Higher Education System in UK

Updated on: Thursday, March 24, 2011

In the recent past, with lot of speculation arising on foreign education after few sham institutions were made public, students aspiring to make-it to foreign varsities need to be aware of present conditions.

Speaking to Kalvimalar through e-mail, Rachel Sunderland, International Officer, Bournemouth University revealed the actual situation prevailing in UK for students willing to take-up foreign education. She will be talking through a series of exclusives in the days to come.

With the history of higher education in UK stretching way back to medieval times, it's no wonder the country has such a strong academic reputation across the globe.

Teaching at the University of Oxford can be traced as far back as 1096 and the University of Cambridge celebrate its 800th jubilee celebrations this year.

Higher education in UK has flourished from these strong foundations. Presently, there are 128 universities, university colleges and colleges of higher education teaching a wide range of subjects with about 2.4 million students enrolled on UK courses, aspiring to develop new skills, striving to reach their full potential.

Dr Vicky Lewis from Bournemouth University on the South Coast of England says, "UK education has a global reputation for quality. This is in part because it fosters critical and independent thinking, open-mindedness, innovation and creativity, thus producing graduates who exhibit qualities which will take them far in their careers and make significant contributions to society."
Bachelor degrees are the most popular qualification and at most institutions it lasts 3 years.

Some courses, like many of those at Bournemouth University, offer added advantage of a work placement year that equips students with valuable industry experience ahead of graduation.

Following graduation from a Bachelorâ€™s degree a wealth of postgraduate opportunities are open to students, including Masterâ€™s degrees (MSc or MA) or a Post-Doctorate qualification (PhD). Both include advanced resarch into a specific area of study.

"UK universities seek to ignite in their students a passion for life-long learning, so that university education is often just the start of that journey," said Dr Lewis.

Bachelor's, Master's and Post-Doctorates are internationally recognised which will help students find a job anywhere in the world.

Above all, several UK universities ensure courses cater for specific country needs. For example, the Business school at Bournemouth University maintains close links with organisations in India to ensure courses meet industry requirements for the popular law and business subjects.

Without doubt the higher education sector in UK transcends national borders, recruiting staff and students from all over the world to collaborate in teaching, learning and research.

Every year, the Bournemouth University welcomes around 1,500 international students with staff and students coming from 130 different countries, each enjoying the diversity of this cosmopolitan environment.

Higher Education System in UK

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