Образование в англоязычных странах
University education
The are 44 universities (not
counting the Open university*) in Britain. Although the Government is
responsible for providing about 80 per cent of universities’ income it does
not control their or teaching nor does it have direct dealing with the
universities. The grants are distributed by the University Grants Committee, a
body appointed by the Secretary of State for Education and Science.
The Universities of Oxford and
Cambridge date from the twelfth and thirteenth centuries and the Scottish
Universities of St. Andrews, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Edinburgh from the
fifteenth and sixteen centuries. All the other universities were founded in the
nineteenth or twentieth centuries.
There are five other
institutions where the work is of university standard: the University of
Manchester Institute of Science and technology; the two postgraduate business
schools which are supported jointly by industry and the Government - the
Manchester Business School and the London Graduate School of Business Studies,
associated with the London School of Economics and the Imperial College of Science
and Technology; Cranfield Institute of Technology for mainly postgraduate work
in aeronautics and other subjects; and Royal College of Art.
Studies and degrees
Courses in arts and science are offered by most
universities. Imperial College, London, the University of Manchester Institute
of Science and Technology and some of the newer universities concentrate on
technology although they also offer a number of courses in social studies,
modern languages and other non-technological subjects. About 45 per cent of
full-time university students in Grate Britain are talking arts or social
studies courses and 41 per cent science and technology: about 10 per are studying
medicine, dentistry and health, and the remainder agriculture, forestry,
veterinary science, architecture and town and country planning.
University degree courses generally extend over three or
four years, though in medicine, dentistry and veterinary science five or six
years are required. The first degree of Bachelor(Master in the arts faculties
of the older Scottish universities) is awarded on the completion of such a
course, depending on satisfactory examination results. Further study or
research is required at the modern universities for the degree of Master and
by all universities for that of Doctor. Actual degree titles vary according to
the practice of each university. A uniform standard of degree throughout the
country is ensured by having external examiners on all examining boards. In the
last decades there has been a tendency for degree courses to become more
broadly based in subject matter, particularly in the new universities.
University teaching combines lectures, practical classes
(in scientific subjects) and small group teaching in either seminars or
tutorials.
Most member of the academic staff devote time to research
and at all universities there are postgraduate students engaged in research.
Students
Admission to the universities is by examination and
selection. Women are admitted on equal terms with men but at Cambridge their
numbers may be limited by ordinance. The general proportion of men to women
students is about three to one; at Oxford it is over four to one, and at
Cambridge seven to one. Over a third of all full-time university students in
Britain are living in college and halls of residence, slightly under a half
are in lodgings, and the remainder live at home.
Despite recent expansion programmes, applications for
places at universities for arts studies still exceed the number available.
Prospective candidates for nearly all the universities apply for places through
the Universities Central Council on Admissions. The only student who apply
directly are applicants to the Open University and British candidates who apply
only for the university of Glasgow, Aberdeen and Strathclyde.
In 1971-72 there were about 234,000 full-time university
students in Grate Britain including 43,000 postgraduates. In 1970-71 there were
some 22,822 part-time students. Some 30,000 home and overseas candidates were
also registered in 1972 for London University’s external first degree
examinations.
Staff
In 1970-71 there were about 23,000 full-time university
teachers in Great Britain; about 10 per cent of them were professors. The ratio
of staff to students was about one to eight.
Awards
In England, Wales and Scotland most adequately qualified
British students can obtain awards from public funds in order to attend
full-time at a university, college of major further education establishment.
In England and Wales local education authorities provide awards. In Scotland
students’ allowances for advanced courses are granted by the Scottish Education
Department. The amount of these awards depends upon the income of the student
and his parents. Grants for postgraduate study are offered annually by the
Department of Education and Science, the Research Councils and the Scottish
Education Department. In Northern Ireland university and postgraduate award and
teacher training scholarships by the Ministry of Education, the conditions of
award being the same as those for Great Britain