College of Social Sciences

This web page focuses on the degree-level requirements, but each Subject will stipulate course-level pre-requisites for their level 2 courses. You can find these in the course catalogue.  

Please read this page in conjunction with the overview and Progress Committee sections. You may also find it helpful to refer to the Credits and Grades section. 

Progression requirements 

• Students with 120 credits at grade D3 or above are progressed automatically to year 2 in June.
• Students with 100 credits and at least 80 credits at grade D3 or above are progressed automatically to year 2 in June but are very strongly encouraged to complete reassessment for courses with grades below D3.
• Students with fewer than 100 credits and/or fewer than 80 credits at grade D3 or above are referred to the Progress Committee and should plan to complete reassessment unless a repeat year is agreed.
• EC and DFR grades are treated as qualifying grades pending reassessment/grade publication.
• Students must achieve the pre-requisite level 1 credits and grades to be able to study at least 80 level 2 credits in at least two subjects.

Previous repeat year/irregular curriculum 

• If you are repeating the year with 120 credits, you are expected to achieve progression requirements on the basis of the repeat year. Exceptionally, we may allow progression on the basis of credits achieved in the original year of study but will not count credits for any course twice. 
• If you are repeating a year with fewer than 120 credits, we will take credits achieved in the original year of study into consideration but, again, we will not count credits for any course twice. 

Plan changes 

Following publication of grades on MyCampus, you may opt to change your degree plan because you are no longer able – or no longer wish – to study a degree plan subject. Please consult the Degree plan changes section for information. 

Level 2 study in Central and East European Studies and Economic and Social History 

Central and East European Studies and Economic and Social History do not require level 1 courses as pre-requisites for level 2 study. If you meet progression requirements but do not wish to continue with two of your level 1 subjects, and would like to avoid a repeat year, one of these subjects may be a good option.  

• For Central and East European Studies, you must have achieved 20 credits at grade D3 or above in a level 1 course in: Economic and Social History, History, Politics, Social and Public Policy, Russian or Sociology.
• For Economic and Social History, you must have achieved 20 credits at grade D3 or above in a level 1 course in: Economics or History.

You can find more information in the course catalogue. 

Honours progression requirements 

It is important to familiarise yourself with Honours progression requirements at the end of year 1, especially if you have not achieved 120 credits at grade D3 or above. This ensures you know what is expected of you next year and you can plan accordingly.  

Please read this section in conjunction with the overview and Progress Committee sections. You may also find it helpful to refer to the Credits and Grades section. 

Progression requirements 

To progress from year 2 into Honours, you must achieve the following credits and grades with reference to qualifying courses: 

a) 240 credits at levels 1 and 2 with a grade point average (GPA) of at least 9. If you were admitted directly to year 2 of the degree, we will treat your entry qualifications as equivalent to 120 credits of level 1 courses at grade D3 or above and calculate your GPA with reference to year 2 courses. 

b) achieve at least 160 credits from the list of recognised courses for the degree.¹ These courses are listed in para. 5.1 of the MA (Social Sciences) regulations.  

c) achieve grade D3 or above in at least 200 credits. 

d) for the subject(s) that you wish to study at Honours, achieve a GPA of 12.0 or above (equivalent to C3) with individual level 2 course grades at D3 or above at the first attempt, unless your School has informed you of different or additional requirements. 

Examples relating to d), based on grades achieved for two 20-credit courses in semester 1 and 2, and following the first assessment diet, are provided below: 

• C1 and C2 (GPA = 13.5 (14+13/2)) – meets pre-requisites for Honours entry 

• B3 and D3 (GPA = 12.0 (15+9/2)) – meets pre-requisites for Honours entry

• C3 and D1 (GPA = 11.5 (12+11/2)) – not eligible for Honours entry (GPA below 12.0)   

• B1 and E1 (GPA = 12.5) – not eligible for Honours entry (the second grade is below D3 at the first diet) 

• C3 and ECW – not eligible for Honours entry due to the requirement to achieve the GPA at the first diet. 

• B3 and EC – progress with permission until outstanding assessment is complete and the required GPA has been achieved. 

Your School/Subject(s) will normally notify you if you are being offered a place in Honours. To take up the place, you must meet all of the progression requirements detailed above. 

Administration of progress 

• Progress status will be reviewed in June and updated on MyCampus.

• Students who have not achieved Honours entry requirements in either of their level 2 subjects will transfer to the MA (Social Sciences) degree [Ordinary], subject to any required reassessment.

• Students who cannot progress to Honours can apply for a repeat year 2 if there are extenuating circumstances. You cannot apply for a repeat year to improve your grades and to progress to Honours in the absence of extenuating circumstances.  

• Information about potential re-entry to Honours from the Ordinary degree is provided in the Progress from Year 3 to Junior Honours section. 

Repeat year/irregular curriculum 

• If you are repeating a year with 120 credits, you are expected to achieve progression requirements on the basis of the repeat year. Exceptionally, we may allow progression on the basis of grades achieved in the original year of study but will not count credits for any course twice.  

• If you are repeating a year with fewer than 120 credits, we will take credits achieved in the original year of study into consideration but, again, we will not count credits for any course twice.  

Degree plan changes 

You may wish to change your Honours plan at this stage. Please consult the degree plan changes section for information, including advice about choosing an Honours plan.  

Study abroad

Students will be permitted to study abroad in Junior Honours only if they meet progression requirements, potentially following summer reassessment for courses that are not pre-requisites for Honours. It may be necessary to defer study abroad until semester 2 if summer reassessment is required. If you have any concerns about this, please contact your Subject Mobility Coordinator(s) and submit a Helpdesk call to the Curriculum Guidance and Support Team.

Footnotes

[1] This is normally reduced to 80 credits, including 40 at level 2, for students transferring from another degree to the MA (Social Sciences). Similarly, the Chief Adviser of Studies will have pre-approved a curriculum with fewer than 160 qualifying social sciences credits for MA (Social Sciences) students and this will not prevent progression on the degree.

Please read this page in conjunction with the overview and Progress Committee sections. You may also find it helpful to refer to the credits and grades section. 

Progression requirements 

If you do not meet Honours progression requirements and do not apply for a repeat year, the Progress Committee will approve a transfer to the MA (Social Sciences) Degree [Ordinary] if you have obtained a minimum of 160 credits, of which at least 120 must be at grade D3 or above, with a GPA of at least 9.0. At least 40 of these credits must be at level 2 in a single subject to meet the pre-requisites for level 3 courses. 

Important note: while a student may be able to transfer to the MA (Social Sciences) Degree [Ordinary] if they meet the requirements outlined above, they may not be able to achieve a graduating curriculum in a single year of study. A Senior Adviser of Studies will provide curriculum guidance.  

Graduating curriculum and Honours re-entry 

The requirements for graduating curriculum are outlined in para. 14 of the Generic Undergraduate Regulations and para 6.1 of the MA (Social Sciences) regulations. It is important to familiarise yourself with these to ensure you know what is expected of you next year and you can plan accordingly.  

Students who achieve the required standard in a single academic session may progress from Year 3 of the MA (Social Sciences) Degree [Ordinary] to Junior Honours. 

Students who achieve a graduating curriculum which includes a GPA of at least 15.0 (B3 average) in their level 3 courses will be offered the opportunity to enter the Junior Honours year of the Single Honours programme in their level 3 subject. This extends the duration of the Honours degree by one year. Funded students should contact their funder to ensure access to student finance and international students must ensure that they can extend their student visa to permit two further years of studies.

The requirements for graduating curriculum are outlined in para. 14 of the Generic Undergraduate Regulations and para 6.1 of the MA (Social Sciences) regulations. 

Please read this section in conjunction with the overview and Progress Committee sections. You may also find it helpful to refer to the credits and grades section. The process for awarding credits and grades at the Honours level is different from pre-Honours. 

Progression requirements 

• Students must have a GPA of at least 9.0 (excluding EC grades - see below).  

• Students with EC grades for one or more courses, worth a maximum of 20 credits, may progress Senior Honours and will be enrolled as exams-only on the relevant courses to complete outstanding assessment. 

• Students with EC grades for less than 25% of Honours assessment, but more than 20 credits, must obtain the missing credits before progressing, normally by registering and enrolling on an exams-only basis during the following year.

• Students with EC grades for more than 25% of Honours assessment must normally repeat their Junior Honours year.

Administration of progress: June 

• Students with EC grades normally complete outstanding assessment during the summer. If this is not possible, the Advising Leadership Team - in conjunction with the Progress Committee - will review their academic profile and discuss options.

• Students with a GPA below 9.0 will be considered for an exit qualification unless they have grounds for an academic appeal. Students will be given reassessment opportunities (at level 3, non-Honours standard) if there is scope to qualify for the MA (Social Sciences) Degree [Ordinary]. 

Administration of progress: September 

• Students will be progressed as outlined above, according to their specific circumstances. 

The MA (Social Sciences) Progress Committee reviews and makes decisions about student progression during the degree. The Committee considers students if they have not achieved enough credits at the appropriate grades to progress to the next year of study, with reference to the information that students provide on the designated referral form, and to help students find a way forward. The process for students being considered for a repeat year of studies includes a meeting with a Senior Adviser of Studies to discuss fitness to study and support.

Information about the progression requirements and process for each year of study is provided in these web pages, including the circumstances when you would be considered by the Progress Committee in June or September, depending on students' intentions to complete assessment during the summer. An interim Progress Committee may make earlier decisions on student progression when a student cannot complete the current academic year due to extenuating circumstances and repeat years may also be agreed as part of the Interruption of Studies process. 

Timely engagement with the Progress Committee, as required, is critical to permit continuation with studies.

Progression sometimes involves changing your degree plan at various stages of your degree. Relevant information and plan change request forms can be found in the Degree plan changes web page.

The implications of the award of credits and grades vary for pre-Honours and Honours courses with reference to eligibility for reassessment and progression. 

Pre-Honours 

• Grades A1-H mean that you have obtained credit for the course.  

• Grades A1-D3 mean that you have obtained credit for the course and passed it. You are not eligible for reassessment, even if you would like to improve your grade. 

• Grades E1-H mean that you have obtained credit for the course, but you have not passed it.  

- In year 1, you should take reassessment if you have a grade in this range. 

- In year 2, you may not need to take reassessment if you have otherwise achieved Honours progression requirements. 

- In year 3, you may not need to take reassessment if you have otherwise achieved a graduating curriculum. 

• Grade EC (extenuating circumstances) means that you have not yet obtained credit for the course because you have submitted a successful EC request for one or more assessments.  You must complete outstanding assessment during the summer to remedy any shortfall in credits. 

• Grade CW (credit withheld) means that you have not yet obtained credit because you did not complete all of your assessment and you did not submit an EC request, or your EC request was not accepted. You must always take reassessment to obtain the relevant credits. If you have a CW at the end of the academic session, following EC at the first diet, you may be permitted to enrol as exams-only to complete assessment and obtain credit.

• Grade ECW means that you have not yet obtained credit because you did not complete all of your assessment and an EC request has been accepted for only part of the incomplete assessment. You must always take reassessment to obtain the credits. 

• Grade CR (credit refused) means that you have not obtain credit and have no more opportunities to do so. You may repeat the course only as part of a repeat year.

Reassessment grades are published on your HEAR but are capped at D3 for the purposes of calculating your pre-Honours GPA. 

Honours 

• Grades A1-H mean that you have obtained credit for the course. You are not eligible for reassessment, and you cannot take extra credits to improve any of your grades. The grades contribute towards your Honours GPA and, individually, do not prevent progress to Senior Honours or the award of an Honours degree if your Honours GPA is high enough. 

• Grade EC (extenuating circumstances) means that you have not yet obtained credit for the course because you have submitted a successful EC request for one or more assessments.  

- Junior Honours students normally complete outstanding assessment during the summer to obtain credit.  

- Senior Honours do not normally attempt reassessment if they have completed 75% of assessment at the programme level, including the independent work. 

• Grade CW (credit withheld) means that you have not obtained credit because you did not complete all of your assessment and you did not submit an EC request, or your EC request was not accepted. 

- You are not eligible for reassessment, and you cannot take extra credits to replace CW grades. 

- CW grades will be updated once it is established that you have completed at least 75% of Honours assessment, normally in semester 2 of Senior Honours. 

• Grade ECW means that you have not achieved credit because you did not complete all of your assessment and an EC request has been accepted for only part of the incomplete assessment. You must always take reassessment where EC has applied. Refer to the information above for EC/CW grades for information about reassessment. 

• Grade CR (credit refused) means that you have not achieved credit for at least 25% of your Honours assessment and is awarded for courses where you have completed less than 75% of assessment. You are not eligible for reassessment and will not qualify for an Honours degree.  

Reassessment

Please consult Registry web pages for information about resit exams. Schools will provide information about coursework arrangements and students should be proactive in checking Moodle for this.

While you have a right of appeal against a Progress Committee or School decision concerning your progression, you must ensure that you have permitted grounds for appeal and that your desired outcome is permitted by the regulations.  

You will find relevant information on the University’s academic appeals process web pages. We strongly recommend that students considering an appeal contact the SRC Advice Centre as a first step. The SRC Advice Centre can help you to establish if you have appropriate grounds and whether your desired outcome is attainable.  

If registration and enrolment begin before you have received the outcome of your appeal, you may request provisional enrolment on the courses that you would take if your appeal is upheld. This requires careful consideration because you will not be permitted to remain on these courses if your appeal is dismissed. It may then be too late to enrol in the correct courses, and this can lead to a repeat year. All provisional curricula must be approved by the Advising Leadership Team.