Doing a master’s degree is something that will definitely differentiate you from other candidates when applying for a job. Employers are always looking for the best possible fit. Those will definitely be the people with the most amount of skill set and knowledge about a determined topic. So, if you are looking for a job in a particular sector, chances are you’ll more likely be hired if you have a postgraduate degree related to it.
Even if you don’t have a specific career goal, a postgraduate degree is always a good option because it offers you a series of different transferable skills that employers are always looking for. In my case, even though I don’t have a very specific career goal at the end, I know I really want to work with bones!
Regardless of whatever job I end up doing, the Master’s degree I’m doing has been a great choice for multiple reasons. First of all, I am being taught by some of the leading scholars in the field. I also have the opportunity to have as much hands-on experience as I want! Besides that, I feel like it’s both preparing me for a more academic-based career and a more practical one by doing exercises like grant proposals and practical excavation experiences!
The number of more general skills that it is also gives me with every assignment and lecture, like organisation, critical thinking, attention to detail and communication skills is also incredible!
How postgraduate sets you aside from a bachelor’s degree
In many cases, a postgraduate degree is not only an opportunity to deepen your knowledge in a certain area, like Forensic Sciences, but also to specialise in a particular sector of it, as I did with Forensic Archaeology and Anthropology. This means you will have a much deeper understanding of many concepts and the acquisition of new concepts and skill sets, resulting in you looking a lot more appealing in comparison to other candidates who only have a bachelor’s degree.
My degree offers me the opportunity to work with bones as much as I can and want, and they give us the opportunity to choose different modules to expand our knowledge in the areas that interest us the most. They also create different scenarios for us to practice, like a MOC courtroom experience where we have to testify and an excavation in the botanical garden where we excavate a (fake) skeleton. These are all valuable experiences that will make you stand out to an employer that you wouldn’t really have had the opportunity to experience during a bachelor’s degree!
Why Durham was the best place for me to do my Postgraduate degree
Durham University offers a variety of different things that make it an incredible place to do a Postgraduate degree, and I have had the amazing experience ever since I got here! I have had the incredible opportunity to have access to an osteology bone lab at any time I want to go from 7am to 10pm, including weekends. This is an opportunity that no other university doing my degree offers to its students, and that made it really stand out to me as it allows students to expand their knowledge as much as they want outside of the lectures. Lecturers are also very often around in the lab and available for questions.
In addition, there are several sessions and events (many with food and drinks!) that happen in the department that help us to both extend our knowledge and create a network of people. I’ve been to several of them, and they’re great! They also do some parties on special occasions, such as Halloween and Christmas, which are always a lot of fun!!
You can’t go wrong!
All of the things mentioned, alongside the great library facilities and colleges are all great reasons to choose Durham to move forward with your studies and do a postgraduate degree. You will definitely learn and improve loads and would have what are probably some of the best people in the field teaching you! It’s also a great place to make lots of friends with all the clubs and societies you can join and the college you’ll be a part of!
There is no way you can go wrong by doing a postgraduate degree at Durham University!
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