Higher Educational Institutions of Great Britain

Higher Education in Great Britain

Higher education is provided at universities and polytechnics and other establishments of higher and further education. Polytechnics prepare students for particular jobs in science and industry. Today there are more than forty universities in Britain. The two oldest universities in England are Oxford and Cambridge. These date from the Middle Ages. Oxford is the oldest of these two universities. It pays more attention to philosophy, classical languages and literature. The history of Oxford began in 1249, that of Cambridge – in 1348. Among the English universities Oxford and Cambridge have a special eminence.

All British universities are private institutions. Every university is independent, and responsible to its own governing council. Although they all receive financial support from the state, the Department of education and science has no control over their regulations, curriculum, examinations, appointment of staff, or the way they spend money.

 Each university decides every year how many students it supposes to admit. Most British universities have no special entrance examinations now. Students are accepted on the basis of their result of General Certificate of Secondary Education at ordinary (0) level or advanced (A) level. Minimum entrance requirements for British universities are 5 passes at “0”level and two passes at “A” level. The students receive grants from public and private funds, which provide for the payment of their tuition fees and other expenses.

Most students take jobs in summer for about six weeks, but they do not do outside work during academic session.

Normally it takes 3 or 4 years to graduate from the university. About a quarter of students read science, about a fifth read arts subjects and social studies, a slightly smaller proportion – engineering, medicine and dentistry. Students have lectures and tutorials. Each student has a tutor who is responsible for the student’s progress.

Students of the first, second and third years of study are called undergraduates. Those students who pass examinations at the end of their third or fourth year get Bachelor’s degree. Generally, the B.A. degree is regarded as a preparation for further graduate or professional study. The B.Sc. is regarded as a preparation for immediate professional work. After graduation any student (he is called a graduate then) may get a Master’s degree. This degree is conferred for a thesis based on at least one year’s full time work. But it is necessary for a postgraduate to spend three years carrying out research and writing thesis for getting the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.

 The universities have their own traditions, which they preserve carefully. A student must wear a cap and a gown. It is a custom from the time when students were clergymen. Students correctly dressed have their meals in the college dining room and mustn’t be late for dinner. Sporting activities are very popular.

Many great men studied at Cambridge and Oxford. Among them is Bacon, the philosopher, Milton, the poet, Newton, the scientist, John Galsworthy, the writer. Many prominent Conservative and Labour leaders and ministers, members of the Royal family studied there too.

1. When reading the text about further education in Great Britain answer the following questions:

a) Where can one apply after finishing secondary school?

b) How is the academic year in British universities divided?

c) What marks are necessary to get a place at the university? Are they enough to be admitted?

d) In which areas do British universities differ from each other?

Further Education in Great Britain

After finishing secondary school or college you can apply to a university, polytechnic, college of education or you can continue to study in a college of further education. The academic year in Britain's universities, Polytechnics, Colleges of education is divided into 3 terms, which usually run from the beginning of October to the middle of December, the middle of January to the end of March, from the middle of April to the end of June or the beginning of July. There are 46 universities in Britain. The oldest and best-known universities are located in Oxford, Cambridge, London, Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Southampton, Cardiff, Bristol and Birmingham. Good A-level results in at least 2 subjects are necessary to get a place at a university. However, good exam passes alone are not enough. Universities choose their students after interviews. For all British citizens a place at a university brings with it a grant from their local education authority. English universities greatly differ from each other. They differ in date of foundation, size, history, tradition, general organization, methods of instruction, the way of students’ life.

2. Read the first part of the text about institutions of higher learning in Great Britain. Guess the name of the person in whose honour the most well-known scholarship for students is awarded in Europe nowadays.

Higher Educational Institutions of Great Britain

After three years of study a university graduate will leave with the Degree of Bachelor of Arts, Science, Engineering, Medicine, etc. Later he may continue to take Master's Degree and then a Doctor's Degree. It goes without saying it that research is an important feature of university work. The 2 intellectual eyes of Britain - Oxford & Cambridge Universities - date from the 12 & 13 centuries. They are known for all over the world and are the oldest and most prestigious universities in Britain. They are often called collectively Oxbridge, but both of them are completely independent. Only education elite go to Oxford and Cambridge, most of their students are former public leavers. The normal length of the degree course is 3 years, after which the students take the Degree of Bachelor of Arts or B.A. Some courses, such as languages and medicine, may be one or two years longer. The students may work for other degrees as well. The degrees are awarded at public degree ceremonies. Oxbridge cling to their traditions, such as the use of Latin at degree ceremonies. Full academic dress is worn at examinations. Oxbridge universities consist of a number of colleges. Each college is different, but in many ways they are alike, each has its name, its coat of arms, each is governed by a Master and offers teaching in a wide range of subjects. The largest ones have more than 400 members, the smallest ones-less than 30. Within the college one will normally find a chapel, a dining hall, a library, rooms for undergraduates, fellows, the Master and teaching purposes. Oxford is one of the oldest universities in Europe- the second largest in Britain, after London. The town of Oxford is first mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in 911 AD and it was popular with the early English kings. The university's earlier charter is dated to 1213. There are now 24 colleges for men, five for women and another five both for men and women. Among the oldest colleges are UniversityCollege (founded in 1249), All Souls(1438), ChristChurch(1525). CambridgeUniversity started during the 13th century and was grown until today. Now there are more than 30 colleges. They line the right bank of the Cam. There are beautiful college gardens with green lawns and lines of tall trees. The oldest college is Peter house (1284) and the most recent is Robinson College(1977), the most famous is King's College. The University was only for men until 1871, when the first women's college was opened. That was the first time in Britain woman could get good education officially. In the 1970s, most colleges opened their doors to both men and women. Almost all colleges are now mixed. Many great men studied at Cambridge, among them Desiderius Erasmus (1469-1536), the great Dutch scholar, Roger Bacon(1214-1292), the philosopher, Milton, the poet Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658), the soldier, Newton, the scientist, and Kapitsa, the famous Russian physicist. The universities have over a hundred societies and clubs, enough for every interest one could imagine. Sport is a part of students' life at Oxbridge, the most popular ones are rowing and punting.

3. Match the definitions with the underlined words from the text.

1) Holder of the second university degree;

2) A person who has already finished his studies and got a diploma;

3) A scientific, educational and cultural centre, as a rule it gives higher education to the citizens;

4) Senior students that haven’t got a diploma yet;

5) Having a lot of similar features;

6) A sport which is done on the boats moved by the use of oars;

7) A group in society considered to be superior;

8) To resist stopping the tradition;

9) Producing respect and influence;

10) Holder of the first university degree;

11) Person who has received the highest university degree;

12) Written or printed statement of rights.

4. Divide the text into logical parts, giving a title to each one.

5. Answer the questions:

1) What are the leading British Universities?

2) How long should you study to get a Bachelor’s degree?

3) What is one of the important features of university study?

4) What do these universities tend to do?

5) Who studies at Oxbridge?

6) What are the departments where you should study longer?

7) What is specific about colleges of Oxbridge?

8) What can one find within each college?

9) When is the town of Oxford mentioned first?

10) Who were its first students?

11) How many mixed colleges were there in Oxford in the past?

12) Did the situation change these days?

13) When was Cambridge University founded?

14) What is the most famous college of Cambridge?

15) What can you see inside the College’s campus?

16) What happened in 1871?

17) Name those famous men who are the alumni of these universities.

6. As far as you know there are over forty universities in Great Britain. This extract is about other British universities. What groups of the universities can you distinguish?

The Scottish universities of St. Andrews, Glasgow, Aberdeen&Edinburgh date from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. In the nineteenth and the early part of the twentieth centuries the so-called redbrick universities were founded. These include London, Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Sheffield, and Birmingham. During the late sixties and early seventies some 20 'new' universities were set up. Sometimes they are called 'concrete and glass' universities. Among them are the universities of Sussex, York, East Anglia and some others. During these years the government set up 30 Polytechnics. The Polytechnics, like the universities, offer first and higher degrees. Some of them offer full-time and sandwich courses (for working students). Colleges of Education provide two-year courses in teacher education or sometimes three years if the graduate specializes in some particular subjects. Some of them who decide to leave school at the age of 16 may go to a further education college where they can follow a course in typing, engineering, town planning, cooking, or hairdressing, full-time or part-time. Further education colleges have strong ties with commerce and industry. There's an interesting form of studies which is called the Open University. It's intended for people who study in their own free time and who 'attend' lectures by watching TV and listening to the radio. They keep in touch by phone and letter with their tutors and attend summer schools. The Open University students have no formal qualifications and would be unable to enter ordinary universities. Some 80,000 overseas students study at British universities or further education colleges or train in nursing, law, banking or in industry.

7. Complete these sentences using the information from the extract above. Translate them into Russian.

1) … ,… ,… , ... are the most famous Scottish universities.

2) …, …, … are called “The Redbrick universities”.

3) They were founded in ….

4) … were set up during the late sixties and early seventies.

5) The new universities are also called … or … .

6) The government … 30 Polytechnics.

7) The … offer first and higher … .

8) Colleges of Education usually provide … in teacher education.

9) If you decide to leave school at the age of 16 you may go to … .

10) There you may follow a course in …, …, …, …, or … .

11) … have strong ties with commerce and industry.

12) One of the interesting forms of studies is called … .

13) The students of this university … … by watching TV and listening to the radio.

14) They have no …. . That’s why they are … to enter ordinary universities.

15) 80,000 … … study at British universities.

8. Apart from schools and universities there is another sector, which often gets forgotten – a sort of Cinderella of education system. Read this extract from “British Life and Institutions” and say what sort of learning these establishments give to students. Is there a system similar to the English FE colleges in your country?

Further Education Colleges

In fact, there are almost as many students at further education colleges as at university, and these colleges perform some very important functions.

Some pupils from school prefer not to stay there to do their A levels, but to move to a nearby FE college. Going there has two main attractions. First, there is a wider choice of A level subjects, including Law, Computing and Sociology; and second, there is a much freer, more adult atmosphere than at school.

Another group of pupils – those who are not happy with the academic study involved at A levels, who want to do a vocational course which leads quickly to a job. FE colleges offer all sorts of work-related courses, from Car Mechanics to Dental Nursing, which give students NVQs (National Vocational Qualifications).

Then there are those who leave school at age 16 and go straight into a job, but later on realize that they need higher qualifications. Quite a lot of people in their mid-20s or older come back into education at an FE college and take a one-year Access course; this gets them into university, where they often more successful than younger students because they are more serious and focused.

 FE colleges also offer English-language courses to foreign visitors; in some ways they are a better learning environment than specialized language schools, as the visitors mix with all the British students around them.