• Government statistics for 2023 show 79% of postgraduates were in highly skilled employment compared to 67% of graduates and 24% of non-graduates.
• Government statistics (2023) also show postgraduate salaries are on average £10,000 a year higher than non-graduates and £3,000 more than graduates.
• Postgraduates’ subject knowledge and transferable skills (such as leadership, organisational, motivational and critical thinking) make them less likely to experience unemployment – and more employable during times of economic crisis. (Office of National Statistics, June 2021).
• There are a growing number of careers that ask for a postgraduate qualification including teaching (PGCE) and psychology.
• Having a Master’s on your CV is one way to stand out in a crowded job market and shows you can work with commitment and determination.
• Once you graduate, our university careers’ service actively assists in finding you employment; you also a range of careers software at your fingertips, for free.

Many postgraduate courses allow you to develop your knowledge and skills in a way that prepares you to take on more responsibilities in your present role or gives you the expertise to apply for management and leadership roles.

At Bedfordshire, for example, our business courses – including a suite of MBAs – can build your management skills in specific employment fields such as aviation, finance, health, logistics and data analytics. We also offer short CPD courses in leadership and management; project management; marketing; and Lean Six Sigma process- and productivity-improvement methods.

In healthcare, qualified nurses can retrain as a midwife with our MSc Midwifery or registered healthcare practitioners can take a short course in areas such as non-medical prescribing, special care of the newborn and leadership.

It may be that you want to change your career path completely and postgraduate training can support you to do this. An example is teacher training: our PGCE initial teacher training courses allow you to move sectors to start a new rewarding career in education.

Postgraduate study – a Master’s by Research particularly - provides you with the perfect opportunity to develop expertise in your specialist field, working alongside expert academics and other researchers, in a professional environment. You will gain high-level, up-to-the-minute knowledge as well as desirable transferable skills much sought after by prospective employers.

Many university postgraduate courses include practical industry experience and work placements, giving you the chance to make professional contacts and build your CV. Many of our graduates find permanent jobs within their work-placement organisations.

Postgraduate courses – especially for research degrees - are usually developed and taught by leading experts from around the world. So you benefit from their insight, knowledge and expertise while gaining the opportunity to tap into their extensive networks, helping you to graduate with a wealth of industry contacts.

Find out more about our Graduate Research School

University allows you to meet people from many different countries and backgrounds – for example, our 275 research students span the globe as do our research academics. It is a melting pot of cultures, points of view and ideas, all of which broaden your mind, perspective and understanding.