A Practical Guide to
Planning an Academic or
Research Career
If you are enjoying doing independent research during your undergraduate career, you might be considering staying on at university to do a master’s and then a PhD. But there are lots of decisions to make. For example, are you personally and financially prepared to commit to postgraduate study?
This ebook will help you to decide whether doing a master’s and then a PhD followed by an academic career is for you. It is an incredibly fulfilling career path, but also a highly competitive one that requires years of dedication. In this ebook, you will learn about the routes you must take to become a lecturer or a researcher, as well as alternative career opportunities outside academia for those trained to postgraduate level.
This ebook will cover:
- Postgraduate study: how is it different from your degree?
- 5 steps to an academic career
- Funding a PhD
- How to gain industry experience while studying for a higher degree
- What you need to know about your PhD before you start
- What jobs.ac.uk can do for you
After completing a master’s, in order to go on to an academic career, most people will undertake a PhD, also known as a doctorate. A PhD takes three years full time or five to seven years part-time. It is a piece of independent research undertaken alone with close supervision by an established academic in the field. You will not attend formal classes while doing a PhD but instead will have one to one meetings with your supervisor. Some PhD students also undertake paid teaching within their department, leading seminars, marking essays and occasionally giving lectures. If you would like to pursue an academic career, this teaching experience is as important as completing your PhD qualification.
Also included are a couple of simple 5-minute activities to help you consider your options and an action plan template to help you plan your academic career.
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