What kinds of cultural and educational transition do Chinese students experience, as they study for a twelve-month M.Sc. programme in the UK?

The trend of the massification of UK Higher Education (HE) during the past two decades in particular has been established. The specific growth in the international student population, as part of this process, has led to a high influx of overseas students, with the predominant sending nation being China. It is important to research the experiences of individual Chinese students on a 12-month taught Master’s programme, as prior literature had largely focused on Undergraduate and MBA students. Furthermore, the educational immersion of Chinese students in a one-year Master’s course has specific cultural and educational ramifications, which warrant further research. The cross-sectional nature of this study enables student voices to be heard at key junctures over time and for their individual transitions to be analysed. The specific contribution of this research is the creation of a synthesis to represent the particular experiences of Chinese Master’s students, using the theoretical frame of Goffman.