22 | FOREVER Keele
A spotlight on Postgraduate Study at Keele
Keele University offers a range of postgraduate taught and research degrees , both in person and online . Postgraduate students are central to our learning community , where our rural campus community provides an environment that is focused , relevant and mature .
Emma Price , Postgraduate Student Recruitment Manager ( UK ), talks to PhD candidate Amy Blaney ( pictured ) about her time as a postgraduate student at Keele University and how her postgraduate degrees have enhanced her career prospects .
Emma Price : Tell us about yourself and what you ’ ve studied at Keele
Amy Blaney : I arrived at Keele in 2018 when I returned to study for my MA in English Literature . I decided to remain at Keele to undertake my PhD in English and am now in the final stages of writing up my thesis , which is provisionally entitled ‘ King Arthur in British Literature , 1660-1830 ’.
EP : How did you find the transition from your undergraduate to postgraduate degree ?
AB : I had an 11-year break between completing my undergraduate degree and starting my MA , so it was a little bit daunting ! I was worried that I would be a lot older than the other students on my course , and that I would find it difficult to make friends , especially as I would be commuting and wouldn ’ t be living on campus . It was a pleasant surprise to discover that Keele ’ s postgraduate community is so diverse and that there were lots of students who , like me , had returned to study after a break .
My MA course was very intense and a definite step up from undergraduate , especially in terms of the amount of reading and independent research required . However , I had lots of support from my tutors to help me adjust . I also went to training sessions run by the Library and the Academic Skills team , which really helped me get used to systems and technologies that hadn ’ t been available when I was an undergraduate .
EP : And how about the difference between studying for your master ’ s and PhD ?
AB : Oddly , the transition from MA to PhD didn ’ t feel like quite such a leap . By the time I completed my MA , I had already managed a small research project ( a 15,000-word dissertation ) and had undertaken two modules