Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes

2021-22

Each section of the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes can be accessed via the navigation panel on the left-hand side.

Download a copy of the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes for 2021/22: 2021/22 Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes (Office document, 381kB)

Previous versions of the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes are available here.

Temporary amendments for 2021/22 (classification) are in place in response to the impact of COVID-19 in 2019/20 and/or 2020/21  

PREAMBLE

1.        Introduction    

1.1.    These Regulations and Code of Practice (‘the Code’) summarise the University’s expectations for the conduct of assessment, progression and the award of a qualification in undergraduate and taught postgraduate programmes, including those taught at the equivalent of level 3 in the national Qualifications and Credit Framework.

1.2.    The expectations of the Code are developed with a fundamental commitment to the UK Quality Code for Higher Education, and the awards conferred are benchmarked against the Frameworks for Higher Education Qualifications of UK Degree-Awarding Bodies.  Individual disciplines will also refer to relevant subject benchmark statements.

1.3.    The relevant sections of this Codemay apply to the assessment, progression and completion of any taught components in research degree programmes. For further information please see the regulations for specific degrees in the Regulations and Code of Practice for Research Degree Programmes.

1.4.   The Code applies to all taught students, including those who study on a part time basis. For this purpose, where reference is made to ‘years of study’ the policy must be applied on a pro rata basis and equivalent to the volume of credit that a full-time student would normally undertake in an academic year

1.5.    For the purpose of this Code a ‘regulation’ is defined as: ‘a rule set by the University which must be followed’; and a ‘policy’ as a: ‘statement established by common consensus that will be followed, unless there is good and validated reason otherwise.’

1.6.    Regulations within the Code may not be varied. They are indicated by boxed text. The rest of the Code should also be followed.  Any requests to depart from the Code must be approved by the relevant Faculty Education Director and must be in accordance with faculty policy. If deemed appropriate, the University Learning and Teaching Committee and/or the relevant faculty committees may be consulted by the Faculty Education Director. University and faculty committees will ensure consistency of practice university-wide and will make decisions that take account of the spirit of the Code.

Application of new or revised regulations

1.7.    Students will be subject to the regulations that are in place for the current academic year on registering for that year of study, subject to the following provisions.

1.8.    Students studying on a part-time basis are subject to the version of the Taught Code that is in place on registering at the start of the academic year, unless a change is being phased in. Where this is the case, schools should ensure that students are not disadvantaged by the phasing in of regulation; applying the more favourable (to the student) regulation in cases where a student first registers on a programme under one regulation, which is then superseded by a revised version of the regulation.

1.9.    When the University proposes significant changes to the formal University regulation and policies that govern taught programmes:

• It will consult with the sabbatical officers of the Students’ Union and determine whether its implementation would negatively affect existing cohorts of students.
• Where no negative effects are identified, the change may be applied universally to all student cohorts, normally from the beginning of an academic year;
• Otherwise, a change may only be introduced for new first-year cohort registrations and phased in (please see 1.12 for those regulations or policies that are currently being phased in).

1.10. Where a change is being phased in (as above):

• Newly registered students who do not enter into the first year of a programme will be subject to the regulations that are in place for the student cohort that they are joining.
• Those students who initially registered under one set of regulations and who subsequently join a different cohort that is governed by a different set of regulations (e.g. through a suspension of studies, a requirement to repeat a year or undertake a supplementary year) will become subject to the new regulations on registration into the new cohort.

1.11. Should there be uncertainty about which set of regulations cover a particular student, a decision should be made that reflects the best interests of the student.

1.12. The following regulations and policies within this version of the Taught Code are currently being phased in:

• Students seeking a transfer to a programme with a study abroad year (in an English language) from a ‘cognate’ programme may only submit a request to transfer within the first TWO weeks of the first teaching block in their second year of study – applies to new registrations from the 2021/22 academic year (see University policy on student transfer at Annex 5)