Hi,

I'm kinda new around here :$...

I was wondering if you are able to access the UK university ranking tables for postgraduate studies? kinda like how you can with the undergraduate degrees on 'The Times' websites?

Because I was curious to see which university was best to study postgrad social sciences...unless one of you guys can tell me..?!..

Hope you know what I mean, thx in advance :)

There are loads of threads on this, if you use the search function on the front page? I'm afraid I can't remember any websites off the top of my head, but you should be able to find the last RAE results somewhere, which are by Department. Also think about your potential supervisor, and facilities...

I think that you will find ranking tables here http://www.hero.ac.uk/, but be aware that the RAE was last published in 2001 and there is a new one due out sometime soon for 2008 so the university rankings are likely to change.

Rankings are one thing but like the previous post says you have to think about supervisors etc., I would also suggest looking into student satsifaction surveys to see what the universities are like in terms of facilities, support etc.

Kipo - that ranking is a load of c*ck as it will not tell you the main things i.e. what is your supervisor like to work with, what the area is like etc. Not saying it is an entirely bad thing but personally, I would start emailing the universities where you would like to be located and then work from there. Being happy in your location is worth much more than going to a top notch college who focus on getting publications rather than actual research and getting PhD's done.

It might sound as if I am lazy, but these rankings don't tell the whole story. Looking for the right place demands a bit of hard work and actually contacting potential supervisors in person. A few searches of websites and a few diplomatically worded emails works wonders. You will have to do a bit of travelling to see the potential campuses (think of yourself as being a young soccer player considering the big move to the new club ... something akin to Julio Geordio from the fast show :p

It really does come back to what you want and realistically most colleges will deliver what you want. Remember - you will probably be stuck in your PhD for 4 years, so ya gotta get the important things right. I would use the ranking to eliminate colleges at the bottom end, but bear in mind, many colleges are branching out into new areas so would have a low ranking anyways. These colleges may have enthusiastic staff which is priceless and more enjoyable to work in.

A few people may disagree with me, but that is the nature of the forum I suppose. Good luck with the searching and don't let the ramblings of a bitter ol' man put you off - I just think that basing your decision on the rankings is not advisable.

Sound comments there bonzo.. I think the nature of the staff, the university and city itself along with the actual project should have a greater influence over rankings.

Hi, just want to say thanks for the replies, i was more curious to see it thats all, but yeah i agree that it shouldnt be about the rankings but dont you get curious to see how your university is doing compared to other unis..?..

Always remember: The higher ranking an university has, the more they exploit students. Period.

Ha! You reckon?

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There isn't much point in thinking about it too much in the short term, if you're already studying somewhere.



You can either:



1. Feel smug that you're at a high ranking uni and your experience reflects that.



2. Get depressed because you're at a lower ranked institution, everything really is crap, but you're stuck there for the time being.



3. Be amazed at the huge discrepancy between the official ranking tables and your own experience of the place, in which case the whole ranking system seems completely bizarre and not terribly useful - see Bonzo's comments earlier.

Rankings are generally rubbish and just loosely reflect the general traditional hierarchy of universities. Kipo, I wouldn't overly concern yourself with them. Universities may move up and down the tables, but generally the status quo remains.

The new RAE ranking will be an interesting read as they will break down the quality of research in every department on a proportional basis, and not just give a blanket 5* or whatever. Now we'll know that while half of a department is 5* quality, the other half is complete crap etc. Of course from a student point of view, this is helpful...if I were a faculty member, I'd very concerned about this.

There are no rankings for postgrad studies, the nearest is to check where the uni is ranked in terms of subject, although it's not accurate it's a rough estimate.

Hi, someone mentioned student satisfaction surveys as a way to get a better idea about a place. Any idea where I can get these?
Sxx

For the NSS try this:
http://www.hefce.ac.uk/learning/nss/

Remember students are 'urged' to give positive feedback.

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The dept I was at for my first degree got 5/5 for this but that wasn't my experience at all!

The actual percentages of postgrad students giving feedback at our uni have been so small that they are statistically rather unrepresentative. As new students keep on applying, they presumably base their decisions on factors other than league tables and student surveys.