undergraduate / graduate / post-graduate

English translation: UK system

14:27 Jun 16, 2002

English language (monolingual) [Non-PRO]
/ university education

English term or phrase: undergraduate / graduate / post-graduate

Basically, I know the meaning of the words, what is not very clear to me is the "content" of each term:
I would be very grateful for the indication of some source on the UK education system. The book shall be translated into Hungarian - where the higher education is completely different, rather German-type -, and so, I might not need to make too much differentiation, still, I shall know for myself where is the "border" between an undergraduate and a graduate student...
TIA, Eva

Eva Blanar KudoZ activity Questions: 1537 (1 open) (9 without valid answers) (9 closed without grading) Answers: 2777 Hungary
Local time: 07:26

Selected answer:UK system

Explanation:
In the UK

Undergraduate is someone who is doing a Bachelor's degree

Postgraduate someone who is doing a Master's degree

Abd graduate someone who has finished their studies

Selected response from:

Nina Kajander (X)
Local time: 06:26

Grading comment

Thanks for the abundancy in the answers, now I even have a knowledge of the nuances! For the given purpose, Nina's answer was perfect, but thanks to each of you - and special thanks to Sam D. for the links! Eva
3 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED

4 +9

undergraduate - has not passed the degree exam yet

Alison Schwitzgebel

4 +2

UK system

Nina Kajander (X)

5 +1

Undergraduate/Graduate/Post-Graduate

Roomy Naqvy

It's a matter of degree

Kim Metzger

Studying for BSc, PhD, post-doc...

Jack Doughty

UK higher educational system - links

Sam D (X)

5 -2

For the USA

Maria-Jose Pastor

4 -1

Popostgraduate is relative and is fuzzier than the other tow terms

Fuad Yahya

Answers

4 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): -2

For the USA

Explanation:
undergraduate = the first 4 years of University

Graduate = courses toward one's Masters degree

Post Graduate = courses toward ones Doctorate

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Note added at 2002-06-16 20:26:23 (GMT)
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After looking into this I have discovered that graduate and postgraduate studies are synonymous and both mean studies toward either one\'s masters or Doctorate, it merely depends on the country and/or institution.

As to Yoshiro\'s comment:
Graduate as a noun is a person who has graduated.
Graduate as a verb is the act of passing to the a next level. Graduate as an adjective refers to after graduation

Additionally - these three forms of the word can be used for other purposes other than referring to studies.

Thank you all for your comments to date - I have learned something today.

Maria-Jose Pastor
Local time: 01:26
Native speaker of:

English,

Spanish

5 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +9

undergraduate - has not passed the degree exam yet

Explanation:
graduate - has passed the final degree exam
post-graduate - has passed the final degree exam and is undertaking subsequent course which requires that the student must have graduated (passed a degree exam) first.

WIll find a source in a mo....

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Note added at 2002-06-16 14:37:11 (GMT)
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Postgraduate

Equivalent to the US graduate. Signifies a person who has completed an undergraduate course of study and is undertaking a higher degree and a course of study resulting in a Masters or Doctorate Degree
http://www.britishcouncil-usa.org/education/glossary.shtml

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Note added at 2002-06-16 14:38:34 (GMT)
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\"DipHE

Diploma of Higher Education; a UK qualification awarded after a two year course. Often used as a stepping stone towards a full undergraduate (or bachelors) degree.\" (ie. undergraduate degree = bachelors degree) (Same source as above)

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-06-16 14:39:49 (GMT)
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Undergraduate - Someone studying for their first degree. [University]

http://www.lincoln.ox.ac.uk/glossary/#U (Lincoln College of Oxford University)

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Note added at 2002-06-16 14:40:26 (GMT)
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Graduate - Someone who already holds a University degree. Strictly speaking, someone taking a course of study after graduation is a Postgraduate, but here the two terms are used interchangeably. [University]

http://www.lincoln.ox.ac.uk/glossary/#G

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Note added at 2002-06-16 14:40:57 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Okay, I think those last two definitions from Oxford University ought to do it.....

Hope that helps!

Aliso

Alison Schwitzgebel
France
Local time: 07:26
Native speaker of:

English,

German
PRO pts in pair: 92

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)

agree

Frazer Clark (X): I would agree with these definitions based on my own experience in the UK (B.A., Masters and PhD). Anything beyond PhD would, I think, be a 'postdoctoral' position ('postdoc.'), such as a 'Junior Research Fellowship' (Oxford). Cheers, Frazer

20 mins

-> yup, that's what my Dad (chemistry professor) calls 'em.

agree

Martin Perazzo

43 mins

agree

Paul Mably (X)

1 hr

agree

Claudia Andreani

1 hr

agree

jerrie

1 hr

agree

Yoshiro Shibasaki, PhD

4 hrs

agree

John Kinory (X): Technically, a 'psotgraduate' is a 'psotgraduate student' (this is implied by you). 'a Postgraduate' is simply shorthand. Also agree with Frazer (from personal knowledge)

5 hrs

agree

Gabriela Tenenbaum (X): #:)

5 hrs

agree

Attila Piróth: That's it. Graduate courses = postgraduate courses.

5 hrs

7 mins confidence:

It's a matter of degree

Explanation:
At least in the US, the terms refer to the degree a person has. If she has a BA or BA she has an undergraduate degree. If it's an MA/MS it's a graduate degree. Post-graduate work means studies after the master's degree.

Kim Metzger
Mexico
Local time: 23:26
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in pair: 2249

12 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +2

UK system

Explanation:
In the UK

Undergraduate is someone who is doing a Bachelor's degree

Postgraduate someone who is doing a Master's degree

Abd graduate someone who has finished their studies

Nina Kajander (X)
Local time: 06:26
Native speaker of:

Finnish

Grading comment

13 mins confidence:

Studying for BSc, PhD, post-doc...

Explanation:
My daughter has been in all three categories.
An undergraduate is studying at a university for a Bachelor degree (B.Sc., B.A.).
Having achieved this, he becomes a graduate, and can go on to study for a Ph.D.
After passing Ph.D, he is a post graduate and may go on to do "post-graduate work" in the academic world.

There are probably further details which others may be able to explain, but that is what I know of it from our own experience.
The ref. below may also be of help to you.

Reference: http://www.support4learning.org.uk/careers/study_away.htm

Jack Doughty
United Kingdom
Local time: 06:26
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in pair: 4190

51 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

Undergraduate/Graduate/Post-Graduate

Explanation:
Well, the American system really messes up things with its different ways of looking at educational patterns.

Usually, 'undergraduate' is a student who has not yet become a graduate and who is studying in an undergraduate course.

'Graduate' is someone who has graduated from a B.A./B.Com/BSc/MBBS/BTech-some sort of a bachelor's degree.

'Post graduate' is someone who has actually graduated from a 'post-graduate' course which is usually a Master's course. In Humanities, it is M.A.; in engineering, it is M.Tech. but in medicine, it would be M.S. [Master of Surgery].

MBBS, on the other hand, would be a bachelor's degree though it is a 5 year degree. [MBBS-Bachelor of medicine and Bachelor of Surgery].

Regards

Roomy Naqvy
"some years of academic pedagogy"

Roomy Naqvy
India
Local time: 10:56
Native speaker of:

Hindi
PRO pts in pair: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)

agree

Jack Doughty: Thank you. I don't pretend to have any deep knowledge of the subject, but the question had gone unanswered for some time so I thought I would set out what little I knew about it.

43 mins

-> thanks

agree

Berni Armstrong: India inherited the structure from England and I recognise that structure as the one I am familiar with.

2 hrs

-> aha.. thanks thanks.

disagree

John Kinory (X): Not in the UK. A postgraduate is someone who has a BSc (say) and is studying TOWARDS an MSc, as I did at London University

4 hrs

-> I would disagree. Probably, you were a 'postgraduate student' while studying but not a 'post graduate'.

neutral

Frazer Clark (X): I must agree with John. I don't think there is a distinction between a 'postgraduate' and a 'postgraduate student' in UK English (OED has them as synonyms). But I think between us we've more or less answered the question...? :o) Frazer

22 hrs

2 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): -1

Popostgraduate is relative and is fuzzier than the other tow terms

Explanation:
Undergraduate work consists of courses towards a bachelor's degree, which is called an undergraduate degree. An undergraduate student is one who has not yet finished his undergraduate degree work.

Graduate work is any work towards a degree that is higher than the bachelor's degree, including doctoral degrees. A graduate student is one who has a bachelor's degree and is pursuing something higher.

Postgraduate is a relative term. It simply means "after graduation," but is not specific about graduation from what. For example, a naval postgraduate school is one for navy officers who have graduated from a naval academy. Check out this link:

www.nps.navy.mil

Likewise, postgraduate medicine is medical work for medical doctors who have already graduated from medical schools. Check out this link:

http://www.postgradmed.com/

As these two examples show, in the US, the term "postgraduate" is mostly used for work done after obtaining a "professional degree" such as a degree from a medical school, a law school, or a military academy. For academic pursuits in the arts and sciences, the term "graduate" is more often used. No rigidity is implied here.

In the UK, "postgraduate" seems to be preferred for anything beyond the bachelor's degree, and it seems to be used interchangeably with "graduate." Check out this link:

http://www.prospects.csu.ac.uk/

Notice how both terms are used on the same page.

Postgraduate is fuzzier than the other two terms.

Fuad

Fuad Yahya
Native speaker of:

Arabic,

English
PRO pts in pair: 893

2 hrs confidence:

UK higher educational system - links

Explanation:
Hi, as the three terms have been explained fully above, I thought you might like some links for further information:

The British higher education system can be confusing if you do not come from the UK ...
http://www.hero.ac.uk/studying/information_for_overseas_stud...

The British Council’s Education UK website provides complete information for international students on how the British university system works, what the entry requirements are, what courses are available, and what student life in the UK is like ...
http://www.educationuk.org/

The government’s Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) also has information for international students.
http://www.dfes.gov.uk/hestudents/index.shtml

EURYDICE, the information network on education in Europe, provides an overview of the English, Welsh and Northern Irish systems and the Scottish system. Similarly the International Association of Universities (IAU) publishes a briefing on the United Kingdom Higher Education system.
http://www.eurydice.org/Eurybase/Application/frameset.asp?co...

http://www.unesco.org/iau/whed-2000.html

Hope these help.

Sam D (X)
Local time: 06:26
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in pair: 8

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