It's not all that common - I don't have the figures to hand but its probably likely the number of those in the UK with Masters degrees is dwarfed enormously by

It's not all that common - I don't have the figures to hand but its probably likely the number of those in the UK with Masters degrees is dwarfed enormously by those with just undergrad ones. That said, I certainly noticed an uptick in post-grad popularity in my cohort of friends (including me!) around 2010, but for us anyway this seemed driven by a tough post-recession job market and a desire to have more directly marketable skills, which a Software Masters provided in relatively short order. I was fortunate enough to study in Scotland where an undergraduate degree is still paid for by the State and Masters are relatively affordable - this is increasingly not the case in the rest of the UK, especially England, so if anything it's likely only going to get less common than it is now.