Homework and Grades
According to the world university rankings compiled by the
Times Higher Education, more than half of the world’s top 200 universities are
located in either the US or the UK. Both countries share a rich tradition of
quality higher education, excellent research facilities, and a culture that
promotes intellectualism as well as academic freedom. However, while both certainly
provide an excellent environment for learning, there are many differences
between the two countries regarding the structure of the university as well as
student life. In this article, we will explore the primary differences between
the American and British systems of education.
Length of Time
Perhaps the most important difference between the education
system in the US, and the UK, is the amount of time it takes to finish your
degree (except in Scotland, where a bachelor’s degree also lasts four years).
In general, degree programs in the US take about one year longer than programs
in the UK, although this varies depending upon whether you receive a Master’s
degree prior to a PhD. In both systems, you can go directly to a PhD program
out of your undergraduate program, but in the UK it is more common to complete
a Master’s degree program before moving on to a PhD. Courses of study in uk are
shorter in the UK because the course programs are generally much more focused
than in the US.
Academic Term
Most universities in the US begin their terms in mid to late
August, although smaller liberal arts colleges may start later. Most take a
rather lengthy break beginning in mid-December and begin the second semester in
early to mid-January. However, universities that are on different calendars,
such as a trimester or quarter-based system, may begin their winter break at
the Thanksgiving holiday, which falls at the end of November. The academic term
in the UK is a bit more varied. While most also use the semester system, the
trimester and quarter systems are used in some universities. Many schools start
in September or October and end in May or June, making for a slightly longer
academic year. However, the academic term is less standardized throughout the
United Kingdom; if you choose to study there, your university might use a much
different calendar.
University Organization
Many universities in the UK are made up of “colleges” which
are dedicated to a specific subject matter. While the colleges are still
governed by the university, each college has quite a lot of autonomy from each
other as well as the university itself. You live with others in your college,
eat with others from your college, and generally stay within your college for
the duration of your studies. Rather than applying to the central university
admissions department, like you do in the US, you either apply directly to the
college of the subject you want to study, or in the case of undergraduate
programs, you apply through a centralized system which allows you to apply to
several colleges at once. This system is called the Universities and Colleges
Admissions Service, or UCAS. This means that you have to know what you want to
study before you even apply.
By contrast, in the US, you apply to the larger university
and for the first year or more, you take courses from a variety of fields and
only declare a major at the end of the first year or perhaps even during the
second year. American universities have different “schools,” or departments,
such as the School of Arts and Sciences, which houses a number of related
majors. However, even after you declare a major at an American university, you
are still expected to take classes outside of that field, known as “electives.”
For this reason, we can say that the general emphasis of higher education in
the US is breadth, or getting a range of knowledge from a variety of different
subjects. In the UK, the emphasis is more on depth; getting a very thorough
understanding of your chosen subject.
Homework and Grades
Because the US system emphasizes breadth, courses require
weekly or even biweekly readings as well as other assignments such as small
writing projects, major research papers, and oral presentations throughout the
course. In the UK, most schools are much more lecture-based, with only
occasional assignments throughout the semester. In some cases, there may be no
actual required assignments and instead your entire grade may be based on one
final exam. In the US, your grade will be based on your performance on the
variety of assignments, with a final exam making up only a percentage of your
total grade.
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