Academic Regulations Part 3: General Structure and Framework of School Courses and Programmes

Academic Regulations Part 3: General Structure and Framework of School Courses and Programmes

Contents

12. Academic Year13. Course Structures 


12. Academic Year

12.1 The undergraduate academic year consists of thirty weeks. All undergraduate courses are normally expected to follow the same term dates. Academic Board may exceptionally permit a course to vary the dates of the terms or the number of weeks within a term providing that the total number of weeks for the undergraduate year remains as thirty weeks.

12.2 The postgraduate taught academic year normally consists of 3 ten week terms and one longer fourth term during the summer period extending from July until late September. Courses which deviate from this norm shall define the format of the academic year in their Programme Specification.

12.3 Research degrees comprise a full 12 months as the degree is based on independent research rather than taught elements.

12.4 The word “year” when used without limitations (e.g. “academic”) means calendar year.

Back to top


13. Course Structures

Course of Study

13.1 An academically coherent grouping of units shall be known as a course of study.

13.2 Courses of study are awarded on the basis of the accumulation of credit over the duration of the course.

13.3 All taught courses comprise of a number of prescribed units at a predefined level for which credit is awarded upon achieving the learning outcomes for the unit. A specified number of credits must be achieved to be eligible for an award for a given course.

13.4 A course of study shall lead to a named award (e.g. BA (Hons) Theatre Practice) but may incorporate a number of intermediate awards (e.g. Diploma of Higher Education) within the course of study.

13.5 Each course of study shall have a Programme Specification which defines the course. Individual Programme Specifications shall state the required number of credits at which level and for what units must be studied for the named award and shall state which units are core or optional.

13.6 Courses of study may vary in the number of units required at each level; subject to the following constraints:

  1. For an Honours Degree, 360 credits will be taken, comprising of 120 credits at levels 4, 5 and 6.
  2. All Masters Degrees will contain 180 credits, normally including a Sustained Independent Project (SIP) triple unit.

13.7 Learning outcomes will be specified for the course as a whole and listed in the relevant Programme Specification. Learning outcomes must also be set for each credit-bearing unit. Attainment of selected learning outcomes for the units required to complete the course must equate with attainment, at least at a threshold level, of the learning outcomes of the course as a whole.

13.8 An Honours degree course will normally include a level 6 unit bearing 30 or more credits, in which students are required to complete one or more substantial tasks involving significant autonomous work relevant to the award title.

13.9 Unless otherwise stated in the Programme Specification all undergraduate courses are single honours awards.

13.10 A Masters course must normally include a unit or units designed to develop research skills appropriate to the subject and also a unit (normally of 60 credit points) involving substantial independent work under the direction of a supervisor. Such a unit is not required to be assessed wholly on the basis of a written dissertation, but must normally incorporate critical or reflective analytical commentary drawing on relevant current research and advanced scholarship in the discipline.5

13.11 The design of any new course will comply with the stated policy on curriculum design (e.g. the Masters Framework for taught postgraduate courses).

5 Takes account of the Masters qualification descriptor in the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Units

13.12 A Unit is a discrete, self-contained amount of assessed learning at a defined level to which a unit credit-value has been assigned.

13.13 Each unit will be assessed in relation to its learning outcomes.

13.14 Each unit shall have a Unit Outline.

13.15 The standard undergraduate and postgraduate unit size is 20 credits and may be increased in multiples of 20 to create double units (40 credits) or triple units (60 credits).

13.16 Exceptionally, new units may vary in credit tariff. Normally, no unit may carry fewer than 10 credit points and exceptionally credit values may be in multiples of 10 credits providing that such credit values are not inappropriate to the intended study level, or likely to create an excessive burden of assessment or an unduly fragmented learning experience.

13.17 The outline for each unit will state how that unit is assessed and how the different elements of assessment contribute towards the overall unit result.

13.18 All units shall be assigned a numerical value designating the level of study in accordance with the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications as detailed in 13.27 below.

13.19 Units may be designated as pre-requisite units. This means that a given level of achievement must be attained in the unit to allow for progression to a subsequent, higher level unit that assumes a specific knowledge base. The level of attainment required is usually a pass in the unit. Any unit requiring a specific pre-requisite study must be annotated accordingly in literature given to students when selecting their courses and must be specified in the Programme Specification and unit outline.

13.20 Units may be designated as core units. All core units must be passed for the award for which they comprise.

13.21 Units can be designated as optional; students may choose a stipulated number of units from a range made available to them. Programme Specifications shall state the number of credits within a course structure that are optional. Lists of optional units available to courses shall be published annually.

13.22 A unit may be assessed by one or more elements of assessment.

13.23 The Unit Outline and Programme Specification should include:

  • The nature and approximate timing of each element of assessment.
  • An indication of the scale or magnitude of the element intended (e.g. a word-limit, a performed or devised task of defined scale and/or scope).
  • An indication of what is required to pass the unit. Normally, this means a clear statement of whether it is essential to pass each assessment task or whether an overall unit result will be based on the average or aggregate of the elements, in such a way that it is possible to pass the unit despite failure in one of the tasks. If this is the case, a serious attempt at all the tasks may nevertheless be required to pass the unit.
  • The percentage weight of each assessment task in calculating the unit mark if the unit carries a percentage mark: (e.g. performance 40%, critical commentary 40%; conference participation 20%); If the unit is assessed on a pass/fail basis, but includes several assessment tasks, they cannot be weighted precisely unless indicative percentage marks are used as a means to calculate the pass/fail outcome. Where possible, the unit details should nevertheless help students to understand the relative importance of each assessment task in the assessment of the unit as a whole.

13.24 In determining that the combination of units to be taken by a student shall form a coherent degree course, the School shall further ensure that the methods by which the units selected are assessed include a variety of assessment methods appropriate to the field of study.

13.25 Undergraduate students will not be permitted to follow units valued at more than 120 credits in any one year. Where a student follows a unit during the long vacation, the value of that unit shall be assigned to either the previous or next year/level as appropriate, but in neither year/level may the total exceed the maximum of 120 credits.

13.26 The elements of assessment of a unit, whether they are assessed by pass/fail or by percentage mark, and their weight in determining classification or distinction are all aspects of the formal definition of the unit, which can only be changed through a formal process – at validation, or through a formal proposal to the Learning, Teaching and Student Experience Committee, in some cases also requiring endorsement by the Academic Board. Changes in the detail of an assessment task, within the approved specification and weighting, which do not fundamentally change the scale or character of the task, normally do not require approval. Advice on modification procedures is available from the Head of Quality Assurance and Enhancement.

Levels of Study

13.27 Units in undergraduate courses will normally be offered at three academic levels:

  1. Credit Level 4 units are offered at the standard of the first year of a full-time Honours Degree course and at FHEQ Qualification Level C (Certificate);
  2. Credit Level 5 units are offered at the standard of the second year of a full-time Honours Degree course and at FHEQ Qualification Level I (Intermediate);
  3. Credit Level 6 units are offered at the standard of the final year of a full-time Honours Degree course and at FHEQ Qualification Level H (Honours).

13.28 Units in postgraduate courses will be offered at one academic level only: Credit Level 7 units are offered at the standard of a full-time Masters degree and at FHEQ Qualification Level M (Masters).

Award of Credit

13.29 Credits are awarded when a student has demonstrated through assessment that they have achieved the designated learning outcomes for the unit. This is effectively when a unit has been passed, or through the award of compensation credit, condoned credit, or APL credit. The minimum overall pass mark for an undergraduate unit is 40% and 50% for a postgraduate unit. Additionally, a minimum level of achievement in any or all of the assessed elements within the prescribed assessment for the unit may be required. 

13.30 Credit for a unit irrespective of the value cannot be divided. A student must therefore satisfy the examiners for the whole unit in order to be awarded credit for that unit.

13.31 Credits awarded by the School for a unit may normally only contribute towards one award. Once an award has been made, the award must be rescinded for a higher award to be made based on the same credits. Credits awarded by other institutions may be used towards the total number of credits required for an award within the parameters defined in section 2.12.

Awards

13.32 The School adheres to the parameters set for awards under Ordinance 12 of the University of London and to the Qualification level descriptors of the FHEQ (Framework for Higher Education Qualifications.

13.33 At Undergraduate level the School makes provision for the following awards: Certificate of Higher Education (FHEQ Qualification Level 4) Diploma of Higher Education (FHEQ Qualification Level 5) Honours Degree (FHEQ Qualification Level 6) (BA)

13.34 At Postgraduate taught level the School makes provision for the following awards: Postgraduate Certificate Postgraduate Diploma Masters (MA, MFA

13.35 At Postgraduate research level the School makes provision for the following awards:

  • Master of Philosophy (MPhil)
  • Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Placements, work-based learning and off-site work

13.36 All students undertaking a placement or work-based learning must inform the School’s Placements Officer according to the process outlined in the School’s Placement Handbook. Any placement or work-based learning activity undertaken where the student has not informed the Placements Officer or not complied with any part of the published process will not be included as fulfilling any mandatory requirement of the course and any assessment resulting from the placement will not be marked.

13.37 All students engaged in work off-site must abide by the School’s Student Code of Conduct.

13.38 Where a placement or work-based learning activity is a mandatory part of the course which must be completed to pass the course, or where an assessment is directly derived from such activity then this must be clearly stated in the Programme Specification and unit outline.

Back to top

Academic Regulations Handbook