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Higher Education in Great Britain
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Higher education in Great Britain is mostly provided by the Universities. At present there are more than 100 universities in Britain. All British universities are private institutions and enjoy complete academic freedom, appointing their own staff and deciding which students to admit. The admission to the universities is by examinations and interviews. The universities determine the length and the content of their courses. However they receive financial support from the state.
The first universities were set up in medieval times, including Oxford (1167), Cambridge (1209), St. Andrew’s (1413), Glasgow (1451), Edinburgh (1582). The two oldest universities in the United Kingdom are Oxford and Cambridge. Both universities comprise many buildings of great beauty and antiquity, near slow-moving rivers suitable for rowing and punting. Oxford and Cambridge have a great deal in common. Each university has more than 30 self-governing colleges and over 20 000 students. The universities are world class in teaching and research in both arts and science subjects.
Central to academic life at Oxford and Cambridge is the tutorial, which is an hour-long meeting between one to three students and their tutor. A great advantage of the tutorial system is the individual attention that students receive. Although there may be one tutorial a week, students are required to spend many hours independently preparing for this and must come to the tutorial fully ready. Undergraduates are usually expected to present an essay, solutions to a set of problems, or some other project. The tutor’s role is to assess this work and, through discussion, help undergraduates to think critically and creatively about their chosen subject. This personal tuition enables students to explore course material in much greater depth than lectures allow and to clarify anything students are not clear about.
The Universities of Oxford and Cambridge (or Oxbridge, as they are jointly called) have produced a large number of the world’s most prominent scientists, writers and politicians, including Charles Darwin, Isaac Newton, Oscar Wilde, Margaret Thatcher, Indira Gandhi, Bill Clinton and many others.
The largest university in the country is London University which was founded in 1828. It is made up of a great variety of colleges with 120,000 students.
The rapid growth of the cities in the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century resulted in the establishment of the so-called ‘red brick’ universities. The origin of the word ‘red brick’ comes from the popular building material of that time. Examples include Bristol, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Sheffield and others. These universities were created to fill local needs, the emphasis was placed on the study of science and technology. Currently they offer a full range of courses.
Higher education in Britain considerably expanded in the 1960s. New campus-based universities were set up at Essex, York, Kent, Lancaster and other cities. The creation of the Open University in 1969 marked the new era in higher education. The Open University is a world leader in modern distance learning. It enables people to study at times and in places to suit them. Information and communication technology plays a big part in the OU study. Students are provided with interactive teaching and multimedia materials. Tutors offer support to students by e-mail and computer conferencing.
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An academic year in Britain usually starts in autumn and is divided into three terms. A typical university consists of a number of faculties: Arts, Education, Social Sciences and Law, Engineering, Biological Sciences, Medicine and Health and others. At the head of each faculty there is a professor. All universities offer students a wide variety of accommodation in the halls of residence, located on the campuses and surrounding areas. Every University has a Students’ Union which organizes recreational activities for students.
The main teaching and assessment methods in British universities are: lectures, laboratory practicals, seminars, tutorials, e-learning, projects and examinations. Engineering degree courses are available in the great majority of UK universities. Most courses last three or four years. The majority of undergraduate degrees are offered as a three-year BEng (Bachelor of Engineering) or four-year MEng (Master of Engineering). One-year postgraduate MSc (Master of Science) degree in specialist fields is also common. UK qualifications in engineering are recognized worldwide.
SKILLS
Exercise 1.
Discuss whether these statements are true or false. Correct the false ones. Use the expressions from the Useful language box below.
1) Universities in Great Britain are private and they don’t receive any financial support from the state.
2) The first universities in Britain were founded in medieval times.
3) Cambridge University is older than Oxford.
4) Each tutor has from five to ten students.
5) London University is famous for its antique way of life and a great variety of colleges.
6) Bristol, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Sheffield are known as ‘red-brick’ universities.
7) New campus-based universities were set up in the 1960s.
8) The academic year in Great Britain starts in summer and is divided into three terms.
9) It takes five years to get a Bachelor of Engineering degree.
10) The only teaching and assessment methods in all British Universities are tutorials.
11) Information and communication technology is essential in the Open University study.
12) UK qualifications in engineering are recognized all over the world.
| Useful language I think so I disagree I’m quite positive about it I’m of the opposite opinion Absolutely right Far from it I agree only to some extent It’s false, I’m afraid Certainly I can’t agree with it |
Exercise 2.
Work in pairs. Imagine that your friend is planning to study in Great Britain. Interview him (her) about the university he (she) wants to choose. Put the words in the questions in the correct order and then complete the dialogue.
A) town / or / you / Do / city / want / a small / to study / in a big?
B) Personally, I …
A) Do / prefer / you / university /or /one / studying / at /a larger/ a smaller?
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B) You know, …
A) you / one / university / an ancient / Do / or / to choose / a new / want?
B) Actually, I …
A) What / will be / activities / to / available /you / academic?
B) I think, …
A) like / What / you / the university / facilities / would / to have / at?
B) It would be great to have …
A) prefer / in University accommodation / sector / Do / in the accommodation /or / you /to live/ in the private?
B) Well, you know, I’d rather live …
A) need / an English / you / language / to study / qualification / Do/ at the UK university?
B) Sure, …
A) is / in / What / the tuition fee/ the British universities?
B) As I know, …
Exercise 3.
Work in groups of three or four to discuss in what ways the system of higher education in Great Britain is similar to, or different from that in our country? Use the headings below and the expressions from the Useful language box to help you.
- the admission to the universities
- the academic year
- the main teaching and assessment methods
- the degrees provided by the universities
- facilities and opportunities offered by the universities
| BELARUS | GREAT BRITAIN |
| If I remember right higher education in Belarus is provided by…including… | As far as I know in Britain higher education is mostly provided by… |
| I know that in Belarus universities admit students after… | If I am not mistaken the admission to universities in Great Britain is by… |
| I know exactly that the academic year in Belarus starts in… and is divided into… | Unlike Belarus the academic year in Britain is divided into… |
| I think that the main teaching methods in Belarusian universities are…. And the students are assessed at the end of each term through…. | It seems to me that British universities also use such teaching and assessment methods as… Moreover the most important teaching method of Oxford and Cambridge is…. |
| Students in Belarus graduate after … years with… | But in Great Britain most courses last … |
| I am sure that all universities in Belarus offer a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees such as…. | It seems to me that the majority of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in the UK are offered as …. |
| As far as I know Belarusian universities support students providing them with… | And British universities offer their students a great variety of… |
Exercise 4.
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