3 ms·

Oxbridge master's degrees aren't "real" tho' - from time to time there are attempts in Parliament to crack down on them, but too many vested interests have them

by gaius 9y ago

Oxbridge master's degrees aren't "real" tho' - from time to time there are attempts in Parliament to crack down on them, but too many vested interests have them https://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/universityeducation/8318460/Oxbridge-students-MA-degrees-under-threat.html https://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/universityeducation/83...

stordoff 9y ago
You are referring to the MA (Cantab.) / MA (Oxon.) which are conferred to BA graduates six to seven years from matriculation, and indicates rank within the university. This is why I said Cambridge _didn't_ offer a Master's in Computer Science. The MPhil/MEng are absolutely real qualifications, requiring an additional year's study and a substantial research project.
- gaius 9y ago
  They are never used like that - people always say “I have a Masters in whatever from Oxford”. It’s a deliberate misdirection.
  - stordoff 9y ago
    I studied at Cambridge, and I have _never_ heard "Master's in X" used to describe the MA (Cantab.). It's simply wrong - the MA is not a subject specific qualifications - and can be trivially checked by employers - neither degree certificate (the BA or MA) states subject[1], and the degree transcript will indict you only took undergraduate level courses. As a result, the phasing is typically "I have an undergraduate degree in X"/"I did my undergrad. at Cambridge". If people are using it to be misleading, that isn't really Cambridge's problem -- anywhere it matters, people can ask for proof (the transcript), and there is a fair chance the person is being misleading in other ways as well. [1] Example BA certificate: https://i.stack.imgur.com/VTWUb.png https://i.stack.imgur.com/VTWUb.png All undergraduate degrees are the Bachelor of Arts, regardless of subject (except Law, which is the LL.B.).

3 ms·

Oxbridge master's degrees aren't "real" tho' - from time to time there are attempts in Parliament to crack down on them, but too many vested interests have them

by gaius 9y ago

stordoff 9y ago
You are referring to the MA (Cantab.) / MA (Oxon.) which are conferred to BA graduates six to seven years from matriculation, and indicates rank within the university. This is why I said Cambridge _didn't_ offer a Master's in Computer Science. The MPhil/MEng are absolutely real qualifications, requiring an additional year's study and a substantial research project.
- gaius 9y ago
  They are never used like that - people always say “I have a Masters in whatever from Oxford”. It’s a deliberate misdirection.
  - stordoff 9y ago
    I studied at Cambridge, and I have _never_ heard "Master's in X" used to describe the MA (Cantab.). It's simply wrong - the MA is not a subject specific qualifications - and can be trivially checked by employers - neither degree certificate (the BA or MA) states subject[1], and the degree transcript will indict you only took undergraduate level courses. As a result, the phasing is typically "I have an undergraduate degree in X"/"I did my undergrad. at Cambridge". If people are using it to be misleading, that isn't really Cambridge's problem -- anywhere it matters, people can ask for proof (the transcript), and there is a fair chance the person is being misleading in other ways as well. [1] Example BA certificate: https://i.stack.imgur.com/VTWUb.png https://i.stack.imgur.com/VTWUb.png All undergraduate degrees are the Bachelor of Arts, regardless of subject (except Law, which is the LL.B.).