Postgraduate Study in the UK: The International Student's Guide

Citation

Foskett, N. and Foskett, R. (2007), "Postgraduate Study in the UK: The International Student's Guide", Education + Training, Vol. 49 No. 2, pp. 153-154. https://doi.org/10.1108/et.2007.49.2.153.1

This book is written, principally, for prospective postgraduate students considering studying for a Masters or PhD in the UK. It seeks to address a wide range of issues such as types of postgraduate qualification, application procedures, and studying in the UK. A questioning approach is very evident in the style and format of the book. Most of the chapters are focused upon a set of questions, for example: How do I choose between programmes? What are the different types of institution in the UK ? What learning resources and study space can I expect? How do I make the best use of my supervisor? Each chapter also includes a section the authors call “Pause for Thought”; designed to encourage the reader to reflect upon their own views, needs and ideas on the topic being covered. A further feature, and indeed the one that I liked the best, is a series of “Key Risks” and “How to avoid them”. So, for example, we have “Not having a high enough standard of spoken or written English”, “Not having enough funding for fees and living costs”, “Not identifying with your supervisor the best ways of working together”. Based, presumably, on the authors' experience over the years, these are treated, in the main, honestly and appropriately.

The book is particularly strong in its differentiation between different types of postgraduate programmes; Masters, PhD, taught, research, and includes a brief foray into the UK‘s credit point system. Indeed this theme of differentiation between types of programme is recurrent throughout the book as it clearly has implications and ramifications in terms of length of stay in the UK, the learning process, and assessment. I was encouraged to read the authors advising prospective students to avoid “trying to apply for too many programmes”. My experience suggests that many of the applications I receive have also gone to every other institution up and down the country. Somewhat disappointingly, though, their rationale for this advice is logistically based – “you will find it too difficult to manage the forms and application process” – rather than addressing the notion that it might be useful to “gear” an application to a particular institution or programme. A question I invariably ask at interview is “Why Leeds?” and which often seems to be met with a blank look or a rather embarrassed “why not?!” I was disappointed also that plagiarism was not given more detailed discussion. Again, the authors seem to regard this as a relatively simple, technical problem and one that is “very easy for tutors to detect”. I'm not sure I agree. I the problem is more complex, partly cultural, and would have liked to the see the issue “problematised” rather more.

Chapter 10, within the section “Studying for a Postgraduate Degree” is devoted specifically to “tutors” and “supervisors”. I used an extract from this chapter to assist me lead a recent staff development session on supervising Masters and PhD research award students. The extract relates to the tricky area of expectations around the student – supervisor relationship. It states in relation to the supervisor:

He or she will have expert knowledge in the field you are researching and also expertise in research methods and techniques.

This proved a fruitful choice in terms of stimulating discussion and debate. Some staff were clearly advocates of the Fosketts’ position, arguing that research active staff ought to be increasingly vigilant in resisting pressure to take on more and more research students if appropriate “experts” were not available in the specific field of interest. Others, however, were highly critical of Foskett and Foskett, suggesting that they were perpetuating unrealistic expectations. The key supervisor attribute, they argued, was not research expertise in the proposed subject or topic area but their ability to manage the process.

Interesting. While it would be possible to criticise the authors for not entering into this debate it is important that I remind readers of this review that the book is not written for supervisors but rather the prospective postgraduate student. Overall, it is a well researched, wide ranging and thoughtful resource book for this audience. I feel comfortable in saying it should be required reading for all students considering postgraduate study in the UK. Whether it will have any discernible effect on the quality of applicants, the difficulties commonly experienced and ultimately the quality of outcomes, only time will tell. But, I thank the authors for providing me with a new and potentially most useful interview question: “Have you read Foskett and Foskett's Postgraduate Study in the UK?”