Why choose University of Staffordshire?

Explore our postgraduate courses

Thinking about further study? Did you know those with postgraduate qualifications are more likely to have the skills that employers crave, earn a higher salary and feel their job uses their expertise?

Join University of Staffordshire and we'll help turn possibility into professional success.


Alumni discount - save up to 25% on fees

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Future focussed learning

Accredited courses, designed with employers for real-world impact

Gateway to the professions

3rd in the UK for career prospects (Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2025)

World-leading research

Overall, 68% of our research is "internationally excellent" or "world-leading" – and 87% of our research impact is "outstanding" or "very considerable" (REF 2021)

Inspirational staff

Including leading experts in their field and experienced practitioners

Affordable and centrally located

Excellent transport links and top 10 for affordable living – in the heart of the UK

Study your way

With flexible study options you can build a postgraduate programme to suit your individual needs, and our team of expert lecturers are on hand to support you every step of the way.  Whether you choose an on-campus or distance learning course, you'll be part of an inclusive postgraduate learning community collaborating with other like-minded students.

Full-time on campus

Full-time study is the traditional route where you'll be part of our lively campus experience. As well as attending lectures, you can make full use of a range of facilities and study spaces. You’ll have a set number of contact hours per week and independent study time.

Part-time study

Part-time study is a great option if you want to fit study around other commitments. You’ll have access to our experts and on campus facilities at the times that you attend. Your time commitment and duration of course will depend on the course intensity.

Blended learning

Blended learning is a flexible option where you’ll study through a mix of both on-campus and virtual learning, supported by independent study.

Distance learning

Distance learning allows you to study entirely online so you can fit it around your personal and work life. You'll learn through online lectures, course materials and have access to a virtual learning platform and lots of resources. You'll collaborate with other students online in discussion boards and class chats where you can share ideas and experience.

 

A young female student wearing a denim jacket is smiling standing outside the Catalyst

Want to join us on campus?

We offer postgraduate courses across all three of our campuses. Stoke-on-Trent is our main campus offering a broad range of subjects, facilities, support services, and student venues.

Stafford campus is home to the Centre for Health Innovation, specialising in healthcare within a close-knit community of professionals.

Our London campus at Here East, is a buzzing tech-focussed hub featuring creative and innovative businesses, perfect for making industry connections. Postgraduate courses in games, computing and business are available University of Staffordshire London.

Careers and personal development

As a postgraduate student, you’ll have the chance to gain industry experience and build your professional portfolio. 

Opportunities include internships and consultancy projects, where you could be working with a company to help them innovate or improve their processes. You’ll be able to draw on our huge network of connections locally, nationally and internationally.

To help you achieve your professional ambitions, we also offer all-year round careers support. This includes: one-to-one career mentoring and coaching, exclusive job fairs and employer events, and access to a careers portal advertising 4,000 job opportunities annually.

You can also find roles across a range of sectors through our recruitment agency, Unitemps.

Visit Unitemps Explore careers and graduate support

 

Meet our academics

Dean Northfield, Senior Lecturer is standing in the Science Building

Dean Northfield - Senior Lecturer in Digital Forensic Investigation

Dean has worked on everything from murder investigations to large-scale drug importation cases. As a digital forensics expert with West Yorkshire Police, he has helped prepare evidence for court. He's a Senior Lecturer at University of Staffordshire, teaching digital forensic modules.

"The course brings together forensic, computing and law staff, who have a mixture of experience as practitioners and academics. They know the industry and have the contacts. There’s also our Staffordshire Forensic Partnership. It opens up student opportunities for visits, small projects, volunteering and real-world research.”

A headshot of senior lecturer in Animation, Monireh

Monireh Astani - Senior Lecturer in Animation

Having worked as a visual designer, storyboard artist and concept artist, Senior Lecturer Dr Monireh Astani embodies the versatile skills of an animator. She began her career in her native Iran. After completing a PhD at Maynooth University in Ireland, Monireh joined the animation team at University of Staffordshire.

"Animation is an ever-evolving platform and requires creativity. A lot of other universities do media studies, where they look at animation, but I wanted to find a place that focuses on animation and then brings in other media. The programme here is one of the strongest in the UK. We do drawing, sculpture and stop-motion. There’s also the digital part. You can put on a VR headset and start creating animation in a 360-degree environment."

Headshot of academic Joe Hazzam wearing a suit

Joe Hazzam - Associate Professor for Digital Marketing

Associate Professor Joe Hazzam moved to Stoke-on-Trent and found a real sense of community. With the pick of UK universities, he chose University of Staffordshire. 

"I love the place. It's about the people, who are so friendly."

Joe teaches on several courses, including Digital Marketing Management, and is Deputy Director of a research centre. His own research papers have been published in top journals and he’s delivered masterclasses to more than 300 SMEs. These industry contacts mean students have access to placements and internships. They can also work for an in-house marketing agency, where they support businesses.

Specialist facilities

Real-world, practical and industry-defining. Get hands-on with our professional equipment and digital technologies, which will help you prepare for your future career from day one. You could be putting your skills into action in our simulation spaces, from presenting cases in our mock courtrooms to treating patients on our hospital wards.

  • Want to grow as a creative practitioner? Inside our Motion Capture Studio, you can create live action sequences and map movements onto CGI models
  • See yourself as an engineer specialising in AI and automation? Work with our collaborative robot to understand how technology is transforming everyday tasks for humans
  • Want to advance as a forensic scientist? Analyse evidence in our specialist labs to learn about fire accelerants, entomology, drugs and fibres
  • Set your sights on becoming a psychologist? Use our eye-tracking software, pain lab and driving simulator to understand human physiological responses

    Motion Capture Studio

    Realistically capture multiple human movements simultaneously for the creation of high-quality games, animation and VFX sequences. Our industry standard facility features a 24-camera rig, Vicon hardware and Cara facial performance capture headset. Read more

    The Motion Capture Stage is located in the Cadman Building, working alongside The Smart Zone. This facility hosts sessions that show students how to set up and prepare shoots at a high industry level. The sessions provided give in-depth information that covers each stage, from preparation to exporting data for use within a project.

    Our MoCap Studio is used by students from a wide range of subjects, including Film and Media, Games Design, Animation, Drama, Sports Therapy and CGI and Visual Effects. 

    Find out more about our Motion Capture Stage.
    Watch video

    Psychology Human Sciences Suite

    The Psychology Human Sciences Suite has an impressive array of laboratory equipment which includes the Electroencephalography (EEG) Laboratory, the Pain Laboratory, and the Cardiovascular Laboratory. Read more

    Find out more about our Human Sciences Suite. 

    Immersive Technologies

    This collection of rooms and resources allows for exploration and development with Virtual and Augmented Reality technologies. Read more

    Find out more about our Immersive Technology Facilities.
    Watch video

    Cyber/Biometrics Lab

    Our Cyber Lab contains dual screen PCs bound within a dedicated isolated network. Our in-house developed virtual machines and environment enables several types of cyber protection to be developed, and ethical hacking investigations to take place. Read more

    Find out more: Networks and Cyber Security. 
    Watch video

    Science Centre

    Our £30 million Science Centre in Stoke-on-Trent contains specialist laboratories with the latest state-of-the-art equipment. Read more

    Find out more about our Science Centre Facilities. 

    Criminalistics Facilities

    The equipment housed in our Criminalistics Laboratories enable our students to analyse a wide range of physical evidence including fingerprints, footwear marks, glass, paint, documents, tool marks and firearms evidence. Read more

    We also have a DCS5 Fingerprint Imaging Workstation, Comparison Macro- and Microscope, a SuperFume Room, Visual Spectral Comparators and an Evidence Store, which equips our Forensic graduates with the skills and knowledge needed for future employment.
    Watch video
    Explore all technical facilities

What our students say

Stand out from the crowd and you grasp the opportunities our University has to offer. Follow the experiences and success stories of our postgraduate students and be inspired to achieve great things.

Headshot photoshoot of masters student Danny Rogers, who is smiling and wearing a white graphic tshirt

Danny Rogers - PGCE Secondary Physical Education

"You’ll be more than just a number here. You’ll get individual support and that’s massively important. For me, it’s also been about personal development. My course has involved a lot of time on placement. If you’re planning to do a Masters, I would recommend getting industry experience. With a placement, you’re getting your name out there – it can be who you know, not what you know. The lecturers have industry connections as well, so use that.

Comparing who I was at the start of my postgraduate course to where I am now, I feel like two completely different people."

Danny's top tips for starting postgraduate study
A female student with long hair and wearing a white tshirt is standing confidently smiling for a photo

Aneesa Rauf - MSc Digital Marketing Management

"The transition going from undergrad to postgrad was smooth, even with a couple of years' gap. It was like I never left. I have been able to get hands-on experience using tools and software I wouldn't have access to outside of uni. My placement has given me the opportunity to utilise my skills in real time.

Alongside that, I have grown in confidence within myself and my work, and I have been able to make connections within the industry."

Postgraduate stories

Hear from our students about their journeys from undergraduate to postgraduate study and why they decided to do a masters degree.

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Invest in your future

Find out more about the cost of postgraduate study, and finance options including:

  • Masters and doctoral loans
  • Bursaries and scholarships
  • Government grants
  • University of Staffordshire alumni discount

Discover postgraduate fees and funding

What's next?

for Career Prospects

Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2025

for Social Inclusion

The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2026

for First Generation Students

The Mail University Guide 2026

of Research Impact is ‘Outstanding’ or ‘Very Considerable’

Research Excellence Framework 2021

for Facilities

Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2023

of Research is “Internationally Excellent” or “World Leading”

Research Excellence Framework 2021

Four Star Rating

QS Star Ratings 2021