As a Royal Holloway graduate, you will get a 15% discount on tuition on our full range of more than 150 courses, from traditional taught masters courses to research programmes. Come along to our Open Evening on Wednesday 30 May from 6-7.30pm in the Moore Building Auditorium to discover more about postgraduate study. Register now.
We recently met with Sophie Harrison who is studying a Masters in Consumer Culture, Consumption Culture and Marketing, to discuss why she selected Royal Holloway for her postgraduate study, after studying for her undergraduate degree here.
What encouraged you to pick Royal Holloway for your postgraduate study? What is it about your subject which interests you?
I chose Royal Holloway for postgraduate study as I was an undergraduate here, and I enjoyed my experience so much that I wanted to stay on. What I really like about my course is that it’s completely different to any other management and marketing course out there – it brings in a bit of sociology, which I really enjoy, but it also has all the core skills you need to know for marketing.
Could you tell us a bit about the course? What have you been studying, what modules are you particularly enjoying?
Over the course I’ve been studying a range of different aspects – everything from consumption and sociology; so why people buy things, why people engage with markets, to more core skills; so how to use marketing communications, and why people might buy different goods and services. It’s been really interesting, and I think it’s also been helped that I’ve been studying it part time, which means I’ve been doing it over two years which has been suitable around my work.
Can you tell us more about studying part time?
I have chosen to study part-time mainly because I’ve always been interested in postgraduate study after doing my undergraduate at Royal Holloway, but also as I wanted to make sure that it was suitable around my work. So to gain those relevant management qualifications to take me to the next step to be a line manager or a senior manager this course was completely perfect. Royal Holloway has been a great place to study a part time Masters. They’ve been extremely supportive – all of the tutor’s I’ve had have been really helpful and flexible around my work.
What are your particular research/ study interests and how does Royal Holloway help with those?
So I started my part time course being really interested in sport. I’ve always done sport at Royal Holloway, but I wanted to take that even further. I'm looking at consumption practice and why people engage with sport, especially women’s sport. Over the two years my interests have developed through all of the amazing courses available. I'm now working with Paulie McClaren on how the Tudors are an iconic brand and her study around royalty.
Could you tell us more about the facilities at Bedford Square and Senate House?
I’ve been over to study at the London campus and it’s amazing! The spaces for research or group work or even meetings have been really fantastic. There’s always a good range of facilities there in case you need an old cup of caffeine to get you through your research. Senate House is also great - the books on offer, all of the resources there, especially the online access that you can get when you’re on campus at Royal Holloway or off campus has been pivotal to my research this year.
Have you had any guest lecturers/ industry speakers / work experience during your studies?
One of the main benefits of the course is some of the guest speakers we have access to. In one of our classes we had someone come in an talk about their research on Centre Parcs, which was actually quite interesting, but over the summer we have lots of different marketing experts coming in to talk about a number of different industries, from sports to the arts. It’s really insightful and a lot of our contacts in the department have been really helpful to get different guest speakers in.
What do you hope to achieve in the future, why do you hope to achieve it, and how has Royal Holloway helped you to get there?
What this course has enabled me to do is to pursue a career in marketing. I didn't gain the relevant skills I needed in my undergraduate so by doing this postgraduate course, and the blend of different options in sociology and marketing skills, it means I'll be able to pursue a career in marketing, especially in sports.
What do you enjoy most about being a student at Royal Holloway?
One of the best things about being a student at Royal Holloway is the buzzing social life on campus. The student experience here is second to none. We have a range of amazing sports clubs - anything from Women’s Rugby, all the way to Chess. It’s great – there’s so many different options you can do and all the facilities here are amazing. It’s even nice to be in leafy old Egham, because you’re close to Windsor but also London so it’s a really lovely campus environment.
How does postgraduate study differ from undergraduate study?
The main difference between postgraduate study and undergraduate study is the level of work you have to do on your own. Looking into different topics and researching on my own is something I’ve really enjoyed this year. But it’s definitely a step, if you want to take it, that you can manage. All of the tutors around you are really helpful, and the levels of work that you do complete is a lot shorter, it’s just more frequent.