Cambridge University Reporter


Joint Report of the Council and the General Board on the introduction of a degree of Master of Research (the M.Res.): Notice

14 July 2008

The Council has considered the remarks made at the Discussion of this Report on 29 April 2008 (p. 740). Having consulted the General Board, it comments as follows.

Professor J. S. Bell summarized the reasons for the proposed introduction of an M.Res. Degree, including the fact that this is a well-recognized degree title within the university sector. As Professor G. R. Evans indicated, expectations about Masters' Degrees and their various purposes have moved on, particularly in the period since the M.Phil. Degree was introduced. Professor Evans, in her concluding remarks, provides another reason for distinguishing between M.Phil. and M.Res. provision in the process for determining continuation as a Ph.D. student. With regard to Dr C. T. Morley's remarks the Council and the General Board would reason that the number of different degree titles at Master's level in Cambridge is still, in comparison with the rest of the UK sector, relatively modest. The Council and the General Board do not agree with Dr Morley's view that the title of the degree is not particularly significant. Nor do they accept his view of external perceptions of the M.A. Degree. His alternative proposal for creating a single, two-year, M.A., to cover all forms of Masters' provision would not be a straightforward matter. Aside from other considerations, the student funding implications would be substantial. The Council and the General Board do not consider that their proposal is inconsistent with the process initiated by the Bologna Declaration of 1997. The UK's position on that process, shared by Cambridge, is that the Master's level of education is, and should remain, concerned with academic standards and learning outcomes rather than the length of Masters' courses. One-year Masters' courses are a particular strength of the UK sector (cf. 'The Bologna Process and the UK's International Student market', Higher Education Policy Institutions Report Summary, 36, May 2008, http://www.hepi.ac.uk/downloads/36Bolognaprocesssummary.pdf). Indeed, by more clearly titling the proposed new degree as preparation for research, the proposal is likely to be better understood by those concerned with Bologna and its associated processes.

The Council is submitting a Grace to the Regent House (Grace 5, p. 967) for the approval of the recommendations in this Report.