Standard Terminology: Glossary of Terms for Taught Degrees
The Glossary of Terms for Taught Degrees aims to achieve consistency in academic terminology across the University. These terms should be applied in all documentation relating to degree programmes (such as regulations and student handbooks), and also supporting systems such as CCIMS and the Student Records System.
The Glossary was first introduced in 2004 and was updated in February 2007.
| Term | Definition |
| Academic session (or academic year) | A 12-month period, beginning in September, during which courses are taught and assessed. |
| Aggregation score | The numerical equivalent of a grade and band, used in the classification of Honours and Masters degrees. Paragraphs 16.10 – 16.18 and Schedule A of the Code of Assessment describe fully. |
| Assessment | Judgment of the standard of attainment of the intended learning outcomes of a programme, course, or course component. |
| Award | The degree, certificate or diploma which is conferred following the successful completion of a defined programme of study. |
| Band (or Secondary band) | A subdivision of a grade that reflects the confidence with which a judgment of grading is made. For example, grade “A” is subdivided into bands “A1”, “A2”, “A3”, “A4”, and “A5”. |
| Certificate of Higher Education | An award following successful completion of undergraduate courses totaling 120 credits at level 1 or above. |
| Classification | The process of deciding the class of award that should be conferred on a student who has successfully completed the defined programme. For Honours degrees, the available classes are “first”, “upper second”, “lower second”, and “third”; for Ordinary and Masters degrees, the available classes are “distinction”, “merit”, and “pass”. |
| Combined Honours degree | See entry for “Joint Honours degree”. |
| Compulsory course | A course that must be taken by all students on a particular programme. |
| Core | The set of compulsory courses in a particular programme. |
| Course | A self-contained unit of study on a particular topic, with defined level, credit value, aims, intended learning outcomes, mode(s) of delivery, scheme of assessment, and possibly also pre- and co-requisites. |
| Credit | A measure of workload, where 1 credit equates to 10 notional learning hours. The total annual workload for a full-time undergraduate student is normally 120 credits, and that for a full-time Masters student is normally 180 credits. |
| Curriculum | A set of courses usually associated with a student’s programme of study. |
| Designated degree | An Ordinary degree awarded following successful completion of a 360-credit programme in which a particular subject (or group of subjects) is studied in depth. |
| Diploma of Higher Education | An award following successful completion of undergraduate courses totaling 240 credits, including at least 90 credits at level 2 or above. |
| Elective course (or Option course) | A course that may optionally be taken by students on a particular programme. (The same course may be compulsory for students on a different programme.) |
| External examiner | A subject expert appointed by the University to participate in the moderation of the assessment process. |
| General degree | An Ordinary degree awarded following successful completion of a 360-credit programme in which a broad range of subjects are studied. |
| Grade | An alphabetic designation (in the range “A” to “H”) that is awarded to a student on completion of a course to reflect the student’s attainment of the intended learning outcomes of that course. |
| Grade points | The numerical equivalent of a grade, used in the classification of Ordinary and professional degrees. Paragraph 14 and Schedule C of the Code of Assessment describe fully. |
| Honours degree | A degree awarded following successful completion of a 480-credit programme, including at least 180 credits at levels 3 and H with at least 90 of these at level H, in which a particular subject (or group of subjects) is studied in depth. The programme includes a project or dissertation, normally of 20−40 credits. |
| Instrument of assessment | A means by which a course or part of a course may be assessed; it may be a written or oral examination, dissertation, report or other approved means. |
| Integrated Honours degree | An Honours degree awarded following successful completion of a 480-credit programme in which two or more subjects are studied in depth, and which includes at least one integrating course. The subjects are not necessarily equally weighted in the programme’s scheme of assessment. |
| Integrated Masters degree | A degree awarded following successful completion of a 600-credit programme, including at least 120 credits at level M, in which a particular subject is studied to an advanced level. |
| Joint Honours degree (or Combined Honours degree) | An Honours degree awarded following successful completion of a 480-credit programme in which two subjects are studied in depth. The subjects are normally equally weighted in the programme’s scheme of assessment. |
| Level | An indication of the standard at which a particular course is taught and assessed. The available levels are 1, 2, 3, H (Honours), and M (Masters). |
| Masters degree | A degree awarded following successful completion of a 180-credit postgraduate programme, including at least 150 credits at level M, in which a particular subject is studied to an advanced level. The programme includes a project or dissertation, normally of 60 credits. |
| Monitoring | Process whereby the aims, intended learning outcomes, delivery, and students’ results for a course are reviewed. |
| Option course | (see Elective course) |
| Ordinary degree | A degree awarded following successful completion of a 360-credit programme, including at least 60 credits at level 3. See also Designated degree and General degree. |
| Postgraduate Certificate | An award following successful completion of a 60-credit programme, including at least 40 credits at level M. |
| Postgraduate Diploma | An award following successful completion of a 120-credit programme, including at least 90 credits at level M. |
| Programme | A set of compulsory and elective courses leading to a defined award, with defined aims, intended learning outcomes, mode(s) of delivery, and scheme of assessment. |
| Scheme of assessment | A specification of the instruments of assessment by which performance on a particular course or a programme is assessed, including the relative weighting of each instrument. |
| Semester | A period of approximately 15 weeks during which courses are taught and assessed. Until 2007-08, each academic session includes a first semester from late September to mid-January and a second semester from mid-January to early June. As from 2008-09, each academic session will include a first semester from September to December and a second semester from January to May. |
| Session | See Academic Session. |
| Subject | A well-defined and distinctive discipline of study. |
| Tutorial | A formal meeting of a group of students with a staff member or other tutor at which material relevant to a particular course is discussed. |
Note
Various amendments will be made to the University's Central Course Information System (CCIMS) in order to adopt the standard terminology and a summary of these changes is available here: CCIMS Summary (doc)
Approved by Education Committee 24 March 2004
Noted by Senate 6 May 2004
Updated by EdPSC 21 February 2007
Noted by Senate 15 March 2007
Policy No: 03-07-E240304
