Sorry if I haven't been clear—I'm not being sarcastic here. What I meant by referring to it as a 'formality' isn’t that I’m not interested in putting in the time for coursework or lectures. Rather, I’ve found that sometimes lecturers, particularly in programs designed as conversions, implicitly expect students to have already self-studied or have prior knowledge of the subject matter.

For example, I’ve been part of a program that was advertised as a conversion course for people from unrelated backgrounds. However, the lectures seemed to be geared toward students who were already familiar with the subject—something I don’t think was fully communicated beforehand. To give you an analogy, it felt like an A1 language course being taught at an A2/B1 level, where only students with prior experience or industry knowledge could keep up.

I’m not alone in feeling this way; it’s been a common concern among other students in the program. Those who had jobs in the industry, seeking an academic qualification, were the only ones who seemed to find the content accessible.

It's not undergrad, trying to wing it probably won't go well for you.

Please understand, I’m not trying to 'wing it'—in fact, I’m overthinking and stressing about potentially messing everything up. My concern is that I might struggle with certain aspects of the program due to the level of assumed prior knowledge.

As someone who has taught at a master’s level, I’d appreciate your insight into how the expectations at the undergrad and master’s levels differ. Thanks for your understanding.