DEGREE CLASSIFICATION

 

The academic regulations that were in effect in the year that you enrolled are the ones that will govern how your degree is classified. However, the explanations below provide the main points for students due to graduate this year.

Eligibility for award

To be eligible for a degree, you must meet the following requirements:

· take 360 credits for students on 3-year programmes or 480 credits for students on 4-year programmes (i.e. 120 credits per developmental year), including a minimum 90 credits at each of levels 4, 5 and 6, and a maximum 150 credits at levels 3-4 (of which a maximum 30 may be at level 3)

· pass a minimum 315 credits, including at least 90 at level 6 or higher and excluding any at level 3

· achieve a weighted classification mark of 40.0 or higher (see below)

Year abroad

There are two types of programmes with a year abroad (YA) in the School of the Arts:

· non-modern languages programmes with a year abroad (e.g. Film with a year abroad)

· programmes with a language as a named component, where the year abroad is compulsory unless you are exempted (e.g. BA Modern Languages, BA French with Business Management)

Non-modern languages with a year abroad students are subject to university regulations whereby the year abroad does not count towards the final classification mean. These same regulations came into effect even for students on programmes with a language as a named component who began their degree in 2022-23. However, if you are a student on a programme with a language as a named component who began their degree before 2022-23 and who completed the year abroad in 2019-20 or any year thereafter, a mark will recorded for any work you completed on your year abroad. However, if there are only marks for fewer than the full 120 credits (e.g. marks only for one semester), the year abroad as a whole will be awarded simply a pass and not included in the calculation of the classification mark (see below). Additionally, any overall year abroad mark for 2019-20 or thereafter will only be used for the purposes of determining your classification where it results in a higher classification mark. In other words, the classification mark will be calculated both with and without any year abroad mark for 2019-20 onwards, and the higher of the two classification marks used.

Calculation of classification mean

There is a university-wide classification mean for all students. This mean compulsorily includes the marks from all credits taken throughout your studies (although see above about the year abroad). It is also weighted, meaning that the yearly averages are weighted differently as follows:

3-year students

  Year 1 Year 2 Final year
yearly weightings 1 3 6
percentage weightings 10% 30% 60%

4-year students (year abroad counts)

  Year 1 Year 2 Year abroad Final year
yearly weightings 1 3 1 6
percentage weightings (approx.) 9.1% 27.3% 9.1% 54.5%

4-year students (year abroad does not count)

  Year 1 Year 2 Year abroad Final year
yearly weightings 1 3 0 6
percentage weightings 10% 30% 0% 60%

In other words, your second-year marks count for three times the amount of your first-year marks, and your final-year marks count for six times the amount of your first-year marks and twice the amount of your second-year marks.

For transfer students, marks achieved at other institutions are not included in the classification mean calculation. Instead, a truncated weighting is used, which simply removes the year that will not count. For example, 1:3:6 becomes 3:6 for students transferring into second year on a three-year programme or 3:1:6 on a four-year programme where the year abroad counts.

Classification boundaries

When you get your degree, it is a classified degree, i.e. it is a first, upper-second, lower-second- or third-class honours degree as follows:

70+ = First Class (Honours)

60-69 = Second Class (Honours) (Upper Division) (2.1)

50-59 = Second Class (Honours) (Lower Division) (2.2)

40-49 = Third Class (Honours)

A mean mark in the middle of the range will immediately be awarded the appropriate class of degree (e.g. 65% will be an upper second). If you are close to a classification boundary, you may be subject to the university’s borderline classification policy as described below.

Borderline policy

Queen Mary has a formal borderline classification policy that applies to all students. For students who began their degree in 2021-22 or later, the following criteria are used:

1. Each student with a classification mark within 1.5 per cent of a borderline (except at the pass/fail border) is determined to fall within the ‘zone of consideration’ and will be considered as a possible case for application of the borderline policy;

2. A student falling within the zone of consideration and with at least half of their final year credits (60 credits) with marks at the level of the upper classification (or higher), will be raised to the higher classification.

If you began your studies before 2020-21, please refer to the academic regulations in place at the time.

Degree titles

Degree titles are determined by programme titles and are therefore agreed when students register for their programmes. If you wish to graduate with a different degree title from that of your degree programme, you must have previously submitted a change of programme form to formally change your degree programme. This change will only be possible when you have met all the programme requirements for the new programme of study.

Classification and outstanding first sits

Even if you meet the award requirements at the June subject examination board in your final year, you may have outstanding first sits available in the late summer period due to extenuating circumstances. In such cases, you will be offered a preliminary classification on the basis of your results at the time of the June subject examination board. You will then be given the opportunity to accept this preliminary classification or turn it down should you wish to complete your outstanding first sits.

Failure to meet award requirements

If you do not meet the award requirements at the June subject examination board in your final year, you may have further attempts at passing modules in the late summer assessment period in August. If this is the case, you will be automatically registered for

these resits and the School will be in touch with details about the date and method of submission of outstanding/eligible assignments.

If, after reassessment in the late summer period, you successfully pass enough of the modules which you failed in order to have your degree classified, your module results and degree award will be confirmed in September. This means that you won’t graduate at the summer graduation ceremonies but will instead graduate at the winter ceremonies.

If, following the late summer resit period, you do not pass enough credits to be classifiable in September and you have not reached your maximum duration of study, you may be allowed to complete your degree out of attendance the following year.

Alternative exit awards

If you fail to meet the requirements for the award or progression after resitting, and are out of resit attempts, you may be awarded an alternative exit award (Ordinary Degree, Diploma of Higher Education and Certificate of Higher Education). Such awards, which are not available as intended awards in their own right, use a classification mark that is a flat average of the marks for the modules used towards the exit award rather than a weighted classification mark as described above. Since 2020-21, Diplomas and Certificates of Higher Education are classified on a pass (40.0-59.9), merit (60.0-69.9) and distinction (70.0-100.0) basis. The Ordinary Degree is still be issued on a pass (40.0-100.0) basis only.

Ordinary Degree

To be eligible for award of an Ordinary Degree (awarded without honours), a student must:

· take a minimum 360 credits

· pass a minimum 270 credits, including a minimum 60 credits at level 6

· achieve a classification mark of 40.0 or higher (flat/unweighted average based on the best 360 credits taken)

Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE)

To be eligible for the award of a DipHE, a student must:

· take 240 credits (120 per developmental year), including a minimum 90 credits at each of academic levels 4 and 5, a maximum 30 credits at level 3, and a maximum 150 credits at level 4

· pass a minimum 210 credits, including at least 90 at level 5 or higher and excluding any at level 3

· achieve a classification mark of 40.0 or higher (flat/unweighted average based on the best 240 credits taken)

Certificate of Higher Education (CertHE)

To be eligible for the award of a CertHE, a student must:

· take 120 credits, including a minimum 90 credits at academic level 4 and no more than 30 credits at level 3

· pass a minimum 105 credits, including at least 90 at level 4 or higher and excluding any at level 3

· achieve a classification mark of 40.0 or higher (flat/unweighted average based on the best 120 credits taken)