MSkills

The full programme of Mskills workshops can be found on the PDMS booking system which has the most up-to-date information about which workshops are running and in what format. Workshops go live for booking 5 weeks before the workshop date.

MSkills is a suite of workshops designed for Taught Postgraduate students. The programme addresses the core skills and development areas relevant to Masters level study and is built around the University’s 20 graduate attributes.

To learn more about what is means to study at Masters level, visit our What is ‘mastersness’ page.

MSkills programme:
To see current MSkills workshops click onto PDMS and chose ‘Taught Postgraduate’ from the drop down menu on the right.

Orientation

A number of events run in orientation week to welcome you to the St Andrews Postgraduate community and give you to opportunity to learn more about the support available to you throughout your studies.

Postgraduate Taught Welcome events

• Recorded: Tuesday 5 September 2023, 2pm to 3pm (online, booking required)

Postgraduate Writing Support

A number of resources are available through CEED (Centre for Educational Enhancement and Development) and the Academic English Service to help you gain confidence in academic writing at Masters level.

Taught Postgraduate writing workshops

A series of live workshops run across the academic year that aim to introduce the core elements of writing at Postgraduate level and grow your confidence in tackling academic style and argumentation. You can attend all of the workshops in order, or pick-and-choose the content most useful to you. All workshops run online. Workshops include: Critical thinking, Fundamentals of writing, Introductions and conclusions, Planning writing, Sources and argumentation, Editing and proofreading, and Dissertation writing for success!

All workshops run online and can be booked through the Mskills programme on PDMS.

Postgraduate Academic Writing Skills online course

Support for academic writing skills can be accessed through the Postgraduate Academic Writing Skills: Foundations course on Moodle. This series of short videos aims to build confidence in the key areas of academic writing, from crafting an effective introduction to finding your argument and editing your work.

Dissertation Boot Camp

Towards the end of your studies, you may be required to produce a Masters dissertation. Dissertation Boot Camp is a friendly, motivational two-day writing retreat aimed at helping Taught Postgraduate students write their dissertation or summer research project.

The event will be a supportive opportunity to write and produce a lot of text (or code!) rather than learning about writing.

Over two days we will look at generative writing techniques, motivational strategies and you’ll have the option to participate in desk yoga. The majority of the time will be focused quiet work, with a separate social breakroom available all day. Applications open in May 2024.

Academic English Service

The Academic English Service (AES) offers free workshops and tutorials for students who use English as a second or additional language. AES also provides online resources open to all student to help develop English language and communication skills. The EAP toolkit contains more than 100 lessons which you can access by self-enrolling yourself on the course’s Moodle homepage.

1:1 study support

This strand aims to equip you with the key academic and study skills that will make your academic life easier. CEED offers 1:1 appointments to any Masters student who needs some help with academic and study skills. For example, time management, essay writing, citation and referencing or academic reading. We also offer 1:1 appointments for any Masters students who need support with the maths and statistics element of their course.

IT skills

Masters students can develop their IT skills during their year in St Andrews by studying online for their Microsoft Office Specialist qualification. There’s a MOS information session early in semester 1 to find out more.

Saint Skills Award

Saints Skills Awards are designed to help you develop and talk about the skills employers want.

There are two awards:

• Saints Skills Builder Award, for developing new skills
• Saints Skills Spotlight Award, for talking about your existing skills

Both awards are open to all students, in any year of study and will be recognised on your degree transcript.