Preparing for your studies

Postgraduate taught modules, credits and student workload

Postgraduate programmes of study are organised on a modular basis. At the beginning of the academic year you must register for the appropriate modules specified in your programme regulations and select from any options available.

Postgraduate students take modules with a total weighting of 180 if they are aiming for a master's degree. The figure is lower for those aiming for Certificates and Diplomas. Each module typically has a weight of 10, 20 or 30. This is the number of credits you will be awarded on passing the module.

The notional learning time for a 10-credit module is 100 hours, representing the time on average you will need to spend on the whole range of learning activities, including for example lectures, tutorials, private study, preparing coursework and sitting examinations. The total notional learning time for a Master's student is 1,800 hours.

In a one-year full-time programme your workload will be distributed as evenly as possible but this will depend on the precise arrangements for your programme and you should consult your programme handbook for more details about this. Further information about module weightings, content and assessment components (exams/coursework) can be found in the Module Specification.

Programme specifications

Programme specifications and module specifications are published for each programme of study. You will be kept informed of significant changes which may affect your programme. The University's general regulations provide the framework for all programmes.

Changes to module specifications are subject to University approval procedures. Schools/Departments are discouraged from making any changes to module specifications during the semester when the module is running, or in the period immediately before. Where this cannot be avoided, the School/Department may be required to seek the prior agreement of students registered on the module in question, at the discretion of the relevant Associate Dean (Teaching).

Schools should consult students about changes to programme specifications which will affect them in their future years of study. Such changes are subject to University approval procedures, including, in the case of major changes, approval by Senate.

Any other questions?

If you have any questions about the details of your master's degree, including reading lists and contact lists, please contact your school, department or institute directly. Contact details can be found at the bottom of each course page.

Doctoral researchers

For more specific information for doctoral researchers (PhD, EngD and MPhil candidates), please visit the Doctoral College Essential Information pages. Here you will also find the Doctoral College Handbook, with lots of useful information for the current intake of doctoral researchers. 

You can also find useful information about Loughborough Doctoral College and your PhD experience in our Doctoral Experience guide.

Loughborough campus

Based on the Loughborough campus, Graduate House is a social space and workspace for master's and PhD students, as well as mature undergraduate students studying at the University.

Through Loughborough Doctoral College, you'll benefit from an extensive doctoral training programme, alongside our suite of activities designed to support you at every stage of the doctoral process. We link with other specialist support services across the University, such as the Careers Network, to give you access to help and advice and work with colleagues across academic schools to attract external funding to support doctoral study. 

Any other questions?

If you would like to discuss your PhD topic or your start date, please contact your supervisor directly. For more general questions, please contact your school, department or institute using the details at the bottom of each school page.