Welsh University System

Acts & Facts

Most important differences to Germany:

• Fees (“Studiengebühren”) right from the beginning of the studies, which creates small classes
• Even within Britain, there are many differences from one university to another
• Many universities still run on terms rather than on semesters (three terms in the academic year, which is 9 months long – two terms of 11 weeks, one term of 8 weeks)
• Most university courses start in October and run through to May
• Students usually leave their rooms during the summer vacation as it costs extra if you stay there then (accommodation is usually rented for the 9 months of the academic year).
• Degrees to be studied:
  • B.A. (Bachelor of Arts), M.A. (Master of Arts), similar to the degree offered now in Germany, too.
  • M.Phil. (Master of Philosophy), Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy)
    

B.A.:

• Studied three or four years
• Undergraduate degree
• Three different stages:
  • Level one: first year
  • Level two or Honours I: second year
  • Level three or Honours II: third year
    
• You can choose to study:
  
  • One subject: Single Honours
  • Two subjects: Joint Honours
  • Three subjects: Combined Honours
    

M.A.:

• One / two years of studies
• Postgraduate course
• Taught programmes plus dissertation
• "The Taught Masters"
• six essays of 5,000 words
• one dissertation of no more than 20,000 words
• only complete taught elements of the courses
  • University of Wales Diploma
    

M.Phil.:

• Two years of independent research work
• Result: thesis
• Postgraduate degree
• "The Research Masters"
• dissertation plus oral examination
• internal and external examiners

Ph.D.:

• • three years’ research work (sometimes more)
• • result: substantial, original thesis
• “The Doctorate”
• dissertation of 70,000 to 100,000 words

Credits:

• 10 credits equivalent to 100 hours of work (one course lasts 50 minutes)
• one year's full time study: 120 credits
• modules are usually worth 10 or 20 credits
  

Methods:

• written examinations
• coursework essays
• project work
• dissertations
  

Marks:

• British degrees are awarded in different “Classes”:
  • First Class (I)
  • Upper Second Class (II:1)
  • Lower Second Class (II:2)
  • Third Class
  • Pass
  • Fail
• Usually, in the first year only first-year courses are taken, and so on.
  • After the Christmas and the Easter holidays, there are examination periods:
  • No courses at that time
  • You are only allowed to pass the examination if you have written an essay in each subject (1,500 to 2,500 words)
  • You have to register for each course

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