A personal statement may be between 500-1000 words but requirements will vary between disciplines and courses. There is no definitive structure, but you may find it helpful to follow our guidelines.

• You may enjoy your subject and want to study it in more depth, make sure this comes across in your applications
• Some occupational areas require further study, e.g. teaching, law and academia
• You've delayed job hunting, but remember that the graduate recruitment cycle starts again each autumn term
• The Careers Blog: Will a Masters get you a job?
• The Careers Blog: Should I do a PhD?

• Postgraduate diploma/certificate - usually one year full time vocational or professional qualifications e.g. law (GDL), teaching (PGCE)
• Taught Master's e.g. MA/MSC or MBA - usually one year full time, but can be studied part time over two years
• Research based Master's/doctorate e.g. MPhil or PhD -3 or 4 years of independent research, supervised by one or two academics. PhDs can also be linked to industry, with a greater emphasis on vocational input (e.g. EngD).

• Appointments - with a careers consultant to talk through your plans
• Graduate Employment Market Statistics (GEMS) - for information on the career paths of Warwick graduates
• Research your options - find out whether postgraduate study will enhance your future employability
• Search Careers & Skills library - for books on further study and funding
• Attend employer presentations, careers fairs and sector events to find out the employer perspective
• If you are considering a PhD, start thinking about possible supervisors and talk to current PhD students about their experience.
• Warwick Postgraduate Study and Research - has information on postgraduate study at Warwick.

• Findamasters.com - search online for Master's opportunities
• Findamasters.com: Postgraduate loans guide
• FindaPhD.com - search online for PhD opportunities
• Postgrad - search for courses and institutions
• Postgraduate Funding - search for small grants e.g. top-up grants
• Postgraduate Studentships - information on courses, universities and student profiles
• Prospects: postgraduate study - including courses, funding, applications and career destinations
• Research Councils UK - for links to all the research council
• Targetpostgrad funding - searchable database for funding by university and course
• The University of Kent: postgraduate study - including choosing courses, funding, study abroad, applications and interviews.