Tertiary education.

8.2.1. Britain has more than 90 universities. British universities can be divided into several categories. The foremost universities are the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge, both founded in the Middle Ages. Scotland has institutions at Edinburgh, Glasgow, and St. Andrews. Another type of university is the so-called redbrick universities — old and solid schools built in the 19th century when bricks were the standard building material. The large number of ultramodern universities that sprouted up in the last half of the 20th century are often called cement block and plate glass universities. London has its own great schools, the enormous University of London and its world-famous college, the London School of Economics.

8.2.2. Higher education can also be obtained through the Open University, founded in 1969, which offers extension courses taught through correspondence, television and radio programs, and videocassettes. It also sponsors local study centers and residential summer schools. The purpose of the Open University is to reach people who may not ordinarily be qualified for university study. In order to get higher education school leavers may hand in appli­cations to different universities. The final decision is taken by Universities and Colleges Admission Service (UCAS) which, in accor­dance with the student's results of the "A" level exams, offers a place to this or that university. The better results of the exams are the bet­ter university or college place can be offered.

8.2.3. After 3 years of studies at the university a student may get a first degree of Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of Science (BS). The first degree is usually an honors degree. The letters BA or BS are often added after the graduates' names. However, the title of a degree does not necessarily reflect the field in which the student has studied. Those graduates who want to continue their studies at the univer­sity may work for a master's degree or a doctorate. To get a mas­ter's degree a student needs one more year of study. Doctorate is the highest degree in Britain's universities. The letters "Dr" before a person's name indicate that he or she has the title of "Doctor", the highest title at the university – PhD (Doctor of Philosophy).

8.2.4. University teaching combines lectures, practical classes (in scien­tific subjects) and small group teaching in either seminars (discussion groups) and tutorials or supervisions (run by tutors or supervisors). At most universities in Britain the academic year is divided into three terms. Examinations are not necessarily taken annually. University education may be not only full-time but also part-time. Some people want to get a degree but they need only evening or corre­spondence courses. At some universities there is a department of con­tinuing education which runs four, five or even more year courses for students combining their work and education.

8.3. Great universities: Oxford and Cambridge.

8.3.1. Oxford University is oldest institution of higher learning in the English-speaking world. The university is located in Oxford, England. The town of Oxford was already an important center of learning by the end of the 12th century. Teachers from mainland Europe and other scholars settled there, and lectures are known to have been delivered by as early as 1117.

8.3.2. There are 39 colleges within the university, each with its own internal structure and activities. The university's formal head is the chancellor, usually a distinguished politician, elected for life by the members of Convocation. Formal instruction is available for undergraduates in the form of lectures. In addition, each undergraduate works with a college tutor, who is responsible for overseeing the student's academic progress. Since 1902, students from the Commonwealth of Nations countries and from certain other overseas countries have been able to study at Oxford under Rhodes Scholarships, established by the British colonial statesman Cecil John Rhodes.

8.3.3. The main university library, the Bodleian, was built as an extension to the university's medieval library. Its collections were established in 1602 by the English scholar and diplomat Sir Thomas Bodley, who gave the university a collection of books he had purchased in Europe. Among several university museums is the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology. The first public museum in Great Britain, it was founded by the English antiquary Elias Ashmole and was opened in 1683. Books were first printed for the university in 1478, soon after William Caxton printed the first book in England. Today the Oxford University Press annually publishes hundreds of distinguished books of scholarly and general interest, including the renowned Oxford English Dictionary.

8.3.4. Cambridge University is the second oldest university in Great Britain after the University of Oxford. The University of Cambridge is a system of faculties, departments, and 31 independent colleges. The University of Cambridge figured prominently in the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century. The Dutch scholar Erasmus was a professor of Greek and divinity at Cambridge from 1511 to 1514 and translated the New Testament from Greek into Latin there; the religious reformers William Tyndale, Hugh Latimer, and Thomas Cranmer were educated at Cambridge. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I Cambridge became a stronghold of Puritanism. In the 17th century Sir Isaac Newton was faculty member here. English clergyman John Harvard, for whom Harvard University was named, was a graduate of Cambridge, as were the statesman Oliver Cromwell, the most important leader of the English Revolution (1640-1660); the poet John Milton; the scientist Charles Darwin, who developed the evolutionary theory of natural selection. Charles, Prince of Wales studied at Trinity College and received a degree in June 1970.

Дата добавления: 2015-11-16