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The African Master’s Degree Obsession: When Education Becomes Academic Tourism

By Chris Vincent Agyapong

Chris-Vincent Agyapong talks about the African master’s degree obsession—when education becomes academic tourism. He starts by sharing his own credentials: two master’s degrees in Law, both earned in the UK. The second was funded with a £10,000 student loan—not because he couldn’t afford it, but because a friend advised him to use the loan strategically and invest his own money instead. That decision paid off. Interestingly, he didn’t need either of the master’s degrees to practise law. He pursued them purely out of intellectual curiosity and because he could afford to.

What concerns him now is the growing trend among Africans, especially those back home, who are fixated on obtaining master’s degrees they neither need nor can fund. For many, it’s not about career advancement or solving real skill gaps—it’s about chasing prestige, even when it leads to more debt and no real career progress.

He notes how often people reach out to him—Facebook acquaintances, distant relatives—asking him to sponsor their master’s programs. But when he digs deeper, he finds the same story repeated: no work experience since their first degree, no clear career direction, and no funding plan of their own. They’re simply hoping that adding more letters to their name will change their lives.

This, to him, is where education turns into academic tourism. People treat master’s degrees like passport stamps—collecting them for the prestige, rather than for any practical career purpose. And instead of earning the opportunity, they beg others to pay for it.

Chris contrasts this with how education is approached in places like the UK and US. There, people typically work first, then pursue a master’s if and only if it aligns with a clear professional goal. They pay for it themselves or take responsible loans, knowing they’ll have to repay them. The mindset is about return on investment. In many African contexts, however, people chase degrees with no job, no plan, and no accountability.

A master’s degree makes sense when you’ve worked, spotted a specific need, and are pursuing a program that addresses that. It doesn’t make sense when you’re unemployed, jumping into a program like International Relations without any roadmap or realistic ambitions. If your first degree didn’t land you a job, a second one won’t automatically change that. And if you’re asking for money to pursue it, you’re not just unemployed—you’re financially unprepared.

Chris’s message is blunt but true: education is an investment, not a decorative label. Get a job. Gain real-world experience. Save your own money. Then pursue further education if and only if it adds value to your journey. Otherwise, you’re just dressing up your CV while your bank account stays empty. A master’s degree won’t replace hustle, and nobody owes you the funds for your academic vacation.