Master of Arts?

[aspallek]

I don't recall ever reading that Druitt earned his MA. From Jackson's Oxford Journal, 31 May 1884. Seems he found time amidst his legal and teaching career not only for sport but serious study. Clearly a capable man. I can't imagine why no one has mentioned this.

[Mitch Rowe]

Hmm?
Perhaps one of his problems stemmed from the fact that he hadnt achieved the goals he set forth for his life.

Thanks for that info too!

[The Grave Maurice]

Someone in England will no doubt know more about this than I do, but I believe that the practice at Oxford in the 19th century was that students who graduated with a B.A. could, after about three years, receive an M.A. simply by paying a small fee. No additional academic work was required.

[aspallek]

That would be interesting to know. I'm a little surprised, if that were the case, that more grads didn't avail themselves of the opportunity.

[The Grave Maurice]

I've always thought that most of them did, at least if they wanted to be members of Convocation. There's a discussion in Wikipedia.

[Sam Flynn]

Someone in England will no doubt know more about this than I do, but I believe that the practice at Oxford in the 19th century was that students who graduated with a B.A. could, after about three years, receive an M.A. simply by paying a small fee. No additional academic work was required.

According to Wikipedia, that was - and is - the case: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_...ge_and_Dublin)

A bit like paying a single-room supplement, or upgrading one's ticket from standard class to first class on the train!

[aspallek]

Thanks for setting me straight on this. I wonder what the fee was. There must be some reason relatively few MA's were awarded considering the vast number of eligibles.

[Rob Clack]

Could Druitt hold a doctorate? Like a Doctor of civil law? It could explain "said to be a doctor" bit, or am I having a blond moment.

Rob

[Chris Scott]

Someone in England will no doubt know more about this than I do, but I believe that the practice at Oxford in the 19th century was that students who graduated with a B.A. could, after about three years, receive an M.A. simply by paying a small fee. No additional academic work was required.

Believe it or not it is still is the case:
"Degrees of Oxford University
The degree of Master of Arts

The degree of Master of Arts is awarded to BAs and BFAs 21 terms (7 years) after matriculation without further examination, upon the paying of a nominal fee.
This system dates from the Middle Ages, when the study of the liberal arts took seven years. In between matriculation and the licence to teach which was awarded at the end of an undergraduate's studies (whereafter he incepted as a Master of Arts), he took an intermediate degree known as the baccalaureate, or degree of Bachelor of Arts"

For further details see

http://www.indopedia.org/Degrees_of_Oxford_University.html

[Chris Scott]

the fee payable is
"Graduands who are eligible to take the degree of BA, or who have already done so, may apply to take the degree of MA in or after the 21st term from their matriculation. (Please note that this does not apply to those who take undergraduate Masters degrees.)

GRATUITY FEES:

£10.00 gratuity for the following degrees:

BA, M.Phys., M.Chem., M.Eng., M.Bioch., BM., M.Sc., M.St., M. Litt., B.Phil, M.Phil.or D.Phil.

£25.00 (£15 plus £10.00 gratuity) for the M.A. Degree."

[aspallek]

Now I really wonder why so few graduates took advantage of this provision. Obviously, there were many more who graduated with Druitt that would have been eligible than just the few on this list above.

[Ally]

Seriously? What the hell am I doing busting my arse and paying through the nose for higher education when I can just get one bestowed on me from OXFORD. Geesh. And here we call such things diploma mills and consider them shoddy institutions.

I need to move to England. I can get a degree without studying and money without working. Suh-weet.

[aspallek]

Seriously? What the hell am I doing busting my arse and paying through the nose for higher education when I can just get one bestowed on me from OXFORD. Geesh. And here we call such things diploma mills and consider them shoddy institutions.

I need to move to England. I can get a degree without studying and money without working. Suh-weet.

Considering the price of gasoline over there was always one of my main deterrents, well, that one's now gone. As a clergyman, I can actually enter, work, and stay indefinitely ("for as long as my congregation requires my services"). Trouble is, my wife wouldn't be able to work.

[Robert]

I believe that in the nineteenth century it was the custom for some students - the better-connected ones - to go to Oxford and Cambridge with no intenton of taking a degree. And I think that those who did go to take a degree had to wait on them at table.

I don't know whether they were also roasted over a fire to make them give up their sweepstake ticket.

You can see why we've turned out so many brilliant politicians.

[Chris Scott]

This also still applies at Cambridge

http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/degrees/ma/

"In most UK universities, the Master of Arts is a degree awarded by examination. At Cambridge, the MA is conferred by right on holders of the BA degree of the University and on certain other senior members and is not available as a postgraduate qualification."