Academic Regulations

Welcome to the section which aims to help you navigate your way through the University Regulations as an undergraduate student. Please visit www.staffs.ac.uk and then click on to A in the A-Z index to access all of the Academic Regulations for undergraduates and postgraduates.

Contents

1. What are modules and credits?
2. What do I do if I want to change any of my modules?
3. What do I need to do to progress to each level of my course?
4. What do I do if I am having difficulty attending my course?
5. How is my degree result calculated?
6. What do I do if I have failed a module, have to re-sit or have extenuating circumstances?
7. Top tips

What are modules and credits?

Your award is governed by the ‘Undergraduate Modular Framework Regulations’ (UMF), which can be accessed via the University Web-site (www.staffs.ac.uk).

Each module is worth a specific number of credits (usually 15 or 30) which are sometimes also referred to as CATS (Credit Accumulation and Transfer System) points.  For any modular degree you will take normally take 120 credits/CATS points per year if you are studying full-time and 90 credits/CATS points or less if you are studying part-time. 

Modules are allocated to one of the following levels:
Certificate level (C) – level 1 (first year)
Intermediate level (I) – level 2 (second year)
Honours level (H) – level 3 (third year)

Different kinds of modules:
Core modules – these are compulsory modules that you must take to complete your chosen award. 
Specific Option modules –you can choose these from a prescribed set of modules for a particular award. 
Credits earned by taking Core and Specific Option modules are referred to as specific credits because they are specified by your award structure.
General Options – you can choose these from a list of general option modules attached to your award.  Credits earned by the study of these modules are known as general credits.  You may choose them from any credit level as long as you meet the entry requirements.
Additional modules – these are entirely separate from your award and cannot be used as either general or specific credits to towards your award or to progression to the next level.
PLEASE NOTE: It is your responsibility to make sure that your choice of modules matches the award structure for your award at each level.

What do I do if I want to change any of my modules?

Any change you wish to make to your choice of core modules must be made within 2 weeks of the start of the module if the module you wish to change to is at Level 2 or 3 OR within 3 weeks of the start of the module if you wish to change to a module at Level 1 or below.  If you change modules subsequent to registration, you must complete a module amendment form which you can obtain from your Faculty Office.

What do I need to do to progress to each level of my course?

In order to progress to each level, you need to have completed a certain amount of credits. 
These are as follows:
• Year 1(C) to Year 2 (I) – at least 90 CATS including at least 75 award specific credits.
• Year 2 (I) to Year 3 (H) – 210 CATS including all required award specific level 1 credits and at least 75 award specific Level 2 credits.
• For Placements between Y1 (C) and Y2 (I) – at least 90 CATS including at least 75 award specific credits. 
• or placements between Y2 (I) and Y3 (H)– at least 195 credits including all required award specific Level 1 credits and at least 75 award specific credits at Level 2. 
• Following placement, you must have passed at least 210 credits including all required award specific Level 1(C) credits and at least 90 award specific Level 2 credits.

NOTE: If you are studying on a foundation degree by part-time mode, you will not be required to pass or complete successfully all of the first stage (Certificate Level) before you can progress to the second stage (Intermediate Level).

What do I do if I am having difficulty attending my course?

If you are absent from a module on four consecutive occasions in a semester for reasons other than illness and you do not have written permission, then you are likely to be deemed to have withdrawn from that module and your registration may be cancelled.

If you are absent for up to five working days due to illness, then you should complete a self-certification form and hand it in to your Faculty Office.  If you are absent for more than five days due to illness, you will need to hand in a medical note to your Faculty Office. You may also be eligible to put in a claim for extenuating circumstances.  

What will happen if I miss a deadline for a piece of work?

Any work not received by the Faculty Office on the deadline day will receive a zero unless you submit an extenuating circumstances form and this is upheld.  Please contact the Student Advice Centre for further advice.

How is my degree result calculated?

The overall score is determined by taking into account all level 2 (C) module results and giving them a 30% weighting, and all level 3(H) module results and giving them a 70% weighting.  If failure in a total of 30 Level 3 (H) credits has been compensated and/or condoned, then you will be awarded your base classification only.
You must ensure that you have completed at least the minimum number of specific credits required for your award. Any additional modules you have taken must be recorded as “additional” rather than Core, Specific Option or General Option Modules.  Please see the Regulations for further detailed information.

What do I do if I have failed a module, have to re-sit or have extenuating circumstances?

Remember that, if the Award Board agrees, you have re-sit opportunities in August (that is, if you have not already used your re-sit opportunity).  Also, if you have failed a specific option module or a general option module, you can choose to replace the failed module with another of the same or greater credits. These replacement modules will be capped at a grade point 4 indicated with a +.  However, specific option modules can only be replaced with modules from the same option group and which make the same contribution to the award level outcomes.  General option group modules can be replaced with modules from the list of general options attached to your award or from the specific options available within your award.  You cannot replace a core module.  Please see the previous page for the amount of CATS points you need in order to progress to the next level.

I HAVE TO RE-SIT:At all levels you are entitled to 2 attempts on each module (this includes your first attempt).  Modular degrees follow a core module structure, which means you have to pass all core modules to graduate on that Award.  Without any extenuating circumstances, the highest grade point you can achieve in a re-sit mark is grade point 4.

I HAVE BEEN GIVEN A REFERRAL:You are only allowed to retake a referral once.  You may, however, at the discretion of the Award Board be able to retake all of the module with attendance, except in circumstances where a grade point 0 has been awarded for both the original attempt and the referral.  The maximum mark for a re-taken module is grade point 4. 

WHAT DOES IT MEAN IF A MODULE HAS BEEN COMPENSATED? This is where you are still awarded credits for a failed specific credit module if you have demonstrated elsewhere in your specific credit module that you are able to satisfy the learning outcomes of your award level.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN IF A MODULE HAS BEEN CONDONED? This is where you are still awarded credits for a failed general credit module if you have proved you are competent in the breadth of subjects within your award by successfully completing other modules at this level or higher.

PLEASE NOTE: An overall module grade point of 0 or 1 may not be compensated or condoned.  Also, only a maximum of 30 credits (45 credits for those who are part-time or in the final year of an Ordinary degree which has only 60 credits at level 3 (H)) may be awarded a compensated pass or condoned at each of Award levels C, I and H.

Top tips:

• Know your coursework deadlines and your exam times.
• Find out when the re-sit period is.
• Be aware of Extenuating Circumstances deadlines (these are published with the Extenuating Circumstances claim form).
• Know when your examination boards meet.
• If you don’t know any of the above, ask your Faculty Office.
• Make sure you have an up to date print-out of your results. For any issue act early and check the advice you have been given against the regulations
• Check exam deadlines and re-sit times personally.
• Beware of missing deadlines.  If you are unsure, contact the Student Advice Centre or look up the regulations on the University’s website (www.staffs.ac.uk).

  Please click here for a downloadable version of this information