University of London External

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by JoeyFBW, Mar 24, 2005.

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  1. JoeyFBW

    JoeyFBW New Member

    There are a lot of distance learning programs available through the University of London. See http://www.londonexternal.ac.uk/postgraduate/index.php


    Can someone explain to this dumb American how exactly the Univ. of London is organized? For example, how detached is Kings College (or SOAS) from the Univ. of London? Aren't all the different colleges quite separate? Analogous perhaps to UC-Irvine vs. UCLA vs. UC-Berkeley even though they are all part of the overall "University of California?"

    Which are the most prestigous Univ. of London schools? My guesses are London School of Economics and University College.

    Are any distance degrees available from London School of Economics?
     
  2. agilham

    agilham New Member

    Effectively, the colleges function as separate entities, but a large number of central functions, such as careers and the library are provided centrally. A student at any college can also take a course in their degree at any other college if there's space in the class and both colleges agree that the course fits into the degree. Exams are also moderated across the colleges to ensure that quality remains consistent, so my MA at Birkbeck, for instance, is cross-moderated by KCL and UCL.

    Almost, but not quite. You missed Imperial, which is easily the best of the lot.

    Nope. Although they are very proud of the courses they run for the external programme and do feature them on the LSE website. http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/LSEExternalStudy/Default.htm

    Due to the dual existence of the External Programme and Birkbeck, however, DL or part-time courses at the other colleges are about as common as roc's eggs (with the notable exception of a whole slew of part-time courses at Goldsmiths).

    KCL will be running a DL War in the Modern World MA this coming academic year (it was put back a year by the demise of UKeU), but it will take at least 3 years to finish it. If anybody's interested, details are at http://www.kcl.ac.uk/depsta/wsg/prospectus/ebrochure.pdf
    Birkbeck's DL programmes can be found at http://www.bbk.ac.uk/study/distance.html

    Angela
     
  3. Relationship Between University of London and IUFS

    I am interested in the University of London's External Programs and I am curious regarding the relationship U of L has with the International University of Fundamental Studies in St. Petersburg Russia who is offering coursework tutored by IUFS faculty and testing in Russia for U of L programs.

    http://www.iufs.edu/Faculty-BE.html

    Thank you for your information. Have a Great Day!

    Sincerely,
     
  4. agilham

    agilham New Member

    I suggest you read the following pages from the External Programme's website. http://www.londonexternal.ac.uk/institutions_about/index.shtml

    The whole point is that just about anybody can start up a "college" and say they're preparing people for the University of London exams. Some of them, like Law Tutors Online, are excellent, some of the early ones even grew into universities in their own right (quite a few of the red bricks started out that way), but there's no guarantee of excellence and UoL does not inspect, accredit or otherwise make any affirmation of the quality of any organisation claiming to prepare people for their exams except in the cases of the Diploma in Laws, the Diploma in Economics and the Diploma in CIS.

    IUFS is not teaching any of the three diplomas, it therefore has no formal relationship whatsoever with UoL.

    Angela
     
  5. JoeyFBW

    JoeyFBW New Member

    I believe the LSE does offer "Diplomas" through distance learning. See below:

    http://www.londonexternal.ac.uk/news_&_events/news/lse_new_qualifications.shtml

    While not obviously Masters degrees, they may be very helpful for people looking for a credential to help them with admissions to a prestigious Masters program.

    Also, another dumb question from an American but how does LSE, University College and Imperial compare to Oxbridge in terms of prestige? Thanks.
     
  6. JoeyFBW

    JoeyFBW New Member

    London external studying

    Dumb question but it appears that there are no classes you view through the Internet. In theory, with these London external programmes, you could get a syllabus and books and just do all the reading on your own. Then you take exams to see whether you pass. I don't mind that system as almost all my learning in school was done as a result of my own reading (I did not get much generally out of lectures). However, it'd be nice to have some type of support group. Is it hard to meet others also taking the program? Do they facilitate that sort of thing? Just someone to bounce ideas, etc.
     
  7. alarmingidea

    alarmingidea New Member

    This is from LSE's page about the External Programme:

    There have been debates here about whether one could identify a London External degree as coming from the college that provides the academic direction. It seems to me that the only way one could benefit from a reputation would be to identify oneself as a student or alumnus of the institution. So depending on how seriously they intend their website to be taken, it would seem that LSE is OK with external students associating themselves with the institution.
     
  8. uncle janko

    uncle janko member

    Hi Angela: Thank you for your very informative posts on this and the similar Oxbridge thread (and thanks, Joey for starting 'em).
    But thank you especially, my dear Angela, for smashing the shill nonsense that tries to legitimise the silly IUFS by claiming an organic connection to the University of London. There is an active shill campaign about IUFS just now. Your one-liner will doubtless help some innocent person avoid being deceived by the rampant nonsense.
     
  9. agilham

    agilham New Member

    Over here? Or over there? Over here, Imperial is definitely up there with Oxford and Cambridge. LSE is only a tad behind.

    At the moment they don't, but as I observed a few months ago, some relatively recent job adverts suggest that there will be movement towards such developments, at least in the Laws programmes.

    Associate, yes. There's nothing wrong with saying "I did a programme where the lead college was LSE". Anything more than that is skating on very thin ice.

    Angela
     
  10. alarmingidea

    alarmingidea New Member

    Outside American academic circles (and possibly even within them to a good extent) Imperial has, oh, about zero reputation. LSE, in my experience, is perceived here with the same "wow" effect that Oxbridge and the Ivy League get.

    As for identifying LSE as the lead college, that would indeed allow someone to take advantage of the reputation of the institution while keeping clear their relationship with LSE and UoL.

    Frankly, if I do an econ degree via the External Programme, it will be for the educational experience far more than for the reputation. It's good to know where the thin ice begins, though.
     
  11. nosborne48

    nosborne48 Well-Known Member

    And the NEW external LL.M. anyway is no longer connected with LSE. There are only two colleges involved, Queens and UCL.

    LSE, for reasons that are unclear to ME, here on the left side of the Atlantic, pulled its LL.M. program all the way OUT of the University's common LL.M.

    They've added a mandatory research paper to it. The result looks more like most American LL.M. programs (other than taxation) than it looks like other English or Commonwealth programs.
     
  12. nosborne48

    nosborne48 Well-Known Member

    Stupid of me. I meant Queen Mary. Queens is a bourough in New York City!:rolleyes:
     
  13. agilham

    agilham New Member

    Nah. It's a college at Cambridge ;-)

    Angela
     
  14. BillDayson

    BillDayson New Member

    Re: Re: University of London External

    From my vantage point over here half the world away, I'd want add some of the University of London's specialized institutes to that list.

    The Courtauld Institute of Art has a reputation over here in the States as perhaps the best art-history program in the English-speaking world. Their art collection isn't particularly shabby either.

    http://www.courtauld.ac.uk/

    The School of Oriental and African Studies has major world-class clout in those subjects.

    http://www.soas.ac.uk/

    I'm sure that there's more winners in the University of London archipelago (medical schools, music schools...), but I'm not familiar enough with them to pick out the gems.

    http://www.london.ac.uk/Colleges_Institutes/home.asp
     
  15. little fauss

    little fauss New Member

    That's pretty much my perception as well, I never heard of Imperial until recently when I did some research into it because I was considering the online MBA program through Tanaka. That's a great school, world class really--though I don't quite agree with agilham's opinion that it's "best of the lot"--but yet virtually unknown here in the states (and that's why I opted for UMass' online MBA: more expensive and lesser-regarded overall than Tanaka or a host of DL UK MBA programs, but nonetheless better-known over here).

    LSE or LBS or Oxbridge, now, those are recognized as on par with Ivy League over here, I doubt 1% of academics don't immediately "ooohhh" the mention of any of the four institutions.

    Strange how some schools have reputations with legs, while other equally good schools are nationally-recognized only. Examples in England would be Manchester, Warwick and, of course, Imperial; here in the states, examples would include U of Chicago and Duke, great, Ivy League quality schools, but not much of a reputation "over there".
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 24, 2005
  16. BillDayson

    BillDayson New Member

    Imperial College is 'virtually unknown here in the states'? I'd question that.

    Perhaps part of the reason for our difference in perception is that Imperial's old name was 'Imperial College of Science and Technology'. It's kind of the University of London's MIT, and probably has a similar reputation. (It's produced 14 Nobel laureates.)

    http://www.ic.ac.uk/P606.htm

    CP Snow's "two cultures" are alive and well, I guess.

    But I'm sure that everyone in physics or chemistry in the United States recognizes Imperial College.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 24, 2005
  17. marilynd

    marilynd New Member

    Re: Re: Re: University of London External

    You could add Warburg to that list as well.

    marilynd
     
  18. little fauss

    little fauss New Member

    Perhaps "virtually unknown" is hyperbole, but it doesn't have near the wow factor of LSE, LBS, Oxbridge. Calling it the UK's MIT is I think about right from what I've heard. Perhaps everyone over here in the natural sciences has heard of Imperial, but what I know about the natural sciences you could fit in a very small test tube, so it was virtually unknown to me even though I work on the edge of academia (adjunct).
     
  19. novemberdude

    novemberdude New Member

    Nah. it's a pretty decent University in Kingston, Ontario ;-)
     
  20. uncle janko

    uncle janko member

    I hope that many people find DL offerings from the University of London--and any other legitimate provider of DL--useful and enjoyable.

    I respectfully withdraw my thanks offered above. I should not wish to create any misunderstanding about Angela Gilham's intent. She has pointed out that it was not her intent to demolish any false claim made by IUFS, and I apologise for implying that it was.

    It is, however, my intent to do just that, as often and as long as it takes.

    When evidence comes to hand, offered by reliable posters--and I trust that Angela Gilham will not take it amiss if I include her in that category, since she is, along with Gavin Kennedy, one of our most informed posters about matters of higher education in the UK--I will use it, repeat it, glory in it, all for the sake of keeping some unknown poor devil out there from being misled by the vicious and deceptive claims made by shills who post here and defame this website elsewhere.

    And for that I do not and will not apologise.
     

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