Version 1.0 - Last Updated: 25 Oct 2023

Creating a postgraduate master’s course

Course duration


The course duration options you can use depend on the course type and domicile.

The following sections will cover the course duration options for: 

  • full-time courses
  • part-time English courses
  • part-time Welsh courses

Full-time courses

Full-time postgraduate master’s courses for England and Wales can have a total duration of 1 or 2 years.

When you create a full-time postgraduate master's course for England and Wales, you can select the number of months (12 to 24) from the Duration dropdown.

This image shows the Duration dropdown on the Course Details screen.

Once you've selected the duration and saved the course, both the year and month durations will show. This is because some other systems are still using the year value.

This image shows how the course duration is displayed once it has been saved.

For Northern Irish students, the course duration can be between 1 and 3 years. It is the same for part-time postgraduate courses.

You can find more information on postgraduate courses for Scottish students in the Scottish postgraduate courses chapter.


Part-time English courses

You can set up a part-time postgraduate master’s course with a duration of 1 or 2 years full-time equivalent.

You can also set it up with 2 or 3 years fixed duration if there's no full-time equivalent course. 

You must only use the '2 years full-time equivalent' option if you offer a 2-year full-time version of the course.

The courses can be studied as follows:

  • part-time courses with a duration of 1 year full-time equivalent – will be studied over 2 years
  • part-time courses with a duration of 2 years full-time equivalent – will be studied over 3 or 4 years
  • part-time courses with a duration of 2 years no full-time equivalent – will be studied over 2 years
  • part-time courses with a duration of 3 years no full-time equivalent – will be studied over 3 years

If you're offering part-time versions of your full-time courses, students must be able to complete the part-time version in no more than twice the time it takes to complete the full-time equivalent. Otherwise, it cannot be a designated course.

For example, if a you offer a 1-year full-time course part-time over 3 years, the 3-year part-time version cannot be designated. You must not add non-designated courses to CMS.

You can find more information about designated courses in the SFE PG Masters Guidance chapter on the SFE practitioners website.


Part-time Welsh courses

As of academic year 2018/19, you can set up part-time postgraduate master’s courses for Welsh-domiciled students with a duration of 2, 3 or 4 years.

If a course has a full-time equivalent, you should enter the duration as the duration of study in academic years, and not the full-time equivalent duration. For example, if a one-year full-time equivalent course is studied over 2 years, you should enter the course with a 2-year duration:

  • enter part-time Welsh courses studied over 2 years as 2 years no full time equivalent
  • enter part-time Welsh courses studied over 3 years as 3 years no full time equivalent
  • enter part-time Welsh courses studied over 4 years as 4 years no full time equivalent

Since 2018/19 you have the option to select a 4-year duration for Welsh students.


Validation

CMS shows all duration options, but you cannot save a course with a 1 or 2 year full-time equivalent duration designated for Wales.

You will get an error message that you cannot save a course with this duration and Welsh designation.

Likewise, you cannot save a course with 4 years no full-time equivalent duration designated for England.