We pride ourselves on the flexibility of our master's programmes, and we're proud to host a vibrant community of full time and part time master's students. The following modes of study are available on our master's and doctoral programmes in Bristol.

Full time

Under this mode of attendance, you will take twelve months to complete your master's programme. You will join the programme in September, and begin by undertaking your taught units in the autumn, spring, and (in some cases, dependent upon programme of study) summer terms. You will work on your dissertation from the spring term onwards, and submit the dissertation in early September.

The time commitment required to undertake our master's programmes is dependant on your individul circumstances.  Each 20 credit point unit has 20 hours of teaching plus individual study time and time to write the assignment. You will be charged a single annual tuition fee, which covers the entire cost of the programme - further information about tuition fees can be found within the Academic Registry's information regarding tuition fees.

Part time study is available to British citizens and to nationals of European Union member states only. Unfortunately, Home Office regulations mean that we cannot offer part-time study to any overseas student who requires the University of Bristol to act as their sponsor for Tier 4 visa purposes (this will normally apply to you if your home country is not a European Union member state).

Two modes of part-time study are available to eligible students:

Part time over two years (P50)

You will take two years to complete the programme, normally beginning in September. Most students aim to complete 60-80 credits in the first year, enabling time in the second year to be focused on the dissertation.  You will be expected to submit your dissertation in September, two years after initially registering on the programme.  

You will be charged an annual tuition fee in both your first and second year; each year's fee will be approximately half of the full-time fee, so the total cost of the programme is roughly equivalent, regardless of mode of study. Further information about tuition fees can be found within the Academic Registry's information regarding tuition fees. Please note that fees normally increase by approximately five per cent each year.

Part time over three years (P33)

You will have a total of three years to complete the programme, normally beginning in September.  You will complete all of your taught units (normally during your first two years on the programme, although there is some flexibility to undertake some of your taught units in your third year of study) before progressing to the dissertation.  You will be expected to submit your dissertation in September, three years after initially registering on the programme.    

You will be charged an annual tuition fee in each year; each year's fee will be approximately one third of the full-time fee, so the total cost of the programme is roughly equivalent, regardless of mode of study. Further information about tuition fees can be found within the Academic Registry's information regarding tuition fees. Please note that fees normally increase by approximately five per cent each year.