UK HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM. Vocabulary

UK HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM

Vocabulary

current	Текущий, современный
target	Цель
attract	Привлечь
level/stage	Уровень, ступень
acquire	Получать, приобретать
vocational	профессиональный
through	Через, посредством
Bachelor of Arts (BA)	Бакалавр искусств
Bachelor of Science (BS/BSc)	Бакалавр естественных наук
Bachelor of Science in Engineering	Бакалавр технических наук
earn	Зарабатывать, получать
research	исследование
Master of Philosophy	Магистр философии
further (study)	Дальнейшее (обучение)
thesis	диссертация

Higher education is a current policy priority for the UK government with a target set to attract 50% of 18-30-year-olds to higher education.

There are two basic levels of higher education in the UK. They are classified as:

· Non-university level studies

· University level studies

Non-university level or post-secondary level of studies in the UK can lead the students to acquire diploma and vocational qualifications. About thirty institutions in the UK offer diploma and vocational degrees to the students through this system.

In the university level there are generally four stages of studies. The first undergraduate stage lasts three years to complete in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, while at Scottish universities it lasts four years. This stage leads to the ward of a bachelor’s degree in Arts, Science or other fields like technology, law, engineering, etc.

At the graduate stage, a Master’s degree is normally earned in one year, a research Master’s degree or MPhil degree (Master of Philosophy) takes two years. After usually three years of further study the candidate may present a thesis for the Doctorate of Philosophy, PhD degree that is the fourth stage of university studies in the UK educational system.

Professional courses, such as medicine, veterinary medicine, law, and teaching, usually are undertaken as five-year undergraduate degrees.

The UK’s HEIs are not owned or run by government. They are independent, autonomous legal entities, with Councils or Governing Bodies that have responsibility for determining the strategic direction of the institution, for monitoring its financial health and for ensuring that it is effectively managed. While the majority of HEIs receive some public funding as a percentage of their total income, the proportion varies considerably between institutions.

Government funding for publicly-funded HEIs is managed via an arms-length arrangement, via independent Funding Councils for England, Scotland, and Wales, and via the Department for Employment and Learning in Northern Ireland. These funding councils provide both financial support and general guidance to institutions.

Of the 166 Higher Education Institutions in the UK, 9 are privately owned. These institutions receive no funding from government for teaching and research, but are eligible to access funding via the Student Loans Company in lieu of undergraduate tuition fees (see below). An additional 98 so-called ‘alternate’ providers currently access student loan funding for individually designated courses. The number of these alternate providers has grown rapidly in recent years.

Academic and support staff are employed by individual institutions and not by the state. In publicly funded HEIs their pay is negotiated nationally through a joint body representing both management and trade unions, with the resulting agreements taking the form of recommendations to participating universities and colleges.

1. Complete the chat “UK HE System”