Study in Scotland A guide for North American students abdn.ac.uk/international University of Aberdeen Founded in 1495, the University of Aberdeen is the fifth oldest university in the English-speaking world. Today, the university has 14,000 students, from over 133 countries around the world, undertaking undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes, across the Arts and Humanities, Business, Law, Science and Engineering and the Medical Sciences. Rankings and Reputation Scholars associated with the University alumni founded the university include five Nobel Prize College of William and Mary winners, and the inventor of the in the US, and the University modern MRI machine of Hong Kong We established the first Chair Law School ranked 12th in the UK of Medicine in the English out of more than 90 law schools speaking world in 1497 (Times Good University Guide, 2015) Fifth oldest university in the One of the top 10 Beautiful English-speaking world Historic Universities (QS Top Universities website, 2014) 2 UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN Academic Structure Arts and Social Sciences Business School Teaching and research at the School of Divinity, History and Philosophy University of Aberdeen is School of Education organised across 12 Schools, School of Language, Literature, Music and Visual Culture which encompass a broad range School of Law of disciplines: School of Social Sciences Life Sciences and Medicine School of Biological Sciences School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition School of Psychology Physical Sciences School of Engineering School of Geosciences School of Natural and Computing Sciences 3 The £57million Sir Duncan Rice Library opened in 2012 4 UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN Campus Contrasting stunning History and Heritage • King’s College with its crown tower architecture and and chapel: the symbolic centre of historical charm with our growing campus landmark building • Medieval St Machar’s Cathedral – completed in 1530, there has been design, our campus a place of worship in the area since epitomises both the around 580 A.D. • The Brig o’ Balgownie – one of University’s impressive Scotland’s oldest bridges heritage and its • Old Townhouse – The 18th century building houses one of the University’s modern outlook. numerous museum collections The campus is home to a wide and Bright future diverse range of world-class teaching and research facilities, as well as Complementing and contrasting the sporting and recreational amenities, historic campus is the £57million Danish- all in close proximity. designed Sir Duncan Rice library, opened in 2012 by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth • Campus named in the “Top Ten II. It houses the largest of the University’s Most Beautiful Historic Universities modern collections, as well as historic in the UK” by QS Top Universities collections of rare books, manuscripts website (2014) and archives. • Located in the historic district of Old Another recent addition is the Aberdeen Aberdeen – a 20 minute walk from Sports Village and our new Aquatics the centre of the city Centre, featuring an Olympic standard • Sir Duncan Rice Library, named swimming pool and diving facilities. amongst the “20 Most Spellbinding University Libraries in the world” by Other campus attractions the Independent newspaper (2013) • The beautiful and peaceful 11 acre Cruickshank Botanic Garden has shrub borders, a rock and water garden, sunken garden, rose garden, herbaceous border and an a rboretum, and houses a nationally important collection of over 2500 labelled plants • The University’s Zoology Museum is a Recognised Collection of National Significance to Scotland, featuring displays from microscopic organisms to great whales 5 6 UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN Image above by Veli Bariskan Scotland’s third largest city, with a population of over Aberdeen 220,000 people Aberdeen is steeped in history, yet has In recent years, the city a reputation as a contemporary and has been ranked as: dynamic place to live, study and work. In a matter of minutes, you can travel from the bustling city centre of Europe’s Energy Capital out of town to experience of some of the most stunning attractions, countryside and wildlife that Scotland has to offer. Culture and Entertainment The safest university city in the UK* With a number of art galleries and historic theatres, to museums and libraries, Aberdeen is steeped in culture. The city’s venues host hundreds of theatrical productions a year including ballet, opera and drama, as well as the popular Aberdeen Student Show, which raises significant sums for charity. The city has more than 100 bars and clubs ranging from popular student hang-outs on campus and cosy traditional pubs, to wine and cocktail venues and clubs with DJs and live music while the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre holds more than The sunniest city in Scotland** 600 events annually, consistently attracting world-famous bands, singers and comedians. Shopping and Eating Whether in the city’s shopping malls, numerous retail parks, or in the bustling city centre itself, shoppers can explore well- known high street and designer stores, as well as browse quirky independent shops and international street markets. From serving great local produce such as beef, fish and shellfish, The happiest city in the UK*** to experiencing the best of international cuisine in established chains and independent eateries, the city has a huge variety of restaurants and cafes to choose from. * Source: Bank of Scotland poll, 2015 ** Source: Mercer Quality of Living Study, 2016 *** Source: PwC, 2013 7 History and Culture Whether you want to trace ancestors or just find out more about Scottish culture, Aberdeen is close to a number of Scotland’s stunning stately homes. There, alongside breath-taking architecture, views and beautiful grounds, you’ll hear tales of the spirits of spurned wives, and ghostly footsteps in the dead of night. Also within easy driving distance from the city are impressive stone circles, standing stones and burial cairns, some dating back as far as the Bronze Age. Every spring and summer the length and breadth of Scotland, visitors enjoy Highland Games that celebrate the diversity of Scottish culture. These popular events focus on competitive music, dancing and heavy athletics such as caber tossing. There are more castles per acre here than anywhere else in the UK: • Balmoral Castle in nearby Royal Deeside, was bought by Queen Victoria in 1852, and is a summer retreat for the British Royal Family • Craigievar Castle near Alford was the inspiration for Walt The Great Outdoors Disney’s fairytale castle The area around Aberdeen offers a • Slains Castle at Cruden Bay is said to have inspired Bram great selection of outdoor pursuits Stoker’s Dracula including surfing and kite boarding • The spectacular ruins of Dunnottar Castle south of the city at the beach, as well as hillwalking, were the stunning backdrop for Franco Zeffirelli’s Hamlet, skiing, snowboarding and equestrian starring Mel Gibson pursuits. With around 52 golf courses in Scotland’s castle and whisky The Granite City is a great base from where to explore Scotland country, there’s one to play every and the rest of the UK thanks to its great road and rail links; week of the year. mainland Europe is only a short flight away from Aberdeen’s International Airport. Find out more: www.visitabdn.com 8 UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN Undergraduate Study Like the USA and Canada, Sustained Study Scotland has a four year Sustained Study offer students the opportunity to study another subject alongside their main subject undergraduate degree system, throughout the first two years of their degree with an emphasis on breadth programme. Popular options include languages, such as Arabic, French, Gaelic, or Chinese (Mandarin), and flexibility. though other options include Business, Computing, and Conservation & Environment. The Aberdeen degree is structured in a way that allows students to study a broad range of subjects Sixth Century Courses during their first two years, before specialising in their third year of study. Sixth Century courses are courses which have been specially designed to offer multi-disciplinary We offer over 70 subjects at undergraduate level, approaches to knowledge and enquiry and to spanning the Arts and Humanities, Business, Law, encourage students to develop a deeper critical Science, Engineering and Medical Sciences. While understanding of their discipline area, by setting the you are required to select a particular subject subject in a wider context. when applying to the University, the tradition at Aberdeen is to admit students to the overall Discipline Breadth Courses degree programme, such as the Master of Arts or the Bachelor of Science, rather than to a particular Students can also choose optional classes from subject. For example, a student accepted to study another subject area. The course might be related History would be admitted to the degree of to your core subject or entirely unrelated to. For Master of Arts, while a student accepted to study example, a student studying History might choose Biology would be accepted to the degree of a related course in Archaeology or an entirely Bachelor of Science. unrelated course in Biology. The flexible structure of our four year system also means that while you will begin taking classes in Tuition Fees 2017/18* your chosen subject in your first year, you will also The annual tuition fee is based on the subject area have the opportunity to take classes from different of your degree programme. Arts-based programmes subjects and also to switch to another subject include Arts, Social Sciences, Divinity and Law (major) during the course of their studies. while Science based programmes include Science and Engineering. Enhanced Study Arts-based programmes: £14,300 The selection of optional courses is managed Science-based programmes: £18,000 through the system known as Enhanced Study, Medicine: £29,000 which is designed to ensure that students optimise their choice of optional courses and take full Please refer to www.abdn.ac.uk/study/international/ advantage of the choice and flexibility offered by finance.php for information on tuition fees the Aberdeen degree system.