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Reply 1
not at edinburgh - dundee do this but most scottish unis dont because for arts, an MA is the degree you want

also, why would you want to miss out the last year?
Reply 2
FTC199
not at edinburgh - dundee do this but most scottish unis dont because for arts, an MA is the degree you want

also, why would you want to miss out the last year?


In order for me not to be stuck at St Andrews for four years :biggrin: - three years would be nice but four is quite a long time...

Does a Scottish MA count similarly to an English BA + 1 year Master?
Reply 3
Slothuus
In order for me not to be stuck at St Andrews for four years :biggrin: - three years would be nice but four is quite a long time...

Does a Scottish MA count similarly to an English BA + 1 year Master?


im not sure about that - it probably does but ive always been a science person so im not sure of the exact answer

st andrews is a lovely place but i agree it could get quite small! although people i know there all love it, even though they come from edinburgh which is massive in comparison
Reply 4
Slothuus
In order for me not to be stuck at St Andrews for four years :biggrin: - three years would be nice but four is quite a long time...

Does a Scottish MA count similarly to an English BA + 1 year Master?


Then do second year entry?
Reply 5
Scottish MA= English BA, I thought?
Nothing to do with an English MA.
Reply 6
The Scottish MA should be taken as equal to a BA (Hons) in the English system. Skipping the final year would mean not doing a dissertation and you would just be awarded a pass degree, although I'm sure it has a different name in the Scottish system.

EDIT - Ah yes it does, a 'designated' degree.
Reply 7
A Scottish MA(Hons) is equivalent to an English BA(Hons). You can get an ordinary degree after three years, but these aren't really worth much to be honest. You want an honours degree.
The reason for this is that the first year of a Scottish 4 year degree is the equivalent to the final year of English 6th form as Scottish students leave shool earlier from what I remember. Isn't it also true that English A level students go into 2nd year at Scottish unis?
Well if it says so on wikipedia it must be true :P
cheapaschips1000
The reason for this is that the first year of a Scottish 4 year degree is the equivalent to the final year of English 6th form as Scottish students leave shool earlier from what I remember. Isn't it also true that English A level students go into 2nd year at Scottish unis?


They can do if they have good grades and if they want to. Scottish students with Advanced Highers can do that too.

The first year of university is a bit harder than A level, but is pretty much equivalent to Advanced Higher but in a university setting. It's really just to get everyone (no matter where they're from) on an even footing and gives a good base education.
Reply 11
Slothuus
Does a Scottish MA count similarly to an English BA + 1 year Master?


It's not a "Scottish" MA, it's something done by ancient universities across the British Isles, albeit under different conditions.

TheOneWho
A Scottish MA(Hons) is equivalent to an English BA(Hons).


Educationally equivalent, yes, but it is still a degree which gives you higher standing and precedence in the academic hierarchy. Although I doubt that much matters to most people these days.
L i b
Educationally equivalent, yes, but it is still a degree which gives you higher standing and precedence in the academic hierarchy. Although I doubt that much matters to most people these days.


Interesting, in what way? I have always taken the MA to be the same as a BA.
It is an undergrad MA, yes, so it is the equivilant in educational terms of having done an undergrad BA somewhere in England. However not everyone knows this and therefore we can write than we have an MA from X university, giving the implication of postgraduate study even when we didn't do any.

Also if you graduated after 3rd year you wouldn't get honours. It'd be like leaving an English university after 2nd year and expecting to get a degree... a ridiculous suggestion!
cheapaschips1000
The reason for this is that the first year of a Scottish 4 year degree is the equivalent to the final year of English 6th form as Scottish students leave shool earlier from what I remember. Isn't it also true that English A level students go into 2nd year at Scottish unis?


2nd year entry is only offered in science subject. In humantities and social science, everyone starts at 1st year. To go for direct entry into 2nd year you have to achieve higher grades than the normal offer- normally AAB instead of BBB, but not everyone who gets these grades goes straight into second year. The vast majority of people, however, do first year regardless of what grades they got at A2. First year definitley was not comparable to my A levels in my experience as I was expected to read 60 pages for each class as well as do other tutorial work, which is why I assume HSS don't let people go for direct entry into second year as you need to get a basic ground level in your subject which only reading can give you, having higher A2 marks won't make up for this, whereas in science, perhaps it might.
oxymoronic
2nd year entry is only offered in science subject. In humantities and social science, everyone starts at 1st year. To go for direct entry into 2nd year you have to achieve higher grades than the normal offer- normally AAB instead of BBB, but not everyone who gets these grades goes straight into second year. The vast majority of people, however, do first year regardless of what grades they got at A2. First year definitley was not comparable to my A levels in my experience as I was expected to read 60 pages for each class as well as do other tutorial work, which is why I assume HSS don't let people go for direct entry into second year as you need to get a basic ground level in your subject which only reading can give you, having higher A2 marks won't make up for this, whereas in science, perhaps it might.

Wrong. I was offered advanced entry at Dundee for English. A friend of mine did advanced entry for English.
Teao the Cat
Wrong. I was offered advanced entry at Dundee for English. A friend of mine did advanced entry for English.


Wow you learn a new thing every day!

I applied to St Andrews, Glasgow and Edinburgh, plus seriously looked into applying to Stirling and Aberdeen and was told at all 5 of them that A level applicants in the Humanities field are never offered 2nd year entry, for the reasons I gave above. Granted, Dundee is different and I wouldn't know as I didn't consider going there. Thats pretty interesting to know actually- cheers!
Reply 17
cheapaschips1000
The reason for this is that the first year of a Scottish 4 year degree is the equivalent to the final year of English 6th form as Scottish students leave shool earlier from what I remember. Isn't it also true that English A level students go into 2nd year at Scottish unis?


No on both counts, load of nonsense

Scotland has four year degrees because it has a much broader curriculum in first and second year, so first year is spread across too with room to add extra subjects or a more related modules. Nothing to do whatsoever with when people leave school.

Some English A Level students can go into second year if they get high grades and they wish to, just as some Scottish students can with an Advanced Higher or two.
Reply 18
So the conclusion is that it is not possible?

If I do a 4 year MA in Scotland and then want to continue my studies, I will still have to do a 'regular' MA? Is that then a postgraduate MA?
Reply 19
L i b
It's not a "Scottish" MA, it's something done by ancient universities across the British Isles, albeit under different conditions.

So which (non-Scottish) universities do this in a comparable way, then?:confused: