THE B.Sc. DEGREE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2813, 12 February 1908, Page 18

THE B.Sc. DEGREE.

PROPOSED NEW STATUTE. WELLINGTON, January 31. A 6 an outcome of the action taken by Professor Shand at the University Senate on Tuesday in regard to statute " Batchelor of Science B." which bad been severely criticised by the Professorial Boards of Otago University and of Auckland University College, the Science Committee jesterday recommended that the operation of the statute " Bachelor of Science " be suspended, and that fhe following proposed statute in lieu thereof be submitted to the Professorial Boards for suggestions and criticisms : — Bachelor op Science. B. 1. Tlie subjects of examination shall be grouped — Latin. Greek. English, French, German ; group B — pure and applied mathematics, physical sc.ence, chemistry, biology, geology, mental science economics, education. 2. These subjec s shnll be defined as for ■the degree of Bachelor of Arts; and wherever certificates as to practical work are required for that degree, the same certificates 'shall be required for this. 3. The regu'ations as to notice to the chancellor and the payment of fees shall be the same as for the degree of Bachelor of Arts. 4. Subject, to the provision of clauses 5 and 6. no candidate shall be admitted to the degree of Bachelor of Science B unless he shall have passed in four of the above subjects, of which one must be taken from group A. two from group B, and ore other subject from group C, not being one of the subjects taken by the candidate from group B ; and unless he shall have in his final examination repeated one of the subjects from group B or group C in which he has already passed, the examination papers used in such repeated subjects shall be the same as those used for that subject af repeated by a candidate in the B.Sc (A) examination. 5. The examination shall be passed in two sections, of which the four subjects firstnamed in clause 4 shall constitute the first section, which may be taken after two years' terms have been kept by the candidate; and "the repeated subject shall constitute the final section of the examination, which may be taken after thiee years' terms have been kept, provided that a candidate may take two subjects of the first section after one year's terms have been kept. 6. 2Co candidate will be admitted to this degree unless he has transmitted to the registrar a. certificate from the Professorial Board of one of the affiliated institutions to the effect that he has devoxed himself di.igently to scientific research for at least a year after two years' terms have been kept. At the same time he muft transmit a dissertation conta.ning an a-ccount of and embodying the lesults of his researches. He shall state generally m a preface to this dissertation, and specifically in notes, the sources from which his information is derived, the extent to which be has availed himself of the work of others, and the Foitious of the dissertation which he c'aims «s original. The dissertation must a'3o be accoiupan.ed by a certificate from the Professorial Jicaid that it is worthy to be submitted to the examiner. The credit to be attached to the dissertation shall not so much depend on the novelty or importance of the re-ults obtained as upon the evidence it may afford of ability to carry on a good piaetical work, and of the power .of independent observation The dissertation shall be submitted to the examiner in that branch of stndj with which it deals, and he shall state whetcei 1.1 his opinion it ie o'" sufficient ment to entitle the candidate .o the degree 'Ihe S-eiuie, however, reserve" , o .tsolf tha r'Kat to submit the dissertation also to other examiners, and

i to examine -the candidate oraKy or otherwise upon the subject matter of the dissertation. I 7 The fee for the examination of the dissertation shall be one guinea, subject to I the provisions of the statute " Conduct of University Examinations." I 8. If the candidate obtains the degree the dissertation shall not be recognised for the purpose of obtaining certificates, medals, 1 honours, or any other degree granted by the • university. I 9. The word " Research" shall be inserted in the diploma after the words " Bachelor of Science" to indicate the course pursued in , obtaining that degree. j 10. No student shall be allowed to take I the course prescribed in -this statute unless it be certified by the teacher of the repeated subject in an affiliated college that he is competent to pursue research in it. Mr yon Haast, convener of the Science Committee, aaid that the new statute as outlined would form a good basis for discussion. There was no doubt that the new statute was a vast improvement on , the one which had been so strongly attacked ! by Professor Shand. I Professor Shand said that as the commitee's recommendation was only that the ' new 6tatute should go to the Professorial 1 Boards for discussion, and that it need not neeej-sarily be adopted, he was willing, if permitted, to withdraw his motion to rescind the statute. Permission to withdraw the motion was granted.