Master of Arts (Oxbridge)
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The degree of Master of Arts (MA) is awarded by the universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Dublin (Trinity College) without further examination to those entitled to the degree of Bachelor of Arts, solely on the basis of a number of terms' academic standing. This practice differs from that in most other universities worldwide, for whom the degree reflects further postgraduate study or achievement; thus these degrees are frequently referred to as the Oxbridge MA and Dublin MA or Trinity MA to differentiate them. In the ancient universities of Scotland, the degree is awarded as a first degree to undergraduates (see Master of Arts (Scotland)).
Requirements
No exams or lecture courses are taken; the degree is effectively an "upgrade" to a degree already held. Note, therefore, that the degree is designated MA and not MA (Hons), as no grade is awarded. A nominal fee may be payable before admission for the upgrade.At Cambridge, the MA may be conferred six years after the end of the first term in residence upon anyone holding a Cambridge Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree [#endnote_camMA].
At Oxford, the MA may be conferred during or after the 21st term from matriculation (i.e. ordinarily 7 years after joining the University) upon anyone holding an Oxford BA or Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree [#endnote_oxMA]. An exception is that anyone who graduates with an Oxford DPhil while already holding an Oxford BA may immediately be conferred with the MA, before the requisite number of terms have passed.
There are a number of other situations in which the MA may be conferred in this way at Oxford and Cambridge, but this is by far the most common; details of these other instances may be found in the sections referenced.
At Dublin, the MA may be conferred to a bearer of a Dublin BA of at least three years' standing. A fee is payable, but is waived in the case of graduates of more than fifty years' standing.
History and rationale
The origins of this (now somewhat anomalous) situation lie in the late mediæval era, when students would attend university earlier than is customary now (often as early as 14 or 15). The basic university education in the 'liberal arts' comprised the Trivium (grammar, rhetoric and dialectic) and the Quadrivium (geometry, arithmetic, astronomy and music), and typically took seven years of full-time study.When a student had successfully completed the Trivium, he would be accorded, as an interim measure, the rank ('degree') of baccalaureus in artibus or bachelor of arts, and entitled to wear a gown of black stuff with open pointed sleeves, and a black stuff hood lined with budge or lambswool.
Upon successful completion of the Quadrivium, the student would graduate (or, more properly, incept) to the rank of magister in artibus or master of arts, and be entitled to wear a long black gown, with closed hanging sleeves, and a black hood lined with ermine or miniver. At this point, he would be regarded as a full member of the university, and allowed to vote in discussions of the house of Convocation.
The new MA would then be required to teach in the university for a specified number of years (during which time he was a 'regent' or 'regent master'). Upon completion of these duties, he would become a 'non-regent master' and allowed to either leave the university (often to become a clerk or enter the priesthood), or stay on and undertake further studies in one of the specialist or 'higher' faculties, such as Divinity, Canon or Civil Law, or Medicine (the faculties of Science and Letters were instituted during the middle of the 19th century). The degrees of bachelor and doctor of music were open to students who had not completed the MA.
Over the centuries, much of the 'general education' content was taken over by the grammar schools, and students would attend university later (typically at 17 or 18). This, incidentally, is why the French school-leaving certificate is called the baccalaureate. The university-level course became more specialised and customisable, and the study components became completable in three or four years.
In a sense, then, the Oxbridge MA is, and always has been, a seven-year course. However, for the past few centuries the latter years of the course have had no residence or study requirements attached to them.
The University of London, in the mid-19th century, broke away from this model by considering the MA to be a higher degree requiring further study. Almost all newer universities followed London's lead with the result that the Oxbridge model is now the anomaly.
Purpose
Technically, the function of the degree is to elevate a person in the Academic Order of Precedence [#endnote_camMAreg] [#endnote_oxMAreg] - those holding MAs are naturally higher in the Order of Precedence than those holding BAs, and holding the MA reflects the relative seniority of those who have been a member of the University for longer. Note that in Oxford's case, the holder of an Oxford MA on its own is ranked above every doctoral degree holder not holding an Oxford MA, except holders of the DD and DCL degrees. Because of this, the Oxbridge MA is often conferred upon people taking up senior positions in the University (both academic and administrative), who would otherwise be ranked relatively low in the Order of Precedence.
Whether the Oxbridge or Trinity MA is an "undergraduate" degree is arguable - it is never referred to as such officially. As the holder must have previously graduated either with a BA, it follows that every recipient must be a graduate. However, since the MA can be awarded to every BA graduate from the universities, studying for the BA is equivalent to studying for the MA, and so it may be considered as an undergraduate degree to that extent.
Some employers treat the Oxbridge 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. Oxbridge 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.
External links
- [A short history of the Master of Arts degree at Cambridge] (no mention of sources, however)
- [Oxbridge MA degrees under threat (BBC website)]
References
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