University Degrees

[Temic]

Not sure if this is exactly the right place... but anyway, undergraduae degrees at Cambridge: does anyone know how long a typical student would have spent at Cambridge in the first decade of the 20th century, say around 1906? I'm assuming it's not the 3 year standard  of today...

[Billyblue]

It would probably depend on what they were studying, just as now.
do you know?

Dawn M

[behindthefrogs]

I have checked a number of my ancestors who studied at Cambridge in the 17th century and they all studied for three years for their first degree.  They were of course at that time all clergymen.

[Temic]

I have checked a number of my ancestors who studied at Cambridge in the 17th century and they all studied for three years for their first degree.  They were of course at that time all clergymen.

Thanks, that's interesting... I just thought it a post-WWI standard, but perhaps all that's changed is what and how they're taught, rather than length of time.

@Dawn: Not too sure of the subject this person studied (not an ancestor, but someone somehow connected to my ancestors), but he appears to have studied under Oscar Browning, which suggests either an education or history angle.

But it doesn't in fact depend on subject today at least: you'd find it difficult to find any standard undergraduate degree (e.g. BA, BSc) that required more than 3 years full time (in the UK); and certainly not less.

[behindthefrogs]

[But it doesn't in fact depend on subject today at least: you'd find it difficult to find any standard undergraduate degree (e.g. BA, BSc) that required more than 3 years full time (in the UK); and certainly not less.

Almost all degrees that involve a period of study abroad take four years e.g English American Studies, Theology (European Studies) as do many other degrees that include an off campass practical period.  There are also four year degrees for students who do not have A-levels or similar qualifications in the subject that they wish to study.  There are also now colleges that are offering two year degrees that compact the course so that there are 45 weeks of teaching in each of the two years.

The time taken is very much subject and university dependent.

[Billyblue]

I'd hope that your medical degrees take longer than 3 years!!

Dawn M

[GrahamSimons]

If you know the College he attended, then write to the Archivist there and you may get a good deal of information: for many reasons the Colleges like to maintain records and contact with alumni and alumnae. Registers are published, but I think that online access via Ancestry's digitisation of Alumni Cantabrigiensis ends in 1900.

[behindthefrogs]

You will actually find that many medical faculties award a batchelor degree after three years, often mainly based on theoretical study.  They then go on for further years when there is much more practical experience, to obtain their qualifications to practise.

[Temic]

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