Taught postgraduate masters degrees - general regulations

Preamble

1. These Regulations specify minimum requirements in terms of credit definitions, periods and modes of study, admission, matriculation and assessment for the taught Masters Degree programmes referred to below.

2. Additional requirements over and above the minimum set out here may be imposed for individual programmes by the relevant School Board during the process of programme approval. Such requirements will be communicated to candidates in the appropriate programme handbooks.

General

1. The University offers the following taught Masters Degrees:

MAcc, MBA, MDSc, MDes, MEd, MFA, MFM, MFOdont, LLM, MLitt, MMEd, MMAS, MN, MChOrth, MPH, MRes, MSc, MSW

2. The University defines these degrees in the context of the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) as requiring:

1. at least 180 credits of which a minimum of 150 credits are at SHE level M(SQF II); and
2. normally at least one year of full-time study comprising three semesters each of fifteen weeks duration.

3. Where appropriate in the context of individual programmes the following sub-degree qualifications may be awarded:

1. a Postgraduate Certificate requiring a minimum of 60 credits with at least 40 credits at SHE level M; and
2. a Postgraduate Diploma requiring a minimum of 120 credits with at least 90 credits at SHE level M.

4. Any award must include successful completion of all the modules and other assessed work required for that award.

5. SCQF credits cannot be used as 'duplicate' credits: that is they can be accumulated for the Certificate, the Diploma or the MSc but not for more than one of those awards concurrently.

Admission

6.1 A candidate for admission to a Masters programme must have attended a University, or other institution approved by the School Board and must have obtained a degree or other qualification of a standard and in a discipline acceptable to the Board and must satisfy any additional conditions specified by the Board.

6.2 Exceptionally, a candidate may be admitted to a programme without a formal qualification who has demonstrated a substantial record of achievement in a relevant profession and has satisfied the School Board of fitness to undertake higher study.

6.3 Candidates who are not native English speakers must demonstrate a level of competence in English equivalent to an IELTS score of at least 6.0.

Matriculation

7. A candidate shall be required to matriculate in each year of study and pay the required fee.

Duration of study

8. A candidate may undertake the course of study for an award on a full-time or part-time or distance-learning basis provided that the chosen mode of study is available for that programme.

9.1 The normal minimum period of study, or equivalent thereof, to complete the requirements for each award shall be as follows:

• Certificate - 15 weeks of full-time study
• Diploma - 30 weeks of full-time study
• Masters - 45 weeks of full-time study

9.2 The maximum periods of study for any award shall normally be as follows:

• for candidates studying on a full-time basis: one year; and
• for candidates studying on a part-time or distance-learning basis: up to five years at the discretion of the relevant School Board and determined at the time of admission.

9.3 In exceptional cases, and with sufficient cause, the period of study for any award may be extended by up to one additional year with the approval of the School Board on the recommendation of the Programme Leader.

9.4 A candidate, who has completed courses in a University or equivalent institution, deemed by the School Board to be of sufficient standard in appropriate subjects, may with the approval of the Board, be exempted from the Certificate stage of any programme where the Certificate is an intermediate award. In the case of a candidate admitted under this Regulation, the date of first matriculation for the purposes of Regulation 9(2) shall be determined by the relevant Dean at the time of admission.

Curriculum

10.1 The course of study for each stage of a Masters programme shall consist of a number of required and/or optional modules as specified by the School Board and set out in the relevant programme handbook and for the Masters degree, a dissertation or project or body of visual output of a size approved by the School Board and on a topic approved by the Programme Leader.

10.2 A candidate's choice of modules must be approved by the Programme Leader.

10.3 Modules may be amended, supplemented or withdrawn with the approval of the School Board.

Assessment

11. Assessment of the work of any programme shall be such as required by the examiners, approved by the School Board and specified in the programme handbook.

12. A candidate may also be examined orally on the work of the programme if the examiners consider such examination necessary.

13. In order to qualify for an award, a candidate must satisfy the examiners in all elements of assessment for that award.

14. No dissertation or project or body of visual output may be re-presented for examination on more than one further occasion except with the permission of the Senatus Academicus for good cause.

Supervision

15. Each candidate shall be allocated an academic supervisor and shall report at such times and in such manner as the supervisor may require and academic progress will be monitored at regular intervals.

Progress

16.1 A candidate whose performance in the work of the programme is deemed by the Programme Leader, in consultation with the examiners, to be unsatisfactory may be required to discontinue studies at any time during the programme.

16.2 Where the Diploma is an intermediate award, no candidate may progress to the Masters degree without having successfully completed the requirements for the award of the Diploma at a level satisfactory to the Programme Leader.

Board of Examiners

17. Each programme shall have a Board of Examiners consisting of the academic staff giving instruction in the subjects of the programme together with at least one external examiner appointed by the Court on the recommendation of the Senatus as advised by the School Board in consultation with the Programme Leader.

Dr I K Francis

Academic Secretary

11/05/05