The British Higher Education

There are over a million students in the British higher education. The Government aims to have widened access to the point where 1 in 3 young people goes into higher education. All Britain’s universities enjoy complete academic freedom. They appoint their own staff and decide what and how to teach.

The tradition of excellence dates back to the Middle Ages when Oxford and Cambridge Universities were founded. The rest of Britain’s 47 universities were set up in the last 200 years. First degree courses usually last 3 or 4 years. The OpenUniversity is a little different, because it relies on distance-learning.

England and Wales’s 34 polytechnics tend to be more vocationally-oriented than universities. Many polytechnics have close links with business.

At university or polytechnic people study for a degree. In general, the first degree is awarded after 3-4 year study and success in examination. It is Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts (B.Sc. or B.A. in short). If the graduate is awarded Honours it means his or her degree is of a higher standard than ordinary pass. After another year or two of study and second degree, an M.A. (Master of Arts) or M.Sc. (Master of Sciences) is obtained.

Finally, if they undertake research work and produce a thesis, after another few years, they can receive the third, highest level degree, the Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy).