Uclan, any good?

[Columbo]

Hello there,

Just a quick question, has anyone ever studied Astronomy courses at Uclan, if so, what are they like, I'm talking about the entry level programmes of study; are they demanding and are they difficult? Are the tutors supportive and approachable?

Any advice/information would be greatly appreciated, thank you in advance.

Columbo

[bomberbaz]

If you havent read this it might help

http://www.uclan.ac.uk/courses/bsc_hons_astronomy.php

I might be interested myself for 2014/15 after my wedding. So will be watching this thread ;-)

[Columbo]

Thank you but yeah I have read it, I just wanted to know if anyone has had any personal experience of the courses on offer i.e. the course content and the teaching staff.

[gkec]

My son is having a similar dilemma. Study Physics at UCLAN or Salford.

UCLAN looks nice and modern but Salford's proximity to Manchester is attractive.

[thegreendruid]

I took 2 initial modules in the 2012/13 intake. I'm planning on continuing on with another 2 in 2013/14.

The amount of work might surprise you for a distance learning course. You should make sure you are able to dedicate about 200 hours per module. As the modules run during a 6 month period that equates to 7/8 hours per week per module. If you want to do well and get a decent mark, I would say that would be a minimum commitment really.

Having said that, the modules I did (Intro to Astronomy & Intro to Cosmology) were extremely rewarding. The tutors were extremely knowledgeable and active in research projects of their own which was very inspiring to hear about. The Maths/Physics content of the first 2 modules was at a high GCSE level I would say but definitely tripped some students up from time to time so I would brush up on algebra and trig if this was a concern.

There is something to be said for the administration of the module but I hoping this will improve next year as they were getting used to a new system (elearn) for delivering the course materials and feedback etc.

If you'd like anymore specific information about anything, let me know!

[Rockrae78]

My son is having a similar dilemma. Study Physics at UCLAN or Salford.

UCLAN looks nice and modern but Salford's proximity to Manchester is attractive.

What did he decide? A bit late now, but I used to work at Salford Uni, in the School of Sciences, so I know some of the Physics lecturers.  They have very good reputations both in and out of the University, but never been taught by them so no idea what their teaching styles are like.

I have enrolled on the UCLAN Cert in Astronomy for the 2013/2014 academic year.  No experience in the subject, or in sciences (apart from GCSE) in general, but looking forward to learning lots, and learning something for me for a change!