Welcome to your MA at Kent! An MA is a professional degree programme, which requires a step change in how you approach your studies. Your dissertation will be a major goal for this year, in addition to thinking about what comes next – your first job or a further research degree. As you begin this exciting new chapter in your studies, here are a few general thoughts:
Reflect on and refine your goals. Think about why you decided to pursue an MA, what the connective threads are in your previous educational experiences, and what your values are. Use those to guide your independent research plans. Additionally, the modules you take as an MA student will deepen your knowledge of the ancient world, while also giving you a chance to hone your research skills.
Balance time for your studies and time to think about “Life after Kent.” Applying for jobs and further study can feel like a full-time job, and you already have a full-time job keeping up with your studies. If you are planning to pursue a PhD immediately after your MA, you will need to have a PhD proposal drafted by the beginning of the new calendar year. Organise your schedule so you’re not prioritising one thing at the expense of another and make time to enjoy your MA.
Go beyond your comfort zone. It’s especially important to push yourself intellectually, especially when you’re working on a long project like an MA dissertation. You will need to embrace new ways of thinking and develop your analytical and critical skills. Enjoy this time to deepen your understanding and re-energize your love of learning.
Get started on your Dissertation early. Starting at the beginning of your MA, carve out a little time to work on your dissertation every week. For example, you might make Friday your “research day.”
We’ve put together this timeline and resource guide to help you connect with people who can help you make the most of your MA.
Autumn Term
Engage deeply in your compulsory modules. We’ve set them up to ensure that you get a solid introduction to the skills you need to develop this year.
Attend the research seminars! This is vitally important to your success as an MA student. While you are now trying to deepen your knowledge in intensive study, you also need to stay connected with the broader developments in the field. Additionally, research seminars are an excellent place to see where current debate is focused and how seasoned scholars approach a research question or the ancient material. You can learn a lot by observing academic conversations.
Whether this is your first year at Kent or not, spend some time getting to know academics in the department who have research interests related to your own. Have a look at the staff pages; these are the people who will be writing your references for jobs or future study. Talk to these people before or after research seminars, visit them during office hours, or invite someone to have coffee to ask questions about their research, talk with them about your interests, and discuss topics for your dissertation.
Use the CLAS Dissertation Guide and Moodle page to familiarise yourself with departmental goals and expectations regarding research. The MA Dissertation convenor will organise a few group sessions over the course of the year to help keep you on track, but you’ll need to create an independent work timeline for yourself, in consultation with your supervisor or another mentor who will help you stay on track. Make sure you use the Assignment Survival Kit (ASK).
Create study groups! You are taking fewer modules to free up time for your dissertation, so create a buddy system of people you can talk to about any number of things from how to use the online database, to how to format a footnote, to what exactly Alexander was doing when he crossed into Afghanistan. Part of the fun of doing research is sharing with other people the exciting and curious things that you discover along the way.
Meet with the Career and Employability Service to explore your options, create a plan, and continue to develop your resume. Look at their events page (they usually hold a careers festival in mid-October). If you have any questions about further study in Classics, now is a good time to touch base with the Director of Postgraduate Studies as well as other postgraduate students to see what is possible. Explore and apply for PhD opportunities at Kent and elsewhere. If you’re thinking about a conversion course in computing, law or any other number of subjects, talk to the Director of Postgraduate Studies and see what Kent has to offer.
Sign up for a SLAS Dissertation workshops, and keep track of your assessments for your modules using the Assignment Survival Kit (ASK). Review the guidelines for acknowledging sources as you do your research.
Get involved in a student society or two, and take up volunteering activities on campus and in the community. These are important opportunities to build your leadership skills and prepare you for life after uni.
Spring Term
Submit written work to your Dissertation supervisor in line with the deadlines you determine together. Make sure that you’re looking at the CLAS Dissertation Guide and Moodle page for advice about what you should be doing when, and how to make the most of your experience.
Meet with employers for recruiting and networking; contact the Career and Employability Service if you need more information or help.
Summer Term
Meet with employers for recruiting and networking; contact the Career and Employability Service if you need more information or help.
Connect frequently with your supervisor about next steps with your research. This is a challenging time when you begin to stand on your own feet, but you also need to make sure you seek advice as your progress. It is especially important to talk to your supervisor about what their plans are over the summer. The summer period is a time when academics turn to their own research and are often unavailable because they are on dig sites and research trips, attending or organising conferences, or just taking a much-needed break after the end of the academic year. You will need to plan your submission of work to your supervisor accordingly.