The 5 biggest myths you’ve been taught about postgrad

Myth: I’ll have to give up my life, and my family and friends will be fighting for my time.

Truth: Postgrad study can be a challenge, there’s no tip-toeing around that. But it doesn’t have to be an unhealthy, push-you-to-your-very-limits type of challenge. Fit your study schedule around your life with flexible learning – nights, weekends – and block delivery (also known as 'intensives') which often means classes are taught in fully-catered day and half-day blocks on Fridays, Saturdays and after hours. Giving you the space to study when suits you. 

Hot tip: if you’re employed and your study area is related to your job, talk to your workplace about fitting study into your work schedule – or, even better, taking paid study leave. 

Myth: I’ll be locked in for two whole years of hard slog.

Truth: Maybe! If you’re really enjoying yourself, it might even be longer. But remember: if this is something you’re interested in, you might find yourself in a year or two anyway thinking ‘I’d be done by now’. Expecting life to open up and make room for postgrad is a nice thought, but it may never happen that way. Here’s the good news: it’s up to you how much time you spend on your postgrad study.  

Micro-units are like courses broken down and delivered thick and fast over one day, followed by some offline individual work. And most graduate certificates can be over and done in just six or twelve months, and still look just as shiny on the CV. 

Myth: What if I drop out, and lose all that hard work?

Truth: Postgrad isn’t like other areas of study – we know how hard you work and how much the qualification means to you. That’s why, when you leave a master degree earlier than you planned at Swinburne, you don’t leave without a qualification. 

Depending on your progress, you might leave with a graduate certificate or a graduate diploma. And if that still feels daunting, scale back the commitment. Shorter courses and micro-units can lead to further study and bigger awards when and if you’re ready, so starting small doesn’t mean finishing small. 
 

Postgrad isn’t – or doesn’t have to be – the age-old scary story; buried in books, sleep-deprived, and unanswered texts piling up by the minute. Talk to us about how postgrad study could fit into your life and work for you.