According to the Times Higher Education world university rankings, over half of the world’s finest 200 universities are situated in either the UK or the US. Both these nations have a rich tradition of superior higher education, first-rate research facilities, and an environment which promotes intellectualism and academic freedom. Though, both definitely offer an exceptional environment for learning, there are several disparities between the two nations regarding the university structure and student life. Let us explore these differences between the American and UK education systems.
Duration
Possibly the most significant distinction between the US education system, and the UK education system, is the period it takes to finish the program (except Scotland, where a bachelor’s degree takes four years). Generally, degree programs in US are about one year longer than UK programs, even though this differs depending upon whether you obtain a Master’s degree preceding to a PhD. In both systems, you can directly join a PhD program after undergraduate program, but in UK it is more frequent to obtain a Master’s before applying for a PhD. Also, courses of study are shorter in the UK than in the US.
Academic Term
Many universities in the US commence their terms in mid to late August, while smaller liberal arts colleges may open later. A rather lengthy break begins in mid-December and the second semester starts in early to mid-January. Still, universities that are follow different calendars, like a trimester or quarter-based system, may start their winter break during the Thanksgiving (end of November). Comparatively, the UK academic term differs. While most UK universities use the semester system, the trimester and quarter systems are also followed. Most schools commence in September or October and finish in May or June, thereby making a little longer academic year.
University Organization
Many UK universities are composed of “colleges” which are committed to a definite subject matter. While the colleges are still under the university, each college has a lot of sovereignty from each other as well as the university itself. Students live with each other in college, and normally stay within college for the entire duration. Rather than registering with the central university admissions department, as the norm in US, you either apply straight to the college you want, or in the case of undergraduate programs, you register via a centralized system which allows you to apply to numerous colleges simultaneously. This system is named the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service. By contrast, in US, you register with the larger university and for the first year, you take different courses and only declare a major at the end of the first year or even during the second year. American universities have diverse “schools,” or departments, which house a number of related majors. However, student still has to take classes outside of his field, “electives.” Hence, we can conclude that the universal emphasis of US higher education is breadth, whereas in UK, the emphasis is more on depth.
I shall continue to outline other distinctions in the next post.
Duration
Possibly the most significant distinction between the US education system, and the UK education system, is the period it takes to finish the program (except Scotland, where a bachelor’s degree takes four years). Generally, degree programs in US are about one year longer than UK programs, even though this differs depending upon whether you obtain a Master’s degree preceding to a PhD. In both systems, you can directly join a PhD program after undergraduate program, but in UK it is more frequent to obtain a Master’s before applying for a PhD. Also, courses of study are shorter in the UK than in the US.
Academic Term
Many universities in the US commence their terms in mid to late August, while smaller liberal arts colleges may open later. A rather lengthy break begins in mid-December and the second semester starts in early to mid-January. Still, universities that are follow different calendars, like a trimester or quarter-based system, may start their winter break during the Thanksgiving (end of November). Comparatively, the UK academic term differs. While most UK universities use the semester system, the trimester and quarter systems are also followed. Most schools commence in September or October and finish in May or June, thereby making a little longer academic year.
University Organization
Many UK universities are composed of “colleges” which are committed to a definite subject matter. While the colleges are still under the university, each college has a lot of sovereignty from each other as well as the university itself. Students live with each other in college, and normally stay within college for the entire duration. Rather than registering with the central university admissions department, as the norm in US, you either apply straight to the college you want, or in the case of undergraduate programs, you register via a centralized system which allows you to apply to numerous colleges simultaneously. This system is named the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service. By contrast, in US, you register with the larger university and for the first year, you take different courses and only declare a major at the end of the first year or even during the second year. American universities have diverse “schools,” or departments, which house a number of related majors. However, student still has to take classes outside of his field, “electives.” Hence, we can conclude that the universal emphasis of US higher education is breadth, whereas in UK, the emphasis is more on depth.
I shall continue to outline other distinctions in the next post.
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