Higher Education in the UK
Education system in the UK is reputed to be among the best and is respected all around the world as it offers flexibility in academic understanding and career opportunities. It has an excellent combination of traditional excellence with innovative styles of teaching. Apart from having a world-class education system, students who study here have a chance of meeting with people of different nationalities, sharing backgrounds and exploring new perspectives.
Higher education is provided by three main types of institutions: universities, colleges and institutions of higher education and art and music colleges. Most universities are divided into faculties which may be subdivided into departments. Universities in Britain greatly differ from each other in date of foundation, history, tradition, size, methods of teaching, way of student life, etc. The Universities of Oxford and Cambridge date from the twelfth and thirteenth centuries and the Scottish Universities of St. Andrew’s, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Edinburgh from the fifteenth and sixteen centuries. All the other universities were founded in the nineteenth or twentieth centuries.
All British universities are private institutions. Students have to pay fees and living costs, but every student may obtain a personal grant from local authorities. If the parents do not earn much money, their children will receive a full grant which will cover all the expenses. In the UK about one-third of all students go on to some form of higher education and this number is well over 50% for students from Scotland. This makes competition for places very fierce.
UK higher education offers two main levels of study: undergraduate and postgraduate.
Students apply to study for an undergraduate degree through the University and College Admissions Service (UCAS), a central government agency that coordinates applications for every university. Students may make 5 choices on their UCAS form. Wide ranges of degree courses are available, which provide skills for a variety of jobs or further study. Candidates are accepted on the basis of their A-level results.
In the UK most undergraduate degree programs take three years to finish. Some courses, such as languages or medicine, may be one or two years longer. Besides, the “sandwich course” is increasing in popularity, which is four years and involves one year in the work place (normally in the third year). In Scotland the courses are four years in length for undergraduate programs. Some universities have adopted the credit-unit or modular system of assessment. University teaching combines lectures, practical classes (in scientific subjects) and small group teaching in either seminars or tutorials.
Types of degrees include: Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Science (BSc).
Students who obtain their Bachelor degree (graduates) can apply to take a further degree course. There are two different types of postgraduate courses — the Master's degree (MA or MSc), which takes one or two years, and the higher degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), which takes two or three years.
A Master’s degree in the UK may be research based, a taught course or a combination of the two and will prepare students for a particular career or for a doctorate qualification, and are offered in a variety of fields.
Answer the questions.
1) What is the education system in the UK respected for?
2) What are the three main types of higher education institutions?
3) What do the British universities differ in?
4) Do the students have to pay fees?
5) How do the students apply to study for an undergraduate degree?
6) How long does it take to get Bachelor’s degree?
7) What are the main postgraduate courses?
Match numbers (1-3) to letters (A-C).
Sandwich Courses
2) First Degree Courses in Arts and Sciences (Bachelor's degree)
Postgraduate study
A... are normally of three or four years' duration and are largely taught courses, sometimes including the preparation of a short written thesis.
B… are where the coursework is accompanied by practical work. A student could either complete 2 years of college, then a year of commercial training before returning for a final year in college. Or, he/she could do a 4-year course with 3-6 months’ training interspersed each year. The main advantage is that the student gets real experience while in the learning mode. Most universities offer this type of education.
C… may take the form of an independent piece of research under supervision or a taught course, and leads to a variety of degrees and awards. The taught courses normally last for one or sometimes two years. Completion of a doctorate normally takes a minimum of three years.