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Outside subject(s) in 1st and 2nd year post here with questions

Hi,

So in a similar sort of style to the thread relating to accommodation, I decided that it might be a good idea to make a thread where all of the questions relating to choosing outside courses can go. People are asking the same thing again and again, and there is some really good advice and help being given by the current students, so if we keep it all together then its easier for everyone concerned.

I have to choose an outside subject?

In general, yes. Unless you're studying something "special" such as medicine, education, vet sci etc you will have to take subjects other than the ones you've applied for in the first two years. This is because the Scottish education system is really flexible and allows you to change your degree at any point in years one and two.

In theory you can take any course which is offered by the university, but there are obviously timetable and numbers restrictions meaning some courses are only really open to students who applied for them in the first place via UCAS (eg: English Lit) but even here there are usually a couple of places available and these spaces are filled by a lottery style of allocation at the end of freshers week.

How many credits?

Each subject is generally worth 40 credits over the academic year and students have to take 120 credits per year. This means if you've applied for single honours (eg: MA French) you need to take an additional 80 credits each year, which usually works out as 2 subjects. If you've applied for joint honours (eg: MA French and English Lit) you have already used 80 credits and need to take another 40, so 1 course.

A small minority of courses require students to take more than the usual 40 credits to progress to second year. For MA History, for example, 80 history credits are required so it is the equivalent of two full year slots rather than the usual one per subject. However, there are 15 possible courses to chose from to make up the 80 credits so there is still a lot of choice.

There is an option to take more than 120 credits each year, but this is fairly unusual and decided on a case by case basis. If you are interested in taking more then you have to speak to your Director of Studies (DoS) when you meet in freshers week.

How can I find out what courses are mandatory for my degree?

First, you need to go here and find out the degree regulations for your course. At the top, it should say 'degree regulations and programmes of study 2011-2012'. If it does not say 11-12, use this link instead and then click on 'browse DPTs' which is in the list on the right hand side of the screen. It will take you to the same place as the original link.

If you're doing joint honours, your school will generally be the first subject in your course name (eg: MA Geography and Politics is in the School of GeoSciences).

So taking Geog and Politics as an example, you see that there are 80 credits which are mandatory. 2 x 20 credits for Geog and 2 x 20 credits for Politics. Then there will be 40 credits spare for something else.

How can I find out which courses I can take to make up the credits?

Now you know how many spare credits you've got, you can go and look at the timetable here. Although this is the 11-12 timetable, it i fairly similar each academic year so it can be used as a pretty accurate rough guide. Usually, the lecture room allocations stay the same too as they will either be in the school's own buildings or for courses with a large student intake, in one of the big lecture theatres and there are only so many available.

First of all, find the courses which are listed as mandatory on the DRPS. Then select additional courses using the instuctions here:

How to use timetab

Pick a college, so say HSS, and then it shows you all of the subjects available for that college in the subject box. Basically if you search by college, then you get all the courses, if by school, then you get all of the courses in that school (so, SPS for example) or by subject so then you'd just get the courses in History.

* Make sure you've got it set to level 1 (it does this by default) then full year courses.
* If the course is called English Lit 1A it means it is a first year course in semester one.
* If it is called English Lit 1B it is a first year course in semster two.
* If it just says 1 then it lasts the entire year.
* In languages, if it says 1A this is for beginners and if it says 1B this is for people who have Higher or A levels in it already.

Then they all come up in the small box to the bottom left of the screen. To add one to your timetable, just select it. There may be a pop up window giving you information about 1st meetings, order of selection if it is over subscribed etc and then perhaps pre requisites. You don't really need to pay attention to them now if it is just information about first meetings, although you may want to read the over subscription allocation or other information depending on your situation. Don't worry if you do not understand what it means - ask in this thread and we'll help you, or ask your Director of Studies when you arrive in Edinburgh.

You will know if there is a timetable clash because it will tell you that it isn't a possible combination. However, be aware that some courses (mainly science) input all of their possible tutorial/lab slots into time tab but you may only be obliged to attend one of these sessions rather than all of them. You can find more information on whether this applies to you by looking on the information for current undergraduate students on your school's website (eg: www.ppls.ed.ac.uk is the website for the School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences)

To create your timetable, go to the top right hand corner of the screen where it says 'output' with 'print name: anonymous'. You don't need to change anything here, just click 'open in a new window' and it will create a timetable for each semester.

How do I sign up for the extra subjects?

This is done in freshers week when you meet your DoS. There will be a full meeting of your entire school where you'll be told who your DoS is along with other important information such as purchasing of books or tutorial sign up sheets. Here, you will be asked to make an appointment with your DoS. Then when you go to your appointment you'll be asked which additional subjects you'd like to do. This is where you decide and discuss options, you do not have to do anything before then. If there are other arrangements in place for your course, this will be communicated to you before you arrive in Edinburgh.

Is course X good or bad?

Look on the course reviewer here which is a list of all of the current courses offered for first years, with reviews from students over the last few years. Bear in mind some subjects might have drastically changed the content since the review was written. Some subjects are more complete than others.

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 100

green_glitter

oxymoronic

Are you going into 1st or 2nd year?
As PPLS get 2nd years to enroll with the course admin people rather than with their DoS as I did that in 2nd year. In first year we had to go to an initial meeting like you've mentioned, but then we signed up for our addiitonal courses with our DoS. Is there another prelim meeting on say, Tuesday, in which you find out your DoS details?

I'm a first year...and there's an introductory meeting on Tuesday, yeah.

Reply 101

oxymoronic

OP

19

green_glitter

I'm a first year...and there's an introductory meeting on Tuesday, yeah.

You'll find out your DoS on Tuesday then, so go directly there and get an appointment asap so that you've had it prior to going to the meeting with the PPLS people the next day. You're supposed to discuss things through with your DoS then they agree and sign you up, so perhaps the admin people at PPLS just do the admin stuff.

Reply 102

barefootfiona

9

Outside subject – Philosophy or Scottish Ethnology?
I am applying for Scandinavian Studies this autumn and am already thinking about outside subjects; it sounds awesome! You know, in case I get in. Anyway, supposing I do get in, using timetab, I’ve decided that on top of my Norwegian 1A course from Scandinavian Studies, I’d like one of my outside courses to be Religious Studies.

The other one is a toss-up between Scottish Ethnology and Philosophy. I really liked the sound of Scottish Ethnology when I spoke to Neill Martin on the Open Day in June, but I'm a bit worried it's too Scots-centric. The way he described it, it sounded a lot more international (i.e. comparing Scots folklore with other nationalities') than the prospectus makes it sound. I'm half Scots, half German but I live in England and I'm worried that because I have a bit of an English accent (it's mainly American though; I lived there for a few years too) I'll be shunned. This has happened before; that people come up to me and project YOU'RE NOT REALLY SCOTTISH, or YOU'RE NOT REALLY GERMAN just because I don't live there. Is this a ridiculous, unfounded fear? Am I imagining this? I don't want to have to 'prove' anything; I just don't want people to think "What's she doing here?" What I really want from this course is a look into and comparison between mytholgoy and folklore in the world, as this is what we chatted abotu on the Open Day - for example, about snakes recurring in myths from Norse Mythology to the Hindu Vedas.

Back on topic, I also love the sound of the ‘from Plato to the Enlightenment’ and ‘Morality, Rationality and Value’ courses in Philosophy, and I've been interested in Philosophy for several years.
How common is it for people to take three outside subjects, i.e. 160 unit’s worth?

Or, seeing as you have to get 120 units a year, could 40 of those come from Scandinavian Studies, 40 from Religious Studies, 20 from Scottish Ethnology and 20 from Philosophy? Or would I then be cutting off all chances of ever incorporate Scottish Ethnology or Philosophy into my degree later if I wanted to?

I realise this is a bit of an eggs-before-they-hatch situation, but I’m just one of those people who plans things to the minutest detail ages before they need to be. Planning this kind of thing is like real-life Sims which I later get to live myself!

Also, when you type a language (any language – I also tried this with Danish and German just to check) into timetab, only one course option really comes up, seeing as you have to pick either 1A or 1B for languages. Does that mean that one option is worth 40 units in itself?

Thanks for any help - I realise this is a bit rambly!

Reply 103

angrydanmarin

14

I didn't read whatever you decided to write down, but philosophy is awesome.

Reply 104

faber niger

17

angrydanmarin

i didnt read whatever u decided to write down, but philosophy is awsome

Anyway, OP, I shouldn't worry about prejudice -- the course is undoubtedly less than 100% Scots in intake and shouldn't imagine that there will be too much shallow-minded nationalism. If it were I taking the course, I quite like the sound of Scottish Ethnology, but, of course, the choice is yours...

Reply 105

ladylish

10

oxymoronic

You'll find out your DoS on Tuesday then, so go directly there and get an appointment asap so that you've had it prior to going to the meeting with the PPLS people the next day. You're supposed to discuss things through with your DoS then they agree and sign you up, so perhaps the admin people at PPLS just do the admin stuff.

Any idea what happens with people looking to maybe do an outside subject in PPLS?

Reply 106

oxymoronic

OP

19

ladylish

Any idea what happens with people looking to maybe do an outside subject in PPLS?

You do it through your DoS and the system of whatever school you are in... what green_glitter posted is just for PPLS people, if you're elsewhere you deal with them regardless of whether you want to join us or not :smile:

Reply 107

ladylish

10

oxymoronic

You do it through your DoS and the system of whatever school you are in... what green_glitter posted is just for PPLS people, if you're elsewhere you deal with them regardless of whether you want to join us or not :smile:

Oh awesome :smile:

I was freaking out I'd have to be running around trying to get a meeting with my DoS before Wednesday morning as I've really warmed to the idea of doing philosophy...

Thank you for the reassurance :biggrin:

Reply 108

kjc_us

14

Is English literature as an outside course competitive?

Reply 109

nearlyheadlessian

15

kjc_us

Is English literature as an outside course competitive?

Highly competitive due to the fact that it's the most oversubscribed course in the university.

Reply 110

kjc_us

14

nearlyheadlessian

Highly competitive due to the fact that it's the most oversubscribed course in the university.

********. No idea what to do! Thanks anyway. :smile:

Reply 111

green_glitter

oxymoronic

You'll find out your DoS on Tuesday then, so go directly there and get an appointment asap so that you've had it prior to going to the meeting with the PPLS people the next day. You're supposed to discuss things through with your DoS then they agree and sign you up, so perhaps the admin people at PPLS just do the admin stuff.

Yeah that's what I thought =) Cheers!

Reply 112

artorscience?

11

barefootfiona

... Am I imagining this? ...

Yes. Noone will care where you are from/what your accent is. I do quite a bit in the Celtic department (which is attached to ethnology) and all first year courses (and to a lesser extent second year ones too) within both branches are full of internationals, mostly Americans with the occasional German/French people in my experience. But where you're from isn't important and you don't need to justify your reasons for taking an outside course.

How common is it for people to take three outside subjects, i.e. 160 unit’s worth?

I did in second year. I don't know anyone else who did and my DoS had to clear it with people in a mysterious office... It's important to consider that your grade does fall a bit in whichever subjects you decide are less important.

Seeing as you have to get 120 units a year, could 40 of those come from Scandinavian Studies, 40 from Religious Studies, 20 from Scottish Ethnology and 20 from Philosophy? Or would I then be cutting off all chances of ever incorporate Scottish Ethnology or Philosophy into my degree later if I wanted to?

Yes, if you played it like this then you would have to incorporate missed modules later on or potentially re-sit a year if you decided at a later point that you wanted to do a joint honours. It could be possible but would involve a lot of negotiation and discussion with your Dos and people in offices. If you were considering either as a potential joint honours it would be best for you to start out taking all the relevant first year modules that would enable you to keep your options open.

Does that mean that one option is worth 40 units in itself?

Language courses are described as either 1A or 1B. Each is a full year of study, 40 credits (the equivalent of 20 credits in each term). 1A is a beginners class, for some languages it is from scratch, in others it's from GCSE/Standard Grade whilst 1B is a continuers class following on from A level/Higher or equivalent level of language knowledge. This is different to how other subjects label their courses where A and B are used to denote first or second term.

Reply 113

barefootfiona

9

artorscience?

This is different to how other subjects label their courses where A and B are used to denote first or second term.

Thank you for answering all my questions! :jumphug:

In the light of day I think it was abit ridiculous to think I may be shunned for my accent >< But it's good tobe clear about the whole units thing.

Reply 114

kjc_us

14

This hasn't really got much to do with outside subjects but I thought it was a bit pointless starting a new thread on a little question.

So at the end of our 2nd year, we're expected to drop one of our three subjects and take two subjects to degree level. Does it have to be two subjects or can we drop two subjects and take just one subject through to degree level?

Reply 115

artorscience?

11

kjc_us

So at the end of our 2nd year, we're expected to drop one of our three subjects and take two subjects to degree level. Does it have to be two subjects or can we drop two subjects and take just one subject through to degree level?

At the end of second year you go into honours in whatever subject you applied to do (or whatever subject you decided to change to during the duration of your first two years). The norm is single honours (one subject) but there are also a lot of people who choose to do joint honours (two subjects). You then pick more specific modules (sub-subjects if you like) within your chosen field.

Reply 116

kjc_us

14

artorscience?

At the end of second year you go into honours in whatever subject you applied to do (or whatever subject you decided to change to during the duration of your first two years). The norm is single honours (one subject) but there are also a lot of people who choose to do joint honours (two subjects). You then pick more specific modules (sub-subjects if you like) within your chosen field.

So would I be able to just to French, even though I applied here to do French and German?

Reply 117

oxymoronic

OP

19

kjc_us

So would I be able to just to French, even though I applied here to do French and German?

Yeah, thats right.

Or you could go ahead with whatever you'd picked as your 3rd subject in first and second year, so say, Sociology or something and then drop both French and German and graduate with a degree in that instead.

Reply 118

kjc_us

14

oxymoronic

Yeah, thats right.

Or you could go ahead with whatever you'd picked as your 3rd subject in first and second year, so say, Sociology or something and then drop both French and German and graduate with a degree in that instead.

Just what I wanted to hear! Wicked, thank you. :smile:

Reply 119

yushuak

Hey Edinburgh people.
I've applied for Spanish and Arabic 2010/11 entry. What i wondered is: is it possible/advisable/manageable to study a third language? Namely French or Italian as the outside subject in year 1 and 2?
Thanks.

Outside subject(s) in 1st and 2nd year *post here with questions*

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