Choosing your postgraduate qualification

Frequently required for career advancement, these programmes are shorter than a full masters and do not feature a research element. They can act as the first steps towards a full master's qualification.

Usually studied over one year full-time or two years part-time, these programmes include a dissertation or project. Master's study enables you to develop critical, creative and independent thinking skills. Some courses are designed for career changers and thus require little previous academic experience in that particular subject area.

Ideal for those wishing to study for a PhD and pursue a research career, the Master of Research is usually studied full time over a year and focuses on independent project work. Gaining the qualitative and quantitative research skills required to carry out a long-term project, you will be assigned a dedicated academic mentor.

These courses are aimed at international students who do not meet the direct entry requirements for postgraduate study. They involve a term of academic subjects, study skills and English language training. You can progress from a pre-masters to a master's course in Business, Management and Law or Engineering and Computing.

These courses, which focus on time spent in local schools, provide a route into primary and secondary school teaching for those holding an undergraduate degree.

School-led is an alternative route into teaching and offering trainees invaluable classroom experience and a more school-centred approach.

Bursaries are available depending on your degree classification and subject area.

Find out more about teacher training at LJMU.

A Degree Apprenticeship is an exciting new route into work-based learning that enables apprentices to achieve a master's degree while developing practical skills in the workplace.

A senior or second masters degree, positioned between a taught masters and a PhD, the MPhil can be studied over two to four years. You will learn and apply appropriate research methods and techniques to conduct an independent enquiry.

A PhD is usually studied over four to seven years. This qualification is all about making an original personal contribution to the understanding of a problem, the advancement of knowledge or the generation of new ideas. At the end of your studies you will produce a 40,000 to 80,000 word thesis.

A specialist doctorate-level qualification, the Prof Doc is offered in areas where students have made a significant contribution to enhancing a professional area through the application, development and testing of theoretical frameworks.