The Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Management

The Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Economics and Management is a three-year degree programme, delivered jointly by the Department of Economics and the Saïd Business School.

The first year consists of three compulsory courses: General Management, Introductory Economics and Financial Management. These are examined at the end of the first year of study. Students must take eight more courses during the second and third years, known as Final courses. There is also the option to write a dissertation instead of taking one of the course options.

Economics and Management is not avocationaldegree, which is to say that it does not set out to give a student particular skills that might be useful in business. Rather, the aims are to help undergraduates think clearly and analytically – this is a much more valuable tool in the long term.

Each of the courses is taught through a combination of lectures and tutorials or classes.

Students’ work is assessed informally, by the tutors and class teacher, and formally in University Examinations. Every term, each tutor who has taught a student in tutorials and/or classes will write a report on their term’s work, including an assessment of their levels of achievement and effort, and often also containing comments on their written work and contributions to tutorials.

There are two formal University Examinations: the Preliminary Examination at the end of the first year and the Final Examination at the end of the third year. Finals consist of the three core subjects in Economics plus six other papers (or five others if they submit a thesis). An outline of the syllabus for each Finals paper is given in the Examination Regulations, the most up-to-date version of which is available on-line. After the written exams, the Finals scripts will each be marked by two separate assessors. A student’s marks are then combined to determine their degree classification. It is possible that a student could be called for a viva voce exam.

An undergraduate may also offer a thesis of 15,000 words in place of one of the optional Finals papers. Students are often encouraged to consider this possibility, which provides the opportunity to undertake in-depth research into a topic related to whether the Economics or the Management parts of the course. Students taking a thesis work with a supervisor who will help guide and direct them. A thesis does, however, entail considerable independent research, which takes more time than the lectures and tutorials required for a Finals paper; on the other hand, no time for revision is required.

It is very important that students understand what plagiarism is and that they avoid it. The University regards plagiarism as “the copying or paraphrasing of other people’s work or ideas into your own work without full acknowledgement”. Most simply, to avoid it one needs to make certain that they reference and cite ideas which they have drawn from others. Plagiarism is taken seriously in Oxford. Cases of suspected plagiarism in assessed work are investigated and intentional or reckless plagiarism may incur severe penalties, including failure of a degree or expulsion from the university.

The Sainsbury Library aims to provide a responsive, innovative and easy to use library and information service. A student can borrow up to 10 items from the standard loan collection for 7 days. If all copies of an item are out on loan a reservation can be placed on the title. There are fines of 20p per day for overdue books.

If illness has interfered with preparation for a university exam, or has affected a student during the exam itself, their college will report the fact to the examiners. Probably the student will need a medical certificate.

(b) Search the text for the English equivalents of the following phrases:

1) обязательные курсы;

2) (ученая) степень, предполагающая профессиональную подготовку;

3) итоговые/выпускные экзамены включают в себя 3 основных дисциплины;

4) основные положения программ курсов для каждой итоговой контрольной работы;

5) оцениваться двумя отдельными экспертами по оценке;

6) давать ссылку или цитировать мысли, позаимствованные у других;

7) исключение из университета;

8) студент может взять не более 10 книг на 7 дней;

9) все экземпляры книги разобраны;

10) штрафы за просроченные / несданные вовремя книги;

11) медицинская справка.

(c) Complete the sentences. Choose no more than one word from the text for each answer:

1. First-year students take three _____________________ courses.

2. Undergraduates’ knowledge is _____________________ in the Preliminary and Final Examinations.

3. As this programme is not geared towards mastering practical entrepreneurial skills, the BA in Economics and Management is not a _____________________ degree.

4. Every term _____________________ provide feedback on each students’ work, giving details of their academic progress.

5. Exam papers are graded by two independent _____________________ to provide unbiased assessment.

6. Third-year students may take five optional courses and submit a _____________________.

7. _____________________ provide advice and guidance to the students who choose to write a thesis.

8. Rather harsh punishments (including _________________________ from the university) can be imposed on the students who are caught plagiarizing.

(d) Watch the video[13] from an Oxford university web page. There are four people talking about the BA in Economics and Management programme: two tutors (Janet Smart and Steve New) and two students (Dara and Amar). Tick the correct boxes:

Tutors	Students	Who?
Janet	Steve	Dara	Amar
				(1) advises applicants to show their genuine interest in the chosen subjects
				(2) is sure about his/her future career
				(3) was at the factory for the first time
				(4) believes that the course boosts students’ self-confidence
				(5) mentions that students are expected to spend much time studying independently
				(6) says that students who take the Finance course have an opportunity to work with professionals from the financial sector
				(7) felt astonished when unexpected questions had been asked at the tutorial
				(8) says that the academic staff is ready to help
				(9) considers that the tutorial is a place to discuss things with the world-leading specialists in the field
				(10) believes that students have to be hard-working and studious; and warns prospective students against being lazy in their work
				(11) believes that most of undergraduates taking this course are determined to achieve success

Applying for Study in the UK

22. (a) Read this information about preparing an application for postgraduate study.