Is the UK a good place for studying for a master's?

Hi Jennifer,

I studied abroad for a year in the UK (Stirling, Scotland) for my undergrad and became close friends with a fellow US student studying for her PhD. I received my bachelors and am working on my masters in the US so can compare the two. Hopefully I can help give some clarification if you are still debating between the different countries.

I found my time in the UK to be very valuable. It not only offered me the opportunity to experience another culture and society, but it also allowed me to hear different perspectives and ideas. This has been an enormous benefit for my career as it opens up conversations (such as an ice-breaker for job interviews, "You lived in Scotland? What was that like?") and helps me explore different possibilities on projects. As an International Business major, it furthered my education and understanding of globalization and international corporate cultures. From the aspect of experience, I highly recommend studying in abroad as an international student.

My friend earned her PhD in Psychology and chose to study in the UK for some of the same reasons listed above - the unique experience, differing perspectives and opening of opportunities. She also chose the UK as they typically focus within a college field (aka major) rather than over a wide range of subjects. For example, I am currently getting an MBA at a US university with a focus in MIS. While I have 4 courses out of 12 that focus on information systems, the other 8 cover a range of business topics from organization behaviors to economics to marketing. In the UK, they generally focus more specifically on the major, delving deep into the subject to gain mastery of it and as such would have fewer or none of the 'other' topics. For a masters, this could be valuable as it will help give you more depth within your chosen field.

Like any program, be sure to research the ranking and reputation of a university to determine if it's right for you and your career/life goals. A site that will help give you more information on seeking a degree abroad is International Student. Here's a link for their comparison of the US v. UK universities: https://www.internationalstudent.com/study-abroad/guide/uk-usa-education-system/.

Good luck!