Information for Staff

The University is required by the Scottish Funding Council to make programme specifications publicly available for all of its awards. Following a phased introduction, the University published its programme specifications in full during 2007-08. Programme specifications are updated annually, and published by academic session.

All programme specifications need to be approved by College (normally through Boards of Studies) and following this the documents are published online on the Senate Office website (contact: Ms Helen Clegg).

Support for Development

The Learning & Teaching Centre's (LTC) Academic Development Unit will provide support in preparing programme specifications. LTC will provide advice to colleagues in Colleges writing programme specifications as follows:

University Template and Guidance Notes

There is a University template for programme specifications. This is on the Programme Information Project System as programme specifications need to be submitted with any proposal for a new programme, or major change to a programme.

Guidance Notes and Quick Tips have been developed to support the development of programme specifications. These should be used alongside advice from LTC as detailed above.

• Examplars: programme specifications approved for 2010-11
  • BSc (Hons) Environmental Stewardship
  • MEng Biomedical Engineering
  • MSc Astrophysics
  • MSc Financial Modelling
  • MSc Working with Communities (Social Sciences)
• Guidance Notes [pdf]
• Quick Tips [pdf]
• Appendix 1: Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework Levels 9-12 [pdf]

Feedback on the usefulness of the guidance notes would be welcomed. Please send any comments to Helen Butcher or Helen Clegg.