Regulations for awards (taught courses): Section 9
Section 9: Regulations For Accelerated Undergraduate Degrees (Two-Year Calendar Degree)
These regulations are supplementary to the standard regulations for award and must be applied alongside these principles.
9.1 Structure of Courses, Modules and Credit
9.1.1. An Accelerated Undergraduate Degree is a programme leading to an undergraduate award delivered over two full calendar years, rather than three academic years. It retains the same total credit volume and academic standards as standard undergraduate provision.
9.1.2. Accelerated Undergraduate Degrees should normally comprise 360 credits at Levels 4 - 6, structured to enable continuous study across the two calendar years, including periods not designated as teaching time in standard academic delivery.
9.1.3. Accelerated Undergraduate Degrees may be delivered
a) by the University; and/or
b) by an approved partner institution, including partners located outside England, under validated or franchised arrangements.
9.1.4. The approved programme specification shall set out
a) the calendar year structure of delivery;
b) defined progression points;
c) assessment and reassessment points, including in year reassessment; and
d) arrangements for the completion of trailing modules.
9.2 Registration, Attendance, Maximum Period of Registration and Personal Circumstances
9.2.1. The normal period of registration for an Accelerated Undergraduate Degree shall be two calendar years.
9.2.2. The maximum period of registration shall not normally exceed three calendar years, inclusive of any permitted interruption, unless exceptionally approved.
9.2.3. Students registered on Accelerated Undergraduate Degrees are expected to engage in all aspects of study throughout the calendar year, subject to any scheduled breaks approved as part of the programme.
9.2.4. In considering personal circumstances via extensions or exceptional circumstances for students on Accelerated Undergraduate Degrees, the University shall take account of;
a) the compressed delivery model; and
b) the absence of long vacation periods.
9.2.5. Adjustments to assessment deadlines made through personal circumstances shall maintain University expectations set out in Section 7, while ensuring students are not disadvantaged by the intensity of delivery.
9.2.6 If a student interrupts, usually, they must re-enrol at the next appropriate intake point in the academic cycle to pick up the level at the same point they left. If the student wants to interrupt for a longer period of time, this decision will be made in line with the procedure set out in Section 4.
9.2.7 In line with the 2 year no credit rule outlined in Section 4, if a student has not gained credit over two consecutive academic levels, they will be withdrawn.
9.3 Assessment, External Examination and Course Assessment Meetings (CAMs)
9.3.1 Assessment on Accelerated Undergraduate Degrees is designed to reflect the intensive and continuous nature of delivery while maintaining our expected academic standards.
9.3.1 Course Assessment Meetings (CAMs) for Accelerated Undergraduate Degrees operate in accordance with the University’s standard procedures, outlined in Section 6.
9.3.2. Where the course delivery is by a partner institution;
a) assessment decisions remain the responsibility of the University;
b) Course Assessment Meetings act under the authority of the University; and
c) External Examiners shall confirm equivalence of standards across delivery locations, including through moderation activity in accordance with Section 5 and Section 6.
9.4 Progression and Trailing Modules
9.4.1. For a standard undergraduate route, there will be two formal progression points and these are defined at the end of each academic level where a main CAM will take place.
9.4.2. At a progression point, a student must normally;
a) have passed all modules at that level; or
b) be trailing no more than the permitted value of credit.
9.4.3. A trailing module is a module from a lower academic level which has not yet been passed at the point of progression. Normally, students can carry no more than 30 credits of trailing modules at any progression point.
9.4.4. Students may not carry trailing Level 4 credit into Level 6 and must complete this by the end of Level 5.
9.4.5. Trailing modules must be reassessed or completed at the earliest available opportunity specified in the programme assessment schedule.
9.5 Reassessment and Failure
9.5.1. Programmes normally include in‑year reassessment opportunities (following the principles set out in Section 7), enabling students who fail an assessment at first attempt to undertake reassessment within the same academic level.
9.5.2. In‑year assessment;
a) shall be scheduled as close as practicable to the original assessment;
b) may occur during teaching blocks; and
c) shall be published in advance to students.
9.5.3. Any re-assessment taken, including in-year, will be capped at the module level as per Section 7. This is in line with the expectations set in the standard assessment regulations in Section 7.
9.5.4. Where in‑year reassessment is not practicable, this will take place at the next available assessment point. These arrangements will avoid any compromise of academic standards or fairness.
9.5.5. Where a student fails their first full assessment opportunity, in line with the standard progression regulations in Section 7, the Course Assessment Meeting may;
a) permit progression to the next academic level and permit a trailing full repeat of the module without attendance, in the next academic level; or
b) may not permit progression but will grant the student a full repeat of the module(s) with attendance at the next available opportunity. This may require the student to interrupt their studies.
c) withdraw the student under the less than 50 credit rule.
9.6 Conferment of Awards
9.6.1. Awards and classifications shall be determined in accordance with the University’s approved classification schemes, set out in Section 6.
9.6.2. The accelerated nature of the programme shall not be indicated on the award certificate.
9.6.3. The academic transcript may indicate the mode of study as “Accelerated”.