UNIVERSITY DEGREES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13206, 13 February 1905, Page 2

UNIVERSITY DEGREES.

B.A. AND B.Sn. EXAMINATIONS. Tn order to ascertain somewhat more concisely than previously what phanges in. University matters had resulted from the recent meeting of the New Zealand University Senate at Auckland, a representative of this paper waited on Professor Sale, who lias just- returned from the north. In rospert to the B.A. imd B.Sc. degrees, Professor Sale remarked that a number of radical changes were proposed in respect to tho cotirie.for these degrees, but after the propositions had been fully discussed by the Recess Committee aijd the committee's,,report bad been fully discussed by tho Senate in committee, these proposed changes wore all negatived with one exception. In respect to the B.A. decree, for example, it was proposed that subjects })(> divided into four groups—languages, mathematics, science, and philosophy,—from each of which group a student should be compelled ' to'' tak£ one subject, while at liberty to make his choice of the remaining two necessary to make up the six subjects in wliieh he has to bo examined for either B.A. or B.Sc. degree. Tho would-lx> reformers also intended tbat a som&what similir provision shduld apply in tespect. to the B.Sc.,'examination. . The changes then in respect to whidh Mr Hogben and 'Professor j. M. Btowii wore the original movers having corim to nothing, the rpal change ivhich was finally accepted by the Senate was proposed by Professor Cook, of Ohristehurch. This change was the exception mentioned abovo, and ProfesfeoY Said gave it as his opinion. that it was a very important one to students. It meant, he said, that a student instead of hciujr required to piss in Six .subjects for tho B.A.- and I'.>Sc. Examination could pass in five subjects with a repeated examination, of a more • advanced kind in one of these five subjects, and for the purpose of this repeated ex'amination jn one subject the University senior scholarship examination papers are to be used in oil eases except its regards the Subject of pure mathematics, in respect to which tJie papers will Be set either as for tho senior scholarship examination or, as for stages 2 and 3 of the examination for Bachelor of Engineering, at the option of the candidate. In the B.Sc. examination the repeated subject, must not bo.a literary subject. Tli'e iboVe change, Professor Sale emphasised, is tiurely optional 5s far as tlie students are concerned, and otherwise practically .no change has been • made' in_ iiio

requirements for either B.A. or B.Sc. examination. The alteration should,. howover, bo an oueouraging oile aiid valuable from the student's viewpoint, arid the object of the.ohango. was, said Prof<ssor Sale, ,to encourage students to stractoJiso a littlo earlier in their courso than they could do otherwise, and.to encouago thom to go oil to honours after securing a degree. If, for instance, students began by studying, Bay, mathematics, earlior in their course, they would naturally bo tempted to go ou with the study of that subject further on and toko honours, and so with other subjects. It was generally considered by members of the Senate that nearly all Bachelors of Arte had at present to get through a quantity of work that was not very interesting to thom and .which was outside the subjects, they would theinfiolves choose for study, and they tried as a rule to get rid of that work as soon as possiblo with a view to entering upon the studies tlicy preferred. • object of the change was to enable students to 'walw their choieo earlier and to pursue it ■ more thoroughly. Professor Sajo. remarked, in addition, that in his opinion radical alterations in respect to the 35.A. and B.So. degrees wore eertainly better deferred, for a few years at anyrafe, as tlio present 'regulations had worked nlost harmoniously. One of the negatived propositions had been that the examinations should be passed in three sections.

In respect to the large amount of work doiie . generally ■ by. the . Senate, l'rofe&W Salo remarked that nothing of great importance was done beyond the above and the proscribing of courses for candidates in dental and veterinary science (yet to receive the Governor's sanction) and providing' schomes for degrees, authorised by Parliament last year. There ivas' Sir Maurice O'Rorke's motion that fh6 ?ifew Zealand University should hove the power of conferring degrees in divinity, which, was somewhat unexpectedly carried by a majority of 12 to 9. The motion was carried practically without discussion, having been thrown out last, year with very little discussion. Professor Sale said the . Sonatg it?clf appeared a little surprised at the "passing, of the motion, and it was generally thought that Parliament would probably throw it out. His own opinion was that divinity was rather a dangerous \ subject for the University to tackle. N