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Postgraduate education, which relates to study undertaken after completing a first degree or diploma, is considered almost a necessity in today’s workplace.
With volatile markets and technological advancements leading to rapidly changing organisations, mid- and senior-career professionals are increasingly turning to postgraduate studies to advance their careers and contribute proactively to their organisations.
From a macro perspective, postgraduate students are integral to modern industrialised societies.
The first step when embarking on this road in the higher education journey is to choose your type of postgraduate study realistically.
This is often the most challenging part of the process, as numerous factors need to be taken into account. Let’s examine some of the more important ones.
Cost
There is little doubt that any money spent on a postgraduate education should be a good investment for both you and your career. However, it is important to do your homework upfront. Will your employer be carrying the costs of study? What are the payback terms if this is the case?
If you plan to fund your own studies, it may be worthwhile to draw up a budget, and make sure that all your family and personal expenses are taken into account.
You certainly do not want to get halfway through your postgraduate studies and realise you can no longer afford to continue.
Postgraduate study fees are generally dependent on the field of study and the institution, so they can range from a few thousand rands to more than R100 000 a year.
Time
There are few individuals who can afford to embark on postgraduate studies full time. The majority have a permanent job, families to take care of, and extended community and social commitments.
It is critical to fully understand the time requirements of postgraduate study. Do some research before enrolling and find out about class-attendance requirements, assignments and project deadlines, as well as the after-hours and weekend availability of resource centres, among other things.
It is also worthwhile to find out which study leave options you may be entitled to from your employer if you have a permanent job.
Many established tertiary institutions have dedicated individuals to assist postgraduate students with queries, accommodation bookings or advice if classes take place out of town.
Once you have registered for postgraduate study, develop a timetable. Use it as a tool to plan how you will spend your time. Include professional, personal and study commitments.
Duration
Tertiary institutions are becoming increasingly strict about students who do not complete their studies in the allocated period. Make sure that you understand the full duration of the postgraduate course you have in mind.
For example, research-based postgraduate courses generally take longer than a year. On average, master’s studies take between one and two years, full time, while a doctorate (also known as a PhD) takes a minimum of three years.
Some institutions do offer additional time and opportunities to redo courses. However, this is likely to adhere to strict criteria and could be accompanied by additional costs. It is imperative to understand these requirements before committing to a postgraduate course.
Institutions
It is worthwhile to do your research on the various courses and the institutions that offer them.
Chat with colleagues who have completed their postgraduate studies, visit the websites of tertiary institutions to find out about their alumni, local and international standing, the research being produced by students at the institution and its overall levels of academic expertise.
For example, at North-West University’s Potchefstroom campus, 54% of the permanent academic staff hold doctoral degrees as their highest qualification, while some postgraduate programmes are offered through cooperation agreements with institutions in the UK and Portugal.
Always choose a recognised institution, preferably one with a good reputation, so that your postgraduate qualification becomes a valuable tool to market yourself and advance your career.
The institution you choose should be accredited by both the SA Council of Higher Education and international bodies.
Courses
If you are in full-time employment, it may be worthwhile to have a discussion with your manager and the human resources department about what you are planning to study.
Find out about the company’s future requirements and career-progression opportunities, as this could assist in your postgraduate study choice.
It’s also a good idea to understand your motivation for embarking on postgraduate study. Are you looking for a career change or to improve your knowledge in a particular field?
Be prepared
The reality is that postgraduate programmes are demanding and fast-paced. In addition to studying, you will still have to perform well at work and make time for your family.
Furthermore, keeping to such a commitment requires a high level of self-discipline and self-motivation.
Do your research, chat with people who have successfully embarked on postgraduate study and make full use of the resources at your place of learning.
Do that and more, and you should have a fulfilling and rewarding postgraduate experience.
High-quality research holds the key to SA’s future
Without the necessary research and support, South Africa’s economic and academic prosperity are doomed to failure.
Research through postgraduate study is likely one of the most important components that can make or break a country’s economy. South Africa will inevitably have to do more to further its levels of expertise, particularly in specialised fields such as engineering, health sciences, natural sciences and accounting.
Without such expertise, a country’s economy can at best function poorly. In essence, it is the role of researchers to come up with novel innovations to eventually make our country more competitive, develop new job opportunities and create wealth.
By doing research, we expand the boundaries of knowledge. If not, our country will not progress and will remain stagnant.
Think about all the research that has been done to date and still has to be done in the field of information technology. It seems never-ending. Cutting edge information research speeds up communication and increases the productivity of businesses and employees, which in turn results in increased turnover and profit, and, consequently, a positive attitude.
If South Africa fails to develop its full research potential, but other countries do, we simply will not be able to continue trading at a competitive level. The upshot will be that more products that can be produced cheaper elsewhere will need to be imported, resulting in domestic job losses.
In a developing country such as ours, researchers are inclined to focus more on research in applications aimed at finding instant solutions for mammoth challenges.
In many instances, we use the basic research of First World countries, make adjustments and apply such research to our unique situation. In the context of a developing country, our researchers are therefore on the right track – for now.
We still have an enormous contribution to make in terms of solving socioeconomic and political issues, development issues, poverty and capacity building. But our research must concentrate more on community research.
The implementation of research, particularly where it concerns community problems, means active involvement with the community, jointly reaching a conclusion and finding a solution to the problem, and possibly moving to a second phase of implementation.
Research outputs in our developing country are not yet in the same class as those of developed countries, for various reasons.
I believe we can do much more to increase quality research outputs. Schools, tertiary institutions, government and the private sector are some of the role players that can take our country’s research to new levels.
Doing this is our duty if we want to establish a better, more competitive, more successful South Africa.
*Professor Herman van Schalkwyk is North-West University’s rector on its Potchefstroom campus
WHY POSTGRADUATE STUDY?
- It offers improved career progression and advancement
- It is a networking platform
- It improves one’s knowledge
- It contributes to SA’s body of research
