Encyclopedia > Master of Arts (Oxford, Cambridge and Dublin)
In the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Dublin, the degree of Master of Arts (MA) is awarded to denote senior status within the university, not for further study or research. The degree is awarded to university officers (e.g. university lecturers and college fellows) and may be awarded to holders of the degree of Bachelor of Arts about seven years from the date they joined the university. This practice differs from that in most other universities worldwide, for whom the degree reflects further postgraduate study or achievement, and these degrees thus are frequently referred to as the Oxbridge MA and Dublin or Trinity MA to differentiate them. The degree is considered by some to be a graduate degree and by others to be an undergraduate degree; in this regard, see the discussion below in the Purpose section. The University of Oxford (usually abbreviated as Oxon. ...
The University of Cambridge (usually abbreviated as Cantab. ...
The University of Dublin, corporately designated the Chancellor, Doctors and Masters of the University of Dublin located in Dublin, Ireland, was founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I, making it Irelands oldest university. ...
Bachelor of Arts (B.A., BA or A.B.), from the Latin Artium Baccalaureus is an undergraduate bachelors degree awarded for either a course or a program in the liberal arts or the sciences, or both. ...
In the ancient universities of Scotland, the degree is awarded as a first degree to undergraduates (see Master of Arts (Scotland)). The Ancient universities of Scotland are those universities founded during the medieval period, and comprise (list by year of being chartered): The University of St Andrews, founded 1411 by papal bull The University of Glasgow, founded 1451 by papal bull The University of Aberdeen, founded 1495 by papal bull (as...
A Master of Arts in Scotland is an undergraduate academic degree in humanities and social sciences awarded by the five ancient universities. ...
Initials Masters of Arts in the three universities may use the post-nominal letters "MA". Although honours are awarded for the examinations leading to the BA degree, it is incorrect to use the style "MA (Hons)" as there is no examination for the MA degree. It is common to use the abbreviations "Oxon." (Oxford), "Cantab." (Cambridge) or "Dubl." (Dublin) in parentheses after the initials "MA" to indicate that it is not a postgraduate MA, though this is also a common practice with degrees from other universities. Post-nominal letters also called Post-nominal initials or Post-nominal titles are letters placed after the name of an individual to indicate that that individual holds a position, educational degree, accreditation, office, or honour. ...
A bachelors degree is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course or major that generally lasts three or four years. ...
A Master of Arts is a postgraduate academic masters degree awarded by universities in North America and the United Kingdom (excluding the ancient universities of Scotland and Oxbridge. ...
Requirements In all three universities, a Bachelor of Arts may incept as a Master of Arts as soon as he is of the required academic standing. No further examinations or residence are required, but the incipient may be required to pay a nominal fee.
At Oxford, the MA may be conferred during or after the twenty-first term from matriculation (i.e. ordinarily seven years after joining the University) upon anyone holding an Oxford BA or Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree [1]. An exception is that a Bachelor of Arts who attains the degree of Doctor of Philosophy may immediately incept as a Master of Arts, before the requisite number of terms have passed. The matriculation ceremony at Oxford Matriculation refers to the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by acquiring the required prior qualifications. ...
The Bachelor of Fine Arts, usually abbreviated BFA, is the standard undergraduate degree for students seeking a professional education in the visual or performing arts. ...
At Cambridge, the MA may be conferred six years after the end of the first term in residence upon anyone holding a Cambridge Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree [2]. Bachelor of Arts (B.A., BA or A.B.), from the Latin Artium Baccalaureus is an undergraduate bachelors degree awarded for either a course or a program in the liberal arts or the sciences, or both. ...
There are a number of other situations in which the MA may be conferred in this way at Oxford and Cambridge, but this is by far the most common; details of these other instances may be found in the sections referenced.
At Dublin, the MA may be conferred to Dublin BA of at least three years' standing. A fee is payable, but is waived in the case of graduates of more than fifty years' standing.
History and rationale This system dates from the Middle Ages, when the study of the liberal arts took seven years. In the late mediæval era students would attend university earlier than is now usual, and often as early as 14 or 15. The basic university education in the liberal arts comprised the Trivium (grammar, rhetoric and dialectic) and the Quadrivium (geometry, arithmetic, astronomy and music), and typically took seven years of full-time study. In the history of education, the seven liberal arts comprise two groups of studies, the trivium and the quadrivium. ...
In medieval universities, the trivium comprised the three subjects taught first: grammar, logic, and rhetoric. ...
The quadrivium comprised the four subjects taught in medieval universities after the trivium. ...
In between matriculation and licence to teach which was awarded at the end of an undergraduate's studies (whereafter he was incepted as a Master of Arts), he took an intermediate degree known as the baccalaureate, or degree of Bachelor of Arts. The division into trivium and quadrivium did not always correspond with the division between the studies required for the BA and MA, but was adopted in Cambridge in the Tudor era and maintained long after it was abandoned elsewhere in Europe. In the University of Paris the baccalaureate was granted soon after responsions (the examination for matriculation), whereas in Oxford and Cambridge the bachelor's degree was postponed to a much later stage, and gradually developed a greater significance. Bachelor of Arts (B.A., BA or A.B.), from the Latin Artium Baccalaureus is an undergraduate bachelors degree awarded for either a course or a program in the liberal arts or the sciences, or both. ...
The Sorbonne, Paris, in a 17th century engraving The historic University of Paris (French: ) first appeared in the second half of the 12th century, but was in 1970 reorganised as 13 autonomous universities (University of Paris I–XIII). ...
Responsions, was previously a name describing the first of the three examinations once required for an academic degree at the University of Oxford. ...
On inception and admission to the degree of Master of Arts, a student would become a full member of the university, and allowed to vote in discussions of the house of Convocation. The new MA would then be required to teach in the university for a specified number of years (during which time he was a 'regent' or 'regent master'). Upon completion of these duties, he would become a 'non-regent master' and allowed to either leave the university (often to become a clerk or enter the priesthood), or stay on and undertake further studies in one of the specialist or 'higher' faculties of Divinity, Canon or Civil Law and Medicine. A Convocation (Latin calling together, translating the Greek ecclesia) is a group of people formally assembled for a special purpose. ...
Later, it became possible to study in the higher faculties as a BA, though the higher degree could not be taken until the student had the required seniority to incept as an MA. While the requirements for the bachelor's degree increased, those for the master's degree gradually diminished. By the 18th century, the ancient system of disputations had degenerated into a mere formality, and it was possible to satisfy the prescribed terms of residence, which formerly included compulsory attendance at set lectures, by keeping one's name on the college books. Examinations along modern lines were introduced for the BA and MA degrees in Oxford by the first great statute to reform the examination system in 1800, but the MA examination was abolished by a second statute in 1807. In the scholastic system of education of the middle ages, disputations (in Latin: disputationes, singular: disputatio) offered a formalized method of debate designed to uncover and establish truths in theology and in other sciences. ...
// ON MAY 5 1853 MR.FADER HAD SEX WITH A MAN NAME MR WIEN THEN THEY HAD SON NAMEDMRS COTURE AND MR MANOOGIAN WENT INTO MRS HASKELLS OFFICE NAKED AND DANCED AROUND AND MASTERBATED ON HER CHEST AND SHE LICKED IT OFF THEN THEY HAD ORAL SEEX WITH NAPLOEAN OF...
Year 1807 (MDCCCVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar). ...
While the length of the undergraduate degree course has been shortened to three or four years in all subjects, all three universities still require roughly seven years to pass before the awarding of the MA. The shortening of the degree course reflects the fact that much of the teaching of the liberal arts was taken over by grammar schools, and undergraduates now enter university at a much older age (17 or 18). (It may be noted that the school-leaving certificate in France today is known as the baccalaureate.) Grammar school can refer to various types of schools in different English-speaking countries. ...
A baccalaureate is an educational qualification. ...
The University of London, in the mid-19th century, broke away from the ancient model by considering the MA to be a higher degree distinct from the initial degree. However, in instituting a course of further study beyond the initial baccalaureate, London can be seen to have reverted to the ancient model. Almost all newer universities followed London's lead with the result that the Oxbridge model is now the anomaly. The University of London is a university based primarily in London. ...
Rights and privileges The degree of Master of Arts traditionally carried various rights and privileges, the chief of which was membership of one of the two legislative bodies of the universities - Convocation at Oxford and the Senate at Cambridge. These were originally important decision-making bodies, approving changes to the statutes of the universities and electing various officials, including the two members of Parliament for each university. Inception to the MA degree was the principal way of becoming a member of these bodies, though it is not the only way, e.g. at Oxford Doctors of Divinity, Medicine and Civil Law were always also automatically members of Convocation. Today, the main role of Convocation and Senate is the election of the chancellor of each university. A Convocation (Latin calling together, translating the Greek ecclesia) is a group of people formally assembled for a special purpose. ...
A senate is a deliberative body, often the upper house or chamber of a legislature. ...
A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a parliament. ...
The privileges accorded to MAs and other members of Convocation/Senate were formerly very important. At Oxford, until 1998 the Proctors only had the power to discipline "junior members" (those who had not been admitted to membership of Convocation), which meant that any graduate student had incepted as an MA was immune from their authority. At Cambridge, MAs and those with MA status continue to be exempt from the rules governing the ownership of motor vehicles by students. Other privileges intended for academic staff and alumni, e.g. the right to dine at High Table, to attend Gaudies, etc., are in most colleges restricted to MAs, which excludes the majority of graduate students. 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean [1]. // Coated in ice, power and telephone lines sag and often break, resulting in power outages. ...
It has been suggested that Oxford University Police be merged into this article or section. ...
In 2000, Oxford opened up membership of Convocation to all graduates, which has greatly diminished the role and significance of the MA degree in that university. 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Precedence The MA degree gives its holder a particular status in the universities' orders of precedence/seniority [3] [4]. Notably, at Oxford, a Master of Arts has precedence over any other master or doctor (other than a Doctor of Divinity, Medicine or Civil Law) who is not a Master of Arts. Precedence/seniority was formerly important for determining eligibility for fellowships, etc., but now generally has only a ceremonial significance.
MA status In Oxford, until 2000 the university statutes required that all members of Congregation have at least the degree of DD, DM, DCL or MA or have MA status. MA status was thus routinely granted to academics from other universities who came to take up positions within the university; while it is no longer granted in this way, many members of Congregation appointed before 2000 retain MA status.
In Cambridge, MA status is automatically accorded to graduates of other universities studying in Cambridge who are aged 24 or older (graduate students under 24 years are given BA status). This entitles them to wear the appropriate Cambridge gown, but without strings.
External links
References - ^ (2005). "Ordinances Chapter V: B.A. Degree and M.A. Degree", Statutes and Ordinances of the University of Cambridge and Passages from Acts of Parliament relating to the University. Cambridge University Press, 401.
- ^ (2005). "Chapter 4: Regulations for the Degree of Master of Arts", University of Oxford Examination Decrees and Regulations for the Academic Year 2005-2006. Oxford University Press, 563.
- ^ (2005). "Ordinances Chapter II: Matriculation, Residence, Admission to Degrees, Discipline", Statutes and Ordinances of the University of Cambridge and Passages from Acts of Parliament relating to the University. Cambridge University Press, 186.
The headquarters of the Cambridge University Press, in Trumpington Street, Cambridge. ...
Oxford University Press (OUP) is a highly-respected publishing house and a department of the University of Oxford in England. ...
The headquarters of the Cambridge University Press, in Trumpington Street, Cambridge. ...
| | | Associate's degrees (U.S.) | AA, AAS, ABA, ABS, AOS, AS, AMusA (Australia), ASN | | Foundation degrees (U.K.) | FdA, FdEd, FdEng, FdMus, FdBus, FdSc, FdTech | | Bachelor's degrees | AB or BA, BAcy, BAdm, BAgrEc, BArch, BBA, BBus, BCom or BComm, BCIS, BCS, BCL, STB, BD, BDent, BDS, B.Ed., BEc, BEng or BE, BSBME, BFA, BHSc, BGS,BHE, BHK, BID, BJ, BTh, BLibStud, BLIS, BMath, BMedSc or BMedSci, BMus, BSN, BN, BPE, BPharm, BS or BSc or SB, BSc(Agr) or BSA, BSEET, BSocSc, BSW, BTech, LLA, LLB, MB ChB or MB BS or BM BS or MB BChir or MB BCh BAO, MA (Cantab.), MA (Dubl.), MA (Hons), MA (Oxon.) | | Master's degrees | AM, M.Ag MCM, MArch, MA, MAT, MALS or MLS, MS or MSc, MSt, DEA, MAcy, MALD, MApol, MPhil, MRes, MFA, MTech, MBA, MBI, MBT, MComm, MSF, MCA, MDes, MTh, MTS, MDiv, MEd, MMT, MPA, MPD, MPS, MSN, MProfStuds, MJ, MST, MSW, MPAff, MLIS, MLitt, MPH, MPM, MPP, MPT, MRE, MTheol/ThM/MTh, STM, LLM, MEng, MSci, MBio, MChem, MPhys, MMath, MMS, MMedSc or MMedSci, MMus, MESci, MPharm, MGeol, MTCM, MSSc, BCL (Oxon), BPhil (Oxon), ThM | | Licentiate degrees: | Lic Arts, LDS, JCL, STL, SSL, LSS, PhL | | Specialist degrees | EdS, SSP, CAS | | Engineer's degrees | AE, BE, BME, CE, CE, ChE, EE, CpE, ECS, EnvE, IE, MSE, ME, NavE, NuclE, Ocean E, SysE, Eng | | First professional degrees | BDent, BDS, LLB, MB ChB or MB BS or BM BS or MB BChir or MB BCh BAO, MArch, MFA, AuD, DC, DCM, DDS, DMD, BN, JD, MD (US and Canada), PharmD, DPT, ND, OD, DO (US only), OMD, DP, PodD, DPM, PsyD, MDiv, MHL, DVM, PD, STB | | Doctoral degrees | PhD, DPhil, DSc, ScD, PThD, DPS, EdD, DEng, EngD, DEnv, DBA, DD, JCD, SSD, JUD, DLitt, DA, MD (out of US and Canada), DMA, DMus, DCL, ThD, DrPH, DSW, LLD, LHD, JSD, SJD, JuDr, STD, DMin | |
Feeds |
Contact