The period preceding my journey to Glasgow was at the same the most agitated and tranquil I have had in a few years. Between applying for a visa, browsing accommodations, getting everything ready for my travel, and the overall excitement for the new experience, one of my biggest concerns was what to expect from the course in academic terms. 

You should know that I am studying MSc Global Migrations & Social Justice and although I continued somewhat in touch with research and academia since my graduation in 2022, I was mostly dedicated to my work until coming to Glasgow. I also graduated in Law previously and was a lawyer, so the shift was not only from a pragmatic law firm scenario to one more academic, but also from the way Law and Sociology are taught and learned.

I introduce this context for two reasons, the first being to say that making this type of change is both feasible and rewarding as you can learn the different approaches that have important connections. The second is to briefly highlight how I prepared for such a change to a more academic environment in a different field. Foremost, and as you may have already done before choosing your programme, it is important to navigate the specific webpage and learn of which subjects you will be required to do and some recommended optional course; these are all available on the university website. This will give you a better understanding of expected learning outcomes and how it will be run generally.

A second step I took was browse through the reading list of the core courses and pick a few of those publicly available online to skim a few pages. It was very useful to understand which authors were being relied on to structure the course, the types of approaches in the selected readings, and see a broader logic between these readings and the learning outcomes. Of course, reading full articles just like that, out of the blue and without an introductory presentation of the course by each lecturer, can be pointless to anything other than personal curiousity. I did however conduct a few searches on some of the authors to see common topics in their publications, where they were from, and any information that allowed me to better understand the pathways in each course. 

One final step is more appropriate if you are changing the field of study as I did, which was ready a few complete articles on my programme's theme - migration - but as approached in Law. It was very useful because it reinserted me in a more academic environment from a standpoint which I was more familiar. Working like a bridge between both experiences, I could grasp a few relevant topics and understand major debates that crossed the theme in both Law and Sociology, which gave me more confidence to start the programme. Naturally, actually starting is very differeny from any preparation you may take, but I would generally advise you to work with whatever suits you best to get this sense of familiarisation, grasping on general aspects without expecting to learn too much beforehand. After all, this is what the Master's is all about ...

 

First published: 28 April 2025

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