Brief description of the paper

Following a recommendation of Senate, the generic regulations for taught Masters degrees are under review. The Academic Regulations Sub-Committee (ARSC) of Academic Standards Committee is undertaking the review, and will recommend a revised regulation to ASC before the end of the current session. Provisions for compensation at undergraduate and postgraduate level are also under consideration.

The paper contains recommendations relating to the following areas of the generic regulation for ASC to consider:

The recommendations in relation to progression to Masters and award of Merit and Distinction were presented to Senate at its meeting on 5 February but no agreement was reached.

The paper also contains recommendations for ASC to consider in relation to:

• Diploma and Certificate regulations
• A review of the use of grade points in undergraduate regulations
• Consideration of whether a generic regulation for postgraduate research Masters programmes should be developed
• Compensation arrangements at ordinary, honours and masters levels.

Action Requested

ASC is invited to review the attached report from the Academic Regulations Sub Committee and to consider for approval the following recommendations.

1) Continuation of the current arrangements for progression to Masters in the generic regulation, namely:

• the threshold for progression to Masters should continue to be the achievement of an average of Grade C in taught courses;
• departments should have discretion to allow progress in individual cases;
• departments should be able to specify the achievement of specific grades in specific courses as a prerequisite for progress to the dissertation.

The Sub-Committee also agreed that use of Schedule A of the Code of Assessment should be continued with grade D being used to describe the satisfactory attainment of learning outcomes for each course being assessed.

2) For the award of Merit and Distinction, for a taught Masters degree:

Merit: on the attainment, at the first attempt, of a mean overall aggregation score of 15 (equivalent to B3) or above for the taught component and Grade B3 or above for the dissertation.

Discretion could be applied to the consideration of an award of a Merit if the mean aggregation score for the taught component fell within the range 14.1 to 14.9.

Distinction: on the attainment, at the first attempt, of a mean overall aggregation score of 18 (equivalent to A5) or above for the taught component and Grade A5 or above for the dissertation.

Discretion could be applied to the consideration of an award of a Distinction if the mean aggregation score for the taught component fell within the range 17.1 to 17.9.

For Postgraduate Diplomas and Certificates, either as exit awards or self-contained awards, the same criteria, and discretion, would apply except that, of course, the criteria would refer only to the taught component.

3) In relation to the capping of reassessments:

• discontinuation of capping of dissertation reassessments;
• changing capping arrangements for taught courses, so that they would no longer be capped by grade but instead by the aggregation score equivalent to C3, which is 12.

4) Diploma and Certificate Regulations:

• the retention of separate regulations for postgraduate diplomas and certificates;
• the extension of maximum duration of study for part-time students from two to four years of study.

5) Continuation of current compensation regulations at ordinary, honours and Masters levels

6) Other recommendations

• A proposed review of the use of Grade Points in undergraduate regulations
• Consideration of whether a generic regulation for postgraduate research Masters should be developed.

Recommended Person/s responsible for taking action(s) forward

Senate Office.