Scottish MA
From Freepedia
A Scottish MA is the undergraduate academic degree in Humanities and Social Science faculties given at the five Scottish ancient universities. Although the degree is named MA (Master of Arts), it is considered equivalent to the BA (Bachelor of Arts) awarded elsewhere by most universities. The degree course usually lasts four years, while the BA (Hons) course in England usually lasts three years - the Scottish MA generally consists of two years of honours-level courses as opposed to the one year of honours studied as part of the BA, although there exist three-year MA (Pass) degrees with a different layout.
For this reason and because only the ancient Scottish universities along with Dublin, Oxford and Cambridge bestow undergraduate MAs (although in a different manner to the Scottish system), most employers treat a Scottish MA as being of slightly higher value than a BA. This situation has been encouraged by the emergence of other undergraduate masters courses such as the MSci, MEng or MMath, which are superior to a bachelor's degree but lower in status than a postgraduate masters. Scottish/Oxbridge undergraduate MAs are seen by some as being within this cohort of advanced undergraduate degrees, mostly as a combination of the title of "Master of Arts" (as opposed to the title of Bachelor) and also by virtue of being granted by a leading research university with a long history. This uncertain status of an MA (Hons) with regards to a BA (Hons) is the source of some antagonism, particularly by the graduates of newer universities (such as the "Red Brick" universities or the post-1960/1992 universities). The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework, a government Quality Assurance Agency initiative seeks to formalise equivalence between all qualifications in Scotland from pre-school to further and higher education, has though classified both as Honours degrees at Level 10.
The undergraduate MA only applies to the Faculties of Arts or Social Sciences within these universities. The Honours degree of Bachelor of Science (BSc) is awarded for four years of study in the field of science and the honours Bachelor of Laws (LLB) is the four year legal degree (agin with an ordinary available after three years). Newer undergraduate degrees are either undergraduate Bachelors or undergraduate Masters in the advanced undergraduate degree scheme as above.
As opposed to the Oxbridge MA (which has no honours as there are no separate exams for the award of MA), the Scottish MA is awarded with the same system of honours as other British undergraduate degrees, for example "MA (Hons) Upper Second Class". Consequently, graduates with a Scottish MA may also gain a postgraduate MA from a non-Scottish university and may style themselves MA(Hons), MA - the research MA, although not awarded with honours, is nonetheless considered superior to the undergraduate MA and thus is placed last in post-nominal titles. Faculties of Arts in Scottish universities generally do not award postgraduate MAs but instead use the system of an MPhil (for a research postgraduate masters) or MLitt/MRes (for a taught postgraduate masters).
The justification for awarding an undergraduate MA by these universities is based on the history of their founding. For example, the University of Glasgow is empowered under the terms of its Papal Bull of 1451 based on the historical circumstances of universities at the time, where a scholar in the arts was given the title of "master" and the theological, legal or medical equivalent was a "doctor". Thus Glasgow's bull states:
...and those who shall have been examined and approven in their said university of the city of Glasgow for the degree of master or doctor... shall thenceforth, without any other examination and approval, have full liberty to teach as well in the said University as in each and all other universities in which they shall choose to rule and teach...
Glasgow's Principal, in 2000, justified the Scottish MA by a presumedly light-hearted invocation of the final words of the formula used in papal bulls for establishing universities:
...Let none therefore in any ways infringe this writing of our constitution and appointment, or with foolhardy daring go in the contrary thereof, but if anyone shall presume to attempt this, let them know that he will incur the wrath of Almighty God, and of the blessed apostles Peter and Paul..
The newer universities (be they Red Brick, Glass Plate or Modern) were founded under very different terms which followed the Parisian degree system. For details of the justification of the Oxbridge MA, see the Oxford MA.
The reason that Dundee is included in the undergraduate MA cohort along with the 15th and 16th century medieval universities of St Andrews, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Edinburgh is that Dundee only became an independent University in 1967, before which it existed as part of St Andrews and thus issued degrees with the authority of that university.
