Meaning & use

postgraduate

adjective·Academic

Relating to study undertaken after completing a first university degree.

See it in a sentence

She enrolled in a postgraduate program to earn a master's degree in economics.

Postgraduate students often conduct original research under a faculty advisor.

A note on using this word

In American English, 'graduate' often replaces 'postgraduate,' as in 'graduate school,' though both terms are understood internationally.

Words with a similar meaning

graduate

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

undergraduate

Another way to use it

2. noun

A student who is studying for a degree beyond a first bachelor's degree.

Several postgraduates presented their research at the university conference.

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