Prospects International Email Facility
This year (09-10), as part of the SSPS Marketing Strategy, we have taken out a
subscription with international Prospects the postgraduate recruiters. This
subscription includes access to the Prospects international email facility.
International in this context means anything outside the UK. We also have access to
the UK email facility via SRA for the first part of the year.
This facility allows us to email potential applicants who have signed up to receive
Prospects emails and are actively looking for UK PG study. In July 09, there were
104,281 registrants to receive PG emails, of whom 49,391 are in the UK.
We strongly encourage all Programme Directors and other relevant members of staff
to make use of this facility.
To do so, please send text to Cristyn King (cristyn.king@ed.ac.uk) in the Graduate
School Office who will submit it to the Prospects email facility (via an online form).
Please also contact Cristyn King in the first instance if you wish to make use of the
UK Prospects email facility.
Emails could include (but not be limited to) the following types of information:
 Launch of new Masters Programmes
 Information about applying/places still available
 funding opportunities & scholarships;
 employability information;
 positive statistics (e.g. about employment);
 news (prizes, well-known new members of staff, significant seminar series,
etc);
 RAE results;
 dates of open day,
 etc.
The emails go out with the name of the School & University, a short subject line
(called ‘opportunities’), and a longer text of up to 80 words.
Prospects suggest a ‘drip drip drip’ approach, with short emails being sent throughout
the year. Prospects can track how many web clicks we get from the emails. We can
choose the targets to receive the emails, based on criteria such as subject of
previous study, subject interested in for PG study, and geographical region.
The message will link back to our web advert. You can see this in the online version
of the Prospects book, at http://www.nxtbook.com/gp/gp/pguk_0910/#/108 As the
advert is for the whole School and we have many Programmes to promote, it simply
lists the names of the programmes and gives the url of the Graduate School
homepage.
Two sample messages are included at the end of this document.
1
THE EMAIL
Please provide the following:
TEXT
 Subject Line (‘opportunity’)
 Department (SA/C or School)
 Message Text – max 80 words. NB you may wish to include the programmespecific website in the message text as well.
 If you wish, also please supply a contact name, email address and/or tel no.
DO YOU WANT THIS EMAIL TO BE TARGETED?
If so, the options are:
1. by current subject of study / subject of qualification held (you can send
to none, some or all of the following).
NB all the major headings break down into specific subject areas. I have not
listed them all here, but given what I think are the most significant for Social
Science & for some of the Arts & Humanities. If you would like to target by a
subject area not listed here, please either contact me to ask what the others are
or let me know what you’d like to target and I will choose the best fit.
BUSINESS STUDIES, ECONOMICS, SOC. SCI. & LAW
Includes:
Anthropology
Community/Youth Studies
Education
Politics/Government/Public
Administration
Social Administration
Social Work
Sociology
Other Education and Social
Sciences
Business and
Management Studies
Economics
Law
Other Business Studies,
Economics & Law
Information Science
Other Librarianship and
Information Science
History
Philosophy
Theology & Religious
Area Studies
Linguistics
Literary Studies
Media Studies
Modern European
Languages
Modern non-European
Languages
ARTS & HUMANITIES
Includes:
PHYSICAL MATHEMATICAL & APPLIED SCIENCES
ENGINEERING
LIFE, MEDICAL & AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES
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2. By Postgraduate Research/Study Interests
You must pick at least 1 interest. Below is the comprehensive list of all the options
on the Prospects database
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
Classical & Historical Studies
Language & Literary Studies
Performing Arts
Art & Design
Urban & Land Studies
Education & Social Sciences
Business Studies, Economics & Law
Librarianship & Information Science
Physical & Chemical Sciences
Earth & Marine Sciences
Mathematics & Computing
Material Sciences
Biological & Life Sciences
Food Sciences
Agricultural Sciences
Medical & Related Sciences
Mechanical & Production Engineering
Process Engineering
Civil & Structural Engineering
Electrical & Electronic Engineering
3. By World Region
You can target the email to all, some, or none of the following (a comprehensive list
of all the options given on the Prospects database)
North Europe
West Europe
East Europe
South Europe
North America
South America
Central America
East Asia
South East Asia
South Asia
Central Asia
Far East
Middle East
North Africa
South Africa
East Africa
West Africa
Australasia
Hints & tips

Use the word ‘Masters’ in the title rather than ‘MSc’, as not all recipients will
know what an MSc is. Good idea too to mention ‘one year taught
postgraduate programme’, or somesuch, as ours being 1 year can be a
selling point in the States.
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
Don’t be shy of selling (the city of) Edinburgh as a destination.

Emails can be general (e.g. promoting the degree) or specifically targeted
(e.g. if you have scholarships for applicants from a particular part of the world.
Antonia Kearton
On behalf of the PG Marketing Group
October 2009, updated March 2010
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2 sample messages
Sample Message 1
From: University of Edinburgh
Opportunity: Scholarships for Masters in Nationalism at Edinburgh
Department: Graduate School of Social and Political Science
OSI/FCO Chevening / University of Edinburgh Scholarships are
available to students from Georgia, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Palestine and
Syria undertaking our Masters in Nationalism Studies. This intensive
one-year interdisciplinary programme gives you an opportunity to
study in small groups with leading specialists in the field, based in
Scotland's beautiful capital city. Scholarships provide tuition fees,
a living stipend and return air travel from the scholar's home
country.
Application deadline: 5 February 2010. Learn more at:
http://www.sps.ed.ac.uk/pgt/msc_nationalism_studies
Contact name: Dr Jonathan Hearn
Contact phone: +44 (0)131 650 4242
Contact email: j.hearn@ed.ac.uk
Link to my Prospects Graduate UK advert order no 0034074
*********************************************************************
*
The message will be sent to this target audience:
*********************************************************************
*
Include academics
Include regional careers advisors
Include regional counsellors
To students of all subjects
Interests:
Classical & Historical Studies(A1)
Language & Literary Studies(A2)
Education & Social Sciences(B2)
Regions:
Central Asia(W12)
Middle East(W14)
*********************
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Sample Message 2
From: University of Edinburgh
Opportunity: New Masters in Global and International Sociology
Department: Graduate School, School of Social and Political Science
We are pleased to announce the launch of the new MSc in Global and
International Sociology. This one-year Masters programme is for
anyone interested in globalisation and transnational relationships or
who wants graduate level training in sociology from a global
perspective. Bursaries are available. If you come to study Sociology
at Edinburgh you will join a community of world leading experts and
vibrant postgraduate student community, in one of the world's great
cities. Read more:
http://www.sps.ed.ac.uk/pgt/msc_global_international_sociology
Contact name: Angus Bancroft
Contact email: angus.bancroft@ed.ac.uk
Link to my Prospects Graduate UK advert order no 0034074
*********************************************************************
*
The message will be sent to this target audience:
*********************************************************************
*
Include academics
Include regional careers advisors
Include regional counsellors
To students of all subjects
Interests:
Education & Social Sciences(B2)
To students of all regions
*********************************************************************
*
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