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Policy on the Quality Assurance for Joint Degrees and Jointly Taught Programmes and Modules

The policy recognises three types of jointly taught provision, as follows:

1. A named degree or module that is jointly taught - where a named degree is built from modules taught by more than one school, or a module is taught by staff from more than one school (eg Environmental Sciences - School of Social & Environmental Sciences and School of Life Sciences).
2. Joint degrees built from modules taught by a single school which are also components of a range of single degree programmes (eg Biochemistry and Physiological Sciences - School of Life Sciences).
3. Joint degrees built from modules taught by multiple schools which are also components of a range of single degree programme (eg MA English with Psychology - School of Humanities and School of Psychology).

In such cases, the following procedures must be followed, with appropriate adjustments as agreed and documented by the deans and school boards involved.

General Points

1. Students reading for joint degrees and jointly taught programmes and modules should be provided with documentation (e.g. a student handbook) stating clearly where responsibility for administering their programme lies and the arrangements for student representation.
2. A single programme specification should apply to each possible degree route (as recorded by the Registry). The school or schools involved may decide whether to produce a programme specification for each joint degree or a generic programme specification for a group or groups of joint degrees or degree routes. The programme specification(s) will be used both for quality assurance purposes and for the provision of the European Diploma Supplement for graduates. The relationships between schools, degree routes and programme specifications should be made clear to the Registry for the purposes of administration (i.e. as part of the programme specification).
3. In the case of Examination Boards for joint honours programmes, the final decision on Honours degree classifications must be agreed by the external examiners of each contributing discipline following procedures agreed by the school or between the schools.
4. Schools may find it beneficial to identify and record the FTE split in relation to joint taught provision as part of their initial agreement to cooperate.
5. The Director of Quality Assurance and Academic Secretary will provide guidance and rulings on specific issues related to joint provision.

A. Named Degree or Module that is Jointly Taught

6. Where a named degree is built from modules taught in more than one school, or a module is taught by staff from more that one school, a 'Lead School' must be identified. This would normally be decided on the basis of the teaching and assessment loads.
7. Membership of relevant 'programme boards' and 'examination boards' or equivalents involved in administering the taught provision should include representatives of all partners.
8. The Lead School should organise, administer and report on all quality assurance and academic standards activities, including:
• programme and module approval
• programme and module monitoring
• procedures for changes to modules and programmes
• programme review.
9. The Lead School should involve all partners in drafting and reporting quality assurance documentation noted in 3. and, specifically, should create a joint group to oversee programme review.
10. All the schools involved should consider the jointly taught programmes in the context of their learning and teaching development plans.
11. Where there is a specific external examiner for joint provision, the external examiner(s) should be selected by the deans of the partner schools on the basis of the prospective examiner's or examiners' breadth of expertise across the relevant disciplines.

    B. Joint Degrees - Single School

12. Where a joint degree is built from modules taught by a single school, that school will consider the joint degree alongside the other degrees it teaches (and module components thereof) when carrying out quality assurance procedures. Specifically:
    • the joint degree would normally be considered alongside the other cognate degrees during programme review and in the formulation of the school's learning and teaching development plan
    • the school is responsible for identifying and implementing an appropriate mechanism for annual programme monitoring of its joint honours degrees
    • during annual module monitoring, the needs of joint honours students should specifically be taken into account.

    C. Joint Degrees - Multiple Schools

13. Where a joint honours degree is built from modules taught by multiple schools, the schools involved should agree which is the Lead School and together decide the appropriate arrangements for quality assurance of the programme:
• these must include arrangements for annual programme, programme review., and consideration of the joint degree within the schools' learning and teaching development plans
• annual module monitoring will remain the responsibility of the Lead School for the module, but arrangements should explicitly identify and manage the needs of joint degree students
• for new taught provision, these arrangements should be documented and made available to the Director of Quality Assurance as part of the programme approval process.