Further particulars of offers

• Learning and teaching at St Andrews

  Our approach to learning and teaching is a little like the University itself: a mix of very traditional and very new. In every subject, we take care to cover all the bases, on the one hand familiarising our students with the knowledge and theories that are essential to understanding the discipline; and on the other, giving you a chance wherever possible to develop practical uses for the expertise you acquire. From this starting-point, we expect our students increasingly to design their own studies, by selecting options and undertaking research-based activities that they devise by themselves, with support from academic staff.

  All teaching and learning is organised through one of the University’s Schools, which have a director of teaching who oversees the delivery and development of teaching and learning. These all work with the coordinators of individual modules and with programme or year coordinators (where appropriate) to ensure that teaching and learning provision is carefully planned and delivered, and that new developments and changes are channelled for approval to the appropriate committees. Directors of teaching, programme, year and module coordinators are all established members of academic staff – such as teaching fellows, professors and lecturers.

  Students put together their programme of studies by selecting a combination of compulsory and optional modules from our module catalogue. The catalogue describes each module and gives information about the learning, teaching and assessment methods used.

  We know that every student has a slightly different way of learning so, while we make use of some tried-and-tested methods that we believe should be part of any good university education, we also have a wide variety of complementary approaches that will enrich your experience and ensure there is an approach that suits.

• Degree and module information statement

  Information about the University’s curriculum (modules and degree programmes) can be found in several places on the University’s website depending on the level of detail you are looking for. The module catalogue is the primary sources of information if you want to learn about the modules that may be available to you in the academic year and the combination of modules that are required to progress from year to year on your chosen degree programme.

  Modules

  In the module catalogue, you will find information about all the modules that are available in the current academic year. These modules are published in numerical order by the administering academic School. The modules are divided between 1000 and 2000 level modules (sub-Honours) and Honours level modules for undergraduate programmes. There may be constraints on a module such as a pre-requisite that will restrict the actual modules available to you depending on the degree programme you are studying. Postgraduate module information is published by programme for postgraduate taught programmes.

  The module catalogue is updated and published online each year and is available as a PDF file. Hard copies are available for consultation in the University Library. It may be necessary to update the module catalogue after it is published, and these updates are published on the same web page at the very top of the catalogue listings under the heading “Stop Press”.

  Degree programmes (also called courses)

  The University offers a wide variety of degree programmes in many different academic subject areas. 

  The list of currently available undergraduate degree programmes that you may study are listed in the module catalogue. Each degree programme requires certain combinations of modules to be taken in each academic year of study for you to progress from year to year on your way to your final examinations and ultimately graduation. These requirements are published in a similar way to the modules, that is, under each academic School they are listed in alphabetical order by degree type (single Honours, joint Honours, major and minor, triple) and academic subject. The University’s advising process will help ensure that you are on track to meet the requirements that are necessary to finish your degree programme. 

  You can review these two parts of the catalogue manually online or using one of the printed copies of the catalogue that are available in the Library.

  Postgraduate degree programmes are listed within the postgraduate module catalogue.

  Senate Regulations

  The University Senate oversees the awarding of degrees to students upon successful completion of a programme of study and the regulations that govern the requirements for success are laid out in the undergraduate Senate Regulations and postgraduate Senate Regulations; you can also access these regulations as printed copies in the University Library.

  The regulations are published annually in advance of the beginning of the academic year. Changes to the Senate Regulations may be necessary from time to time, but these are uncommon and are always published online as a PDF titled “Summary of changes”. In most cases, you are unlikely to need to refer to the Senate Regulations as your Advisers of Studies and the University’s advising system will guide you in relation to your approved pathway of study.

• Curriculum revision

  The main aims of the curriculum at the University of St Andrews are to foster flexible, independent thinkers who have both subject-related and generic skills in readiness for work or further study. The curriculum portfolio is developed on research-led teaching, guided by cutting-edge researchers and delivered by outstanding teachers from around the world. Embedded in the core curriculum are principles of research methodology, ethics and responsibility as well as insight into global and cultural issues. The University teaches not only skills and flexible thinking, but a belief in the ability to use these beyond graduation.

  The University provides an exceptional breadth and opportunity of choice, with a large range of subjects that can lead to joint degrees – you will be encouraged to try new disciplines while following your own established academic interests. The University will ensure that relevant information and advice is available when students are deciding to make such choices: to complement the key information contained in the module catalogue, each student has a dedicated Advisor of Studies who is available for consultation in a process overseen by Pro Deans who can also provide expert guidance to students.

  In order to achieve this, and to ensure that its teaching incorporates the research and related interests of its staff, the University reviews its curriculum portfolio on a regular basis including programmes and modules. Changes are made with due consideration to minimising impact, safeguarding academic standards and assuring the quality of the learning experience. These may include any of the following:

  • Changes to the timetable, location, number of classes and method of delivery of modules and programmes of study, provided such alterations are minimal.
  • Reasonable variations to the content and syllabus of modules and programmes of study (including in relation to placements or study abroad) to ensure that teaching is research-led, current and relevant. 
  • Suspension, discontinuation or combining of modules or programmes of study (for example, because a key member of staff is unwell or leaves the University). 
  • Changes to ordinances, regulations, policies and procedures which the University reasonably considers necessary (for example, in the light of changes in the law or the requirements of the University's regulators, or for the benefit of its students and staff). 
  • Not providing programmes of study or modules or combining them with others if the University reasonably considers this to be necessary (for example because too few students are admitted to them to provide the required learning experience). 

  As part of any such changes the University will:

  • Endeavour to minimise impact for current students and applicants by communicating at the earliest opportunity, offering reasonable alternative options or cancellation with no detriment and timing the changes sensitively.
  • Introduce major changes normally in such a way that these come into force at the beginning of the following academic year (if fundamental to the programme, major changes will normally come into force with effect from the next cohort of students).
  • Apply changes to policies, regulations and procedures with no academic or financial detriment to current students.
  • Be cognisant of students on leave of absence and ensure that any changes to the curriculum are communicated clearly and suitable pathway options are available on return to study.
  • Ensure that the portfolio of modules available for students to choose from delivers the published learning aims and outcomes of the programme for which students are enrolled. 

  Lectures, seminars and tutorials

  Most subjects use lectures, especially in the first two years, referred to as sub-honours. Students can use their first two years to discover their own specific strengths before finalising their degree intentions at Honours level. Lectures are a good way to ensure everyone in the class receives the same key information, and they help students develop note-taking and summarising skills. The material covered in lectures is generally followed up in smaller seminar groups (around 15 to 20 students) or tutorials (around 5 to 10 students), where there might be a structured open discussion, a general debate, a presentation by students, or a series of questions, exercises or examples to be worked through with the tutor. Owing to the relatively small undergraduate student body in comparison to some universities, St Andrews is in the enviable position of offering small group teaching in many subjects.

  Laboratories

  In addition to lectures and seminars or tutorials, some subjects require laboratory sessions. These take place in custom-designed labs, where students carry out practical tasks, following a programme of work devised by their lecturers and directed by experts during the session. Labs allow you to put theoretical knowledge into practice, perfect your skills and develop into competent, well-trained and highly-skilled specialists. Lab sessions are not just for science: Economics, Modern Languages and others use them too.

  Other learning and teaching activities

  One-to-one

  Some academic Schools also offer ‘surgery’ hours, where students can drop in to speak with a tutor about a particular module. Our welcoming environment and relatively small size allow students to approach individual tutors for assistance in this way or via email.

  Learning in the field

  Many subjects include compulsory or optional fieldwork from an early stage. Students may investigate a site of particular scientific, historical, artistic or cultural interest; or they may carry out experiments or surveys by observing or interviewing the occupants of a particular location.

  Learning from each other

  Not all learning takes place in the physical presence of the tutor, of course. We also arrange student-led tutorials (real or virtual) in which students drive the discussion. And although we are an ancient university, our state-of-the-art facilities support learning through blogs, chat-rooms, podcasts, project forums, wikis and other forms of collaborative and independent learning.

  Extracurricular activities

  Extracurricular lectures and seminars in every School are open to students. Some student societies are linked to academic Departments and are an excellent way to expand understanding and appreciation of the subject. Societies organise talks, social events and other informal activities to support learning.

  Internships and work experience are available in some areas as part of the degree programme, whether simulated or real: Medicine, for example, places emphasis on simulated doctor-patient consultations, while teaching abroad placements are routinely available in Modern Languages with Integrated Year Abroad programmes. Competitive extracurricular summer research internships, supported by the University, are available in all subjects to supplement scheduled learning and teaching.

  In the final year, a flagship module, distinctive to St Andrews, allows selected students to obtain credits for teaching their subject of study in local schools, under the joint supervision of a teacher and a university academic. The Careers Centre supports students arranging their own vacation internships for work experience.

  Further personal and professional development opportunities are available, for example through the St Andrews Award, administered by the Careers Centre; and the Certificate in Professional Skills run by the Centre for Academic, Professional and Organisational Development.

  Individual and group work

  As students progress through their programme, they are expected to undertake work in groups or pairs. This is a good way of sharing work in order to learn more about the subject; but learning to be part of a team is also a key skill for employment and life in a community.

  At the same time, one of our chief aims at St Andrews is to enable students to become increasingly self-reliant, not only in the intellectual questions they ask and answers they give, but also in the way they manage their time, organise their work and achieve the high standards of professionalism prized by employers. Students are therefore expected to conduct much of their work alone, and the Honours project or dissertation in particular is the culmination of independent thinking and personal development: in this, a student selects a topic, defines a question, conducts the research necessary to explore it thoroughly and according to the norms of their discipline, and writes up the results of their enquiries. All this is done with readily available support and guidance from academic staff – but the burden of work, and the ultimate achievement, is entirely the student’s own. Thus, we support a gradual departure from a typical school or college environment where structures and schedules prevail, to a more scholarly approach where interaction is focused on support for autonomous learning, exchanging ideas and stimulating thinking.

  Workload, preparation and follow-up for learning and teaching

  Like other universities, we expect full-time students to put in a full week’s work on their studies, split between scheduled classes and private study. As a guide, each credit earned should be the result of about 10 hours’ work, so a full year’s credit load (120 credits) represents 1,200 hours of concentration and hard work.

  To get the most out of your studies, you need to prepare carefully for every class you attend, and to follow it up afterwards, whatever its nature. You may be asked to look carefully at specific material; in addition, you should independently use learning resources like the Library to ‘read around’ the subject, fill gaps in your knowledge and understanding, check the reliability of information you have discovered and feel confident that you have grasped what is being taught.

  To help in this, further module information is available, clearly showing the programme of study and assessment involved. Bibliographies of extra reading are provided at the start; further recommendations may be given during class, depending on what comes up. Many tutors post material on the web; others may conduct short ‘refresher’ tests during the class itself to check that everyone has reached the necessary level of understanding.

  Some subjects require a high percentage of scheduled learning hours, for example because a student can only make progress by attending a laboratory or carrying out supervised fieldwork. In other subject areas, a large amount of individual reading or practice is the only way to ensure adequate learning. In both cases, students must quickly develop time management skills to enable efficient use of the full-time study week.

• Fee setting

  See the fee setting page for more information.