. Work, family commitments or accommodation costs may limit students to looking at the nearest or most flexible options. For others it may be a lifestyle decision: city or rural, campus or not. Some may consider studying abroad (CILIP does have a number of accredited courses in institutions around the world). Postgraduate students in the information sector do often opt for something nearby or flexible study options because they are working. The options on offer for accred- ited courses will differ from institution to institution, but many do have dis- tance-learning options.


To assess whether a location will work may mean looking at programme time- tables and how many days a week you need to dedicate to study, or how many lectures and tutorials you will have. Pros- pects advises finding out about contact hours, class size and whether you’ll be able to work part time. Also what the options are for part-time study, although this often doubles the time it takes to gain a qualification.


Support and facilities


Access to the latest academic facilities and resources is important. Once again accreditation should provide a good deal of reassurance in this area. However, Prospects also advises potential students to not just focus on life in their future careers, but to also “ensure that the university offers wellbeing support to postgraduates. This could include counselling provision, men- tal health support, disability support or a personal tutor system. IP


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