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Posted Dec. 4, 2012

Why the Postgraduate System Needs an Urgent Revamp

Britain's postgraduate system is in need of an urgent overhaul.

But where exactly do the problems lie?

A recent report from the Higher Education Commission warns that UK universities are failing to produce the number of highly skilled staff that are desperately needed by a modern economy.

Refocus and Reform As one of the most prominent countries in the world with regards to research and innovation, you'd think that the UK would realize that now is the time to capitalize on this advantage, rather than get left at the wayside as other countries such as China and India plough ahead in pursuit of economic growth and success.

Postgraduate research has become an essential asset for the development of innovative, high tech industries yet the current system is failing to invest and get behind their students.

But what does all this mean for postgraduates..?

The Postgraduate Crisis It's not just the Higher Education Commission that are expressing their concerns regarding postgraduate study, earlier this year the 1994 Group along with Oxford Universities Vice-Chancellor also spoke out regarding the pressing issue of postgraduate funding, or lack thereof.

Funding cuts combined with increased tuition fees have made postgraduate study definitely more unattractive to students who have already racked up massive debt as an undergraduate. The biggest risk that the UK faces is losing out on talented students who simply cannot afford to meet the financial demands of the new, controversial fees without any support system in place or willing banks to help aid with loans to make courses more accessible to those unable to front the cash.

By failing to address the issues and neglecting UK students the long term repercussions for the British economy could be disastrous.

The question is: What can we do about it?

There are students out there hungry to engage in postgraduate study - they just can't afford the hefty price tag!

The UK government needs to think seriously about how to fund postgraduate education, and with public finances at an all time low, they need to be innovative! It is time for new policies that address these issues to be made.

The last thing we want to do is scare our UK students away from postgraduate study. If we want postgraduates, we have to fund them. It's that simple.
 

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