On Tue, 30 Dec 2003 12:36:17 +0000 (UTC), Uncle Davey wrote:
[SNIP]
> The Masters degree is given for graduates of Oxbridge to reflect the
> superiority of the study for a normal BA at Oxbridge over the BA at any
> other University.
I think that graduates of a number of other Universities, eg Durham etc.
would disagree. Some Scottish 4 year degrees also give an MA, by the way,
but they get that when they graduate instead of a BA, unlike the situation
at Oxford and Cambridge where they have to wait.
It may well be that there are courses at Oxford and Cambridge that are the
best in the UK. I am equally sure that there are subjects in which there
are better places to go than Oxford or Cambridge. I think you are
generalising too much.
In addition, you're wrong about the reason for giving the MA to Oxford and
Cambridge graduates. Its primary purpose is to make them full members of
the University. During a discussion a few years ago about abolishing them,
the president of Magdalen College referred to them as simply an
'organisational tool'. They are required for voting in convocation, which
is why in the past they were also sometimes given to Oxbridge staff.
You
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