Higher education in Great Britain

    The structure of higher education in Great Britain is very complex. There are four main types of educational institutions: universities, polytechnics, the Open University and colleges.

    The system of higher education is not centralized. The educational institutions are not state controlled institutions. The are self-governed and independent.

    Higher education in Great Britain is not free of charge. The cost of education depends on the college, speciality and course of study. The rent for the University hostel is very high. Special fees are taken for books, for laboratory work, teaching aids, etc.

    Some students get scholarship but the number of these students is small. Every student may receive a personal grant from the local authority of the place where he lives.

There are now 44 universities in the United Kingdom. All British Universities are private. All universities have the right to choose their courses and programmes and to award their own degrees.

    British universities differ in the date of foundation, history, methods of teaching, way of students' life, problems, size, etc. they can be divided into three main groups: the old universities; the redbrick universities, including all the provincial universities of the period 1850-1930, as well as London university: the new Universities founded since the Second World War.

    A University consists of a large number of departments: medicine, arts, philosophy, law, music, natural sciences, economics, engineering, agriculture, commerce, and theology. The course of study at the University generally lasts 3-4 years. After three years of study, a student may be granted a Bachelor's degree and later the degrees of Master and Doctor.

    There are three types of academic activity – lectures, tutorials and examinations. The students gain their knowledge through group or individual discussions under the tutor's direction and a great deal of independent study. Some universities have extra-mural departments.

    The Open University system was set up for the people who do not have time or the qualifications to study at a conventional university. There are no entrance examinations at this University. The students study about 10 hours a week. There are weekly Open University lectures broadcast on television and radio. The final mark is based on the exam and the written assignments done during the year. It takes six (or eight) years to get a degree.

    One who gets a degree may have a better job, higher pay or post-graduate studies.

    Besides universities there at present in Great Britain 30 polytechnicals and a great number of different colleges.

    Colleges of advanced technology are in status equal to universities and in fact they are technological universities. They provide their students with higher technical education. Technical colleges train specialists in one of the fields of national economy, for example, food technology, heating, ventilation, refrigeration engineering, etc.

    As to the teacher-training colleges, they provide the country with highly educated teachers for schools, colleges and universities.

Vocabulary:

1. self-governed – самоуправляемый

2. rent – плата за жильё (общежитие, квартиру)

3. authority – власть

4. polytechnics – политехникумы

5. Open University – открытый университет (университет для всех)

6. to depend on – зависеть от

7. to differ – отличаться

8. redbrick university – «краснокирпичный университет» - группа университетов, построенных из красного кирпича

9. academic activity – учебная деятельность

10. to gain = to get = to receive

11. under tutor’s direction – под руководством наставника, кура- тора

12. conventional – обычный

     13. broadcast – передавать по радио или телевидению

      14. written assignment – письменное задание

     15. college of advanced technology – технологический колледж 

      университетского типа.

12. Найдите английские эквиваленты в тексте:

состоять из ряда факультетов; выбирать свой курс обучения; плата за общежитие; зависеть от; готовить специалистов; учебное заведение; частные университеты; технология производства продуктов питания; письменные задания; со II-й мировой войны; получать персональную стипендию; педагогический колледж; богословие; более высокий оклад; вступительные экзамены; передовые технологии; транслировать по радио обеспечивать; народное хозяйство

13. Сгруппируйте следующие слова и словосочетания в синонимические пары:

to receive; scholarship; to gain; institution; a great deal of; to award; a degree; now; teacher; field; extra-mural; branch; at present; major; academic; to grant a degree; a large number of; grant; establishment; main; part-time.

14. Найдите в упражнении утверждения, которые не соответствуют предложениям в тексте. Дайте верный вариант :

1. The students have no right to receive a personal grant from local authorities.

2. There are two types of academic activity – lectures and examinations.

3. All British Universities can be divided into three main groups.

4. Higher technical education is provided by the colleges of advanced technology.

5. The students of the Open University study 20 hours a week.

6. The course of study at the University lasts 4 years.

7. The structure of Higher education in Great Britain is simple.

8. The number of students getting scholarship from the state is great.

9. British colleges provide only part-time education.

10. The cost of education depends on the college, speciality and course of study.

11. Most British Universities are state-controlled.

12. Higher education in British universities is paid by the students.