A postgraduate (or post graduate) is someone who is studying a course after completing an undergraduate/bachelor’s degree, and the word can also refer to the course itself.

Simple definition

  • Postgraduate education = any study you do after a bachelor’s degree (for example, master’s, PhD, postgraduate diploma, postgraduate certificate).
  • A postgraduate student = a person enrolled in one of these advanced programs.

In North America, this is usually called graduate or grad school ; in many other countries, the term postgraduate is more common.

Types of postgraduate programs

  • Postgraduate diploma / certificate – Shorter programs that deepen skills in a specific area, often 6–12 months.
  • Master’s degree (MA, MSc, MBA, etc.) – Typically 1–2 years full‑time, combining advanced coursework and sometimes a thesis or major project.
  • Doctorate (PhD and similar) – Research‑heavy, usually several years, focused on creating new knowledge through a thesis.

All of them build on what you learned at undergraduate level and aim at specialized, advanced knowledge.

Why people do postgraduate study

Common reasons include:

  • To specialize deeply in a subject.
  • To improve career prospects or move into higher‑level roles.
  • To change field (for example, from engineering into management).
  • To prepare for research or an academic career.

Employers often see a postgraduate qualification as proof of advanced skills and commitment to a field.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.