MODULE 1

Focus on British Culture

At Academic Institutions: the UK System

1. (A) Read the text and look up the abbreviations in a dictionary (if needed). Fill the gaps, for (1), (4), (5) choose between:

• an undergraduate / undergraduates

• a graduate / graduates

• a postgraduate / postgraduates

Getting a Higher Education in the uk

If you want to get a higher education and to enter university, you must first pass exams that most students take at the age of 18 (called A-levels). Students must do well to get a place at university.

Students at university are called (1) ____________________ while they are studying for their first degree. Most students have to pay tuition fees and can get student loans towards these and their living expenses.

Most university courses last three years. Assessment takes place at the end of each year. In most cases this takes the form of a three-hour written exam for each subject (or paper), though some are assessed by coursework. During this period students can say they are studying for or doing their first degree.

Today, the most common undergraduate degrees given are the (2)________________________ (BA) and the (3)_____________________ (BSc). When you complete your first degree, you graduate from university with a Bachelor’s degree and now you are a (4)_________________________.

Some students then go on to a postgraduate course. These students are (5)_________________________ and they often study for a (6)_________________________ (MA), or a (7)______________________ (MSc), or a (8)___________________________(PhD¹).

In the UK one of the qualifications that can be obtained from a British college of higher education or after two years' study at a university is a Diploma of Higher Education. A diploma is higher than a certificate but below the standard of a bachelor's degree.

Diplomas are undergraduate awards that are usually taught in career based subjects like business, computing, fashion design, media, travel and tourism. Diploma programmes focus on developing practical skills and can significantly improve your career prospects in your chosen industry or profession. Many diplomas also provide study pathways to bachelor degrees at UK universities.

Find out which degree (BA or BSc) mostly would be awarded to:

- undergraduates majoring in languages / history / social sciences / law;

- undergraduates majoring in biology / physics / chemistry / computer science.

(b) Search the text from (a) for the English equivalents of the following phrases:

1) получить высшее образование;

2) поступить в университет;

3) учиться на получение первой (ученой) степени;

4) (Amer.) специализироваться по какому-либо предмету;

5) оценивать по курсовой работе;

6) оценка / оценивание;

7) сдавать экзамены;

8) сдать экзамены;

9) оканчивать университет со степенью бакалавра;

10) поступить / пойти в магистратуру или аспирантуру;

11) улучшить свои перспективы карьерного роста;

12) платить за обучение;

(c) Answer the questions:

1. What’s the school-leaving age in your country?

2. Do you need to pass exams before you can go to university?

3. How long do most degree courses last in Great Britain? What about your country?

4. Do all students who successfully complete a university or college course obtain a degree?

5. What is the equivalent of the British BA and BSc in Russia?

6. Do we have similar postgraduate degrees in our country?

(d) Fill the gaps in the table with the levels of student in an American university (in order of seniority). Some of the terms are becoming common in the UK.

“It was tough being a freshman because I wasn’t used to such difficult finals, but life got a bit easier when I became a sophomore. It was easy enough as a junior, but then it got tough again when I was a senior. As a graduate student, I get to attend seminars with some of the top people in my field.”

1)	a first-year undergraduate
2)	a second-year student (from Greek sophos ‘wise’ and moros ‘dull’)
3)	a third-year student
4)	a fourth-year student
5)	smb who has completed a university degree, especially a first degree