Are you thinking about pursuing further academic training and considering a postgraduate course as one of the possibilities? Find out the advantages and benefits of investing in this type of specialization.
 
Even after a few years of professional experience, it is important to continue to deepen your knowledge. By investing in a postgraduate degree, you will develop new skills, keep up-to-date and define more concrete career goals.
 
Generally speaking, a post-graduation works as a specialization and has variable costs and durations, depending on the course and educational institution you choose. However, on average, a post-graduation can last from a few months to a full academic year, but it does not confer an academic degree. At the end of the postgraduate course, you can apply for a diploma.
 
Regarding ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System) credits, if the post-graduation course lasts only one semester, you are granted 30 ECTS credits; if it lasts a whole academic year, you are granted 60 credits.
 
The Directorate General of Higher Education (DGES) explains that postgraduate degrees also correspond to courses that constitute a part of the master's cycle, but are not sufficient for acquiring the degree.
 

Related article: What is the difference between postgraduate and master's degrees

The advantages of taking a postgraduate course

 
- Besides ensuring the continuity of training in your area, keeping up-to-date, investing in this specialization allows you to create more value for your resume: by doing so you demonstrate that you have the technical knowledge required to perform a particular function.

- Generally, during graduate studies, you acquire more general knowledge about your area of interest, which gives you a more comprehensive view of concepts and ideas that you will use when you are in the job market. A graduate degree, on the other hand, allows you to develop more specific learning, by presenting content focused on a single field of work.
 
- It is an opportunity to grow professionally and allows you to maintain or rise to more prestigious positions within your company, as well as access to salary increases.
 
- If, on the other hand, you want to change your professional area, a postgraduate degree can be the first step to try out other fields that interest you: for example, if you have a degree in communication, you may decide to pursue a postgraduate degree in digital marketing. It is also a good option for those who want to create their own business.
 
It allows you to be more competitive: the more knowledge you have in the field you already practice or intend to practice, the more likely you are to stand out among other candidates who only have an undergraduate degree when applying for a job.
 
You can network: during your graduate studies you will have the opportunity to create a wide network of contacts, consisting of professors, guest speakers, and fellow students.
 

What you need to know before taking a postgraduate course

 
There is no right or wrong time to do a post-graduation course: you can either choose to do this advanced training as a complement to your studies or wait a few years and start only when you already have professional experience.
 
However, it is important to bear the following points in mind:
 
1. To enroll in a post-graduate course, you don’t need to have a completed undergraduate degree however it is recommended (or have a legal equivalence).
 
2. You can take two courses at the same time, i.e. take a postgraduate degree and a master's degree at the same time, for example, if you wish to do so. However, you should be aware of all the effort that both specializations involve and make sure that you will meet the objectives of both.
 
3. The costs associated with post-graduation courses can be high - an MBA (Master Business Administration), for example, in management and administration, can exceed more than 30 thousand euros in Portugal, and between public and private universities the values are very different.
 
If the postgraduate course you want to apply for is beyond your available budget, know that there is available financial support to facilitate access to these training courses, and it is possible to apply for scholarships.
 
At NOVA IMS, postgraduate courses are part of a scholarship program from the José Neves Foundation, the ISAºFJN, which allows students to benefit from a loan to pay the tuition fees, paid directly by the Foundation to NOVA IMS.
 

ABOUT NOVA IMS

 
With more than 30 years of existence, NOVA IMS, the School of Information Management and Data Science at the Nova University of Lisbon, provides a high-level education to more than 3 housand students, including undergraduate, postgraduate and master's degrees. The range of postgraduate and master's degree programs covers a total of 7 areas of knowledge.