On higher education in Britain.

If you think education is expensive, try ignorance! /Peter F Drucker/

Quality Higher Education is, and remains, one of the most important
export products of the UK. This country trains leading experts not only for the UK,
but for the rest of the world. With this in mind, is it difficult to imagine why more and more
students from Europe, Russia, Asia and even Canada and the USA are opting
to pay a hefty price for British education, despite other options being considerably cheaper?

Traditionally, British higher education is it's own standard, much higher
than that of other leading HE institutions in the world. It is widely known
that finding employment becomes much easier with a British degree.

Research and teaching here occur in parallel, often giving the students
an opportunity to become part of the research groups, and to witness major scientific
discoveries.
Refreshingly, in England, teaching is an essential part of the
faculty job description. One cannot escape it by hiding behind research
grants or unloading it onto graduate or PhD students. Therefore the
courses are actually taught by world-class scientists. And nowhere else
are students so looked after, from the first to the final year, as in
English universities! Every student, from the first day to
graduation, has a personal tutor, and for the first few years, also an
academic tutor, a member of the faculty specifically assigned to review specific
courses with, and who can be turned to with any enquiry. With such a secure
"safety net" of support, students never feel lost in the “boundless sea of knowledge”.

It is this dedication to student success, understanding, and enjoyment of their chosen
course, that sets UK universities apart.
Whether you are a recently hired fresh PhD or a well-known scientist, or
even a Nobelist, you can’t skip tutorship: this is an important part of
the department’s activity. Departments work with students closely,
helping them not only to choose the right direction in research or
studies, but often even to find their first job – something which is more acutely felt
now, given the economic conditions.

When talking about English universities, first of all one thinks of Oxford
and Cambridge. These are the first, the most ancient, so-called “stone”
universities. Until the 19-20^th centuries they were the only ones in
England (Scotland is not England!). Then, in the end of the 19^th -20^th
century they were joined by six so called “brick” universities:


The University of Manchester- founded in1880.

The University of Birmingham – founded in 1900.

The University of Liverpool – founded in 1903.

The University of Leeds – founded in 1904.

The University of Sheffield – founded in 1905.

The University of Bristol – founded in 1909.


After WWII there were founded so called “concrete and glass”
universities. In particular, these are all the major universities of
Central England (Nottingham, Leicester, Loughborough). In the 1990s
appeared so-called “new” universities, mostly on the basis of polytechnic
colleges.

All the student admissions are handled by a special organisation (UCAS).
This is who one should contact in order to apply to an English
university. You can choose up to six universities, which fit your
interests, send an application to UCAS, and they will themselves submit
it to the universities and supervise the process. Both home and
international students send their applications through UCAS.

Central England houses several universities widely known by their research and
academic reputation, including: Universities of Nottingham, Leicester and Loughborough.



Loughborough University (http://www.lboro.ac.uk) celebrated its 100^th
anniversary in 2009 (being founded in 1909 as a technical school). It is
considered one of the best universities in the country and is the only
recipient of six Queen’s Anniversary Prizes for education and sports. In
2008/09 it was awarded the “University of the Year” status. According to
the Times Higher Education, Loughborough University takes the first
place in student experience for the fourth year in a row, ahead of
Cambridge and Oxford
(http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=409966&c=1).
This does not mean that Loughborough is some kind of a “party
university”, but that it has all the very best to provide the academic
support for students, and that they have it easier to find job after
graduation. Loughborough has the largest campus in the UK with top class
sports facilities, football and rugby fields (175 hectares). Among the
popular departments are the Schools of Business and of Mathematics,
Departments of Physics and of Journalism. I asked the Head of Physics,
Prof. Feodor V. Kusmartsev (http://www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/ph/),
to tell about the department for the “Vancouver & Us” readers.

“The Department was created 40 years ago. Initially it was just a chair,
serving the whole university. Then, in late 60s, the first physics
students arrived, and the chair was reformed into an Applied Physics
Department. The researchers were mostly interested in discharges and
lasers. In 1970s the Department acquired a strong research group in
laser holography. Its founder Nick Phillips
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_J._Phillips) visited Russia and
learned the technology of hologram-making, which he developed further.
As the result, there appeared the first English holograms. Nick Phillips
made art out of hologram-making, and the University organized his
exhibitions, gathering up to 10 000 visitors. Later her organized the
company Holographic Ltd., spun off the Department.

In 1990s, when all the universities switched to self-financing, it
became necessary to look for different directions and resources. Then
the Department started a PhD program. In 1995 it had 40 PhD students.

Since 2000 the Department was re-organized, and the direction was taken
on the development of theoretical physics. The idea was put forward to bring in
a number of eminent visiting scientists. Thus the so called "2nd Landau Institute"
was created. It immediately attracted much interest, and the University provided funding.

Now the Department is very popular. We have several strong theory
groups in the field of superconductivity and molecular electronics, new
materials, quantum computing, quantum metamaterials, T-rays,
spintronics, biophysics. The Department has a Nobelist, three Fellows of the
American Physical Society, leading theorists. Among the most popular
specialization are “Physics and Management”, “Physics and Cosmology”,
“Physics and Mathematics”, “Physics and Sports Science”. Next year will
see the new streams: “Astrophysics”and… “Finances, Business and
Econophysics”; the graduates of the latter will take part in the
liquidation of the consequences of the crisis and organizing new
companies. Among the students is also popular the so called industrial
year (aka sandwich year), when between the 2^nd and 3^rd years they work
at companies or research institutions in the UK or abroad (France,
Germany).  This way they network and obtain a real understanding of what
they will be doing after graduation.

The Department has many foreign students. There are special programs
with the universities in China, Germany, and Austria. Currently the
discussions are underway on setting up a common program with the
University of British Columbia.”







In 15 minutes by train from Loughborough lies the University of Leicester
http://www2.le.ac.uk/). It is well known in Canada as a leading medical
university in the UK; its law school is also popular among
Canadians. This is the University of the Year 2009/10, and it also holds
several Centres for National Excellence including Genetics and Astrophysics. The most popular Departments are those of Medicine,
Physics, Biology, Chemistry and Law. The Business School is recognized
among the best in the UK.

Leicester's  Biology Dept. boasts the still lecturing Sir Alec Jeffreys,
inventor of DNA fingerprinting and the founder of the forensic sciences
as it is now recognised.

Leicester is well known for its Astrophysics program. The
Department has close ties with the National Space Centre, situated in the city proper. It
participates in almost all space programs, and they say here, that
whenever a rocket is launched into space, be it from Baikonur or Cape
Canaveral, a bit of Leicester goes up with it. The physics department, in collaboration with the
chemistry deparment, also partakes actively in atmospheric research at the well known Centre of Atmospheric Research.

The Department of Chemistry is famous for its research, offering recognised programs in
forensics, industrial, and pharmaceutical chemistry. Leading pharmaceutical companies, like
Astra Zeneca, Pfizer, and GSK willingly employ its graduates, and their
research are closely connected to the department’s research. It is here
that nanotechnologies for the latest anticancer drugs are being
developed. The Head of the Department, Prof. Andrew Abbot, is the
founder of a company, which works on developing ionic liquids, a greener industrial material, and
search for new sources of energy. The university has a small cosy campus, flanked by Victoria Park.

North of Loughborough, in about 25 minutes by train, there is the
University of Nottingham (http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/index.aspx). It
also belongs to the top universities in the UK and the top 100 in the world. This
is also the 7^th best research university in the country.

The most popular Departments are those of Medicine, Chemistry, Physics
(with also a very strong staff – a Nobelist and several Fellows of
different academies), Mathematics, a formidable Arts program with its
own theatre; a powerful Department of Architecture. Besides, this
university has, probably, the best campus of the three. It is spacious
enough, but compact, and has its own parks and a lakeshore.

All three universities closely interact, conduct common lectures and
seminars, collaborate in research. All three have special programs for
foreign students. All three are recognized by the Canadian Higher
Education programs, which means that their degrees are valued in Canada,
and Canadian student loans are available for studies there.

This is just a very brief review of the three universities of Central
England. One cannot tell everything here. There are pros and cons in
studying abroad, and I understand that not everybody would take such a
step. But if you made your choice in favour of European education, I am
convinced that England is the place to get the best quality for
your money.

Irina Zagoskina, Vancouver & Us (Feb. 2010)