The Independent - Higher RSS Feed

Is further study the 'least worst' choice?

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 23:00:01 GMT

There are not many reasons to be cheerful if you are graduating this summer, as the economy reels from one gloomy set of statistics to another, and companies put the squeeze on recruitment. But Helen Arnold is looking on the bright side.

The science of journalism: Reporting on matters of life and death

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 23:00:01 GMT

Confused about swine flu? Excited about a new cancer breakthrough? So who do you turn to when you want to get the latest facts: politicians, scientists, doctors or journalists?

Postgrad Lives: 'Distance learning gives me a much broader perspective'

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 23:00:01 GMT

Mary-Joy Albutt is doing a distance-learning MSc in public health, specialising in health promotion, through the University of London External System. She fits this in with her full-time job working for Dudley Primary Care Trust (PCT) as a health promotion adviser for young people.

Postgrad Queries: How can I find work with a disaster management firm?

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 23:00:01 GMT

Jobs in disaster management

I've just completed a BA in human geography. Throughout my school years, I enjoyed topics about natural disasters, and how humans respond. I was wondering if there are agencies in Britain that deal with disaster management, and what is the best way to get a job with them. Are there any postgraduate courses that will increase my chances of employment?

Make a living out of wasps and rats

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 23:00:01 GMT

The World Health Organisation (WHO) is taking cockroaches, rats and unwanted birds seriously. Last year it published a ground-breaking report, Public Health Significance of Urban Pests, which for the first time collated research on the effects of increased pest management and what to do about it. It also highlighted the need for properly trained pest controllers.

Research matters: Cash for questions

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 23:00:01 GMT

The relationship between scientists and government is often a turbulent one, but this summer a spat is developing of larger-than-usual proportions. Around the country, a network of academics, growing in size every day, is mobilising to voice increasing anger at what they see as unacceptable political interference at the heart of their working lives.

Welcome to the new frontier – Central Asia

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 23:00:01 GMT

Fresh from setting up a campus in Australia, one of Britain's top higher education institutions, University College London, is turning its attention to Kazakhstan, a vast country bordered by Russia, Uzbekistan and China and made famous by Ali G's Borat.

Diary of a Fresher: 'If I do OK in exams, I'll be allowed to carry on acting'

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 23:00:01 GMT

And so it begins. If I can pull these exams off, a year's worth of slightly lacklustre academic performance will, I hope, be forgiven.

Thirteen out of 20 top universities misspell ‘university’ on website

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:10:04 GMT

Cambridge, Harvard and Yale are among the top universities found to have embarrassing spelling mistakes on their websites.

The European Investment Bank to the rescue of DBIS?

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:06:03 GMT

The unprecedented rise in applications from people of all ages who want to study at university in 2009 should be no surprise. The number of 18 year olds peaks in 2009 and 2010. Recession and a tightening of the labour market have historically incentivised interest in higher education. This time the recession is deeper, more prolonged and global – and the correlation with demand for university places even more pronounced.

Leading Article: Swift action needed on Iraqi scholars

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 23:00:01 GMT

The report last week from the UK Higher Education International Unit on how Britain can do its bit to help Iraqi universities back onto their feet is welcome if only because it shows how far we have to go. Government ministers are putting the best possible gloss on things, but the fact is that it is well-nigh impossible for Iraqis to secure visas to Britain at the moment because they have to travel abroad to do so. That means Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's initiative to have 10,000 Iraqis on scholarships abroad – divided between the UK and the USA – may be difficult to get off the ground. It will certainly take a lot longer to achieve because of the obstacles that exist in the immigration arrangements for this country. The British Council believes that Iraqi students need more help in preparing for English language testing in advance of applying for a visa, and better advice on what to expect when they get here. So, the Government has a lot on its plate.

Red tape prevents Iraq's scholars from entering the UK

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 23:00:01 GMT

The violence and unrest that followed the invasion of Iraq in 2003 left that country's once-great universities on their knees. Looters stole everything that was not bolted down, and what remained was burned beyond recognition. More than 300 academics were killed, lecturers and students stayed at home and teaching and research slowed to a standstill, according to a report released last week.

Diary of a Fresher: 'Exam time is difficult without parents waiting on you'

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 23:00:01 GMT

The spectre of exams utterly dominates this term. Even the weather isn't enough to alleviate the sense of doom. I recall only the briefest period, near the start of term, when life was pleasant. My college, now decked with green ivy, finally looked like the place I saw when I came to the open day here three years ago. Lying on the grass with my friends, casually re-reading my set texts, I felt that I had finally come upon something of the essence of what university was all about. But to my dismay, the feeling barely lasted a week, and not just because it started to rain.

Leading Article: Clever George

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 23:00:01 GMT

Congratulations to George Weller, 17, who has become the first young person to be offered a place at Cambridge University under a partnership where students from Kingsford, an 11 to 16 comprehensive in Newham, east London, are given scholarships to study A-levels at fee- paying Brighton College.

Arthurian legend: Can Michael Arthur work his magic as chairman of the Russell Group?

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 23:00:01 GMT

Two years ago Leeds University had big-time health and safety problems. Asbestos had been discovered, bits of masonry were falling off buildings and there was an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease, according to Roger Klein, a former official with the University and College Union.

Go Dutch, save money: British students can take degrees in English at the University of Maastricht and pay lower fees than at home

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 23:00:01 GMT

It is a warm afternoon in May towards the end of the summer term and 10 young people on a European studies degree are gathered in a seminar room discussing the pros and cons of the Lisbon Treaty. All speak fluent English. There is some disagreement but it is expressed in a mature and thoughtful way. The most noticeable thing about the group is how pragmatic and well-informed they are about Europe, certainly by the standards of British students.

Leading Article: DIUS rest in peace

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 23:00:01 GMT

In their public pronouncements the universities have been polite about the summary execution of the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) and its incorporation into Peter Mandelson's empire. But privately they must be amazed – to put it politely – that DIUS has been abolished after only two years and the expenditure of £7m of public money on setting it up. This is how government policy is made – on the hoof and for short-term political advantage. The Prime Minister needs to give Mandelson a very large lollipop for his support in recent weeks, so he gets given universities, innovation and skills to add to his department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.

Would a graduate tax would be fairer than fees?

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 23:00:01 GMT

Further signs that the National Union of Students has become pragmatic and responsible are contained in a report published yesterday in which it calls for a graduate tax that is related to earnings and the number of credits studied to replace the current £3,225 top-up fee.

Diary of a Fresher: 'At my university "marriage" is just part of taking care of students'

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 23:00:01 GMT

Officially, "college marriage" is just another part of my university's pastoral system. Every fresher is assigned one or more "siblings" and two "parents" from the year above – one studying arts and one studying science. Your parents greet you when you arrive on your first day. They're the ones who show you how to use the library, and how to avoid locking yourself out of your room wearing only a towel. I'm not sure if it's an official part of university procedure, but it's such an institution it might as well be.

All change in Wales as the big five universities break away

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 23:00:01 GMT

On St David's Day this year, the biggest five of the Welsh universities announced that they were forming an alliance that would be strong in research and put Wales on the map.

Leading Article: Degrees of earning

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 23:00:01 GMT

The news that the graduate premium – the extra amount that someone earns from studying for a degree – is holding up will give heart to those who think that students should pay for their higher education. One of the arguments that Tony Blair and others made for introducing tuition fees and later the top-up fee was that students benefit financially from having a degree-level qualification. Their argument was pooh-poohed by those who argued that this graduate premium was being eroded by the fact that so many people were now going into higher education.

The students taking on Sarkozy

Wed, 27 May 2009 23:00:01 GMT

French universities have been in chaos for almost four months as lecturers, researchers and students have engaged in strikes, blockades and demonstrations against government reforms. In recent days the action has apparently been losing momentum – with fewer taking to the streets and universities reopening – but activists say this is only a pause for students to take their examinations, and the movement will continue until demands are met.

Leading Article: The end of an era

Wed, 20 May 2009 23:00:01 GMT

The glorious days for British universities, which began when Labour came to power in 1997 and which led to expansion on a generous scale and a massive amount of building, are well and truly over. But whether any universities will go to the wall is debatable. At the moment the Higher Education Funding Council for England (Hefce) is concerned about the viability of only a tiny handful of institutions. If the squeeze continues or gets worse, that number could grow. And if that happens, Hefce might need to develop a policy on mergers and restructuring.

Don't rely on prospectuses, become active consumer when choosing where to study

Wed, 20 May 2009 23:00:01 GMT

The sight of Plymouth spreading out from the train station to the sea was the clincher for Richard Trigg when he attended the university's open day. When he discovered there was sailing on offer too, his other favourites, Sheffield and Middlesex, hit the bin.

Could Government funding cuts rob Britain of its enviable reputation in higher education?

Wed, 20 May 2009 23:00:01 GMT

After 10 years of growth under Labour, Britain's universities are facing the prospect of retrenchment as a result of government cuts. Last week Surrey University, which is highly rated for science and technology, announced that it was making 65 staff redundant – and that it couldn't rule out compulsory job losses.