An external degree is a degree offered by a university to students who have not been required to be physically present within the geographic territory of the institution. These undergraduates may be called ''external students'' and may study at classes unconnected with the university, or independently, or by

distance learning Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at a school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance. Traditionally, this usually in ...

. They may obtain the degree by passing examinations once they have reached the required standard, or by having successfully completed a programme put together from various courses or modules. In 1858 the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degr ...

became the first English university to offer external degrees, holding exams open to people in other cities, or to London students who had attended evening classes. In various UK towns

university college In a number of countries, a university college is a college institution that provides tertiary education but does not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university. The precise usage varies ...

s were established, where students could study towards a London external degree. The colleges were among the "approved centres" for London's exams. Soon centres overseas were approved, starting with one in

Mauritius Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label= Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It ...

in 1865. The

University of Durham , mottoeng = Her foundations are upon the holy hills ( Psalm 87:1) , established = (university status) , type = Public , academic_staff = 1,830 (2020) , administrative_staff = 2,640 (2018/19) , chancellor = Sir Thomas Allen , vice_cha ...

offered external degrees from 1871.

References

*Malcolm Tight, ''Higher Education: A Part-Time Perspective'' (OU 1991)
History of University of London External ProgrammeERIC Article #EJ307981: ''Community Colleges: A Home Base for the External Degree.''ERIC Article #ED172704: ''College Learning Anytime, Anywhere. New Ways for Anyone to Get College Credits and College Degrees by Off-Campus Study and Examinations.''
Distance education {{education-stub

See also

References