Before choosing a postgraduate programme, make sure you do your research and know exactly what you are taking on. Linda Daly reports

In his budget speech last year, the Minister for Finance, Brian Cowen TD, made a commitment to the establishment of ‘Fourth Level Ireland’, which means a €1.2bn investment in the promotion of research and innovation in the higher education sector between 2006 and 2010.

Postgraduate study is already becoming more popular, with one third of graduates in the Republic of Ireland enrolling in further study each year. In January and February every year, exhibitions inform students of available study options and offer them an opportunity to develop contacts with programme providers, thus giving them a head start on the road to postgraduate life.

An example of the increasing popularity of postgraduate courses is the success of the Postgradireland fair, which has been held in the RDS for the past four years. The first year saw 33 colleges exhibit. This year that figure had risen to 102. Colleges from all over the world are now coming to Ireland to nab our students.

“We’re finding there is a huge demand for students and it has been said that Irish students are much more clued in and focused on what they want to do,” says Louise Simpson, event co-ordinator with GTI Ireland, which hosted the fair on behalf of the Association of Graduate Careers Services in Ireland in February.

However, Simpson stresses that students still need to do a lot of research before deciding on a course. This is backed up by Bob Kavanagh, head of graduate studies and research at Dublin Institute of Technology.

“The first thing that someone should do is basic research — look at what options are open to them. Overall, people do a lot more checking nowadays than they ever did, but I would say they need to be absolutely sure they’re picking the right area,” he says.

Simpson continues: “I would recommend that students go to the careers office in their universities and pick up a free Postgrad Ireland directory. It gives careers advice on each sector and is a really useful publication. They can also go to www.postgradireland.com and research what courses are going on during the year, the culture of the college and what they’re moving to.” Graduates can also talk to the academic staff of the relevant institution, who will provide lots of information.

After deciding on a career, students must decide which type of programme they want to undertake. Postgraduates have a choice of two very different kinds of programme — taught and research — and depending on their likes and dislikes, they will choose one or the other.

Opting for a taught programme — usually a certificate, diploma or masters — is one way to go. There are more than 1,000 such programmes at postgraduate level. Many of these are designed for new graduates, but others are more suitable for those who have gone further down the line in their studies.

Seamus McEvoy, head of career services at University College Cork, says: “They need to treat it like a project that they research, look at the options and talk to past students. Some 80pc of graduates of postgraduate courses will go directly into employment, so it’s important that they choose wisely.”