Published
Programme length, intake timing, cost and post-study options differ across our eight destinations. A structured comparison beats a ranking.
Students often arrive at a destination decision through reputation, then discover that the practical details do not suit them. Comparing a handful of structural factors first tends to produce a better answer.
Programme length is the largest single difference. A taught master's takes one year in the UK and Ireland, and typically one and a half to two years in Australia, Canada and the United States. Over the full cost of study, that difference outweighs most fee comparisons.
Intake timing decides how soon you can start. The UK, Ireland, the United States and the UAE run mainly September and January intakes; Australia and New Zealand run February and July; Malta starts in October. If you are ready now, the calendar may make the choice for you.
Application route matters more than it appears. Centralised systems with fixed deadlines behave differently from direct applications assessed on arrival, and that changes when you need to have everything ready.
Finally, check what you want to do afterwards, and confirm it with the official authority for that destination rather than with a summary. Post-study arrangements change, and they change more often than course structures do.
