4 year degree now on to a Master how to fund it?

southoftheriver

LSE are known to overcharge for their masters courses because a significant proportion of their intake come from overseas where prices are comparable. Unfortunately that means you are paying for the reputation along with the course. There are a couple of options.

You lend/give your daughter the money.

She could defer her place/see if they offer it as a part time option

Consider other courses which would be much less money

I did a masters last year but was relatively fortunate in that I did it in the middle of my undergrad course so was partially funded and had some savings. I am still suffering for my choice now though!

Funding for masters is very difficult to find, especially in arts subjects. My classmate got funding from my AHRC, but applied very early and had a super high first.

Maybe you could consider local charitable trusts who might be able to help?

Voyager2002

Does she have any/much practical experience related to development work?

There is a scheme operated by DfID called APOS (Associate Professional Officer) that in some cases will finance a relevant master's degree for a trainee. But you need to have a significant amount of relevant, practical experience in order to be accepted for this scheme (which is odd, since it is a training position).

Anyway, I am sure that she knows about this already.

My advice: look for another course, since there are other courses that cost less, may well be academically better, and so certainly offer more value for money. And try to get some relevant practical experience for a couple of years before returning to study, in order to get the maximum benefit from whatever course she eventually takes.

Oldernotwiser

melancholly wrote: »

well i guess i think the student should have thought about this beforehand then

I agree.The trouble is that people get so caught up in the thrill of being accepted on a Masters at a reputable university that they don't realise that getting a place is comparatively easy but funding it is not.

Mr_Warren_2

Thank you all for your valued input. She had been searching a long time for the right course and she did not chose LSE out of snobberies but because it was the exact course she wanted (she even considered Newcastle to save money on house rental).

The fact is that 4 year degree at EDI + Masters at LCE should seriously advantage her when she goes looking for a job on the open market but she intends to have a couple years doing volunteering before applying for jobs. She has the UN in her sight.

She has spent the last two summers in Tanzania teaching first aid and English to the local schools. She has based her final essay on the experience gained over there.

Voyager2002

Mr_Warren wrote: »

Thank you all for your valued input. She had been searching a long time for the right course and she did not chose LSE out of snobberies but because it was the exact course she wanted (she even considered Newcastle to save money on house rental).

The fact is that 4 year degree at EDI + Masters at LCE should seriously advantage her when she goes looking for a job on the open market but she intends to have a couple years doing volunteering before applying for jobs. She has the UN in her sight.

She has spent the last two summers in Tanzania teaching first aid and English to the local schools. She has based her final essay on the experience gained over there.

OK, she sounds determined. Personally I work for an international organisation and I don't think that this plan is particularly realistic. I would just repeat my view that a couple of years of serious professional experience, spent in a graduate-level position, would enable her to get a lot more out of this kind of course than going straight after a first degree.

Idiophreak

I take it she's spoken to LCE about any funding that will be available? I got a bursary from the uni for 2/3 of my fees when I did my masters. The rest I financed through a career development loan - but if she's not planning on doing paid work after the course, this won't be suitable.

Mr_Warren_2

PM sent to Voyager and Jo_Jo many thanks to see you all so helpful.

kjsmith7

I remember (when looking for undergrad bursaries, etc.) that this web site was very useful, and it does have a postgrad search option also, so might be worth a look: http://www.scholarship-search.org.uk

This site is a little harder to navigate, but there is some info on various scholarships and bursaries, but also, if the option is the only one, alternative courses and providers that have bursaries available - http://www.postgraduatestudentships.co.uk

Froggitt

Im doing a Masters part-time, with a job paying for it and everything else - is that an option?

ThinkingOfLinking

kjsmith7 wrote: »

I remember (when looking for undergrad bursaries, etc.) that this web site was very useful, and it does have a postgrad search option also, so might be worth a look: http://www.scholarship-search.org.uk

This site is a little harder to navigate, but there is some info on various scholarships and bursaries, but also, if the option is the only one, alternative courses and providers that have bursaries available - http://www.postgraduatestudentships.co.uk

Thanks for these links, very useful.

Froggitt wrote: »

Im doing a Masters part-time, with a job paying for it and everything else - is that an option?

That's what I'll be doing when I do my MA, for sure.