Progression And Awards
There is one main period of assessment during the academic year, on completion of the year’s study in May/June. There is also a reassessment / deferred assessment period in August/September.
For details of submission of Master’s dissertations and research projects, refer to the assessment calendar for your course.
An assessment calendar is provided at the beginning of the academic year giving submission dates for assessments, which are spread through the year. The end of year period of assessment normally includes a formal examination period and a latest date for coursework deadlines to be met.
During the formal examination period, the assessment (e.g. written examinations, written assignments etc.) of each module, as specified in the Course Handbook, is concluded.
Where assessment or reassessment is deferred, this will normally be to the next assessment opportunity, normally in August/September.
Following each period of assessment, the College’s Assessment Boards will consider and agree student progression, the results of each module, and conferment of the award of final qualifications. Conferment of awards and progression is determined by the Progression and Finalists Board/Awards and Progression Board.
Progression of undergraduate students
Table of progression stages:
|
Stage |
Normal Requirement |
|
Certificate HE |
120 credit points at FHEQ level 4 or above |
|
Diploma HE |
240 credit points at FHEQ level 4 or above including at least 90 at FHEQ level 5 or above |
The progress of all students will normally be reviewed at the end of each year and the result will be a decision on students’ academic standing. In order to proceed from one stage to another, a student must either:
- Pass the required number/level of credits; or
- Be permitted by the Progression and Finalists Board/Awards and Progression Board to proceed with a credit deficit. This will be made up by reassessment, and/or deferred assessment, and/or taking of up to 40 additional credits.
Notes
- The Assessment Boards may require a student to complete reassessment or deferred assessment before allowing progression to the next stage of the course.
- The Assessment Boards will take into account the student’s commitment to their course of study as shown by their overall profile of marks, reports from tutors and clinical supervisors, and attendance records. Progression may not be agreed where there is substantial doubt about the student’s ability to complete the qualification.
- An Assessment Board may allow an undergraduate student to continue in the full-time mode of attendance in order to follow an ordinary degree course if the student can, by the end of the normal length of their course of study, achieve 300 credits at the appropriate levels. An ordinary degree does not constitute a professional qualification and does not lead to eligibility to apply for membership of a professional body.
- Modules which have been compensated shall be treated as passes.
- Where a student is not permitted to progress to the next stage of a course the Assessment Boards will require a student to:
- Transfer to part-time study in order to make good their failure to complete sufficient credit, such as by repeating failed modules; or
- Repeat the year of the course by full-time study; or
- Interrupt their studies until further assessment opportunities are available to gain sufficient credit; or
- Terminate their studies and withdraw from the College. An Assessment Board will normally require a student to withdraw from the College and terminate their studies if a student fails, after reassessment, more than one-third of the total credit requirements of their proposed final qualification.
Progression of postgraduate students
The progress of Masters degree students will normally be reviewed at the end of each year and the result will be a decision on students’ academic standing. In order to proceed from one year to the next, a student must either:
- Pass the required number/level of credits; or
- Be permitted by the Progression and Finalists Board/Awards and Progression Board to proceed with a credit deficit. This will be made up by reassessment, and/or deferred assessment, and/or taking of up to 40 additional credits.
Notes:
- The Assessment Boards may require a student to complete reassessment or deferred assessment before allowing progression to the next stage of the course.
- The Assessment Boards will take into account the student’s commitment to their course of study as shown by their overall profile of marks, reports from tutors and clinical supervisors, and attendance records. Progression may not be agreed where there is substantial doubt about the student’s ability to complete the qualification.
- Modules which have been compensated shall be treated as passes.
Where a student is not permitted to progress to the next stage of a course the Assessment Board will require a student to:
- Repeat failed modules in order to make good their failure to complete sufficient credit; or
- Repeat the year of the course; or
- Interrupt their studies until further assessment opportunities are available to gain sufficient credit; or
- Terminate their studies and withdraw from the College. An Assessment Board will normally require a student to withdraw from the College and terminate their studies if a student fails, after reassessment, more than one-third of the total credit requirements of their proposed final qualification.
A Masters student may be permitted to progress to undertake a dissertation or research project where outstanding credit is required to be completed due to deferral of assessment or pending a reassessment opportunity. Such progression is at the student’s own risk. Conferment of the final qualification requires successful completion of both the outstanding assessment and the dissertation or research project.
Awards and Classifications
Students are assessed for the registered award on completion of the appropriate module minima.
To be recommended for an award a student must have:
- achieved passes in the module requirement specified for the award;
- passed any additional requirements associated with the award including attendance requirements.
- achieved an average percentage mark >= minimum pass mark derived from the counting modules in the calculation.
For modules at Levels 4, 5 and 6, the term pass refers to a percentage mark >=40%. For modules at Level 7 and above, the term pass refers to a percentage mark >=50%.
Ungraded credit is a pass. Condonements are treated as passes for the purposes of determining that the module requirement has been met.
Certificates and Diplomas
These are not classified.
Ordinary Degrees
An Ordinary degree, which is without Honours, may be awarded where a student achieves 300 credits at FHEQ level 4 or above, including 150 credits at FHEQ level 5 or above and 60 credits at FHEQ level 6 and above. Ordinary degrees are not classified.
Honours Degrees (360 credits)
HSU STUDENTS
The classification of honours degree awards is based on the Average Percentage Mark (APM) - a calculation derived from the marks achieved in specified modules. Classifications are subject to other conditions as detailed below.
The classification of awards for Honours degrees will be based on the highest classification outcome from one of the following:
- The APM based on a weighted average of all Level 5 and Level 6 modules which recognises higher level study through the ratio 3:7 for Level 5: Level 6: The formula is:
APM = (M1W1C1 + M2W2C2 + .... MnWnCn)
______________________________________
(W1C1 + W2C2 + .... WnCn)
where:
M = mark awarded
W = weight, where Level 5 modules have a weight of 3
and Level 6 modules have a weight of 7
C = credit points
- The APM based on the Level 6 modules only.
- At the discretion of the Progression and Finalists Board, students may be classified according to the academic judgement of the Assessment Boards taking into account their overall profile and performance with the minimum requirement that:
- a minimum of 60 credits at Level 6 are in the classification band; And
- the highest APM is no lower than 2 percentage points below that required for the classification
- If there are extenuating circumstances, or if it appears to the Board that a serious injustice to the student would otherwise occur, and where the highest APM is no lower than 2 percentage points below that required for the classification, but the first requirement of clause 3 above is not met, the Progression and Finalists Board may exercise discretion. In doing so the Board will use academic judgement and may refer to performance in key modules; the clinical component, the dissertation/project or other factors; and the recommendations of the Module Assessment Board. In doing so, the Board should bear in mind the following:
- The broad impact and duration of any extenuating circumstances
- That any extenuating circumstances have been agreed following the “Procedure in Cases of Extenuating Circumstances”, and all assessments have been submitted following the “Submission of Assignments and Portfolios" procedure
- FHEQ Level 6 work or work completed in the final stage of the course
- The grade achieved for the final dissertation/ project module(s)
- The need to be consistent in its policy in the interpretation of classification for all students in a cohort.
Refer to the examples below.
A minimum APM of X9.5 will be rounded up to the next classification.
For Honours Degree awards the following scale will be used to determine the classification:
APM:
|
70% - |
100% |
First Class Honours |
|
60% - |
69% |
Upper Second Class Honours |
|
50% - |
59% |
Lower Second Class Honours |
|
40% - |
49% |
Third Class Honours |
Honours classification can only be awarded where there is a minimum of 120 graded credits.
Postgraduate Certificates/Diplomas
These qualifications are not classified.
Masters degrees
The APM for Masters degrees is based on a calculation derived from the marks achieved in all the modules constituting the course, weighted in proportion to their credit rating.
A minimum APM of X9.5 will be rounded up to the next classification.
For Taught Master’s degrees the following classifications apply:
|
APM |
+ |
Dissertation or Research Project Module |
Award |
|
70% or above |
+ |
70-100% |
Distinction |
|
60% or above |
+ |
60-100% |
Merit |
- 1. If the Research Project module has a mark >=70% and the APM is >=68%, the Progression and Finalists Board can decide that a Distinction is appropriate. If the Dissertation/Research Project module has a mark >=60% and the APM is >=58%, the Progression and Finalists Board can decide that a Merit is appropriate. In both cases the Board will exercise discretion taking into account the overall marks profile and performance with the minimum requirement that a minimum of 60 credits at Level 7 are in the classification band.
- 2. Where the APM and/or the mark for the dissertation or research project module is no lower than 2 percentage points below that required for the classification, but there are extenuating circumstances or other reasons, the Progression and Finalists Board may exercise discretion. In doing so the Board will use academic judgement and may refer to performance in key modules; the clinical component, the dissertation/research project or other factors; and the recommendations of the Module Assessment Board. In doing so, the Board should bear in mind the following:
- Work completed in the final stage of the course
- The grade achieved for the final Dissertation/Research Project module
- The need to consider any extenuating circumstances
- The need to be consistent in its policy in the interpretation of classification for all students in a cohort.
Where a student has 60 or less graded credits (excluding the 60 credit Dissertation//Research Project module), the classification of the degree will be based on the Dissertation/Research Project alone.
Compensation
Failure in modules at marks of up to 5% below the pass mark may be compensated, only in exceptional circumstances, at the discretion of the Assessment Boards. It is subject to satisfactory overall performance, and is permitted for a maximum of 30 credits.
Notes
- Any compensation should be taken in the context of a student’s extenuating circumstances, and should not normally be granted without such evidence.
- Compensation should not be agreed for project or dissertation modules.
- Compensation should not normally be granted where a student has not undertaken reassessment where such an opportunity existed.
- If compensation is granted in a module, the Assessment Boards may require the student to change their course of study and/or transfer to another qualification.
- Compensation should not normally be granted unless there is strength in the student’s overall performance.
- Compensation will not be granted in modules which have been deemed “non-compensatable” in the course specification, due to their special contribution to the achievement of course learning outcomes, or due to professional requirements.
- Compensated failure will count towards the total credit required for a qualification but will be indicated as such on a student’s academic record by the addition of a ‘C’.
- A compensated failure will be treated as a pass mark for the purposes of classification profiling.
Deferral of Assessment to After the Lates Progression and Finalists Board
Deferral of assessment or reassessment which means the assessment will not be marked in time for the Lates Board may be granted where exceptional circumstances prevent a student from completing assessment through no fault of the student. Deferral may only be granted by the Chair of the Assessment Board acting on behalf of the Board. Students must advise the Student Services Manager/Officer responsible for their course, before the specified deadline, of the circumstances surrounding the request for deferral and provide, where appropriate, a medical certificate or other supporting evidence.
Notes
- An extenuating circumstances form must normally be submitted, at the latest by five days after the deadline for submission of an assessment (or the date of an exam). If deferral is approved, the deadline for submission will be agreed by the Chair of the Progression and Finalists Board.
- The final deadline for application for deferral to the Student Services Manager/Officer responsible for the course is no later than two weeks following the last date of the assessment period. Any request for deferral received after this deadline will not normally be granted except where exceptional circumstances have prevented the student from applying for deferral at the appropriate time, and it can be demonstrated to the satisfaction of the College why they were unable to meet the deferral deadline.
- An extenuating circumstances form must be submitted, at the latest by five days after the deadline for submission of an assessment (or the date of an exam). If the deferral is granted, the deadline for resubmission will be agreed by the Chair of the Progression and Finalists Board.
- Deferral of assessment may affect the decision of the Assessment Boards on whether a student may proceed to the next stage of their course, and in what mode of study.
- Deferred assessment in a module must take place by the agreed date unless a further deferral is exceptionally granted by the Chair of the Board.
- In all other instances failure to complete assessment normally results in the failure of the module should the required learning outcomes not be met.
- Deferred assessment which is failed must be reassessed at the next available opportunity.
- Students who have deferred assessment are not entitled to further tuition in the deferred module.
- A student is not entitled to undertake deferred assessment if the qualification which contains the module has already been awarded.
No guarantee can be given that, following deferral of assessment or reassessment beyond the next available opportunity, the module content and form of assessment will remain unchanged. Normally, deferred assessment or reassessment will not be permitted beyond two years from the first assessment opportunity for the module.
Any full-time student who has completed the taught element of their studies and defers exams, coursework or dissertations will be liable to pay council tax.
Publication of Results
Formal notification of results will include grades or administrative codes for each module and any decision by an Assessment Board. This formal notification will be made by e-mail and later statistics are published in the Annual Course Report. This will include those students considered for the award of a qualification but who have deferred or not completed.
The student notification of progression or award will be posted within two weeks of the Progression and Finalists Board/ Awards and Progression Board.
A student shall not normally be permitted to query the absence of a grade, or the validity of grades, more than six months after the assessment has been completed.
Students in debt to the College will not have an end of year transcript sent, nor be able to progress, have a qualification conferred, be notified of their final results, receive a Certificate or Transcript, nor be entitled to attend their Graduation Ceremony until all outstanding debts to the College have been paid.
Where an Aegrotat award is offered, the student or representative shall be given 14 days from the date of notification to decide whether to accept the qualification.
Certificates and transcripts
A transcript will be issued to a student currently or formerly enrolled at the College who has:
- successfully completed a College degree course; or
- completed modules on a degree course but terminated the course of study prior to the award of the final qualification.
A transcript will list the student’s course and level of the qualification, each module the student has taken stating the academic year in which the module was taken, the module credit rating and grade.
Certificates will normally be sent by the University/University College to the College within 4 months of the publication of results. The College will then send the certificate to the student’s registered home address. The certificate will state the qualification and date it was awarded (which will normally be the date of the meeting of the Assessment Board), the name and location of the College, and, where appropriate, the classification and subject. All qualifications from courses validated by our partner University/University College are subject to the approval of the University/University College’s Academic Registrar on behalf of the University/University College’s Academic Board.
College Professional Diploma
On courses which lead to a professional qualification, the College issues a professional diploma by email within four weeks of an award being determined. This professional diploma proves to the relevant professional body (BAcC, CNHC, BANT or RCHM) that the student has completed their practitioner training and is eligible to apply for membership. For students on practitioner training courses that lead to a degree, the professional diploma enables students to start their practice before they receive their university award certificate.
College graduation ceremonies
You are of course most welcome and are entitled to attend the HSU graduation ceremony in London once you have been awarded your degree. However, the timing of the Progression and Finalists Board may not align with the schedule and the timing of these graduation ceremonies.
The College has its own graduation day – usually in October/November - when we acknowledge your achievements and you can celebrate together with your fellow graduates. This is often held in the National Centre for Early Music on Walmgate. This is a lovely space, and despite being a medieval church, it's warm! The ceremony usually starts at 2pm though you should arrive from around 12:30 so there's time to be gowned and then photographed.
Towards the end of your teaching, the Student Services Manager/Officer responsible for your course will get in touch with your cohort. Basically, they ask for representatives - similar to student cohort reps - who act as a channel for communications. The Student Services Manager/Officer responsible for your course lets you know of the day's timings and who's responsible for what. We'll also be asking you to choose who you would like to speak on behalf of your cohort. In recent years, we heard from Course Directors and Lecturers chosen by students. Each cohort also elects a student to speak on their behalf as well.
You can bring up to 2 guests with you who watch you parade into the room resplendent in your gown, and then we have the speeches. Then there's the presentation of awards (handshakes and a symbolic scroll) followed by refreshments.
For both BSc and MSc students, it's an acknowledgement that your studies are complete. For students on professional training courses, it is also an acknowledgement of your qualification to practise.
Presentation for students with cultural requirements
Please note that the ceremony does normally involve shaking hands with staff members before collecting a symbolic scroll. If for cultural and for any other reasons you prefer not to shake hands, please let the us know before the event. We can then let the staff members know your preferences and how to congratulate you on the day.
