Taught Masters Regulations 2013-14.doc

8/14/2019 Taught Masters Regulations 2013-14.doc

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July 2013

SOAS(University of London)

REGULATIOS !OR "OSTGRA#UATE TAUG$T %ASTERS STU#ETS

These regulations must be read in conjunction with the Regulations for Students and the

Guidance notes, procedures, and classification schemes relating to Taught MastersProgrammes.

1 #efinition

1.1 A postgraduate taught degree comprises

a) a programme of study beyond the standard first degree level whichassumes the general level of educational competence implicit in theaward of a first degree and which extends over a period equivalent to aminimum ofone calendar year fulltime! and

b) a satisfactory overall standard in a scheme of assessment appropriate to

the degree programme concerned.

ote to t&e re'ultion" These degrees may include programmes of study that areconversion courses! in which graduates in one discipline acquire #nowledge and developa set of s#ills in another discipline.

2 "ro'res of Study

$.1 %&A% offers programmes of study leading to the award of the degrees of ''(!(A! ((us! (es and (%c.

$.$ A postgraduate taught degree programme will normally consist of four elements!being three taught courses *or equivalent where half courses are ta#en) and a

dissertation! or ten elements! being eight taught courses and a dissertationcounting as two elements.

$.+ ,rogrammes may be offered in conjunction with other institutions outside %&A%.

3 #urtion of "ro'res

+.1 ,rogrammes of study will normally be organised into one or more of the followingcategories"

a) a programme of fulltime study! comprising four elements! followed overa period of one calendar year.

b) a programme of parttime study of two calendar years with the elementsarranged in the pattern $-$! 1.-$.! $.-1.! 1-+! or +-1. /or studentsta#ing three elements in one year! the three elements must be made upof two taught courses plus the dissertation. %tudents ta#ing three fulltaught courses *or the equivalent including half courses) in one year areclassified as full time for fees purposes. The dissertation will normally beta#en in the second year.

c) a programme of parttime study of three calendar years arranged with theelements arranged 1-1-$! 1-$-1! $-1-1. The dissertation will normallybe ta#en in the second or third year.

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d) a programme of parttime study of four calendar years with one taughtcourse in each year! with the taught course chosen as the dissertationcourse normally ta#en in the final year *''( only).

e) a programme of fulltime study! comprising ten elements! followed over aperiod of one calendar year0

f) a programme of parttime study of two calendar years arranged with fourelements in the first year and four elements and the dissertation*counting as two elements) in the second year0

g) a programme of parttime study of three calendar years arranged withthree taught elements in each of the first two years and two taughtelements and the dissertation in the third year.

+.$ nder +.1 above! an element constitutes a taught course! two taught halfcourses or the dissertation.

+.+ %tudents must register at the beginning of their programme of study in thecategory of programme for which they have been offered a place.

* +ulifi,tions for Entry

2.1 The general minimum entrance qualification for registration for a postgraduatetaught degree is"

a) an pper %econd 3lass 4onours degree of a 5 university or anoverseas qualification of an equivalent standard obtained after a courseof study extending over not less than three years in a university *oreducational institution of university ran#)! in a subject appropriate to thatof the programme of study to be followed0 or

b) a professional or other qualification obtained by written examination and

approved by %&A%.

2.$ Applicants possessing alternative qualifications obtained by written examinationmay also be considered for registration for a taught postgraduate degree. Theymay be required to pursue a qualifying programme of study before beingadmitted or may have to pass a qualifying examination.

2.+ 6n addition to 2.1 or 2.$! an applicant for registration will be required to meet anyadditional entrance requirements specified for the relevant programme.

2.2 An applicant for registration will also be required to satisfy any specified 7nglishlanguage requirements.

- .lss ttendn,e re/uireents (for students ditted in nd fter Seteer 2010)

.1 orl ee,ttion of ,lss ttendn,e

6n order to benefit fully from their courses! students are expected to attend allrelevant and8or required classes! which include! as appropriate to the course!lectures! tutorials! seminars! language classes! and practical sessions.

.$ Attendn,e re/uireents

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To satisfy the requirements of .1! a student! unless absent for good cause *see.9)! must satisfy the class attendance requirements specified for each course!which will be published.

.+ Attendn,e nd ot&er re/uireents for students reetin' ,ourse

%tudents who have applied for and have been given permission to repeat *: reattend) a course must meet the normal class attendance requirements for the

course! and must submit fully and promptly all required coursewor#! and mustunderta#e all forms of assessment for the course! as if ta#ing the course for thefirst time. This includes underta#ing assessment in elements of assessmenteven if the mar# previously obtained in that element of assessment was ;< ormore.

.2 Attendn,e re/uireents for ,ourses ten t ot&er .olle'es of t&eUniversity of London

%tudents ta#ing courses at other 3olleges of the niversity of 'ondon mustcomply with the attendance requirements of the course and 3ollege concerned.

. Students 4&o fil to eet t&e ttendn,e re/uireents

,rogramme 3onvenors will inform the 4ead of egistry of the names of studentswho! after reasonable warning! fail to meet the attendance requirements ofregulation .$. The appropriate Associate =ean of the relevant /aculty or /acultieswill review each case! and will decide what further action should be ta#en. %&A%may withdraw permission to ta#e examinations or terminate the programmeof students who persistently fail to meet the attendance requirements.

.9 #eterintion of 'ood ,use

A student>s ,rogramme 3onvenor will determine whether his or her failure to meetthe class attendance requirements of regulation .$ was for good cause.3ertification will be required if the claim for good cause rests on medical grounds or

other circumstances for which certification can appropriately be provided.

5 Assessent

9.1 Assessmentwill be conducted in accordance with the General Instructions forthe Appointment of Examiners and the Conduct of Examinations forPostgraduate

Taught egrees.

9.$ A candidate shall enter for assessmentin accordance with the provisions of theRegulations for Students! the relevant individual programme requirements andGeneral egulation +.1.

9.+ Re/uireent to underte ll eleents of ssessent nd eintion(for students ditted in nd fter Seteer 2010)

%tudents following a course for an ''(! (A! ((us! (es or (%c programmemust underta#e all elements of assessment and examination prescribed for thatcourse. Therefore *unless prevented by illness or other adequate cause forwhich certification must be provided) students must underta#e each element ofassessment and examination prescribed for the course! and must submitsufficient wor# to enable them to be assessed or examined. *%ee also regulation? below.)

9.2 To be eligible for the award of a degree a candidate must satisfy the examiners inthe assessmentprescribed for the programme within a period of two years from

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the satisfactory completion of the prescribed period of study. The requirement tocomplete within this time limit ta#es precedence over the opportunities for reassessment! reexamination and deferral *see regulations 9.@! 9. and 9.1$.).

9. The examination for each written paper shall ta#e place on one occasion eachyear in (ay8Bune after completion of teaching. =issertations must be submittedby 1 %eptember in the year in which they are underta#en.

9.9 Assessmentwill be underta#en in the year in which the relevant courses havebeen followed. =eferral of any part of the assessment! including coursewor#and unseen written examination! may exceptionally be granted for reasons foundacceptable in the particular case. =eferral will normally be to the next occasionupon which the unseen written examination is held *(ay8Bune of the followingyear) or the date for coursewor# submission in the academic year following.

Applications for deferral should be made on the appropriate formto the7xaminations and Assessment (anager.

ote" /or deferral of dissertation submission! see regulation 9.1$.

9.@ A student who does not at her8his first entry pass an elementmay reenter thatcourse assessmenton one occasion only. %uch reentry will be at the next

following assessmentexcept where a student has been granted permission todefer reentry until the assessmentin the subsequent year. The opportunity forreassessment8reexamination is subject to a student completing the programmewithin the specified time limit C see regulation 9.2.

9.? A student who passes one or more elements or half elements but fails to satisfythe examiners overall will only be permitted to be reassessedin thoseelements or half elements that are failed.

9. A student who fails to obtain a mar# of at least ;< *the pass mar#) in anelement *see +.$ for definition) may attempt to redeem such a failure on oneoccasion only! by the following means.

9..1 /or courses where coursewor# counts for ;< to $;< of the overall mar#for the course and the unseen written examination for ?;< or more *#nown asD?;8$; coursesE)! reassessment will be by means of a written examination only.

Any mar#*s) for coursewor# submitted as part of the assessment for that coursewill be carried forward and amalgamated with the mar# achieved in the resitexamination.

9..$ /or courses where coursewor# counts for more than $;< of the overallassessment for the course !except for courses "hich are assessed #$ one pieceof course"or% counting at &''( ) see #elo"*! candidates may attempt toredeem their failure by resubmitting any items of coursewor# for which they haveobtained a mar# below ;< *except coursewor# which is deemed nonrepeatable)! and by resitting the written examination for the course if theyobtained a mar# below ;< in the original written examination. Any coursewor#

mar#s of ;< or above! any coursewor# mar#s for nonrepeatable assessmentsand any written examination mar#s of ;< or above will be carried forward andamalgamated with the mar#s achieved in the reentry.

9..+ /or courses assessed by one piece of coursewor# counting at 1;;

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otes to t&e re'ultion" *1) Fritten examinations are held only in (ay8Buneeach year. 3oursewor# must be resubmitted by the normal submission date forthe relevant course in the academic year following that in which it was originallysubmitted.

*$) 6f an item of coursewor# was not originally submitted!resubmissionH is not permitted. 6f an item of coursewor# received a mar# below;< because of late submission *i.e. it would have obtained a mar# of at least;< had it not been submitted late)! any resubmission must be on a different

topic as agreed by the course convenor. There can be no resubmission of nonrepeatable coursewor# or repetition of nonrepeatable elements of assessmentsuch as seminar presentations without reattending the course *for definitions!see programme handboo#s).

*+)The opportunity for reassessment8reexamination issubject to a student completing the programme within the specified time limit Csee regulation 9.2.

9.1; The overall mar# for any course*s) passed as a result of reentry following initial

failure will be capped at ;< and reported as such in mar#s profiles andtranscripts. The capped mar# will be used for the calculation of the overall degreeresult *,ass! (erit! =istinction). 6f a student is granted permission to reta#e a

course *involving reenrolment! reattendance! submission de no+oof allcoursewor# elements and the *re) ta#ing of any written examination*s)prescribed for the course)! the new overall mar# obtained will not be subject tocapping.

9.11 #edlines for suission of ,ourse4or

9.11.1 The %&A% deadline for the submission of any coursewor# is 19.;; on the/riday immediately before the beginning of the (ay8Bune examination period of theacademic year in which the course is ta#en. Io mar#s will be awarded for anycoursewor# submitted after this deadline.

9.11.$ 3oursewor# which is submitted after the prescribed coursewor# deadline

*but not after the %&A% deadline C see 9.11.1) will be mar#ed! but the mar#awarded will be reduced by the relevant %ubJoard of 7xaminers by $percentage points for each wor#ing day *i.e. (onday to /riday) that the wor# is late*i.e. submitted after 19.;; on the day in question). This reduction of mar#swill not apply if the relevant %ubJoard of 7xaminers determines that there is goodcause for the late submission. 3ertification will be required if the claim for goodcause rests on medical grounds or other circumstances for which certification canappropriately be provided. KIote" DFor#ing dayE is any day (onday to /riday that%&A% is open! including such days in the vacations.L

9.1$ #edlines for disserttion suission 6 for students dittedin nd fter Seteer 20107

9.1$.1 The dissertation deadline is 19.;; on 1 %eptember of the year in which

the dissertation is underta#en. This is the time and date by which adissertation must be submitted to avoid the possibility of a penalty for latesubmission. 6f 1 %eptember falls on a %aturday or %unday! then the deadlineis 19.;; on the (onday immediately following 1 %eptember.

9.1$.$ The %&A% deadline for the submission of a dissertation is 19.;; on +;%eptember. Io mar#s will be awarded for a dissertation submitted after 19.;; on+; %eptember! unless an application has been made and approved permittingsubmission in the following academic year. 6f +; %eptember falls on a %aturday or%unday! then the deadline is 19.;; on the (onday immediately following +;%eptember.


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9.1$.+ A dissertation that is submitted after the dissertation deadline of 19.;; on1 %eptember but before the %&A% deadline of 19.;; on +; %eptember will bemar#ed! but the mar# awarded will be reduced by the relevant %ubJoard of7xaminers by $ percentage points for each wor#ing day *i.e. (onday to /riday)that the wor# is late *i.e. submitted after 19.;; on the day in question). Thisreduction of mar#s will not apply if the relevant %ubJoard of 7xaminersdetermines that there is good cause for the late submission. 3ertification will be

required if the claim for good cause rests on medical grounds or othercircumstances for which certification can appropriately be provided. KIote" DFor#ingdayE is any day (onday to /riday that %&A% is open! including such days inthe vacation.L

9.1$.2 %tudents who submit a dissertation after 19.;; on 1 %eptember butbefore 19.;; on +; %eptember must submit it in the normal way. 6f there is medicalevidence or evidence of other extenuating circumstances relating to the latesubmission! the evidence must be attached to the dissertation submission formwhen the wor# is submitted. There is no procedure for granting submissionextensions in the period 1 to +; %eptember or in advance of this period. Iomember of staff has the authority to grant such an extension *this includesdissertation supervisors! ,rogramme 3onvenors! Associate =eans! /aculty &ffice

staff and egistry staff).

9.1$. %tudents who wish to apply for a longterm deferral of submission *forsubmission in the period 1 &ctober to 1 %eptember in the year following that inwhich the dissertation is underta#en) must do so by means of the dissertationsubmission deferral application form! obtainable from the 7xaminations and

Assessments (anager *examsMsoas.ac.u#). The results for dissertationsapproved for submission in the period 1 &ctober to 1 %eptember of the yearfollowing will be considered by the relevant %ubJoard of 7xaminers in Iovemberof the year following. The award date! if the student is successful! will be 1=ecember. There will therefore be a yearEs delay in the award in the case of longterm deferral. The opportunity to apply for a longterm deferral is subject to astudent completing the programme within the specified time limit C see reg. 9.2.

9.1+ Orl eintion ,overin' ,ndidte8s entire field of study (for studentsditted in nd fter Seteer 2013)

The examiners may test any candidate by means of an oral examination! whichmay cover the candidateEs entire field of study. *Iote" This oral examination is aviva voce examination in addition to any other prescribed methods of assessmentand examination. 6t is distinct from the oral examination which may! for instance!form part of the assessment for a language acquistition course.)

9 %rin' of over6len't& ,ourse4or nd disserttions

@.1 %cope of the policy. The policy set out in this regulation covers coursesassessed wholly or partly by coursewor#. 6t covers coursewor# of all sorts!

including essays! reports and dissertations.

@.$ Ford limits. The word limit prescribed for each piece of assessed coursewor# isa maximum. Assessments are designed to enable students to achieve excellentmar#s without writing to the limit. There is consequently no specific penalty forwor# that is underlength. nderlength wor# is dealt with by the normalprovisions of the mar#ing scheme.

@.+ ,rovision of a word count. %tudents must provide an accurate word count on thecover sheet for all coursewor# submitted for assessment. 7xaminers willnormally give students the benefit of the doubt and will regard small undeclared

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overruns as genuine errors of calculation! but significant inaccuracies indeclared word counts will be treated as an offence under the regulationgoverning examination and assessment offences.

@.2 =efinition of word count. Ford count is defined as the number of wordscontained in the submitted wor# including quotations! footnotes! titles! abstracts!summaries and tables of contents. Appendices and bibliographies are notincluded in the word count. Appendices will not normally be mar#ed and they

must not include material essential to the argument developed in the main bodyof the wor#.

@. Ford count" special provisions. Fhere wor# is expected to include significantamounts of nontextual content *e.g. musical or mathematical notation orlinguistic structure diagrams)! specific word count guidance will be provided foreach assignment. Fhere wor# is expected to include the presentation of foreignlanguage material with significant use of interlinear glosses and idiomatictranslations! specific word count guidance will be provided for each assignment.

@.9 ,enalty scale for overlength coursewor#

(ar#s will be deducted for wor# that exceeds the prescribed word limit on a sliding scale"

@.@ evision and resubmission of coursewor# that has been subject to a penalty forbeing overlength. &verlength coursewor# for which the mar# after penalty is ;or more may not be revised and resubmitted. &verlength coursewor# for whichthe mar# after penalty is 2 or less may not be revised and resubmitted if thecourse of which it forms a part has been passed. &verlength coursewor# for

which the mar# after penalty is 2 or less may be revised and resubmitted if thecourse of which it forms a part has been failed *unless the course is an ?;8$;course C see regulation 9..1). 6f resubmission is permitted it will be on thenormal submission date in the academic year following! and will be subject to thecoursewor# being a repeatable element of assessment. 3apping of the overallmar# for the course will apply as appropriate.

@.? 3oursewor# subject to a penalty for late submission nd to a penalty for overlength. 6f coursewor# is submitted late ndis overlength! the penalty for latesubmission will be applied first. 6f! as a result! the coursewor# mar# is 2 or lessthen if resubmission is permitted *see @.@ above) the coursewor# must be on anew topic *see regulation 9. note $).

: Eintion entry (for students ditted in nd fter Seteer 2010)

To be eligible to enter for and ta#e an unseen written examination for a course!students must have satisfied the attendance requirements of regulation .%tudents who fail to meet the attendance requirements of regulation mayhave their permission to enter for the examination withdrawn. To receivecredit for an unseen written examination! students must also have underta#eneach element of assessment and submitted all coursewor# prescribed for thecourse! and must have submitted sufficient wor# to enable them to be assessed*see regulation 9.+).

; Se,il Assessents "nel

E,ess Len't& %r #edu,tion ("er,ent'e oints)

p to and including1;< percentage points

(ore than 1;< up to and including $;< 1; percentage points

(ore than $;< up to and including +;< 1 percentage points

(ore than +;< The wor# may be submitted and will beaccepted. 6t will not be mar#ed but willbe assigned a grade of ;.

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.1 General

%tudents may apply to the %pecial Assessments ,anel *%A,). Applications mustbe made in writing via the 7xaminations and Assessments (anager.The deadlines for submissions are set out in this regulation and in the documentProcedure for the Consideration of Special Assessment Arrangements! copies ofwhich may be obtained from the 7xaminations and Assessments (anager. 6f theapplication is made on medical grounds! it must be supported by a medical

certificate and8or statement*s) from suitably qualified practitioner*s).

.$ Absence through shortterm illness! accident or shortterm good cause

%tudents may apply to the %A, if they are prevented from attending anyexamination or from submitting coursewor# for a course assessed solely bycoursewor#! if the cause is shortterm illness! accident! or other shortterm goodcause acceptable to the %A,. All applications must state the course for which acandidate is applying for special assessment arrangements and be accompaniedby supporting documentation such as a medical certificate. The deadline forapplications to be received is the /riday immediately following the lastexamination held in the relevant (ay8Bune examination period.

%tudents are not eligible to apply to the %A, if they are absent from anexamination without good cause! or if they fail without good cause to submitcoursewor# for a course assessed solely by coursewor#.

%tudents are not eligible to apply to the %A, if they attended an examination orsubmitted coursewor# for a course assessed solely by coursewor#! but aredissatisfied with their performance. 6f there were extenuating which studentsconsider affected their performance! they should supply details to the7xaminations and Assessments (anager by the appropriate deadline.

.+ %tudents with longterm disabilities! longterm health problems or longterm goodcause

%tudents may apply to the %A, for special assessment on grounds of longtermdisabilities! longterm health problems! or longterm good cause acceptable tothe %A,. The application must be made in writing to the 7xaminations and

Assessments (anager at least three months before the beginning ofthe relevant examination period. All applications must be accompanied bysupporting evidence such as a medical certificate or up to date statement*s) fromsuitably qualified practitioner*s).

10 otifi,tion of Results

1;.1 After the examiners have reached a decision! students will be notified by the=irector of %tudent and egistry %ervices of the results of their courses

1;.$ A diploma will be delivered to each student who has been awarded a degree.

The date of award of the degree will be +1 Buly or +1 =ecember.

11 Susension of re'ultions

Applications for suspension of these regulations may be approved by the relevantAssociate =ean. 6f suspension is approved! the case will be reported inanonymous form to the next meeting of the relevant /aculty 'earning andTeaching 3ommittee.

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Documents

Taught Masters Regulations 2013-14.doc