Hillhead Review can reveal that last year, the Adam Smith Business School advised Finance students against completing a dissertation if their spoken English was not “good enough.”
In a lecture slide seen and independently verified by Hillhead Review, students were asked; “Is my spoken English good enough to be able to have effective discussions with my supervisor about my topic and draft chapters?”
The University of Glasgow has denied points raised in the lecture slide. A spokesperson told Hillhead Review that the “title of the slide was unintentionally misleading. It is categorically not within any of our policies in the Business School that students are advised on whether to undertake a dissertation or other form of capstone assessment based upon their English language ability.”
The slide goes on to suggest that English language ability within the Finance department has been an issue in previous cohorts, which has led to “poor or even fail grades.”
If a Finance student believes they cannot participate in “active face to face participation” due to limited English proficiency, then they must “take [the issue] seriously.”
Hillhead Review understands that the option to avoid the dissertation was not available to students with high proficiency in written and spoken English, who had to complete the assessment to gain an Honours level degree.
The University claim that “the misleading title of the slide was raised with the Business School more than six months ago. It was immediately removed and has not been used since.”
Prospective students from rUK and other selected countries must have Higher, A-Level, or International Baccalaureate Higher Level English to complete entry requirements.
Applicants from non-English speaking countries, “as defined by the UK Government” must meet the minimum English language proficiency level, set by the University of Glasgow.
Last year, an investigation by Hillhead Review revealed that students at the University of Glasgow were using the Chinese social media app WeChat to plagiarise assignments. The problem is particularly prolific within the Adam Smith Business School.
Glasgow International College also came under fire for offering lower grade and English language requirements for international students, in exchange for higher fees. Many courses allow direct entry into the University of Glasgow.
*The original version of this article stated the lecture slide was shown to Economics students. Hillhead Review apologises for any confusion caused.
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