Choosing your taught course

At Swansea, we offer several types of taught course in a wide variety of subject areas:

Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert): A postgraduate certificate consists of 60 credits of taught modules and is typically one-year full-time or two to three years part-time in duration. As well as stand-alone postgraduate certificate programmes, some of our taught master's degrees offer the PGCert as an exit point on completion of 60 credits of taught modules.

Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip): A postgraduate diploma consists of 120 credits of taught modules, but unlike a taught master's programme, there is no dissertation to complete. Programme durations vary between subjects, but typically a PGDip would be one-year full-time and two to three years part-time. As well as stand-alone postgraduate diploma programmes, some of our taught master's programmes offer the PGDip as an exit point on completion of the taught modules.

Taught Master's Degrees (e.g. MA, MSc, LLM, MBA): A taught master’s programme is typically one-year full time and two to three years part-time. If you choose to study on a full-time basis, you’ll undertake nine months of taught modules, followed by a three month dissertation or project of your own choosing. Taught master’s degrees are modular in structure and you will have to obtain a total of 180 credits to qualify for the degree: 120 credits from taught modules (Part I) and 60 credits from the dissertation (Part II). You’ll have to successfully complete Part I before being allowed to progress to Part II.

Our taught master's programmes include research and methodology skills courses, and specific departmental training courses which are essential for students both at master’s level or for those wishing to go onto higher degrees. Additional specialised training courses are also available throughout the academic year.

Explore our range of postgraduate taught courses.

We offer a number of conversion courses which are open to graduates of any subject and will allow you to take your studies in a new direction. No previous knowledge of the subject area is required to study on one of these courses.

We offer conversion courses in:

• Computer Science
• Finance
• Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL)
• Management
• Graduate Entry Medicine (MBBCh)

The vast majority of our postgraduate taught courses are available on either a full or part-time basis. Part-time study will allow you to fit your studies around your other commitments, and spread the cost of your tuition fees over a number of years.

Most of our part-time programmes are taught during the day, but some are based around block release or work-based learning. You can use our course search to find a course with a mode of delivery that suits you.

You can apply for the majority of our postgraduate taught courses using our online application portal. There are different application procedures for the following courses:

• Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL)
• Legal Practice Course (LPC)
• Social Work MSc

You can find full details on each course page.

Yes, if you want to:

• Further develop the subject knowledge you gained during your first degree
• Study an entirely different subject area altogether
• Acquire new and specialised skills
• Enhance your career prospects
• Prepare for a research degree

If you don’t think a taught degree is right for you and you’d prefer a more independent, research-led learning style, you may wish to take a look at our postgraduate research programme options.