Regulations for Modular Master's Degrees
Regulations for Modular Master’s Degrees
These Regulations govern the award of a number of types of taught Master’s degrees at Aberystwyth University henceforth the University.
Entry
1. Candidates must have attained the age of 17 years or over at the time of entry and, unless able to satisfy Regulation 2 below, hold one of the following qualifications prior to commencement of the scheme:
(a) an initial degree of the University;
(b) an initial degree awarded by another approved degree awarding body;
(c) a non-graduate qualification which the University has deemed to be of a satisfactory standard for the purpose of postgraduate admission.
2. A non-graduate may also be admitted to candidature provided that he/she has held a responsible position which is relevant to the scheme to be pursued.
3. A prospective candidate who already holds a doctoral degree shall show that the Master’s Degree scheme to be pursued is in a different field of study from that for which the doctoral degree was awarded.
4. Irrespective of a candidates’ entry qualifications, the institution must satisfy itself that he/she is of the required academic standard to complete the scheme of study proposed.
5. All candidates must register as students of the member University at the commencement of the first module and pay the appropriate fees.
Scheme Structure and Awards
6. Candidates shall follow a modular scheme of study, commencing at the appropriate starting date approved for the scheme.
7. Candidates may qualify for the award of a Modular Master’s Degree upon successful completion of an approved modular scheme of study provided either on a full-time or on a part-time basis at, the University. The academic content of a part-time scheme shall be equivalent to that of a full-time scheme and the assessment must include a dissertation or approved equivalent (see Regulation 22, below).
8. Candidates admitted to a Modular Master’s Degree scheme may qualify for intermediate awards of the University, as shown in paragraph 10 of these regulations.
9. Unless specified to the contrary in Regulation 22, below, Part One of the scheme (the taught element) shall consist of a number of modules totalling 120 credits approved by the University. Candidates may also be required to complete a period, or periods, of professional training or practical experience.
Candidates who progress to Part Two of the scheme (the dissertation element, or approved equivalent (see Regulation 22 below)) may, upon successful attainment of not fewer than 180 credits at the appropriate level(s), at least 60 of which shall be for the dissertation element or approved equiavalent, of the scheme, be eligible for the award of a Modular Master’s degree.
10. Candidates who are admitted to a modular Master’s scheme but do not progress to completion may qualify for one of the following awards:
Postgraduate Certificate
(upon attaining a minimum of 60 credits at least 40 of which must be at CQFW Level 7 (former HE Level M); the remaining 20 of which at CQFW Level 6 (former HE Level 3), or above
Postgraduate Diploma
(upon attaining 120 credits to within a minimum of 90 credits at CQFW Level 7 (former HE Level M) and a maximum of 30 credits at CQFW Level 6 (former HE Level 3).
In the case of candidates admitted to study for the degree of MRes, however, the award of a Postgraduate Diploma may not be made.
Credit Transfer
11. The maximum number of credits which may be transferred into schemes of study shall not exceed the number of credits established for Part One (the taught element); the remaining credits to be pursued must be at CQFW Level 7, (former HE Level M). Transferable credit may not be attributed to Part Two of a scheme.
Within these limits the University may, at its discretion, deem the performance of a student in any relevant prior experiential learning to count towards the requirements for the award of a modular Master’s Degree.
Assessment
12. Modules shall be assessed individually, as prescribed by the Department. Candidates may also be required to demonstrate Department satisfactory completion of any period of professional training or practical experience.
13. Candidates must pass Part One of the scheme of study successfully before being permitted to proceed to Part Two. The dissertation, or approved alternative (see paragraph 22 below) shall embody the methods and results of a research project. Its length shall not exceed 20,000 words (or 40,000 words for candidatures for the degree of MRes).
14. Both Part One and Part Two must be completed successfully before candidates may qualify for the award of a degree. The examiners may require candidates to undergo an oral examination at any stage of the scheme of study.
15. The modular pass-mark shall be 50%. In respect of Parts One and Two, Examining Boards may award overall marks according to the following scales established by the University:
Part One (the taught element)
70% and over : Distinction level
60 - 69% : Merit level
50 - 59% : Candidate eligible to proceed to Part Two
0 - 49% : Fail
Part Two (the Master’s dissertation)
70% and over : Distinction level
60 - 69% : Merit level
50 - 59% : Pass
49% : Fail
16. In order to gain a Master’s Degree with Distinction, candidates shall achieve an overall mark of not less than 70%, having achieved not less than 65% in Part One and not less than 70% in Part Two.
Candidates who do not meet the requirements for a Distinction but who achieve an overall mark of 60% or above shall gain a Master's degree with Merit*.
(* NB: for candidates starting taught Master's programmes from September 2009 only)
Notwithstanding the above, a candidate who has failed either Part of a scheme through unfair practice shall not, if permitted to attempt to retreive such failure, be eligible for for the award of a Distinction or Merit overall if successful. See also Regulation 21
17. Taught modules shall be completed as prescribed by the relevant school or department. The full degree scheme, including submission of the dissertation in the prescribed form, shall be completed within the following periods from the date of the initial registration:
Full-time candidates following one year schemes not more than 2 years
Full-time candidates following two year schemes not more than 3 years
Part-time candidates not more than 5 years[Note: Dissertations which are being re-submitted following initial examination are subject to separate arrangements as detailed in paragraph 37 below.]
Part One : Progression, Failure and Retrieval
18. Candidates may not re-sit any module or unit of assessment for which a pass-mark has been attained previously.
Notwithstanding, candidates who, with the agreement of the Examining Board, are to re-sit a full year of study may do so for the actual marks attained provided that at the outset previous marks are relinquished in full.
19. Candidates who are absent from the whole or part of a written examination (or who fails to submit set projects or coursework by the required date(s)) will be deemed to have failed the module(s) in question. In the case of illness or other exceptional circumstances the Examining Board may grant an extension to submission dates or permit a supplementary examination to be held.
20. Candidates who obtain less than 50% in a module may be re-examined in that module on one subsequent occasion within the overall time-limit prescribed for the scheme. (Notwithstanding, candidates following certain schemes of study may be permitted to be re-examined at the discretion of the Examining Board.) Candidates who are re-examined in a module shall be eligible for the bare pass-mark only (i.e 50%).
21. Candidates who have passed Part One of the degree at the second attempt shall not be eligible subsequently for the award of the mark of Distinction or Merit
Part Two : Submission of Dissertation and Retrieval of Failure
22. Special provisions have been approved in respect of the following:
Degree Schemes in the Creative and Performing Arts
In the case of candidates following approved Taught Master’s or research degree schemes of study which fall within the University’s subject area of Creative and Performing Arts, the dissertation or thesis may take one or more of the following forms: artefact, score, portfolio of original works, performance or exhibition. The submission shall be accompanied by a written commentary (normally of 5,000-6,000 words) placing it in its academic context together with any other items which may be required (e.g. a catalogue or audio or visual recording).
In all cases the submission and written commentary shall be bound, and other required items (e.g. tape or other media) shall be enclosed in a container suitable for storage on a library shelf and shall carry the same information on the spine as is required for dissertations/theses. This information shall be so placed as to be readily readable from the container in its stored position.
The Degree of MRes
In the case of candidates studying for the degree of MRes the structure of the scheme shall be 180 credits in total, with at least 60 credits of taught study comprising Part One, and at least 100 credits comprising the dissertation (Part Two).
MBA and MScEcon in Management and MScEcon mewn Entrepreneuriaeth
For these schemes of study the dissertation may take the form of two written projects which will together represent a total credit value of 60 credits.
References in the following paragraphs to ‘a dissertation’ should be taken to include any non-standard forms of submission/assessment detailed in this paragraph for Part Two.
23. Candidates are at liberty to publish the whole or part of the work produced during the candidate’s period of registration at the University prior to its submission as a whole, or as part of a dissertation, provided that in the published work it is nowhere stated that it is in consideration for a higher degree. Such published work may later be incorporated in the dissertation submitted for examination.
24. Except as provided below in Regulation 41, candidates may not amend, add to or delete from the dissertation after it has been submitted for examination.
25. Normally, no designated supervisor or equivalent member of staff who has been involved in the preparation of the dissertation shall act subsequently as internal examiner for it.
26. Two copies of the dissertation shall be submitted by the candidate in accordance with the format stipulated by the institution.
27. Each copy of the dissertation shall include:
(a) a summary of the dissertation not exceeding 300 words in length;
(b) the required statement signed by the candidate (see Regulation 28 below);
(c) the required declaration signed by the candidate (see Regulation 29 below).
28. Every candidate in submitting a dissertation shall state to what extent it is the result of his/her independent work or investigation, and shall indicate any portions for which he/she is indebted to other sources. Explicit references should be given, and a full bibliography shall be appended to the work.
29. Every candidate in submitting a dissertation shall certify that it has not already been accepted in substance for any academic award and is not being concurrently submitted in candidature for any such award.
30. A dissertation submitted for a higher degree of the University may be openly available and subject to no security classification or restriction of access. The University may, on the special recommendation of an Department, place a bar on photocopying of and/or access to a dissertation for a specified period of up to five years. It shall be the responsibility of the candidate’s project supervisor to make an application to the University as soon as is reasonably practicable. Normally the Department will forward a recommendation to the University in the early stages of the candidate’s project work.
31. On submission, candidates shall be required to incorporate a signed statement within the work to indicate either:
(a) that the dissertation, if successful, may be made available for inter-library loan or photocopying (subject to the law of copyright), and that the title and summary may be made available to outside organisations; or
(b) that the dissertation, if successful, may be made so available after expiry of a bar.
32. The title and summary of the dissertation shall normally be freely available.
33. A department may, within the time-limits stipulated by the University for each scheme of study, stipulate its own earlier deadline for the submission of dissertations.
34. A dissertation which is not submitted within the Department’s earlier deadline for a particular degree will be regarded as having failed by non-submission and candidates will be permitted to submit a dissertation (in the prescribed form and manner) on one occasion only, not more than twelve months from the original deadline stipulated for the scheme of study by the Department. A fee shall be payable for the examination of such a dissertation. Candidates who have failed by non-submission shall be eligible for the award of the bare pass-mark only and may not be considered eligible for the award of a Distinction or Merit overall.
35. Where the Department has not stipulated an early deadline, if the dissertation is not submitted within the University’s time-limit (see Regulation 17) the candidature will be deemed to have lapsed and there will be no further opportunity for submission.
36. The University time limit (see Regulation 17 above) may be extended in exceptional cases only and in accordance with criteria laid down in Standing Orders. A reasoned application, supported by appropriate independent evidence, must be submitted by the candidate’s department to the University for consideration.
37. If a dissertation is failed by the examiners the candidate may re-present it once only, not more than twelve months from the date of the official communication to the candidate of the result by the University Registry. A fee shall be payable for the examination of such a re-presented dissertation.
38. Both hard copies of every dissertation approved by the examiners and the electronic version shall become the property of the University.
39. If a dissertation is deemed by the examiners to be of particular value, one hard copy shall be deposited by the institution in the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth and an electronic version shall be deposited in the University’s Institutional Research Repository. A dissertation shall be deemed to be of particular value in the following cases:
(a) where it has been judged by the Examining Board to be of Distinction standard (whether or not the candidate has qualified for the degree with Distinction by virtue of having also achieved the necessary level of performance in Part One of the scheme);
(b) where it is of particular relevance to Wales or is in one of the following academic disciplines:
Welsh, Celtic Studies, Welsh History
40. Each Department shall have procedures in place to govern the retention and disposal of dissertations.
41. Notwithstanding Regulation 24 above, an Examining Board may require candidates to make typographical or minor corrections to a dissertation which has been passed before deposit in the libraries. The electronic copy and the hard copies of the successful dissertation must be identical in content.
October 2008