Programme Specification Guidance

1. Title - Please state the qualification that will be gained (e.g. BA, BSc, MA etc) and the subject title (e.g. Dentistry). These will appear on students’ degree certificates and transcripts in this form. In the case of Bachelors degrees, please specify whether the qualification is with Honours or Ordinary. For details of each type of qualification, please see the University of Nottingham Qualifications Framework.

2. Course code - Please leave blank. A UCAS or course code will be obtained by the Academic Services Division, once a new programme has been approved in principle by the relevant Dean or PVC.

3. School managing the programme - Please state the one School which will have overall responsibility for the management, administration, and quality assurance of the course. If operational responsibility for any of these matters is being delegated to any other Schools, please state these Schools and their role.

4. Type of course - The types of course are defined as:

• Single subject (with title naming a subject or related subjects)
• Joint (with title naming two distinct subjects as ‘x and y')
• Major/Minor (with title naming two distinct subjects as ‘x with y' or similar)
• Multidisciplinary (with title listing three distinct subjects)

Please refer to section 8 of the University of Nottingham Qualifications Framework for definitions of these programmes types.

5. Mode of delivery - Please indicate the various ways in which the programme will be delivered and the locations where it will be available by selecting all the relevant options from the list below:

• Full-time
• Part-time
• Distance learning
• UK campus
• International campus (please state whether Malaysia or China or both)
• Off-campus (please state location(s) where teaching takes place)
• Collaborative (please state name(s) of partners – also please refer to collaborative provision.

If the information in B, C, or D below varies significantly depending upon the mode of delivery, Schools are advised to consider submitting separate programme specifications for each version of the programme.

6. Accrediting body - Please state the name of any professional body which will, or is expected to, recognise or accredit the peogramme and the level and type of that accreditation. Please state the manner in which accreditation or recognition is necessary to practise a profession. Please give the status of any application for accreditation or recognition and the timescale involved, including dates of professional body visits for accreditation or re-accreditation.

7. Relevant QAA subject benchmark(s) - Please state the QAA subject benchmarks which are most relevant to the programme. A list of benchmarks is given at http://www.qaa.ac.uk/AssuringStandardsAndQuality/subject-guidance/Pages/Subject-benchmark-statements.aspx.  As there are few benchmarks for postgraduate study, it may not be possible to identify a relevant benchmark for postgraduate programmes – though it could still be helpful to list a benchmark for a corresponding undergraduate programme which would normally provide entry to the postgraduate programme.

Please provide any information you think would be of interest to applicants for this programme. As a minimum, this should be an outline of the programme and details on duration.

Where the educational aims of the programme are not specifically stated in the Prospectus entry, these should be given here. Information for students once they are at Nottingham - and not covered in Sections C, D, and E below - should appear in the School’s own Student Handbook rather than being included in this section.

1. Admission Requirements - Please provide a summary of the minimum qualifications necessary to be considered for entry to the programme (including English language requirements), along with other skills or experience applicants must have. University policy on admissions requirements is online. English Language requirements should be set at one of the five levels designated by the University, details of which are available from the Admissions Office.

Please indicate if the programme is only available by internal transfer from another University of Nottingham programme and is therefore not open to external applicants.

2. Course Structure - For each stage of the programme, please state:

• The compulsory modules a student must take.
• Where students are choosing modules from a list, how many modules they must choose and which modules are on the list. Each list should not contain active modules totalling over a maximum of 150 credits.

• Whether students have any unrestricted choices of modules.

In all cases, please state the credit value and level of modules and semester in which they are being delivered. Please also state whether the modules already exist or are new modules being submitted for approval.

Please identify any additional components i.e. programme components which students must take in addition to the above modules, stating the length of the time of this component and the stage within the programme when it must be taken.

The course structure should be in line with the requirements of the University of Nottingham Qualifications Framework.

Please also identify any modules which cannot be compensated under the University’s regulations for the compensation of fail marks (see Study Regulations).

3. Assessment - This programme will comply with the University Undergraduate/Postgraduate taught assessment regulations which can be found at

Undergraduate

Postgraduate

Standard University progression regulations will apply unless this is a Integrated Masters, an honours degree with a compulsory year out, or between a Foundation Year and Qualifying Year.  This and other regulations may be non-standard if there is a demonstrable requirement from a professional or accrediting body.  Students who fail to satisfy the more stringent requirements in programme specifications associated with a professional or accrediting body but who satisfy University regulations should have the opportunity of transferring to a named ‘fall back’ non-accredited degree.

Postgraduate - Where Schools require students to pass or to perform at a particular minimum level in the taught stage of a programme before progressing to the research stage (ie the dissertation or research project) this will be explicitly stated in the programme specification.

Please state the marking criteria used by the lead School, or provide here a reference to a Student Handbook or other publications containing this information. These criteria should provide students with clear guidance on the performance required to obtain marks at various levels (e.g. 70%+, 60-69, 50-59, 40-49). If the programme includes any additional components (see 2 above), please state here how these will be assessed (if they are being assessed).

If the programme includes any additional components (see 2 above), please state here how these will be assessed (if they are being assessed).

Postgraduate Masters, Diploma and Certificates will be awarded with Merit to students who achieve a final credit-weighted mark of at least 60% and with Distinction to students who achieve a final credit-weighted mark of at least 70%. Any or all of the following may be stated: 

(a) a mark of at least 70% must be gained in the dissertation/project stage for a Distinction to be awarded;

and/or

(b) a credit-weighted mark of at least 70% must be gained in the taught stage for a Distinction to be awarded;

(c) a mark of at least 60% must be gained in the dissertation/project stage for a Merit to be awarded;

(d) and/or a credit-weighted mark of at least 60% must be gained in the taught stage for a Merit to be awarded.

The borderline threshold for a First/Distinction must be specified as at either 68% or 69%. Please state which borderline range applies, and the degree profiling system/numerical metric and any other system used by Boards of Examiners for deciding on the degree class of students in borderline ranges.

If unsuccessful candidates may be eligible for a ‘drop-out’ award, other than that stated under the University Regulations, please name it here (e.g. it may be unaccredited and therefore carry a different title or it may not be appropriate to award the title to someone getting a lower credit value award). 

For undergraduate programmes, please state here the weightings attributed to Parts I, II and (for Integrated Masters) III for the purpose of degree classification. For students registering on programmes from the 2009/10 academic year onwards, approved weightings are as follows:

Unless stated otherwise, it will be assumed that undergraduate programmes will use Model 1 of the degree class algorithms listed at online.

It is an established principle of the University, endorsed by Management Board and Teaching and Learning Board, that when registered for a University of Nottingham qualification all teaching and assessment must be in English. The only exception is where the subject of study is a language or literature other than English.

4. Other Regulations - Please state any other requirements on students which are in addition to those stated in the University’s study regulations and the University of Nottingham Qualifications Framework.

For examples please refer to other published Programme Specifications.

1. Definition

Learning outcomes are relatively general statements of what a student is expected to know, understand and/or be able to demonstrate at the end of a period of learning. They are phrases which complete a sentence of the form "A student who completes this programme successfully should be expected to …", or ".. should be able to …."

It is good practice for learning outcomes to comprise a verb, object and context. An example (from Human development) would be "Critically examine (verb) theoretical frameworks (object) relevant to neonatal development and adaption (context). All three parts are needed to make the learning outcome workable.

Learning outcomes are an essential part of programme and module design and should be clearly related to the content/aims of a programme/module.

 Programme learning outcomes should address in an appropriate manner the QAA Subject Benchmark Statement, the level descriptors in the University of Nottingham Qualifications Framework and any professional or statutory body requirements.

2. Categories of Learning Outcomes

Learning outcomes for both programmes and modules should be written under one or both of the following two categories:

1. Knowledge and understanding

These are outcomes which describe broadly the subject matter of the programme/module.

 2. Skills

These are outcomes which can come under one or more of the following three sub-headings:

1. Intellectual skills

- the abilities required to process the subject matter

2. Professional / practical skills

- those skills specific to a particular subject area, such as lab or field work, or the requirements of a specific professional or regulatory body

3. Transferable / key skills

- more specific skills which will commonly comprise most of the following:

• Oral and Written Communication
• Team Work
• Self Management
• Problem Solving
• Critical Thinking
• Professionalism
• Information Technology Literacy
• Numeracy

3. Assessing and Attaining Learning Outcomes within Modules

To attain a learning outcome within a module it is a minimum expectation that a student will have been taught the learning outcome and passed the module overall.

4. Attaining Learning Outcomes within Programmes

The learning outcomes listed for a programme should be reflective of the modules on which a student can expect to enrol as part of that programme.

In some cases, for example due to PSRB requirements, a student will be required to attain all the learning outcomes listed for a programme.

Please also give a brief summary of the teaching, learning and assessment methods used to enable these learning outcomes to be achieved and demonstrated, (e.g. 'Teaching & learning: Lectures; tutor-led tutorials; student and tutor led seminars; on-line tutorials; problem-based learning scenarios. Assessment: coursework; written seen/unseen examinations; poster presentation’).  The reoccurrence of the same learning outcome in a large number of modules should be avoided. This is with a view to minimising the number of learning outcomes in each module and thus restricting the amount of assessment that needs to take place to test those learning outcomes.

Please map the learning outcomes of the programme against the modules comprising the programme. You may use either the standard grid, one of the example formats in The Good Practice Guide, or a grid of your own devising for this purpose. 

The curriculum map should show that a student cannot successfully complete the programme without having acquired all the learning outcomes listed in Section D. This can be demonstrated by ensuring that for each learning outcome there is at least one compulsory, non-compensatable module which delivers that outcome; or that the outcome features in a range of modules, such that it would not be possible for the student to complete the programme without passing at least one of those modules.