University of London External Programme
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
|
|
| Established | 1858 |
|---|---|
| Type | Distance education |
| Students | 34,000 aprox. |
| Location | London, United Kingdom |
| Website | http://www.londonexternal.ac.uk |
The University of London External Programme is an external degree granting portion of the University of London, and has existed since 1858. It offers undergraduate and post-graduate diplomas and degrees to students without having to come to London for study. There are roughly 34,000 students world-wide currently in the process of earning credentials, the vast majority outside of the United Kingdom. A designated constituent institution of the University of London (i.e. the “lead college,” e.g. Royal Holloway), or several, creates materials which students can then read at their own pace for examinations that are then held at testing centers worldwide on specified dates. Hallmarks of the program are:
- its low cost vis-à-vis attendance in London,
- choice of flexibility between full and part-time study, and
- the goal of improved access, with the admissions standards being somewhat lower compared to admission to a consitutent institution directly.
External students are given the same examination papers and are graded on the same standard as internal students by University statute, hence ensuring a uniform credentialing process. A pupil who completes a course of study under the program is awarded a University of London degree, and should there be a lead college, a notation specifing which institution provided the instruction. As stated in a recent open letter written by the University, in 2005 the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) confirmed that confidence can be placed in the University’s management and awards made through the external system.
[edit] Private Tuition
In the Middle East, South Asia and East Asia, many students on the external program seek out tuition at private or non-profit schools which charge additional fees for instruction in preparation for examinations. Such institutions may be audited (although many are not), and if found to be of a respectable standard, may earn the designation of “permission to teach.” The designation serves both as a means of signalling to students some degree of quality in the services offered (although the University of London examiners frequently note that they do not wish for pupils to interpret the sanction as such), and secondly designates places which are allowed to offer the undergraduate diplomas in the fields of law and economics (the only courses mandating formal schooling of some sort).
