No area of intellectual life characterises the modern university quite as well as the sciences. Along with the related area of biomedicine, they have the biggest budgets, they generate the best-paid graduates, and they attract the most attention from governments, beguiled by the apparent connection between scientific excellence and economic success. When it comes to
Universities from four continents were represented at the launch of the 2012 QS World University Rankings by Subject in Prague. Ben Sowter, head of research at QS, said the rankings would help prospective students to compile shortlists of universities that excelled in the particular subject that they wished to study. The extra layer of subject
Earlier this month, Republicans and Democrats came together to extend the 3.4 percent interest rate for students enrolling in the 2012-2013 school year who opt for a federally funded Stafford loan. The interest rate was scheduled to return to the original 6.8 percent, but the lower rate is scheduled to remain for at least a
The STEM gender gap – the relatively low number of women pursuing science, technology, engineering and maths degrees and careers – has most recently come to the fore with the EU’s short but controversial film, ‘Science: It’s a Girl Thing!’ The video, which was rapidly retracted by the EU, prompted widespread criticism – not of
As the world’s attention turns to London for this year’s Olympic Games, UK universities and students are playing a major role in Olympics preparations – from hosting training camps for Olympics teams, to training as professional security staff. With the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics due to commence on 27 July and 29 August respectively, Olympics
Two days ago, the University and Colleges Admissions Service (Ucas) revealed the details of the drop in university application in the United Kingdom (UK) for 2012 tuition fees months after the government announced that universities would be able to charge up to £9,000 for tuition fees. Students had from September 2011 until 30th June 2012
Affirmative action is designed to help give disadvantaged students equal opportunities, but not everyone agrees with current policies. In the United States, affirmative action has been a part of many universities’ enrolment for several decades. The term refers to policies which favour typically disadvantaged groups, with African Americans the most common intended beneficiaries. The end
The arts and humanities rankings cover English language and literature, geography, history, linguistics and philosophy. One of the most interesting things that the QS University Rankings by Subject 2012: Arts and Humanities reveal is a concentration of strength in certain regions of the world in certain disciplines.