Durham University - Creating global citizens
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The Durham University which is spread across a hill city was established in 1832 - England’s third oldest university after the renowned Oxford and Cambridge - is continuing to attract international students for its varied undergraduate and master’s degree programmes. A Durham University which boasts of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a cathedral built between 1093 and 1133, has an estimated 22,000 students and 17 colleges of residence. This includes Durham Castle, a college in the Norman architecture style, which is out of bounds for outsiders. About one-third of students come from 120 countries outside the U.K with China having the maximum share followed by US and India.
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The duration of various UG programmes are three years and PG programs can be completed in one year. According to renowned academicians, one year is sufficient to cover the core aspects of the master’s programme. Contrasting to the theory-heavy rigorous academic work load as expected in India, graduate students at Durham generally attend classes for two hours every day on weekdays and spend rest of their time on research activities and other academic work. An interesting aspect is that the collegiate system is different not only from the university-affiliated colleges in India but also from Oxford and Cambridge, which are the only other collegiate universities in England. “In Oxford and Cambridge, the teaching is done through the colleges. Whereas in Durham, teaching happens through the concerned departments,” as pointed out by Prof. Lynes. Each college has more than 1000 students, who live in the college accommodations in the first year with an option to subsequently move out to private accommodations in the city.
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When a student leaves Durham, he or she posses a world class degree to become global citizens and contribute to the global society. This institute gives importance to growth in both dimensions – personal and professional. There are several societies in the collegiate system and the university offers students opportunities to do extremely well in sports, music, arts, sustainable development, and even a ‘grow society’ to cultivate vegetables. Essentially, students get an opportunity to take up leadership roles in these societies. Jeseentha an international student, who knew nothing about fencing, opted for it and now she is a member of university second fencing team. She also mentioned that students and faculty prefer to walk to the campuses. The hilly climatic conditions and the pedestrian-friendly terrain enhance the walking experience.
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“We are the number one university for team sports in the U.K. since 2013. We have 700 sports teams,” says Matt Jarvis, the university’s regional manager for south Asia. “In our college, we support student’s academic activities without doing the teaching. We support the student’s well-being and enrichment. They find the college community as their second home and this is the Durham difference,” says Prof. Lynes. The university also offers four-year integrated master’s programmes for some subjects like theology, religion and archaeology. The fee for academic programmes ranges from £26,000 to £29,000, excluding the accommodation costs. According to career consultant Jonathan White, the university also helps students find and apply for part-time jobs, build entrepreneurial skills and make effective applications for jobs. According to Sanjeev Singh Kochar an educational consultant, cost of accommodation and education at Durham is cheaper in comparison to London, where the living cost is higher than other nearby places. The hill city is also not too much crowded and congested. Therefore, many Indian students prefer to opt for it for higher studies.