Bailey Warner

Dr. Elly Bavidge

British Life and Culture
March 19, 2014

Differences Between American and British Universities:

Four Years vs. Three
Going to university, both in Britain and America, is about many
different things. It is about finding out who you are as a person,
separate from your parents and old friends. It is about meeting new
people and having new experiences. Of course, it is also about
academics and preparing for life after school.
There are lots of things that are similar between the two
university systems, but there are many differences as well. When
comparing the British and American university systems, the most
obvious difference is the time you spend in school working towards
your degree. In America, it typically takes four years to earn a
bachelors degree, as opposed to three in Britain. While a year does not
seem like much, it affects both a students social experiences as well
as the flexibility of a students degree choice.
The majority of colleges and universities in America would be
classified as liberal arts schools. They focus on not only teaching a
student the knowledge needed to succeed in their chosen field of

study, but to create a well-rounded individual. General education

curriculums are the result of the belief that education in a broad range
of subjects was necessary to equip citizens with the skills and
knowledge they needed to be an active and responsible member of
society (Why Gen Ed?). Different schools aim to achieve this in different
ways. For example, at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,
more commonly referred to as UNC, most students take a general
selection of courses their first two years of school, often not declaring a
major until the end of their second year. At the University of North
Carolina at Charlotte, all students are required to take a selection of
general education courses, including math, physical science, English,
social science, foreign language, Western civilization, literature and
culture, to name a few. These courses are taken in addition to the ones
required by a students chosen major.
In contrast, British universities offer a much more streamlined
plan for earning degrees. British students specialize in certain areas of
study the last two years of their secondary education by taking A-level
courses and exams. These exams determine what subjects they are
able to study and earn a degree in in university, as most schools offer
them a conditional offer of acceptance based on the students earning a
certain grade (AS and A). Once students have chosen a degree, they
take courses exclusively in their field of study at university. This focus
allows students to go more in depth in their subject and explore

different areas within the field. Students will spend less time in school,
and will get started on their careers earlier.
There are pros and cons to both styles of schools and course
requirements. One pro of American general education programs is the
ease with which a student can change majors. In America, most
freshmen students enter college with no idea of what they want to
major in or possibly do for a career. Some students start school as an
undeclared major, while some decide to go ahead and declare a
specific major. Either way it typically does not matter too much what a
student majors in during freshman year.
It is generally expected that most students will change their
majors at least once, if not more. It is not uncommon for students to
switch majors three, four, or even five times before settling on one.
Sometimes this leads to the student having to take summer classes to
graduate in four years, or stay an extra semester or year. However, if a
student changes early enough in their college career, they can often
still graduate on time.
Most students take a lot of these general education courses
during their first couple years of study, so if they do chose to change
their major, they will not fall far behind, if they fall behind at all. If they
switch within the first year or two, they will probably only have taken
two to four classes in the field of their original major. For example, I
switched from a chemistry major to an English major after 3 semesters

of college. It was a big switch; the major curriculums have nothing in

common. But even though several courses I had taken no longer count
towards my current major, I will still be able to graduate in four years
because of general education courses and a flexible English program.
In Britain, it is a lot harder for students to change majors. They
must either switch to a subject that they did an A-level in, or must take
new tests to be eligible. They will also probably be behind, because the
course requirements are stricter and fewer options are offered. Most
courses have strict prerequisites; a student must have taken the
English fourth year level courses in order to be prepared for courses at
the fifth year level. In America, English courses have very few
prerequisites, so a student could take as many courses as they can fit
in their schedule, and in any order. It helps to take lower level classes
before higher ones, but there is nothing stopping a student from
attempting them. Other majors have a more structured course order,
but in general it is more flexible than in Britain.
Part of the idea behind general requirements at liberal arts
schools is to expose students to other areas that they might not have
had the chance to explore within their own major. Perhaps a student is
majoring in biology, but takes an anthropology class and falls in love
with it instead. It gives students and chance to experiment and
explore, while still working towards a major. Also, it allows students to
take a class in something that they are interested in, even if it does not

fit in with their major. For instance, an engineering student can take a
class about Native American history in order to fulfill his western
civilization requirement at UNCC. Without having the general education
requirement built in, he might never have had the opportunity to take
that class.
On the flip side, this system of general education can be seen as
a waste of time by students who already have a clear idea of what they
want to study when they enter college. An engineering student may
have no interest in history, and no desire to take a Native American
history course. Especially when it would take time and energy that he
could be devoting to his rigorous engineering courses. It is hard to stay
motivated and apply yourself in a class that you are not interested and
invested in. Students also end up paying more money to the university
by the time they graduate. Without the extra classes, many of these
students could finish their degrees a year or semester early, allowing
them to start their careers or go on to higher degrees sooner.
Similarly, some also view the first year of university in Britain to
be a waste of time, and not worth the fees. Even though students are
taking classes in their degree fields, they might have a hard time
applying themselves as well. Since students only have to pass their
exams, there is not much incentive to attend classes or put a lot of
effort into coursework and learning. Charlie Higgins, a comedy writer
and novelist, says that his first year of university was more about

drink, drugs, and sex than his degree in English American Literature
and Film Studies. In order to combat this possible waste of a first year,
several British universities are trialing two-year courses instead of the
typical three years (Is the First).
According to a 2010 article by BBC, students have an extra third
semester of classes instead of the usual summer break in order to
finish the degree in two years. Typically these programs are for
business and law students, degrees in which students are more
anxious to get careers started. According to Susan Edwards, a
professor and dean of law at University of Buckingham, their two year
program is more intense, but we produce students who employers
know are going to deliver, prioritize and be focused. However,
opponents to these fast-track courses worry that students are not
getting enough life experience or practice in their fields. The University
and College Union call the two-year courses education on the cheap
leading to academic sweatshops (Is the First). In is not yet clear
whether or not these programs will become widely available at more
universities, or whether or not students will have to pay more.
In conclusion, the difference in the time it takes to earn a degree
at American and British universities makes a large difference in what
students are going to major in and what they will study. In America, a
four-year college education is often more well rounded, allows for
students to experiment more in different areas of study, and makes it

easier for students to change majors while in school. In contrast,

Britains three-year university education is much more focused on a
specific major field and allows for students to explore different facets
of their areas of study. However, students have less of choice of what
they are going to get a degree in once they get to university, and it is
not very easy to change. There are strengths and weaknesses to both
systems, but both allow students to grow and learn and prepare them
for the world ahead.

Work Cited
AS and A Levels. BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2014

For Reference. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill College

of Arts and

Sciences. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2014.

Is the First Year of a Degree a Waste of Time? BBC News. BBC, 11

Mar. 2010. Web.
15 Mar. 2014.
Why Gen Ed? Welcome. N.p, n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2014.