This year, we’ve had increasing number of students making complaints about the lack of support on integrated master’s courses.

Integrated master’s courses are four years long. They’re more common in sciences than in arts and humanities, and students sign up for them on their UCAS applications. As an integrated master’s student, you spend three years as an undergraduate, and your fourth year as a postgraduate, and graduate with an MA or MSc.  

There are currently over 200 integrated master’s students studying at UEA, and most of them are on courses such as MPharm, MChem, or MNatSci.

When integrated master’s students are in their master’s year they’re just given the same support as they were as undergraduates. They are rarely supported in the transition period, and aren’t given the provisions and guidance they need for this higher level of study.

At the moment, integrated master’s students are…

• Asked to pay tuition fees rates of £9000 per year, instead of the lower fees offered to postgraduate students (such as the £7,300 for MSc Environmental Sciences)
• Not given rights to postgraduate study spaces in the library
• Only allowed to take books out of the library for 2 weeks, not 6 weeks like other postgraduates
• Often not invited to induction weeks for masters students. This is a missed opportunity to meet new students and find out about the support available to students on masters courses

As Postgraduate Education Officer, I represent the academic interests of integrated master’s students. I am demanding that the university steps up and give these students the support they need, and that all students completing a master’s year are treated fairly.

If you’re an integrated master’s student, and you want to share your experiences, complaints or ideas, contact me on [email protected].