Higher Education in the United Kingdom

There are many academic institutions in the U.K. that make up the system of higher education.

The universities have traditionally been regarded as centres of academic learning, in contrast to polytechnics, which have focused on vocational (work-related) education. However, this distinction has gradually disappeared. Nowadays both types of institutions run similar courses to equally high academic standards.

You can also study at degree level at colleges of higher education. These institutions are generally smaller than universities, and tend to concentrate on more specialized fields of study, such as education, art and design, music and drama.

Each UK university and college has its own identity and traditions. There may be campus and non-campus universities. In a campus university the accommodation, libraries, lecture theaters and seminar rooms are concentrated in one area of the town or city. At a non-campus university or college, the departments and facilities are spread out across a wider area.

Entry to the institutions of higher education is by selection, usually based on examination grades, and is competitive in most subjects. The most common requirements for entry into establishments of higher education are General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) and A-levels.

The general pattern of teaching and learning on full-time courses of higher education is a mixture of lectures, seminars and tutorials, essays, exercises and tests.

A lecture is given to a large group of students. It is a talk on a certain topic of study which lasts about an hour. The titles of lectures are usually available at the beginning of each term, so that students have a chance to find out about the subject before the lecture. Seminars usually consist of a group discussion of ideas and opinions about a particular field of study. Once or twice a term, students will have a tutorial. This means that they see a tutor alone to discuss their work and their progress.

Each university and department has its own method of assessment. Most universities and colleges still use some form of written examinations. These can last up to three hours. Students have to answer three or four questions in an essay form. In general, progress is measured through a combination of course work, dissertation and final examinations.

When they first arrive at college, first year university students are called “freshers”. Often freshers live in a Hall of Residence or near the college campus. They may move out into a rented room in their second or third year, or share a house with friends.

Traditionally, the academic year is split into three terms – autumn (late September/early October to mid December), spring (January to late March/early April) and summer (April to mid July). The year begins with Freshers’ Week – a week of music, entertainment and activities designed to introduce new students to student life.

The first degree titles are Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Science (BS). First degree courses are called undergraduate courses. Many students wish to enhance their first degree with further study in a particular vocational or professional area. In Britain there are thousands of postgraduate courses.

A great number of courses are taught at Master degree level. The title of the degree may change depending on the subject studied. The most common are MA (Master of Arts), MS (Master of Science), MBA (Master of Business Administration) and others. These courses normally last for a full calendar year and include coursework (lectures, seminars, tutorials). The postgraduate student may be asked to complete a project or carry out research work in order to produce thesis or dissertation. If you wish to study for a doctorate, the master’s degree will be an entry requirement in most universities and colleges. Doctoral degrees are awarded for original research, followed by a presentation and defense of a thesis. People can take PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) degree in both arts and science subjects. A doctorate can take four years or more to complete.

For seven hundred years Oxford and Cambridge Universities dominated the British education. Oxford has 38 ordinary colleges for men, 1 for women. Each college has a dining-hall, a chapel and residential rooms. At the beginning of each term (there are three terms in the Oxford academic year) a list is published showing all the lectures being given during the term within each faculty. Every student can choose which lectures he will attend. Attendance at lectures is not compulsory.

Cambridge University has more than 30 colleges today. The oldest of them is Peterhouse which was founded in 1284, and the most recent is Robinson College which was opened in 1977. The University was exclusively for men until 1871 when the first woman’s college was opened. Almost all colleges are mixed now, they open their doors to both men and women.

Scotland had four universities, all founded before AD 1600 (Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, and St. Andrews). Wales only acquired a university in the twentieth century. The first English university after Oxford and Cambridge (sometimes referred to as Oxbridge) was Durham, founded in 1832. The University of London was founded a few years later in 1836. During the nineteenth century institutions of higher education were founded in most of the biggest industrial towns, like Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield (sometimes called the Redbrick Universities).

In 1967 the Open University was set up. As the university is truly “open”, there are no formal entry requirements. Students are accepted on a “first come, first served” basis. Most of the students work at home or in full-time jobs and can study only in their free time. The students are of all ages and come from very different backgrounds. Some, such as teachers, want to improve their qualifications. Others, like retired people or mothers whose families have grown up, are at the Open University because they now have time to do something they have always wanted to do.

So, the variety of educational opportunities in the UK is enormous.

(Adapted from the Internet sites)

3.2 What new facts have you learnt from the text?

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