英国论坛
If you see this
term…
..this is what it means…
A-levels
You will find references to A-levels throughout UK higher education. UK
and other students generally study for 3 or 4 A-levels at our equivalent of
high schools. A student will study firstly for Advanced Subsidiary levels (AS
levels) in a variety of subjects over a 1 year period, normally but not
exclusively from ages 16-17. Then, the student will continue to study for a
final qualification called an Advanced level (A-level) in those subjects.
UK and other students who take A-levels are usually offered a conditional
place at a university based on their predicted grades at A-level. A-level
examinations are taken in the UK in May and June with the results being
made available in August. This is when most UK students will find out if
they have achieved the right grades to satisfy their offer of a place at their
chosen university.
Entry requirements for Manchester’s courses are generally given in terms
of UK qualifications or the International Baccalaureate (IB), however please
see Entry Requirements for details of the North American qualification
equivalents.
Semester This might seem like a simple one…but you should note that Manchester’s
semesters run from the end of September to the end of January (with a four
week Christmas vacation in December) and from the end of January to the
middle of June (with a three week Easter vacation in April). Semester
dates are available in the Undergraduate or Graduate Prospectuses.
“Sandwich”
courses These degree programmes incorporate a year of placements, either in the
UK or abroad. In North American terms a placement could be called an
internship. Students undertaking these placements may or may not
receive payment for their work. Manchester courses offering placements
include degree programmes in Biological Sciences, Computer Science
and Engineering. Programmes such as Geography and Earth Sciences
incorporate fieldwork which are shorter periods of study out in the field.
Halls of
Residence These are what could be termed “dorms” in North America. The main
difference with regard to accommodation is that practically all rooms are
single rooms. The University of Manchester offers accommodation which
is catered (with a meal plan) or self-catering (without a meal plan but with
cooking facilities). Some rooms (at the more expensive end of the price
range) are what are called “ensuite”, this means that you have your own
personal bathroom facilities. As an international student paying overseas
fees, you will be guaranteed two year’s university accommodation. See the
Accommodation Office for further details.
Quality
Assurance
Teaching
Quality
Assessment (TQA)
The UK government has a central agency, the Quality Assurance Agency,
which monitors all universities for quality of provision. They look at the
following areas:
- Curriculum design
- Teaching, learning and assessment
- Student progression and achievement
- Student support
- Learning resources
- Quality management and enhancement
The QAA carries out Academic Reviews on a rolling basis of individual
subject areas eg. History, Political Science, Computer Science etc. The
findings of these assessments can be found at www.qaa.ac.uk/ Click
“Review Reports”.
Not all departments will have been assessed and some may be out of
date. The system is also under change and, as with league tables, there is
controversy about the value of such assessments.
Research
Assessment
Exercise (RAE)
The UK Government assesses university departments on the basis of their
rankings in research. This Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) takes
place every 4-5 years, the latest RAE took place in December 2001. A
listing of how well Manchesters departments did can be found here. You
can be secure in knowing that in 37 out of 46 areas assessed, our
departments scored 5 or 5* (denoting international excellence).
The RAE determines the relative rating of research for individual
departments ie. is the department known internationally or nationally for its
expertise.
What is important to note in each of these cases is that it is the
departments which are being rated – thus it is important to determine
whether the department which gives a particular course at a particular
university is the “best” in the country. Obviously the universities which have
more departments that are “excellent” will be, by definition, the better
institutions overall, however some universities will be better known and
have a better reputation for some subjects than others.
Students
Union
All students are automatically members of the Students Union (SU). The
Students Union is run by students, for students and offers a wide variety of
ervices from the Advice and Information Service to food and entertainment.
More information can be found on their webpages at
www.umu.man.ac.uk. There are over 100 student societies associated
with the Students Union, from hiking to drama, climbing to acting – getting
involved is an ideal way of making friends. The Athletics Union is the base
for all sporting clubs, from archery to yachting.
UCAS
Applications to all UK universities for undergraduate degrees takes place
through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, known as
UCAS. UCAS operates as a central clearing house between students
making an application and the universities. For more information please
see www.ucas.com
Masters
Like semester this may seem like an obvious one! However, its important
to remember that our Masters programmes (except our MBA) are ONE
YEAR in length. Generally this is made up of taught courses from
September to April/May followed by the completion of a dissertation/thesis
or project over the summer. In many subjects the taught element will
contain research methodology to provide advanced training in preparation
for the dissertation. Details of the taught course units and examples of
thesis and project topics can be found on the departmental webpages.
MRes
A programme offered in Biological Sciences which enables students to
pick specific areas of research interest in the School of Biological
Sciences.
PhD
The University of Manchesters research excellence will be an obvious draw
for you when looking to pursue a PhD.
We also now offer some innovative Integrated PhD programmes
which combine advanced taught elements with research.