University of East Anglia
The University of East Anglia has an international
reputation for top quality research and teaching in a wide range of
subject areas. Since gaining its Royal Charter in 1961 it has grown
steadily in terms of course range and student population. There are now
24 Schools of Study, and more than 10,000 undergraduate and 3,000
postgraduate students.
For more than 45 years, the
University of East Anglia has been developing one of the UK’s most
distinguished environments for education and research. It is highly
ranked and enjoys an excellent academic reputation, attracting students
from all over the world who help create a thriving cosmopolitan
atmosphere on campus.
The University enjoys a beautiful location,
set in acres of leafy
countryside with a diverse range of buildings including the 16th
century Earlham Hall, Denys Lasdun's spectacular 'ziggurats' halls of
residence, and Norman Foster's Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts. It
also has one of the largest sports complexes in the UK and is rated by
students as one of the top ten UK universities for entertainment and
social events.
For
the last five years students taking part in the National Student Survey
have placed the University in the top five mainstream English
universities for
overall satisfaction, and highly rated the standard of teaching
they received.
Quality of teaching
The
University of East Anglia’s policy is to continuously measure and
improve its teaching standards. It has enjoyed considerable success in
recent years in independent institutional audits, teaching quality
assessments and subject reviews made by the Quality Assurance Agency.
The latest results in March 2009 gave the University the highest
ranking possible.
Its courses have received similarly high
praise. The 2009 National Student Survey found UEA's Pharmacy degrees
to be the best in the UK with a 100 per cent satisfaction rate, while
the Society, Culture and Media degree was ranked first among all
Sociology-related courses. Environmental Science; Speech and Language
Therapy; History; Drama; Mathematics; and Molecular Biology all scored
100 per cent satisfaction in subject-specific assessments.
Quality of research
The
University of East Anglia is also one of Britain’s premier research
universities and committed to achieving international standards of
excellence. For this reason its students benefit from the latest
knowledge and thinking, and are taught by staff at the forefront of
their
disciplines.
The results of the 2008 Research Assessment
Exercise have confirmed this status, finding over 50 per cent of the
University’s research activity to be ‘world leading’ or
‘internationally excellent’, with 87 per cent of ‘international
standing’. Outstanding performances have placed UEA's History of Art,
Film Studies, American Studies and International Development faculties
in the top three in the country, with Environmental Sciences and
Pharmacy in the top ten.
The University also carries out a
substantial amount of work for government departments, industry and
charities and a large proportion of its funding is provided by the UK
Research Councils and European Union. Of particular note, the
University achieved the award for Research Project of the Year at the
Times Higher Education Awards 2008 for its work with climate-system
tipping elements.
UEA has also established a number of
centres that develop particular areas of expertise. These include the
Arthur Miller Centre for American Studies, the ERSC Centre for
Competition Policy, the Centre for Research on the Child and Family,
and the Climatic Research Unit, a recognised world authority on global
climate change.
Wide choice of subjects
The
University’s degrees have a modular structure which allows students a
wide choice in what they study. UEA is made up of 24 academic Schools
of
Study – grouped into the Faculties of Arts and Humanities, Social
Sciences, and Science and Health – and many offer you the opportunity
to take modules of personal interest or in specialist areas of study.
This is great if you want to broaden your general knowledge or develop
a specialism relevant to your desired study route. For instance, if you
are a science undergraduate you can also take a language module taught
in an entirely separate school.
What are the advantages of a modular degree?
- You can select subject options to match your interests
- You can study modules outside your school of study
- You may have the opportunity to study abroad for a period, eg in Europe, North America or Australasia
- The assessment process avoids the pressure of having all exams in the final year.
What support can you expect?
When
you transfer from your INTO programme to the University for
undergraduate or postgraduate study, you will be allocated an academic
adviser who will monitor your academic progress and guide you through
the course until you graduate. The academic adviser may help you select
modules to construct a degree course that reflects your academic
interests, talents and skills.
Although as an INTO student you
will be well-prepared in comparison with many international students,
when you transfer to the University you will have continued access to
specialist support. The University’s Learning Enhancement Tutors can
help you improve study skills such as note taking, essay writing, time
management and exam technique. Year-round, in-sessional English
language support is also available.
How does the University teach?
A
variety of teaching methods are used at the University of East Anglia
including lectures, seminar teaching, team-based group projects,
presentations, laboratory-based practicals and, where relevant,
professional practice placements. All aim to provide you with in-depth
knowledge of your subject, as well as important analytical,
presentation, teamwork and communication skills.
Seminars will
form one of the most important parts of your course. They offer you the
opportunity to study a selected aspect of your subject in detail, then
to exchange ideas on what you've learned with your tutors and fellow
students. The classes are an excellent way for you to learn how to
express and develop your own ideas.
If you are studying a
science subject you will carry out experimental work in the
University's well-equipped teaching labs, which enables you to test
theories and hypotheses. You will work both individually and in teams,
and be assessed on your results and written reports. Depending on the
subject, practical classes provide opportunities to develop your skills
while using the latest high-performance scientific equipment.
Private study
In
addition to lectures and seminars, you will need to spend time working
on your own – studying and researching in the library, or carrying out
practical work or projects. You will be given a reading list for each
module you take, but will be responsible for planning your own reading
and private study. Support is available to help you make the best use
of your time.
How are students assessed?
In
most subjects, a student’s final degree result is based on a
combination of coursework, projects, dissertation and examinations.
Examinations
are taken at the end of each module, so you will not have the pressure
of traditional ‘finals’ where all exams are taken at the end of the
course. Each student’s final degree result is determined by the marks
received in the ‘counting years’ (usually the second and third years of
a three-year course).