What the published guidance says
Hallam’s postgraduate guidance lists several possible backgrounds for taught study, including certain professional qualifications and a higher education diploma with substantial relevant experience. Its research guidance describes stronger academic preparation and normally a formal research proposal. Full requirements remain course-specific.
Decide whether you want advanced study or a research project
If your goal is a taught master’s, compare the subject content, assessments and entry expectations. If your goal is research, you need a question worth investigating, an approach and an explanation of how the proposed work could contribute. A strong career history does not replace that intellectual task.
Ask about alternative entry where appropriate, but describe the outcome accurately. Admission to postgraduate study does not award a prior bachelor’s degree. Nor does a prior-learning discussion turn employment into an automatic PhD. The institution must decide suitability for the particular route.
An example to think through
An experienced practitioner may have noticed a recurring problem at work. For taught study, the problem could help explain motivation. For a research enquiry, it needs further development into a focused question with a defensible method. The same workplace observation can therefore require quite different preparation.
This is an illustrative preparation example, not a past applicant’s story or an approved assessment outcome.
Three questions to take forward
Am I seeking a taught qualification or a research degree?
What academic preparation can I verify?
If research is the goal, can I explain the question and proposed method?
Availability, costs and ToHave’s role
Requirements can change with the programme, subject, application date and your own evidence. Check the institution’s current information before relying on a route. Admission, academic credit, a complete qualification and professional registration are different decisions.
ToHave can help organise genuine evidence and support a suitable application where permitted. Our service fee is £100 GBP, payable at the end of the work. Any institution charges and agreed external costs are separate. Read the service conditions and costs. The institution decides the academic outcome; our support does not guarantee approval.
Read the official information
Use these two sources to check the details relevant to your own enquiry.