Note: Students who first enrolled on their current degree programme in 2011-12 or previously should refer to the regulations displayed in the archived version of the Calendar for the year in which they first enrolled on their degree programme.
1. Introduction
1.1 The following regulations apply to all Undergraduate and Integrated Masters taught programmes at levels 6 and 7 (see Credit Accumulation and Transfer (CAT) Scheme), except in so far as a variation or an exemption for particular programmes has been allowed under 1.3 and 1.4 below. These Regulations should be read in conjunction with the Regulations and Definitions Applying to Progression for all Credit-Bearing Programmes. Defined terms are capitalised in the regulations.
1.2 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.
1.3 Schools may, with good cause, operate variations on the following Progression scheme. Normally such variations occur in order to meet the stipulations of Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Bodies (PSRBs), or where there are funding or fitness to practise conditions or legislative requirements in another country for a programme delivered under the University's Collaborative Provision Policy. Where Schools operate variations on the scheme this will be stated in the relevant programme regulations. In order to maintain oversight, Academic Quality and Standards Subcommittee (AQSS), will review all variations on an annual basis for compliance with the criteria.
1.4 With the approval of AQSS Schools may operate an exemption from the following Progression scheme. Normally this will be for one year in order to bring the programme into line with the regulations. Where Schools operate an approved exemption this will be stated in the relevant programme regulations.
2. Definitions specific to Undergraduate and Integrated Masters Programmes
2.1 The University standard Module Pass Mark for undergraduate students taking Modules at all levels is 40. Where professional standards, including but not limited to PSRB requirements, require a Module Pass Mark that differs from the University standard this will be stated in the relevant programme regulations.
2.2 The University standard Average Mark for a Part for undergraduate students on each Part of a programme is 40. Where professional standards, including but not limited to PSRB requirements, require an Average Mark for a Part that differs from the University standard this will be stated in the relevant programme regulations.
2.3 The University standard Qualifying Mark for undergraduate students taking Modules at all levels is 25 except for modules where credit only is being imported from an exchange or outgoing study abroad for which the Qualifying Mark is zero. Where professional standards, including but not limited to PSRB requirements, require a Qualifying Mark that differs from the University standard this will be stated in the relevant programme regulations.
3. Criteria for Progression
3.1 In order to progress to the next Part of a programme or to an award, as appropriate, all Modules and each Part must be Passed at the specified Pass Mark except as allowed in paragraph 3.4 below. Each Part must be successfully completed before the next Part is commenced.
3.2 Some Parts of some programmes may in addition require a student to achieve an Average Mark for the Part which is greater than the University standard Average Mark for a Part. Details will be given in the relevant programme regulations and will be subject to annual review by AQSS. Regulations relating to Referral and Repeat to achieve an Average Mark for the Part which is greater than the Module Pass Mark are given in Section 6.
3.3 A student who wishes to transfer to a programme with Year in Employment in the title must progress from the relevant Part at the first attempt in order to proceed onto the Year in Employment module. A student must also meet any additional progression criteria for the substantive programme at the first attempt before proceeding onto the Year in Employment module as specified in paragraph 3.2.
3.4 Pass by Compensation
A student Passing all Core Modules and achieving or exceeding the University standard Average Mark for the Part, but failing to achieve the required Pass Mark in non-Core Modules totalling at most 15 ECTS (30 CATS), may be awarded credit and a Pass by Compensation in those failed modules provided no Module Mark is less than the Qualifying Mark and (subject to meeting any additional requirements under paragraph 3.2) will progress to the next Part of the 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 (except as specified in paragraph 6.1).
3.5 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 and section 6 below. A student not eligible to Refer has a right to Repeat as laid out in sections 5 and 6 below.
3.6 Any Module failed by a student on an exchange or undertaking outgoing study abroad will count towards the credit limits for the volume of Compensatable Fails in 3.4 above or 4.1 below.
4. Referral
4.1 For students who fail to progress under paragraphs 3.1 to 3.4 on a programme where all Modules in a Part have been designated Core in order to meet the stipulations of Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Bodies, Referral is allowed in Failed modules in that Part totalling at most 30 ECTS (60 CATS) if permitted by the programme regulations.
4.2 A student who fails to progress under paragraphs 3.1 to 3.4, and to whom 4.1 does not apply, may Refer in Failed Modules totalling at most 15 ECTS (30 CATS).
- 4.2.1 A student Failing in Modules to a maximum of 30 ECTS (60 CATS) who has achieved the University Average Mark for the Part may be awarded credit and a Pass by Compensation in eligible Modules up to a maximum of 15 ECTS (30 CATS). A student may then Refer in up to 15 ECTS (30 CATS) of further modules, with the constraints that all Core Modules and all Modules in which the mark obtained is less than the Qualifying Mark must be Referred and that Referrals may be taken only in the minimum number of credits needed to achieve a Pass in the Part, as long as doing so successfully would enable the student to Pass the Part. A student who cannot obtain a Pass through the permitted number of Referrals is required to Repeat the Part.
- 4.2.2 If a Failed Module has a higher credit value than the student requires for Progression, the student may nonetheless be Referred in that Module.
- 4.2.3 A student is not permitted to Refer in a Module that has already been Passed in order to improve the mark, except where programme regulations require the student to achieve an Average Mark higher than the University standard required Average Mark for a Part - see paragraph 6.1 below.
4.3 The actual marks achieved at Referral are inserted into the previous marks profile and paragraphs 3.1 to 3.4 are applied again to determine Progression. However, the Referral marks will be Capped at the Capped Mark for all calculations related to degree classification.
4.4 A student failing to progress after Referral may Repeat the appropriate Part of the programme as laid out in section 5 below.
4.5 A student who fails the assessment for the Year in Employment module may Refer in the Year in Employment module assessment. This must be at the next available opportunity.
5. Repeat
5.1 A student who has not progressed to the next Part of the programme at the first attempt and who has either also not progressed after Referral (where permitted) or who does not qualify to take Referral assessments under section 4 above may Repeat the appropriate Part of the programme.
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. A student is permitted to select new Option Modules in place of the Option Modules taken at the first attempt. However a student will have no right to Refer in any Modules taken during the Repeat, including Option Modules taken for the first time. The marks achieved at Internal Repeat will be inserted into the marks profile and paragraphs 3.1 to 3.4 applied again to determine Progression. Marks for Modules in which the Module Pass Mark was not obtained at the first attempt, and for any new Option Modules substituted for such modules, will be Capped at the Capped Mark for all calculations related to determination of a final degree classification (see Section 8 below). For all other Modules the mark obtained at Repeat will be carried forward.
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 Progression. The marks achieved at External Repeat will be inserted into the most recent marks profile and paragraphs 3.1 to 3.4 applied again to determine Progression. The marks obtained during External Repeat and those arising from Referral will be Capped at the Capped Mark for all calculations related to determination of a final degree classification (see section 9 below).
5.5 The Progression criteria for a Repeating student are the same as for the first attempt excluding the right of Referral.
5.6 Any Part may be Repeated only once. The programme of a candidate failing after Repeat shall be terminated.
5.7 A student may not Repeat the Year in Employment module.
6. Referrals and Repeats for Integrated Masters Programmes and other Programme Parts with a higher required average
6.1 Referral
Where programme regulations require a student to achieve an Average Mark for the Part which is higher than the University standard required Average Mark for a Part, a student failing to achieve this higher Average Mark for the Part may Refer in Modules in which the mark originally achieved was less than the required Average Mark for the Part, to a maximum credit value of 15 ECTS (30 CATS). In this case:
- 6.1.1 Students may choose the Modules in which they refer, with the constraint that Modules in which the mark achieved is a Non-Compensatable fail must be taken.
- 6.1.2 The actual marks obtained at Referral will be inserted into the marks profile to determine whether the required Average Mark has been obtained.
- 6.1.3 For the purpose of the classification algorithm described in paragraph 9.6 below, marks for Modules originally Failed will be Capped at the Capped Mark; for Modules Passed but Referred to raise the Average Mark for the Part, the original Module mark will be carried forward.
- 6.1.4 If the Referral is successful, the Average Mark for the Part carried forward for the Part will be the required Average Mark for the Part.
- 6.1.5 If the student subsequently elects to transfer to a programme not requiring the higher Average Mark for the Part, that part of the Referral not needed to meet the requirements of the new programme shall be disregarded and the Average Mark for the Part recalculated on that basis.
- 6.1.6 If the student does not obtain the required Average Mark for the Part on Referral, a Repeat will be permitted.
6.2 Repeat
A student Repeating solely in order to achieve an Average Mark for a Part higher than the University standard required Average Mark for a Part may choose to Repeat Internally or Externally. In this case:
- 6.2.1 An Internal Repeat will consist of all Modules, including those Passed at the first sitting. A student is permitted to select new Option Modules in place of the Option Modules taken at the first attempt. A student choosing an Internal Repeat is not permitted to change to an External Repeat part way through the year. However a student will have no right to Refer in such Modules. The marks achieved at Internal Repeat will be inserted into the marks profile and paragraphs 3.1 to 3.4 applied again to determine Progression. Marks for Modules in which the Module Pass Mark was not obtained at the first attempt and for any new Options substituted for such modules will be Capped at the Module Pass Mark for all calculations related to determination of a final degree classification (see section 9 below). For all other Modules the mark obtained at Repeat will be carried forward. The Average Mark carried forward for the Part to determine degree classification will be the required Average Mark.
- 6.2.2 An External Repeat will consist of all those Modules in which the Module Pass Mark was not obtained at the first attempt or at Referral. A student choosing an External Repeat is not permitted to change to an Internal Repeat part way through the year. In addition a student Repeating to achieve an Average Mark higher than the University standard required Average Mark for a Part may choose to Repeat any other module in which they achieved a mark lower than the required Average Mark at the first attempt or at Referral. The most recent marks for Modules not Repeated will be used for determining Progression. The marks achieved at External Repeat will be inserted into the most recent marks profile and paragraphs 3.1 to 3.4 applied again to determine Progression. After determining progression, the marks for modules that were passed for the first time at external repeat or during referral will be capped at the Module Pass Mark and these capped marks will be used in the classification algorithm described in section 9 below. For all other Modules the mark obtained at the first attempt will be carried forward. The Average Mark carried forward for the Part to determine degree classification will be the required Average Mark.
- 6.2.3 If a student Repeats wholly or in part in order to achieve an Average Mark which is above the University standard required Average Mark for a Part, but subsequently transfers to a programme not requiring the higher Average Mark, that part of the Repeat not needed to meet the requirements of the new programme shall be disregarded and the Average Mark recalculated on that basis.
7. Minors
7.1 A student must complete and pass a minimum of 30 ECTS (60 CATS) to qualify for their chosen Minor. Of those, no more than 7.5ECTS (15 CATS) may be at level 4.
7.2 In order to qualify for the Minor, a student must pass all Modules associated with the Minor at the standard Module Pass Mark. A student who is awarded a pass by Compensation in a failed Minor module will not qualify for the Minor. Minor modules passed at Referral or Repeat will count towards the Minor.
7.3 A student who decides that they do not wish to complete the Minor may do so at any stage of their programme.
7.4 Where a student's substantive Programme of Study (their main discipline) includes a dissertation as part of their final year, the student will be expected to pursue a topic within their main discipline.
7.5 A student who accumulates the credits necessary to qualify for a Minor will have 'with a Minor in [subject]' appended to their degree award title and diploma supplement.
8. Awards
8.1 A student successfully completing Part I of a programme according to the criteria in section 3 above, but for any reason not proceeding to complete Part II, may be awarded the Certificate of Higher Education.
8.2 A student successfully completing Part II of a programme according to the criteria in section 3 above, but for any reason not proceeding to complete Part III, may be awarded the Diploma of Higher Education.
8.3 If permitted by programme regulations, a student on an Integrated Masters programme successfully completing Part III of the programme according to the criteria in section 3 above, but for any reason not proceeding to complete Part IV, may be awarded a Bachelors Degree. The title of which will be detailed in the Programme Specification.
8.4 If permitted by programme regulations, an Ordinary Degree may be available to a student with sufficient credit at the relevant level who has not met the requirements to graduate on an Honours Degree programme.
9. Classified Awards
9.1 Mark Scheme
The degree classification shall be based on the 100-point Mark Scheme for the final degree average, ie:
| 70 and over | First Class (I) |
| 60 - 69 | Second Class, Upper Division (IIi) |
| 50 - 59 | Second Class, Lower Division (IIii) |
| 40 - 49 | Third Class (III) |
| Less than or equal to 39 | Fail |
These boundaries refer to the Final Average Mark rounded to the nearest integer. In order to meet the stipulations of Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Bodies, the programme regulations may specify a required Final Average Mark greater than the standard University Average Mark to define the lower boundary for a Pass. Where this applies this will be stated in the relevant programme regulations and will be subject to annual review by AQSS.
9.2 Weighting of Parts
Part I work shall be excluded from the final degree classification. A weighting of 0:1:2 shall be used to obtain the Final Average Mark for the three Parts of an Honours degree programme, and a weighting of 0:1:2:2 for the four Parts of an integrated Masters programme. This is in addition to weighting by credit points (for example, where Parts III and IV do not contain the same number of credit points).
9.3 For programmes involving a period of outgoing study abroad or an exchange, unless the programme has an approved translation of marks scheme, a student's final results will be calculated solely on marks obtained in Modules studied at the University.
9.4 For a student registered on an Honours degree programme at the University and spending one semester abroad for which there is no approved translation of marks scheme, the degree classification will be obtained as follows:
- 9.4.1 For Parts II, III and IV, the Average Mark for a Part will be calculated as the credit weighted average of the marks on modules undertaken at the University
- 9.4.2 The Final Average Mark and resulting degree classification will then be calculated from the Part II, III and IV averages as per 9.2 above.
9.5 For a student registered on an undergraduate programme and spending an entire year abroad for which there is no approved translation of marks scheme, the degree classification will be obtained as follows:
- 9.5.1 The Final Average Mark will be calculated from the Averages of the Parts undertaken at the University with the weighting of the relevant Parts as given in 9.2 above.
9.6 Classification Algorithm
The class awarded shall be that within which the Final Average Mark rounded to the nearest integer falls. The next higher class will be awarded if the unrounded Final Average Mark is within 2 marks of the higher class and at least 50% of the credit points, weighted by Part, are derived from Module Marks in the higher class or above.
9.7 The assessment for the Year in Employment module will not contribute to the final degree classification. However, in order to graduate on a programme with Year in Employment in the title, a student must pass the assessment.
Introduced September 2012.
Reviewed in June 2019; no changes made.
Reviewed October 2019- changes made to section 7. Minors.
Reviewed December 2021 – changes made to paragraph 4.2.1.
Reviewed June 2023 – Updated to reflect changes to education governance.