UoB to scrap third semester in 2020

Recently, students have discovered that starting in 2020, UoB will be changing to a two semester academic year.

Currently students at UoB enjoy a three semester academic year, which enables a four week Christmas and Easter break and for the majority of students, no winter exams.

However, some students are concerned how this might affect their breaks, exam season and job opportunities over the breaks.

The current time tabling

Instead of starting at the end of September and studying until the first week in December, the first term will begin on the 21st of September and officially go to the 22nd of January. This alters the Christmas break from a period of four weeks to three and will mean that there will be after Christmas exams.

Timetabling beginning next Academic year

This is an academic timetable also used by the likes of Edinburgh University, University of Bath and the University of St Andrews.

The Tab Birmingham spoke to student Louis a second year, Materials science and Engineering student, who posted about the change over the weekend on Fab and Fresh. He told the Tab "the new timetabling will adversely affect the welfare of many students, especially those who find it difficult to make ends meet".

Louis

A student who supported the change however, was Morg, a Masters student in Greek Archeology, who told the Birmingham Tab "I understand why the uni made the change because they consulted with student reps about it for all of last year, it was brought up in multiple meetings, so its not as if no one knew it was happening".

Morg

"If you're against the change I think its good to consider how much of a benefit this change will be to people who have modules in first year marked by exams because doing January exams will be so much easier than May exams".

A University representative told The Birmingham Tab, "there is also additional assessment support time built in to the new timetable, an enhancement of the wellbeing support available at these critical times of the year, and a new UoBe Festival in the inter-semester week to offer a whole host of new opportunities."

"We worked with the Guild to develop this new structure and ensure that it benefits more students, offers increased value for money, and is in line with most other major universities.”