english universities
Warren Frey
University of Alberta in Canada. I would like to pursue a master degree
in history in England, but I don't know what the setup is fo universities
in the UK. I mean, obviously there's Oxford (no chance of me getting in
there) and arts schools (Beatle's went to 'em), but what I'm looking for
is something equivalent or better than the U of A. The U of A is, I would
say better than American State schools, but below the Ivy League schools
in terms of quality. Does anyone know of such schools, especially in or
around London? Also, is there a lot of bureaucratic tape I have to cut
through as a foreign national to attend a British university?
Warren Frey wf...@ersys.edmonton.ab.ca
Edmonton Remote Systems: Celebrating 10 years of service to Northern Alberta
wil...@vax.oxford.ac.uk
> Hi. Ive just gotten a bachelor of arts degree in history from the
> University of Alberta in Canada. I would like to pursue a master degree
> in history in England, but I don't know what the setup is fo universities
> in the UK. I mean, obviously there's Oxford (no chance of me getting in
> there) and arts schools (Beatle's went to 'em), but what I'm looking for
If you want to go to Oxford, try it: you may be surprised at how easily they
let people in. (If Oxford does a Master's in History, that is.)
> is something equivalent or better than the U of A. The U of A is, I would
> say better than American State schools, but below the Ivy League schools
> in terms of quality. Does anyone know of such schools, especially in or
> around London?
In London, for History, the L.S.E. (London School of Economics) might be a good
bet; in general the best thing to do is probably pick a subject field, find out
the names of the experts in that field and go for their Universities.
>Also, is there a lot of bureaucratic tape I have to cut
> through as a foreign national to attend a British university?
>
As far as I know, all you have to do is prove that you're bright enough to do
the degree, prove that you've got oodles of dosh (well enough to pay your way
through the course), and Bob's your Uncle. You'll have Universities falling
over themselves to accept you.
Stephen
Martyn Quigley
>Hi. Ive just gotten a bachelor of arts degree in history from the
>University of Alberta in Canada. I would like to pursue a master degree
>in history in England, but I don't know what the setup is fo universities
Why don't you toddle over to your library and take a gander at the
British Universities' Guide to Graduate Study and the Directory of CNAA
Postgraduate and Post-experience Courses. You'll find them in the
reference section, probably at classmark L915.B7 and L915.D56. And
whilst I am in such a helpful mood, for those of you seeking addresses
of miscellaneous people at British universities, just along the shelf
from the two items above you will find the European Faculty Directory
which will give you names and work addresses of all university faculty in,
oh, Europe.
Aren't libraries fun?
Martyn
Matthew Huntbach
>Hi. Ive just gotten a bachelor of arts degree in history from the
>University of Alberta in Canada. I would like to pursue a master degree
>in history in England, but I don't know what the setup is fo universities
>in the UK. I mean, obviously there's Oxford (no chance of me getting in
>there) and arts schools (Beatle's went to 'em), but what I'm looking for
>is something equivalent or better than the U of A. The U of A is, I would
>say better than American State schools, but below the Ivy League schools
>in terms of quality. Does anyone know of such schools, especially in or
>around London?
We generally use the term "University" rather than "School".
"School" is what 5-18 year old go to. There is a pecking order
in British universities, but it's not nearly so marked as in
the USA, so any university would probably give you a reasonable
degree (there are supposed to be checks which ensure that every
university operates to the same standards). The University of
London is probably what would be of interest to you, but it is
divided into several colleges each of which is almost a
university in its own right, and you should apply to the
individual college. There are large numbers of British
universities (several dozen) apart from Oxford.
There was until recently a second-ranking set of institutions,
the "Polytechnics" which also gave degrees but were generally
considered a slightly lower standard than universities, mainly
because they were purely teaching organisations, while
universities did both research and teaching. The distinction is
at this moment being abolished, with the old polytechnics eager
to adopt new names with the title "university" in them. Many of
the "art schools" you mention are in fact part of polytechnics.
> Also, is there a lot of bureaucratic tape I have to cut
>through as a foreign national to attend a British university?
Not really. Most are desperate for income, so as long as you're
able to pay the fees, they'll take you. Many Masters courses in
particular have large numbers of foreign students due to the
fact that foreign governments are more keen to pay for their
people to study here than is our own government.
Matthew Huntbach
David George
>
> There was until recently a second-ranking set of institutions,
> the "Polytechnics" which also gave degrees but were generally
> considered a slightly lower standard than universities,
This all sounds a bit snobbish, Matthew... who generally considers Polytechnics
to offer second class degrees ? Maybe it would be better to draw a distinction
between the kind of education received with universities generally considered
to be more theoretical and polytechnics more practical.
> mainly because they were purely teaching organizations, while
> universities did both research and teaching.
I believe you live in Brighton ? Then you must know that Brighton Polytechnic
carries out a lot of research work in conjunction with industry and has done
for some time. To the best of my knowledge so do other Polytechnics. It is
possible to obtain your doctorate at a Polytechnic.
> The distinction is at this moment being abolished, with the old polytechnics
> eager to adopt new names with the title "university" in them.
They are eager to do this to combat the snobbishness which many are guilty of,
I don't believe they will change the type of education offered.
All this nonsense about which course or university is best is very tiring.
There is no one university which offers the best courses in every subject and
so much depends on what you yourself are prepared to put in to your studies.
David.
Matthew Huntbach
>In article <1992Jun16....@dcs.qmw.ac.uk> m...@cs.qmw.ac.uk (Matthew
>Huntbach) writes:
>>
>> There was until recently a second-ranking set of institutions,
>> the "Polytechnics" which also gave degrees but were generally
>> considered a slightly lower standard than universities,
>
>This all sounds a bit snobbish, Matthew... who generally considers
>Polytechnics to offer second class degrees ? Maybe it would be better
>to draw a distinction between the kind of education received
>with universities generally considered to be more theoretical
>and polytechnics more practical.
Polytechnics? Don't they teach wooodworking to factory boys? :-)
I did say "considered". In fact the polytechnics do receive
less funding than the universities, and receive no set funding
for research. Their intake also generally consists of students
who have not got the A-level grades to get into university.
However, the system of external examiners is meant to ensure
that a polytechnic degree is as good as a degree from anywhere
else. You will find, however, that they award fewer Firsts and
Upper Second than universities.
>I believe you live in Brighton ? Then you must know that Brighton
>Polytechnic carries out a lot of research work in conjunction with industry
>and has done for some time.
I was brought up in Brighton and returned there to do my Ph.D.
(at Sussex University not Brighton Polytechnic (now to be
called Brighton University)). I don't live there now. I am
aware of the research done at Brighton Poly - I even applied
for a research post there once.
>> The distinction is at this moment being abolished, with the old
>> polytechnics eager to adopt new names with the title "university" in them.
>They are eager to do this to combat the snobbishness which many are guilty
>of, I don't believe they will change the type of education offered.
The problem is that it's all part of the government's plans to
get cheap-rate further education, and then boast of how they've
increased student numbers. Watch for the propaganda in a few
years time about how the number of universities has "doubled"
under the Tories, when all they've done is change a few names.
Once the distinction has been lost, the universities will have
their funding levels cut to those of the old polytechnics, and
may have their government research money cut back too. If the
changes actually did mean levelling up, I'd welcome them, but
they don't, they mean levelling down.
Matthew Huntbach