Science Foundation Year 2024-25

1 Introduction

1.1

The following regulations apply to the Science Foundation Year. 

1.2

Students satisfying the examiners at the end of the Foundation Year will progress to Part I of a specified degree programme. A student progressing to Part I of any permitted programme will thereafter be subject to the regulations in force for students entering that programme in the same year. This includes regulations regarding transfer to a programme with Year in Employment in the title.  

1.3

Where there are exceptional circumstances resulting in a student’s performance being worthy of special consideration, as defined in the Regulations Governing Special Considerations (including Deadline Extension Requests) for all Taught Programmes and Taught Assessed Components of Research Degrees, a Board of Examiners, on the recommendation of a Special Considerations Board, has the authority to disregard aspects of these regulations and seek alternative evidence, or offer alternative methods or times for re-assessment, to show that the required learning outcomes have been achieved. Detailed guidance for Boards of Examiners is given in the Quality Handbook. 

1.4

Students wishing to progress to an Integrated Master’s degree with an industrial placement year who are sponsored by the University to enter the UK should seek specific advice from the Visa and Immigration Student Advice Service (VISAS Team, Registry) regarding the permitted length of their proposed programme of study. 

2 Definitions applying to the Science Foundation Year

2.1

Capped Mark: The Capped Mark will be less than or equal to the Module Pass Mark When a mark is capped, the actual mark is used in the case of a failed module, and the Science Foundation Year pass mark is used in the case of a Passed Module.

2.2

Compensation: Pass by Compensation is the award of credit for a Failed Module on the basis that performance elsewhere in the Part is sufficient to ensure the learning outcomes of the programme tested in the Part have been met, or will be met following successful Referral. The detailed rules for allowing Compensation are set in paragraph 3.3 below.

2.3

Compulsory Module: A Compulsory Module is a Module which must be taken by all students on a particular programme.  Compulsory Modules may be passed by Compensation.

2.4

Core Module: A Core Module is a module which must be taken and Passed. Core Modules may not be Passed by Compensation. Where programme regulations specify, a student may be required to select a Module from within a group of Modules, which, once selected, becomes Core. 

2.5

Fail: A Fail may apply to a Module, or to the Science Foundation Year overall. A Failed Module is one in which in which the required Module Pass Mark has not been achieved and no credit is awarded. A Fail in the Science Foundation Year overall is where insufficient credit is awarded or the minimum required Final Average Mark is not attained. 

2.6

Final Average Mark: The Final Average Mark is the mark obtained by taking the average of all individual Module marks, weighted according to their respective credit point weightings. It is used to determine the result for the Science Foundation Year overall. 

2.7

Module: A Module is a specified element of learning material with its own learning outcomes, assessment procedures and credit point rating. A module must be assigned credit points at one level only. (The terms 'Unit' and, in the context of the Student Records System, 'Course' are synonymous with 'Module'.)  

2.8

Module Mark: The Module Mark is the weighted sum of all the components of summative assessment for a given module. The average is rounded to the nearest integer for insertion into the assessment grid. The Module Mark is based on the 100-point Mark Scheme. 

2.9

Pass: A Pass may be achieved in a Module or for the Science Foundation Year as a whole. For a Module, a Pass is the award of Credit for that module and requires a student to attain at least the Module Pass Mark in the assessment. For the Science Foundation Year as a whole, a Pass is achieved by attaining sufficient credit and at least the minimum required Final Average Mark for the Science Foundation Year overall. 

2.10

Pass Mark: The Pass Mark is the minimum mark that must be achieved in order to pass. It may be applied to a Module or to a Final Average Mark.

2.11

Progression: A student who Passes the Science Foundation Year will progress to Part I of a specified degree programme. 

2.12

Referral: Referral is the re-taking of  assessment, in the original or a revised format, for Failed Modules up to a specified maximum number of credits, in order to achieve the Pass Mark.  Referral assessments are usually taken in August/September at the end of the academic year in which the Module was Failed, but may be taken at other times, including earlier, as specified by the School in which the Module is taught. The arrangements for Referral are specified in paragraphs 4.1 to 4.4 below.  

2.13

Repeat: Repeat is the re-taking of assessments during the academic year following the first attempt, or following an unsuccessful Referral. Normally students may choose whether to Repeat Internally or Externally, following academic counselling from the School in which they are registered. However, some Modules have specific practical or coursework requirements that necessitate attendance; students needing to Repeat such Modules will be required to undertake a full Internal Repeat. Where this applies it will be stated in the Module Profile. Should a Module which is to be Repeated not be available in the following year, the Board of Examiners will specify what alternative assessment should be taken. The arrangements for Repeat are specified in paragraphs 5.1 to 5.7 below. 

2.14

Internal Repeat: A student choosing an Internal Repeat will be required to Repeat all Modules, including those passed at the first attempt. The student is entitled to attend all taught sessions, and required to submit all coursework and to take all examinations. The full tuition fee is charged for an Internal Repeat. A student choosing an Internal Repeat is not permitted to transfer to an External Repeat part way through the year.  

2.15

External Repeat: A student choosing an External Repeat will be permitted to Repeat only those Modules which were Failed at the first attempt and not passed at Referral. The student is not required to pay tuition fees and hence is not entitled to access taught sessions or academic or pastoral support services. They will have an enrolment status of 'Repeat non attending' which allows access to the Library and to IT services only, A student Repeating Externally may be required to pay fees for examinations and other assessments. Programme Regulations will specify the mode of assessment which will be used. A student choosing an External Repeat is not permitted to transfer to an Internal Repeat part way through the year. 

3 Criteria for Progression

3.1

The Module Pass Mark for the Science Foundation Year is 60. For Compulsory Modules, the minimum compensatable Qualifying Mark is 45 under the requirements of paragraph 3.4 below.

3.2

In order to pass the Science Foundation Year and proceed to Part 1 of the relevant specified degree programme, all Modules must be Passed at their specified Pass Mark, except as specified in paragraph 3.3 below, and the student must attain a Final Average Mark of 60.

3.3

Pass by Compensation: A student Passing all Core Modules and achieving or exceeding the Final Average Pass Mark of 60 for the Science Foundation Year, but failing to achieve the required Pass Mark in non-Core Modules totalling at most 15 ECTS (30 CATS), may be awarded a Pass by Compensation in those failed modules provided no Module Mark is less than the Qualifying Mark, and will progress to Part 1 of their Degree programme or to an award. In deciding whether a student may progress, these criteria are applied first and, if a Pass is so achieved, no Referral right is retained.

3.4

A student who does not Pass has a right to Refer if eligible according to the Referral criteria laid out in paragraphs 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3 below. A student not eligible to Refer has a right to Repeat as laid out in section 5 below. 

4 Referral

4.1

A student who fails to Pass the Science Foundation Year under paragraph 3.2 may Refer in Failed Modules totalling at most 15 ECTS (30 CATS). 

4.2

A student is not permitted to Refer in a Module that has already been Passed in order to improve the mark. 

4.3

The actual marks achieved at Referral are inserted into the previous marks profile and paragraph 3.2 is applied again to determine whether the Science Foundation Year has been Passed.

4.4

A student who has either not Passed after Referral (where permitted) or who does not qualify to take Referral assessments may Repeat the Science Foundation Year as laid out in section 5 below. 

5 Repeat

5.1

A student who has either not Passed after Referral (where permitted) or who does not qualify to take Referral assessments under section 4 above may Repeat the Science Foundation Year, as indicated below. 

5.2

Section 3 of the Regulations and Definitions Applying to Progression for all Credit-Bearing Programmes should be consulted regarding the right to Repeat for students sponsored by the University to enter the UK under the points-based visa system. 

5.3

Internal Repeat: A student choosing an Internal Repeat will be required to Repeat all Modules, including those Passed at the first attempt. A student choosing an Internal Repeat is not permitted to change to an External Repeat part way through the year. The marks achieved at Internal Repeat will be inserted into the marks profile and paragraph 3.2 applied again to determine whether the Science Foundation Year has been passed.

5.4

External Repeat: A student choosing an External Repeat will be required to Repeat those Modules in which the Module Pass Mark was not obtained at the first attempt or at Referral. The most recent marks for Modules not Repeated will be retained for determining whether the Science Foundation Year has been passed.

5.5

The Progression criteria for a Repeating student are the same as for the first attempt excluding the right of Referral. 

5.6

The Science Foundation Year may be Repeated only once. The Programme of a candidate failing after Repeat shall be terminated. 

5.7

A student may not progress to Part I of the specified degree programme until Repeat assessments have been passed.