How is the course delivered?

Masters degrees are delivered in a variety of ways such as lectures, seminars, workshops, fieldwork and tutorials. Depending upon the subject you are studying, a typical Masters structure would be nine months of taught courses followed by a dissertation or work based project.  In the Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities you can expect to have between 6 and 10 hours of contact time with your tutors, the rest will be self-directed learning.  You can expect to be in seminar groups where you may be expected to participate in or lead the discussion.

Exams or written assessment?

Worth checking out if you don’t like taking exams or if assessments aren’t your strong point! Masters degrees may offer a combination of both or favour one over the other.  Assessment may take the form of timed and/or research essays or may involve submitting a policy paper or report. When it comes to the Dissertation you will be assigned an academic supervisor to assist you through the process of developing and writing a substantial piece of research in the region of 10,000 to 15,000 words.