Does a Postgraduate Degree Help You with Law Jobs?

During your undergraduate degree there should be ample opportunities to research the law, whether for an essay, dissertation or other piece of assessed project work. Many students find that the freedom offered by the chance to carry out your own individually designed and structured research is the most rewarding of all opportunities available at university. If you find this to be the case then you may well be cut out for a career in academia. But what does a career in academia mean? For the discipline of law it usually means a mixture of teaching, research and the associated administration that inevitably accompanies these activities-especially teaching. Unlike some disciplines, such as science, there are very few university jobs that involve pure research, unless you confine yourself to a research post in which case you limit your career horizons and income. If you are committed to the academic life then I would recommend that you enroll in a postgraduate degree to develop your research skills. This is not necessarily the advice everyone would offer, as it is possible to become a member of law school staff without a postgraduate degree if you have an alternative professional qualification that substitutes practical experience for time-served research experience. However, if you do not undertake a postgraduate degree, then you will have to spend time gaining the professional qualification and if that is not immediately appealing to you, there is little point in using it as a route to academia.

A postgraduate degree embodies a multitude of options. Depending on the discipline, a higher qualification may take the shape of a Diploma, Masters (either an LL.M. or an M.Phil.) or a Ph.D., and as with degrees, each of these may be undertaken full-time, part-time or through distance learning, and as taught or research courses. In order of importance, in terms of the weight attaching to a postgraduate qualification if applying for a full-time academic post, undoubtedly a Ph.D. is paramount. As a rule such a degree takes at least three years if you are a full-time student, and five or more if you are a part-time one. Because many students have to fund themselves through their higher degree, perhaps by taking on work as a tutorial assistant or teaching fellow within the faculty in which they are studying, the period taken to complete their study is extended. A large number of Ph.D. candidates do not complete their degree for a wide spectrum of reasons, and those who "settle" for a lesser degree such as an LL.M. or M.Phil, (if that is not what they originally set out to do), have still achieved something that proportionally very few people do.


Having decided to undertake a course of postgraduate study the possibilities are endless. All sorts of factors have to be considered, but there are two initial decisions to be made:

(i) Is this degree meant to enhance your career prospects in academia?

In other words, if you have set your heart on being an academic then you might well see a Ph.D. as a strategic step in that process. If so, then much thought should be given to the institution where you study, who is to supervise you, the opportunities for paid work and experience, and the likelihood of that institution offering you a job at the end of the degree. These are the pragmatic considerations. Perhaps more important is choosing a topic that will sustain your intellectual interest for several years and, again pragmatically, one that will enable you to publish quality articles or even a book on completion of the degree.

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(ii) Is the postgraduate degree a means to enhance your career prospects generally?

Unfortunately, unless you are entering the academy, successful completion of a Ph.D. will not necessarily impress all employers. Academics apart, most employers are looking for skills not generally associated with postgraduate study. These are the skills of teamwork, presentation skills and business awareness. Most employers will, however, be impressed by evidence of motivation, commitment and stamina, and these will certainly all have been demonstrated in the completion of any type of postgraduate work, but particularly work with a relevance for future employment. Especially relevant postgraduate courses to enhance general employment prospects include courses in I.T., applied languages, specialist law subjects, management and business.

Embarking on any postgraduate study is a significant undertaking. A Ph.D. is a major one. Think very carefully about what you want out of postgraduate work and where it is taking you. Unless you have money to burn it should not be seen as a gap year. Factors that might influence your decision or choice include costs, location and employability. If cost is a primary factor and you want to try to obtain a funded place, then you will be restricted by the types of course for which you are eligible to achieve funding. If location is a primary consideration then you will be restricted by the availability of the courses within your geographical reach. If you are determined to be supervised by a particular person then that may dictate the type of course you choose. If you envisage the postgraduate degree as a stepping-stone to a promoted appointment, or to enhance career prospects in some other way, then the expectations and requirements of employers will be influential. Select a course by exploring the options thoroughly. Do not rely solely on published prospectuses or internet details. Information can be out of date very quickly. Universities are keen to attract students and may well be willing to depart from published criteria and to negotiate to meet your particular needs, so even if you think you may not fulfill all their requirements it is worth checking this out directly with the department's postgraduate officer.

There is a vast literature regarding postgraduate opportunities, but two particularly helpful publications that you should look out for in your Careers Advisory Service are the Prospects Postgrad Series and the Graduate Employment and Training (GET) Handbook. The Prospects series comes in various forms and claims to be the most comprehensive source of information for postgraduate study in the United Kingdom. There is a Prospects Finalist, a Prospects Postgrad both of which are published several times a year, and Prospects Today, published weekly, all published by Prospects Legal in Manchester. The GET is published annually, comprises over a thousand pages and is packed with information about selling your skills, work experience, taking time out, preparing for interviews, and how to get a job. Magazines in both series carry advertisements about jobs, courses, sources of funding, studentships, bursaries and details of new programs. Additionally, virtually all law schools run postgraduate courses, so visit their websites or contact them for up to date information, especially about funded places. Funded places are mostly awarded to the top students, i.e. those with a first class degree and the potential to achieve at the highest academic levels, but occasionally universities are keen to attract students to particular disciplines and may refocus their funding priorities accordingly.