Bangor University Study Abroad for Ripon college Students

Study-Abroad at Bangor University (North Wales, UK),

School of Education Program:/// Study of Biology, Chemistry, Psychology, etc. |

Teaching Quality Ratings for Bangor Programs

Study-Abroad Handbook and Application Forms

General Advice and Information

Note: To actually apply the student will submit:
* an application form,
* an essay stating reasons for wanting to study there,
* an official transcript (at the time of application and after the end of the semester with final grades as well), and
* two letters of recommendation from faculty members or others who are familiar with your work and your interest in study abroad.

1. Students should inform Mary Williams-Norton by e-mail, phone (ext. 132) or in person, of their interest in studying in at the School of Education at the University of Wales Bangor after having discussed the possibility with their advisors in Educational Studies. All students will be kept informed by e-mail once they have "registered" their interest.

2. Students should fill out an applicant information form--obtainable from Mary Williams-Norton--as soon as they have an idea of when they might want to go, but no later than the end of fall semester of the year before!

3. The program has been designed specifically for students-usually first semester juniors-intending to be certified in elementary education. Study must be done first semester because of the timing of course offerings in the School of Education. Course (module) selection is based on the assumption that you will be taking courses to substitute for Elementary Teaching: Science (Ed.St. 337) and Elementary Teaching: Social Studies (Ed.St. 323) while there as well as other courses appropriate to your academic major and other requirements. Click here to see recommendations about modules.

4. Payment for study is handled as follows: the student financial aid package is structured to allow you to take aid with you for one semester. The student pays the standard fee and Ripon College pays Bangor, so there is no need to be concerned about fees (except incidental ones) when you are in Wales. Because Bangor's tuition and fees work out to be lower than Ripon's, the aid package and fees will probably be structured to help with travel expenses as well as cover the fair share of tuition and housing costs.

A few bits of advice based on personal experience:

5. Plan to purchase airline tickets very far in advance for best prices. A traveler can easily save hundreds of dollars by getting tickets in advance! Plan to fly to Manchester (England) Airport. There is direct rail service to Bangor from Manchester Airport. Do not plan to travel on Sunday, however. Trains tend to run very seldom on Sundays.

6. Be prepared to travel whenever possible. Buses, trains, ferries, etc. starting in Bangor can get you to about any place in Wales, England, Scotland, Ireland, or continental Europe (and beyond). Students can purchase rail passes at reduced rates.

7. MasterCard and VISA are accepted at least as freely there as in the USA (although Discover does not seem to be). Students may wish to handle finances by relying on a credit card rather than attempting to take a very large amount of money in travelers' checks. Debit cards which can be used in the USA are not always usable in the UK, so plan to have VISA or MasterCard credit cards with sufficiently high limits as well as some travelers' checks to pay for your expenses.

8. Consider learning a little of the Welsh language while living in Wales. The University runs courses for students who are not familiar with Welsh. Welsh is spoken as a first language by many people in the Bangor area and is the first language of instruction in most of the primary schools.

Study of Biology, Chemistry, Psychology, or Related Fields

In 2005 the Ripon College Faculty approved study at the Bangor University for Ripon College students ..

1. Students should "register" their interest in this program with advisor Mary Williams-Norton as soon as they are reasonably sure they wish to apply. She will be able to send you application materials and other information.

2. Students must also consult with their favulty advisors about course choices. Please go to the University's on-line course catalog and look under degree programs in your area of study (e.g. BSc/B Biology) for course listings (grouped by year).for course information. A G.P.A. of 3.0 or better is required for Psychology, a G.P.A. of 2.5 or better is required for other fields of study.

3. For first semester study, an application must be completed before leaving campus at the end of the previous academic year. In addition to the completed application form, each student must request that a transcript and two letters of recommendation be sent to Mary Williams-Norton as soon as possible after the end of the semester.
For second semester study, an application, including transcript and two letters of recommendation, must be turned in to Mary Williams-Norton no later than the day before Fall Break begins.

A few bits of advice based on personal experience:

For information about the University of Wales Bangor, go to their web site.

QUALITY OF RESEARCH AND TEACHING

Bangor University

All UK universities are externally assessed for quality of teaching and research.

Research Assessment Exercise (REA) and Teaching Quality Assessemtn (TQA) Results:

...........................................................................REA.............TQA
SCIENCES
Agricultural, Forest and Environmental Sciences ..5................... Excellent
Biological Sciences............................................. 4....................Excellent
Chemistry ...........................................................3....................Excellent
Electronic Engineering and Computer Science...... 4................... Satisfactory
Mathematics .......................................................3.................... Satisfactory
Ocean Sciences ..................................................4.................... Excellent
Psychology .........................................................5*.................. Excellent
Sport, Health and Exercise Science..................... 5.................... Satisfactory

ARTS
Business & Management..................................... 5..................... Satisfactory
Welsh and Celtic Studies..................................... 5*.................. Excellent
Education ...........................................................3.................... Satisfactory
English language and literature .............................4.................... Satisfactory
French ...............................................................4..................... Satisfactory
German............................................................. .3..................... Satisfactory
History............................................................... 4 .....................Satisfactory
Linguistics ...........................................................3..................... Satisfactory
Music .................................................................5...................... Excellent
Social Sciences ..................................................3....................... Satisfactory
Theology ............................................................4....................... Excellent

Research is scored on a scale of 1 - 5. 5 is the highest, 1 the lowest. Scores of 4 and 5 denotes research of international standing. 2 Bangor departments have achieved the very highest score of 5*, 4 Bangor departments have achieved the top score of 5, and a further 7 the score of 4.

Teaching is assessed on a scale of: excellent, satisfactory, adequate, and inadequate.
All Bangor departments have been awarded the top two ratings of 'excellent' or 'satisfactory'.

Pob hwyl a phob lwc!!

Return to Mary Williams-Norton's site.