Jargon Buster!
Term
Description
Initial teacher
training (ITT)
A course that leads to a qualification as a teacher. ITT is funded by the
Teaching Agency.
Joint Honours
A degree where you study two or more subjects e.g. History and Politics.
MA/MSc
MA is Master of Arts and MSc is Master of Science. These are postgraduate
qualifications that can be studied after an undergraduate degree. They
usually take a year to complete or two years part time. Some 4 year degrees
are classified as an MA or MSc.
MPhil
An MPhil is a Master of Philosophy. This is another form of postgraduate
qualification and it signifies the person has completed a period of research
rather than a taught programme.
MBA
Master of Business Administration.
MEd
Master of Education.
MEng
Masters of Engineering.
Modules
Programmes of study are made up of modules which each focus on a
specific area or topic.
PGCE
Postgraduate Certificate in Education – a teaching qualification.
PhD
A PhD stands for Doctor of Philosophy and is a higher level degree normally
taken after a postgraduate degree.
Postgraduate
A student who is working towards their master’s degree and has already
completed their bachelor’s/undergraduate degree.
Sandwich
course/year
A course of study which includes periods of practical work in organisations
outside the university or college, or a year abroad.
Semester
A study period of up to 16 weeks, often with the exams and assessments at
the end.
Single Honours
A degree where you study a single subject e.g. Chemistry.
UCAS
The organisation responsible for managing applications to higher education
in the UK.
Undergraduate
Student working towards a first degree.
Realising Opportunities
Applying to Higher Education 2016
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