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The Benefits of Studying Your Masters Course Online

A Masters degree offers enhanced knowledge, skills and career prospects, but it’s also a major commitment. For many aspiring postgraduate students, the concept of finding balance can seem like an impossible one. This is where online learning comes in. Here’s a closer look at why an online Masters degree may be the perfect fit.

Jul 1, 2019
  • Education
The Benefits of Studying Your Masters Course Online

A Masters degree offers enhanced knowledge, skills and career prospects, but it’s also a major commitment. For many aspiring postgraduate students, the concept of finding balance can seem like an impossible one. This is where online learning comes in. Here’s a closer look at why an online Masters degree may be the perfect fit.

Four Benefits of Doing Your Masters Online

The landscape of higher education is constantly evolving. The introduction of online learning has revolutionized the sector, bringing with it new opportunities for students seeking a Masters qualification.

1. The ability to learn from any location

With online learning, you can pursue your studies from the location of your choice -- whether it be your home, local library or favorite coffee shop. Studying your Masters online also means learning doesn’t have to stop when you’re on the road. Wherever you go, you can take your work with you. Plus, you’ll save time traveling back and forth to campus.

2. Unprecedented flexibility in terms of scheduling

Students are more diverse today than ever before with many of them juggling personal and professional commitments alongside their studies. An online Masters degree allows you to continue to work whilst you study. While this takes self-motivation and determination, it also comes with profound payoffs in terms of positioning you for a faster ascent up the career ladder as most courses will provide you with skills and knowledge you can take directly into the workplace whilst you are studying.

3. Access to more options and opportunities

Gone are the days when students either had to relocate or be limited by whatever opportunities were available near their location. The option to study online smashes these boundaries. In pursuing an online Masters degree, you not only gain access to more potential courses of study, but also to world-leading academics and research centers from wherever you are in the world.

4. Reduced costs

Commuting back and forth to a brick-and-mortar campus isn’t just time-consuming. It’s also expensive. When you study your Masters online, you eliminate these costs. If you were to attend a university outside of your hometown, you’d also incur additional fees related to both relocation and room and board. Online studies spare you these expenses, as well.

The University of Sussex Edge

There’s no denying that online learning has its advantages. However, not all online learning environments are created equal. One university that is distinguishing itself from the rest with its worldwide digital Masters portfolio is The University of Sussex. Offering online MScs in International Marketing, Energy Policy, and Sustainable Development, as well as an MA in Corruption and Governance, Sussex delivers all of the benefits of online learning -- and more.

Sussex’s courses have innovation at their core. Delivered 100% online they offer a flexible carousel model which allows students to start a new module every two months and each course has six entry points a year. Students can also pause their studies whenever necessary*, as well as having the flexibility to study whenever they want, from wherever they want. There are also financial benefits, with students having the option to pay module-by-module instead of for the whole course up front.

Think online learning can’t hold up to traditional classroom learning in terms of rigor? Think again. Online courses from the University of Sussex boast the same academic rigor as campus equivalents and are taught by the same leading researchers and academics. Learning takes place within a bespoke virtual learning environment (VLE), which is accessible 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Teaching is made up of a combination of lectures, which you can join live or access on-demand, seminars, group and individual project work and assessments.

But you don’t have to take our word for it. Take it from the students, instead. Naylette Di Venere, a student on the University of Sussex’s International Marketing MSc (online), says, “Studying online at Sussex gives you the same benefits as a campus student -- library access, student ID, academic support, it’s literally like being on campus every day. I’m thrilled I chose this option, I feel proud to be a member of the Sussex University community.”

Di Venere’s classmate, Digital Marketing Executive Kathryn Huang, adds, “My main motivation for studying the International Marketing Masters was to gain more professional skills and develop my knowledge. The convenience and flexibility of online learning really appealed to me. By studying online I can study and work at my convenience.”

Sussex’s impressive faculty is another aspect which differentiates it from its competitors. Students are taught by world-leading academics and researchers alongside a global cohort of diverse learners. Additionally, all online students have their own dedicated Student Success Advisor who becomes their primary point of contact throughout the course, as well as access to the university’s wider student support services, including specialist online learning IT and library support, career advice and study skills, and even a Health Wellbeing and Counseling service.

Learning online also facilitates the development of transferable skills ideal for today’s digital global landscape, such as the ability to work with people from different backgrounds and overcoming logistics like time zone. In other words, not only do participants have plenty of opportunities to interact with their teachers and peers, but the online context helps them develop unique and sought-after skills for the modern workforce.

The University of Sussex is celebrated for its international excellence and is a Top 25 UK university (Complete University Guide 2019) with a global network of more than 20,000 alumni. Its online courses build on the university's rich legacy with the aim of empowering even more students “to change things in new ways.” Joining this exciting community as an online Masters student can help participants position themselves for optimal learning and career success.

*Maximum study break applies

Article written in association with the University of Sussex.

University of Sussex

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Joanna Hughes

Author

Joanna worked in higher education administration for many years at a leading research institution before becoming a full-time freelance writer. She lives in the beautiful White Mountains region of New Hampshire with her family.

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