A Chevening glossary of UK university terms

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A

Academic integrity

Academic integrity refers to the moral and ethical standards expected of those in the academic community. These standards relate to the need for accuracy, fairness and respect for the work of others. Issues such as collusion, cheating and plagiarism are examples of when students fail to meet these standards.

Admissions

This is the part of the university that receives applications and makes offers to students. They confirm when any conditions that accompany the offer have been achieved, and give you information on joining the university.

B

Blended learning

Blended learning is when a course is a mix of face to face learning in classrooms and online learning on digital platforms.

C

Campus

An area where several university buildings are grouped together. Many universities have 2 or 3 campuses in different parts of the town or city. Some UK universities have campuses in other countries. Some university accommodation is “on campus” and some is “off campus”.

Citation

A citation is a reference to another source (author surname and year of publication) found in academic texts. See the entry for “references” below.

College

In the UK, further education colleges are attended by students over the age of 16 following their compulsory education. Graduation usually takes a minimum of two years of study, and students may then proceed to university. In the UK, colleges are distinct from universities, and it might help to think of them as the bridge between school and university.

Conditional offer

If you receive a conditional offer of a place on a course, it means there are one or more conditions that you need to meet. These may be related to the grades you need to achieve on your first degree, or to your level of English, or to finances. All Chevening applicants must receive at least one unconditional offer from a UK university course by the offer deadline stated on the Chevening application timeline. All conditions of the offer must therefore be met before this date.

D

Degree

A degree is a university qualification awarded on successful completion of a period of study. The first degree after high school is a bachelor’s degree (e.g. BA, BSc, BEd.) Postgraduate degrees include master’s (e.g. MA, MSc, MEd) and doctorate (PhD) degrees. All Chevening Scholarships are for master’s degrees.

F

Face to face learning

Face to face learning (sometimes abbreviated as F2F) is when learners physically attend classes and are taught in person by a teacher/tutor/educator in a group of their fellow learners and peers.

Flexible learning

Flexible learning is a learner-centred approach to delivering teaching. This approach empowers the learner to self-direct their own learning with guided choices, which promotes greater independence and learner autonomy. In flexible learning, learners are free to choose when, how, what and where they study.

Fresher

A Fresher is a student in their first year of a bachelor’s degree.

Further education

Further education in the UK is the period of study after the age of 16 that students choose to undertake after finishing compulsory education at the age of 16. Courses are often vocational and lead to the workplace. Other courses will be academic in nature leading to university and higher education, and as such are necessary to enter university study.

H

Hall of residence

In many universities, the accommodation provided by the university are called “halls” or “halls of residence”. These may be catered (some meals are provided) or self-catered (students have to cook for themselves in shared kitchens).

Higher education

Higher education in the UK is the study of courses undertaken at university leading to the award of an academic degree (bachelor’s, master’s, or PhD). Students attend from ages 18 and above.

L

Lecture

In a lecture, academic staff explain, describe or analyse some aspect of course content. Students listen and are expected to take notes. Lectures normally last 40 – 50 minutes, although some may be longer.

Lecturer

See entry for ‘Tutor’.

M

Module

In most universities, degree programmes are divided into modules, which are different subjects. For example if you do an undergraduate degree in Business Studies, you might have modules in Management, Finance, Accounting and Marketing. Some modules are obligatory (you have to do them), and some are optional (you can choose them from a list). Each module might last 1 or 2 terms.

N

National Union of Students (NUS)

The National Union of Students is an organisation that represents the interests of students across the UK. In most cases you’ll automatically become a member when you complete registration at your university. In addition your university will also have a Student Union, which provides a range of services for students.

O

Online learning

Online learning (sometimes also called ‘distance education’) is when courses have been designed to be delivered solely online. This means all materials will be delivered without face to face teaching or learning. Online learning may be synchronous, e.g., students will attend online live lectures and seminars at designated times. It may also be asynchronous, e.g., lectures may be recorded and can be viewed at a learner’s own convenience, though there will be course deadlines that need to be adhered to.

P

Plagiarism

Plagiarism involves presenting the work of other people in such a way that it looks like your own work, and there are severe penalties for those found to be plagiarising. Some plagiarism is deliberate, but a lot occurs through ignorance of what is and what isn’t permissible. It’s your responsibility to understand plagiarism and ways to include references to other people’s work correctly. Your university will provide a lot of guidance on this important issue.

Postgraduate

Postgraduate students are those studying at higher levels than bachelor’s degree, so they include master’s and Doctorate students. All Chevening Scholars are postgraduate students.

R

References

This word has several meanings, but in the context of academic writing references provide information about the sources you use. There are references in the text (usually author surname(s) and year of publication) and more detailed information in a list of references at the end of the text.

S

Seminar

Seminars vary in format, but the essential idea is that students are expected to participate actively. So a seminar might include some or all of the following: short presentations; some discussion among the whole group; the whole group dividing into smaller groups for discussions. In some cases the word “workshop” might mean something similar to a seminar.

Students’ Union

Each university will have a Students’ Union which is a member of the National Union of Students. It’s run by students, looks after the interests of students in the university, representing their viewpoints in decision-making and on committees across the institution, and also provides facilities such as shops, cafes, bars, travel and insurance services. In some universities the Student Union is referred to as ‘Student Association’ or ‘Student Guild’.

Study Advice

Most universities have a Study Advice team, which provides support and advice on academic and study skills, eg time management, giving presentations, referencing. This support may include printed guides, videos and sessions with advisors. In your institution, it may be called Study Support, Learning Support, or have some similar name.

T

Term

In many universities the academic year is divided into 3 terms, and each term may be 8 – 12 weeks long. Some universities have 2 semesters.

Transferable skills

These are skills, such as team work or time management skills, which can be transferred to many different situations, particularly in employment.

Tutor

This usually refers to a person who teaches you. There are other words which describe the status of academic staff in a university, eg fellow, lecturer, senior lecturer, professor. In addition, in many universities, you’ll have a Personal or Academic Tutor, who follows your overall progress, and gives individualised advice.

Tutorial

In some cases tutorials are one-to-one or small group meetings with a tutor about a specific assignment; in other cases tutorials provide an opportunity to review a student’s progress on the programme.

U

Unconditional offer

If you’ve met all the conditions related to your offer, your offer becomes unconditional, which means that you’ve been fully accepted onto your programme. All Chevening Scholars must receive an unconditional offer from a UK university course by the offer deadline stated on the application timeline.

Undergraduate

An undergraduate is a student who is studying for a first degree, a bachelor’s degree

University

Most students study for a degree programme at a university. However, some specialised colleges (eg Royal College of Music, London; Sparsholt College) offer degree programmes, and so do further education colleges.

V

Vice-chancellor, Principal

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland the chief executive officer in a university is usually called the Vice-chancellor. In Scotland, this person is called the Principal and Vice-Chancellor

W

Work placement

Some degree programmes include a work placement, which means that you work under supervision in an enterprise outside the university. These are sometimes called “internships”. Your institution will be able to advise you on what work placement options are available to you.