Joint Honours programmes

This page contains the University's policy on the management of Joint Honours programmes. Its content is applicable to staff and students across all of the UK, China and Malaysia campuses.

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1.0 Purpose

This page contains details specific to Joint Honours courses.

2.0 Key Principles

2.1 Responsibilities

The Lead School must be responsible for all aspects of the management of a Joint Honours course (although responsibility for certain aspects of the course may be delegated to a partner School with the approval of all parties).

The Lead School must be responsible for ensuring that there are clear procedures for consultation and negotiation with the partner School(s) on matters affecting course structure and assessment.

Every School involved in a Joint Honours programme should have a Joint-Honours Programme Liaison Officer tasked with representing the needs of the Joint-Honours community in that School, and reporting to the School Director of Education and StudenT Experience in that regard.

2.2 Criteria for determining the degree class of borderline students

For students entering Qualifying year or Part I from September 2015 onwards, Schools must use only the standardised weighted profiling system for determining the degree class of borderline students.

A student must be given the higher class if either of the following criteria are met:

i) Half or more of the final stage credits are in the higher class;

ii) Half or more of the final and penultimate stage credits are in the higher class.

This does not preclude the consideration of Extenuating Circumstances of students, whether inside or outside the borderline.

2.3 The timing and consultation of School Exam Boards meetings which consider students on Joint Honours courses

Exam Board Meetings considering degree awards for Joint Honours students must apply previously agreed and published conventions. The timing and constitution of the Exam Board meeting will normally be that of the Lead School (including the External Examiner(s) appointed to that School).

The Lead School must be responsible for ensuring that its Exam Board is held at a time which will allow all information and marks to be available from the partner School, even if the Lead School's Exam Board takes place ahead of that of the partner School. The recommendations for Joint Honours students should then be reported to the partner Schools for information.

This procedure obviates the need for External Examiners from partner Schools to attend the Exam Board of the Lead School where logistical difficulties prevent attendance.