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The Pamphlet Collection of Sir Robert Stout: Volume 60

Remarks on the Regulations for Degrees in Science, New Zealand University

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Remarks on the Regulations for Degrees in Science, New Zealand University.

After discussion at two successive meetings the Senate of the New Zealand University has added to the Statutes a Series of Regulations for Degrees in Science, so that students are now at liberty to make their choice between the B.A. and B.Sc. Degrees instead of being confined, as hitherto, to the former. As the Science regulations do not appear to me to be entirely satisfactory, I wish to make a detailed criticism of them, pointing out in what respects I conceive them to be susceptible of improvement.

Reference to the minutes of last year's meeting of the Senate shows that the first step taken in framing these Regulations was to consider a scheme forwarded by the Professorial Board of the University of Otago. According to this scheme the examination for B.Sc. was divided into two sections: a 1st B.Sc., consisting of five compulsory subjects (Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, General Biology, and French or German), and a 2nd B.Sc., consisting of eight groups of subjects, of which the candidate was to be at liberty to select one. Each group consisted of two or more allied subjects, such as Mathematics and Physics; Physics, Chemistry, and Mineralogy or Geology; Botany, Animal Morphology, and Animal Physiology; and it was recommended that the standard in all these 2nd B.Sc. subjects should be hardly inferior to that for B.A. Honours (or M.A.), while that of the 1st B.Sc. subjects should be the same as for the Pass Examination for B.A.

It is hardly necessary to remark that this scheme follows closely the B.Sc. examination in the University of London, except that a language is included in the 1st B.Sc., and that the 2nd B.Sc. subjects are arranged in groups, so as to oblige the student to take allied subjects.

It will be seen that, according to this scheme, the B.Sc. examination was to differ from the B.A. (a) in the absence of Latin, (b) in a more definite curriculum being laid down, five subjects being compulsory instead of two, and (c) in the addition of two or three optional subjects of Honours standard.

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To anyone acquainted with the practical teaching of Natural Science it will be obvious that a student of average ability, coming to the University in the usual state of preparation, and working with a fair amount of diligence, would require fully four Sessions to get through the work prescribed in this scheme, as against three Sessions usually required for the Pass B.A., since the practical work required for all the Natural Science subjects and the high standard of those in the 2nd B.Sc. would far more than counterbalance the absence of Latin.

In discussing these proposed Regulations the Senate came to the conclusion, very properly as it seems to me, that it was not desirable to make the B.Sc. standard so markedly above that of the B.A., and the scheme was, therefore, amended, by reducing the number of subjects in the "groups" of the 2nd B.Sc. On the other hand the number of subjects for the 1st B.Sc. was increased, either two languages (Latin, English, modem languages) or a language and Mental Science being required instead of one language; and either Botany, Zoology, or Geology having to be taken along with General Biology.

The Regulations, as amended, were held in abeyance for a year, and were again considered at the recent meeting of the Senate, the result being that the Pass examination for B.Sc. was reduced to what in the original scheme was called the 1st B.Sc., the 2nd B.Sc. subjects

now constituting the examination for Honours.

The subjects of examination as now arranged are as follows:—

For the Degree of B.Sc.

A.—Compulsory Subjects.
1.Mathematics.
a.Pure Mathematics.
b.Elementary Mechanics and Hydrostatics.
2.Physics.
a.Heat and Radiant Heat.
b.Sound and Light, or Electricity and Mag-netism.
3.Chemistry.
4.Natural Science.
a.General Biology.
b.Botany, or Zoology, or Geology.
B.—Optional subjects, of which two must be passed.
1.Latin.
2.Greek.
3.English.
4.Modern Languages.
5.Mental Science.

The scope of the examination in all the subjects to be the same as for B.A.

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For Honours in Science.

One of the following subjects:—
1.Mathematics and Mathematical Physics.
2.Physics.
a.Heat.
b.Electricity and Magnetise, or Sound and Light.
3.Chemistry.
a.Inorganic Chemistry.
b.Organic Chemistry or Chemical Technology.
4.Botany.
5.Zoology.
6.Geology, including Lithology and Palæontology.
7.Human Anatomy and Animal Physiology.
8.Mental Science.

The scope of the examination in all the subjects to be the same as for B.A. Honours.

In criticising these Regulations I would first venture to offer a protest against the extremely arbitary use of the term "Natural Science" in the publications of the Senate. The advisability of making a distinction between "Natural" and "Physical" Science is more than doubtful, the two terms being strictly convertible. This being the case, to include only Botany, Zoology, and Geology under Natural Science, and to exclude not only Chemistry and Physics but also Human Anatomy and Animal Physiology, is hardly so accurate a classification of the Sciences as might be expected from a learned body like the University Senate.

It seems evident that the main object in the alteration of the original scheme of Science regulations was to reduce the B.Sc. to the level of the B.A., so as to make the Arts and Science courses run parallel from matriculation to graduation. For this there is very much to be said: it is clearly a great advantage to have the two courses thoroughly comparable one with the other; each representing three years' steady work, in the one case mainly on literary, in the other mainly on scientific lines.

When, however, one comes to a comparison of the regulations for the two degrees, one is forced to the conclusion that the B.Sc. is not necessarily one whit more scientific than the B.A., nor the B.A. more literary than the B.Sc. Except that General History and Political Economy, and Jurisprudence and Constitutional History have no place in the B.Sc. course, the list of subjects and the definition of those subjects are precisely the same for the two degrees. Consequently it is possible for a student to take either degree on the same list of subjects: for instance a man passing in pure and applied mathematics, chemistry, physics, "natural science," Latin, and English, might claim either degree, or as far as one can see, both. The view of the Senate seems to be that an Arts Degree is one for which a candidate must take Latin and may take Applied Mathematics and Natural Science, and that a Science Degree is one for which he must take Applied Mathematics and Natural Science, and may take Latin.

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On the whole, except as giving practical expression to the growing opinion that a liberal education without Latin is a possibility,* it is difficult to see the raison d'être of the B.Sc. degree, and one is tempted to ask whether it was worth while to get an extension of the Charter for such a result, and whether it would not have answered all purposes to arrange the B.A. course in such a way as to give the option of a mainly literary or a mainly scientific curriculum.

It seems to me that the best way to remedy this very anomalous state of things would be (a) to arrange a more definite curriculum for the Arts course; and (b) to abandon the plan at present adopted of making the standard of all subjects the same for both degrees. Onesided culture should be as studiously avoided in the one course as in the other: it is most desirable that an Arts man should know something of the methods and aims of science, and that a Science man should not be wholly ignorant of language and literature. But considering that life is short and that a perfect course of study is hardly attainable in an average University career, would it not be advisable so to arrange the examinations for the two degrees that the standard of literary subjects should be higher for B.A., and that of science subjects for B.Sc.? For instance, I cannot but think that an Arts student would be distinctly benefitted by going through the "General Biology" part of the Natural History course, even without following it up by Botany, Zoology, or Geology; and that a Science man would find a somewhat smaller proportion of Latin than is required for B.A. of great service to him. I yield to no one in my horror of superficial knowledge, but I certainly think that when a man knows one or two things thoroughly, he may learn a little of many others, not only without any harm, but with the result of considerably extending his intellectual horizon.

Passing now to the Honours Examination, one is met at once with a serious anomaly which is enough of itself to deter the better class of students from choosing the Science course. An Arts man who passes in Honours becomes, ipso facto, M.A., a Science man, passing in the same subject remains a Bachelor. More than this, a B.A. who is unable to get through the whole of the Honours work in one year, may take the same examination—under the name of the M.A. examination—at any subsequent time, and by passing it qualify for the higher degree. A Science man under the same circumstances is debarred from ever taking the examination, and can therefore never get beyond the grade of a Pass-man, unless he is able to proceed to D.Sc., which very few of our students are likely to do, since the qualifications for that degree should be such as would fit the holder of it for a University lectureship in his special subject.

On the other hand the graduate in Arts is under a disadvantage in having no degree corresponding to D.Sc., by taking which he can show himself to have acquired high proficiency in the subject he has chosen as his specialty: he can in fact, unless he chooses to take up either Law or Music, never get beyond M.A.—a degree which a student of good abilities should be able to take in his fourth year.

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It is obvious that to complete the parallelism of the Arts and Science courses—a very desirable object as it seems to me—two new degrees must be established; an M.Sc. (Master of Science) to correspond with M.A., and a D.Lit. (Doctor of Literature) to correspond with D.Sc. This is the plan adopted at the Victoria University, Manchester. At Cambridge also, where the single Honours degree (B.A.) may be taken in cither Arts or Science subjects, the two degrees of D.Lit. and D.Sc. have recently been established, and are given, not upon an examination in the ordinary sense of the word, but upon proof of having produced original work of sufficiently high character in science or letters.

One very important step has been made by the Senate at its recent meeting: namely, the detailed definition of certain of the Natural Science subjects both for the theoretical and practical examinations. Physics is already defined in the Calendar with some approach to fulness, and the Senate has this year adopted a Biology syllabus sent up by the three Professors of that subject in the Colony. But the definition of Chemistry in the Calendar and that of Geology in this year's Minutes are both extremely meagre, and should be carefully developed and expanded next year. The Geology for the Pass Examination, as now defined, is by no means the equivalent of either Botany or Zoology; no definition of practical work in that subject is given in the Statutes, and the syllabus proposed by Prof, von Haast (Minutes, p. 23) is so brief that it may be taken to mean cither very little or very much according to the nature and fancy of the teacher or examiner.

In Chemistry, again, nothing whatever is said as to the scope of the practical examination, so that a teacher of this very important subject is at liberty either to put his students through a really complete laboratory course, or to let them off with that minimum amount of "test-tubing" which so often passes muster for practical chemistry.

Lastly, the Honours subject Physiology is defined as "Human Anatomy and Animal Physiology," This must certainly be altered. Human Anatomy is a medical subject, and should have no place in a general science course. The subject ought to be defined so as to include a certain amount of vertebrate anatomy as well as histology, experimental physiology, and physiological chemistry.

In conclusion I should like to make one criticism on the Physics syllabus. It certainly seems to me that in a general science course the whole subject should be included, even at the risk of going less deeply into its various subdivisions. I do not think that a man who aims at scientific culture can afford to be quite ignorant either of Sound and Light, or of Electricity and Magnetism. For Honours it is no doubt advisable to divide so heavy a subject, but for the Pass Examination I should prefer to see the whole subject included, as in the 1st B.Sc. of the London University.

* Note.—The Regulations for Matriculation have been altered, French or German being compulsory instead of Latin for candidates intending to proceed to a degree in Science.