Oxford
University is the oldest university in Britain
and one of the world's most famous institutions of higher
learning. Oxford University was established during the 1100's.
It is located in Oxford, England,
about 80 kilometers northwest of London.
The
university has over 16,300 students (1999-2000), almost a
quarter of these students are from overseas and more than
130 nationalities are represented. It consists of 35 colleges,
plus five private halls established by various religious groups.
Three of the five private halls are for men only. Of the colleges,
St. Hilda's and Somerville are for women, and the rest are
for men and women.
At
Oxford, each college is a corporate
body distinct from the university and is governed by its own
head and fellows. Most fellows are college instructors called
tutors, and the rest are university professors and lecturers.
Each college manages its own buildings and property, elects
its own fellows, and selects and admits its own undergraduate
students. The university provides some libraries, laboratories,
and other facilities, but the colleges take primary responsibility
for the teaching and well-being of their students.
Each
student at Oxford is assigned to a tutor, who supervises
the student's program of study, primarily through tutorials.
Tutorials are weekly meetings of one or two students with
their tutor. Students may see other tutors for specialized
instruction. They may also attend lectures given by university
teachers. Students choose which lectures to attend on the
basis of their own special interests and on the advice of
their tutors.
The
university, not the individual colleges, grants degrees. The
first degree in the arts or sciences is the Bachelor of Arts
with honors. Oxford also grants higher degrees, diplomas,
and certificates in a wide variety of subjects.
The
Rhodes scholarship program enables students from
the United States, Canada, and many other nations to study
at Oxford for a minimum of two years. The British government
grants Marshall
scholarships to citizens of the United States for
study at Oxford and other universities that are located in
Britain.
The
competition for scholarships and grants is, however, extremely
strong and there are usually strict requirements. Students
should check carefully that they are
eligible
to apply for a particular scholarship before making an application
as most of the schemes are restricted to certain nationalities
and/or programs.
The
students and staff at Oxford are actively involved in over
55 initiatives (2001), including visits to more than 3,700
schools and colleges, to encourage the brightest and best
students to apply to Oxford, whatever their background.
The
university has been named the UK's most innovative university
in the Launchit 2001 competition, which aimed to discover
which British university has demonstrated the greatest achievements
in innovation
and enterprise across the broadest range of activity.
In the national Teaching Quality Assessment exercises for
2000, Oxford was awarded top marks in six out of ten subjects
assessed.
Oxford,
Stanford and Yale
Universities have recently become partners in a joint 'distance
learning' venture, the Alliance for Lifelong Learning, which
will provide online courses in the arts and sciences.
The
mission of Oxford is to aim at achieving and maintaining excellence
in every area of its teaching and research, maintaining and
developing its historical position as a world-class university,
and enriching the international, national, and regional communities
through the fruits of its research and the skills of its graduates.
In
support of this aim the university will provide the facilities
and support for its staff to pursue innovative research by
responding to developments in the intellectual environment
and society at large; and promote challenging and rigorous
teaching which benefits from a fruitful interaction with the
research environment, facilitating the exchange
of ideas through tutorials and small-group learning and exploiting
the University's resources in its libraries, museums, and
scientific collections, to equip its graduates to play their
part at a national and international level.
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