Finding
the Right Program in the U.K.
The Marshall, U.K. Fulbright,
and Gates fellowships require that you name the particular institution
where you want to study and the program that you want to pursue
while on the fellowship. You need to have very sound academic reasons
that fit into your professional plans for wanting to study in the
U.K. In order to learn about the most appropriate programs for you
and interests, research the opportunities available at various U.K.
universities, programs, and institutes.
This will involve a great
deal of footwork as well as patient library and on-line research.
Read catalogues and web sites thoroughly and be able to show how
a specific department or degree program matches your abilities and
interests, as well as what specific assets and liabilities accompany
that set of courses or program. You should be able to name who teaches
what and how their research relates to yours.
Narrowing the field among
the more than 150 universities in England, Scotland, Wales, and
Northern Ireland may seem overwhelming. Excellent electronic resources,
listed below, will help you get started. DOCFO, the Rockefeller
Library, and OIP
have the print versions of postgraduate prospectuses from many universities
and virtually all are accessible on the internet. The Marshall Scholarship
site has links to every U.K. institution of higher education.
Personal contacts are also invaluable resources, so start talking
early on to Brown faculty, who may well know scholars and programs
that would be appropriate matches for your interests.
While
researching, note the following terminology differences:
Taught
Masters: A taught masters is a degree program that
primarily involves taking seminars and/or tutorials; it has a thesis
component as well as or in place of exams, but the research grows
out of coursework and is usually limited to a 10/20,000-word dissertation.
You do not need to have a thesis topic established when applying
to a taught program.
Research
Masters: A research masters is a degree program that
requires you to have a clear research agenda.
M.Phil:
A degree roughly equivalent to something between a Masters
and Doctorate degree at a U.S. institution.
Faculty:
Division, School or sometimes Department (e.g. Faculty of History
= History Department), Faculty of Arts may include subjects we would
term Humanities.
Academic
Staff: Faculty.
Postgraduate:
Graduate.
Course:
A course is a whole program of study leading to a degree or diploma.
Module:
A class (e.g. Chem 20).
Tutorial:
Independent study or group independent study. Typically a one-on-one
academic meeting with an instructor.
Revising:
Reviewing, as in “We stayed up all night revising for our exam.”
Scheme:
Plan, way of doing something (no negative connotations).
Term:
Quarter or semester. Term refers to the duration of a particular
class.
Web Resources
:
GENERAL INFORMATION
ABOUT SCHOOLS AND STUDY IN THE U.K.
www.hero.ac.uk
www.britishcouncil-usa.org/learning/students
Hero and British Council
sites provide useful information and offer great links to other
important sites.
www.ukstudentlife.com/index.htm
Great site for information
about study in the U.K. including scholarship information.
www.scit.wlv.ac.uk/ukinfo/uk.map.html
This site offers a map
of U.K. universities; click on the location to access a school’s
web site.
SITES THAT SEARCH
SPECIFIC “COURSES” OF STUDY ( DEGREE PROGRAMS )
www.prospects.ac.uk/cms
Prospects focuses on postgraduate
study in the U.K.
www.hotcourses.com
This site provides information
about both undergraduate and postgraduate courses.
SITES THAT RANK
COURSES (PROGRAMS) AND INSTITUTIONS
For links to LEAGUE TABLES
see:
www.britishcoucil-usa.org/learning/students/schoolrankings
www.timesonline.co.uk/section
www.EducationGuardian.co.uk/universityguide
The Times' and
the Guardian ’s rankings are similar in terms of standards
to the U.S. News and World Report ’s rankings of American
colleges and universities.
Other ranking sites:
www.qaa.ac.uk/revreps/subjrev/intro.htm
Qualitative Assessment
of degree courses in the U.K., focused on teaching and student experience,
indexed by institution and subject.
www.hero.ac.uk/rae/Results
This site offers Researh
Assessment Exercises; it assesses the research strengths of most
U.K. programs and institutions. May be searched by area of study
(“Units of Assessment”) or institution. 5* is the highest ranking.
OTHER HELPFUL
SITES
www.ukcosa.org.uk
Offers useful advice for
international students on immigration procedures, choosing courses,
study methods in the U.K, etc.
www.lcos.org.uk
Provides information about
voluntary sector hostels within London.
www.britishcouncil-usa.org/learning/students/fundingscholarships/schollist.shtml
Lists links to principal
funding sources.
www.scholarship-search.org.uk/post_scholarships.php
Also for funding information;
allows searches by academic institution, subject area, and key word.
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