Postgraduates finding job success - graduate jobs

Figures have shown that many students are returning to university to study for a postgraduate qualification.

More than 270,000 students headed back to the lecture hall in 2007/08 in a bid to dodge the recession-battered graduate job market, figures from the British Library and the Higher Education Policy Institute found.

The figures showed that demand for master's degrees was up almost 30%, while 9% more PhD students also enrolled for studies.

The paper, Postgraduate Education in the United Kingdom, also revealed that those investing in postgraduate studies were more likely to be in relevant employment three and a half years after graduating. It said 94% of postgraduates found work in the professions, compared to 78% of undergraduates.

This was backed-up by claims from the Higher Education Careers Services Unit that during the recession masters graduates experienced lower rates of unemployment than those with an undergraduate degree. Carl Gilleard, chief executive of the Association of Graduate Recruiters, said that the right postgraduate qualification can enhance a candidate's CV.