During the year 2021, more than 80,000 people in Chile enrolled in postgraduate diplomas, master’s, or doctorate degrees in order to specialize in different areas of expertise. If you are also considering enrolling in a post-graduate program, these five tips may be helpful for you.
Continuing to study after a pregraduate degree is a decision more people are choosing to undertake. According to data provided by the Higher Education Information Service (SIES), there were 80,189 men and women in Chile who completed a post-graduate diploma, master’s, or doctorate program in the year 2021.
Of that total, 34% of students opted for post-graduate diploma programs, 58% opted for master’s degrees, while the remaining 8% chose to pursue the highest academic degree awarded by a university: a doctorate.
When comparing these figures to those of 2020, which had a total of 60,946, a notable interest can be seen amongst those living in Chile who are deciding to pursue additional studies. However, choosing which postgraduate program is not always an easy decision, which is why we have outlined some guiding tips.
Define your goal: whether it is to get a better job or to specialize in a certain area, it’s important to define the purpose behind your decision to enroll in a postgraduate program. Once you have this laid out, you will be able to move on to the second step.
Analyze the labor market: acquiring new knowledge can be enriching, however, understanding the labor market is also important. When you have already decided on which graduate program you want to do, it is recommended to evaluate the projected trends in your area of interest in order to prepare for the market’s future needs.
Organize your time to study: usually, those who decide to undergo a postgraduate degree have dual work and family responsibilities. With this in mind, it may be worth considering programs that adapt to your schedule, such as evening programs and/or blended or online programs offered by different institutions.
Consider the financing: many institutions nowadays offer scholarships or financing opportunities for their students. Check out the different options offered by each academic institution as well as their pricing and payment methods. Additionally, some companies may contribute financially towards their employees’ studies as a way of investing in their professional development.
Compare course curriculums: much like undergraduate degrees, postgraduate diplomas, master’s or doctorate degrees may have different areas of focus depending on the university. In order to choose the specialization that best suits your requirements, you should review and compare the curricula of different institutions to get a point of comparison.
Source: EducaLT (information only available in Spanish)