Why study an MSc?
Published: March 10, 2020It’s tempting to take a break from studying after completing your Postgraduate Diploma, but we’re advocates of going the extra mile and completing an MSc too. Why?
Better career prospects
Healthcare is a competitive industry to work in. You need to find ways to differentiate yourself from your peers if you want to seriously compete for the best consultant positions and training posts.
There are not many ways you can do this in a job market that relies on clinical experience – every candidate will have on-the-job practice, however not everyone will have the same qualifications. Gaining an MSc will give you a competitive advantage that will set you apart from other applicants.
Furthermore, having completed the MSc course, many students then go on to tutor with us, earning up to £5,400 per year – so the course may pay for itself. One example is Joel Allotey, a former Preventive Cardiovascular Medicine student of ours who became a tutor on the course after completing the MSc.
Opportunities to publish
While your Postgraduate Diploma consists of modules and assessments, your MSc will focus on a professional project. If your tutor believes your work to be worthy of publication, they will assist you in getting it published. There may also be funding available to assist you with any publishing costs. You can view work published by our students/alumni here.
Getting an article published is another great way of standing out and improving your competitive and academic advantage when applying for new positions, and making you part of the medical research community.
Freedom and focus
It’s up to you to decide what you want to write about in your professional project. This gives you the freedom to focus on a topic that interests you, and lets you hone your skills in a particular area of personal interest.
This will also prove to employers that you have a strong sense of direction, especially if you intend to go into a particular field in medicine that is relevant to your project.
Progress
If you want to gain an academic advantage by achieving higher qualifications, you will always need to take the next step before you reach the top. If you decide you want to further your studies and gain your PhD, you will need to have first completed an MSc.
If you’re one of our high achievers, we hope to welcome you into the MSc programme and trust that it will be a good decision for you and your career. Interested? Get in touch with us on applications@diploma-msc.com.