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Academic qualifications required for admission to taught or research degrees

Applicants, particularly from the USA, often ask about the ‘equivalent of a British II-i degree’.  British honours degrees are classified according to final or cumulative marks, into First class, Second class (upper), Second class (lower) and Third class.  First class is excellent, Third class is a minimal pass; Second class covers all marks between those two, divided into upper and lower levels.

• The normal admission requirement for postgraduate study is an Upper Second class degree (a II-i or a ‘Two-One’). This is a minimum, and we sometimes only accept those a the top of the Upper Second class range. We are not able to give GPA equivalents, since these may vary and staff always look at course grades on applicants’ transcripts when making admissions decisions.  This takes account of the fact that a cumulative GPA may not always reflect particular strengths in specific subject areas.
• The normal admission requirement for postgraduate research is at least a II-1 (i.e. an upper second class honours degree) and preferably a Master's in the chosen area of study as well.  If your first degree is general, you may find that some Master’s degrees such as M Div are regarded as a first degree in theology, and thus possibly not adequate for direct entry to higher research degree programmes.
• Taught Masters programmes can admit students with slightly broader degrees, if the interest or career experience is relevant, so the II-i honours requirement may not always apply in these cases; but a good degree will still be required.

This page was last modified on: Monday, 07-Aug-2006 16:12:32 BST

School of Divinity, History and Philosophy
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