UG: Primary Regulations for Undergraduate Awards (2026-27)
A list of programmes governed by the Primary Regulations for Undergraduate Awards can be found in Appendix 3.
CONTENTS
- Scope
- Your Programme
- Admission and Prior Learning
- Length of Study
- Progressing Through Your Programme
- Additional Programme Requirements
- Ordinary Degrees
- Degrees with Honours: Overview
- Degrees with Honours: Entry and Progress
- Degrees with Honours: Award and Graduation
- Integrated Masters: Overview
- Integrated Masters: Entry and Progress
- Integrated Masters: Award and Graduation
- Certificates and Diplomas of Higher Education
- Graduate Certificates and Diplomas
- Study Abroad
Appendix 1: Partnership Programmes
Appendix 2: Professional Education Degrees
1. Scope
These rules cover the following undergraduate awards:
|
Abbreviation |
Award Title |
|
BA |
Bachelor of Arts |
|
BAcc |
Bachelor of Accountancy |
|
BD |
Bachelor of Divinity |
|
BEng |
Bachelor of Engineering |
|
BFin |
Bachelor of Finance |
|
BMus |
Bachelor of Music |
|
BSc |
Bachelor of Science |
|
GradCert |
Graduate Certificate |
|
GradDip |
Graduate Diploma |
|
CertHE |
Certificate of Higher Education |
|
DipHE |
Diploma of Higher Education |
|
LLB |
Bachelor of Laws |
|
MA |
Master of Arts, including the MA (Social Sciences) |
|
MDTechEd |
Master of Design & Technology Education |
|
MEduc |
Master in Education |
|
MEng |
Master of Engineering |
|
MSci |
Master in Science |
Each programme has a specification, available on the University website. That specification will detail any specific requirements for the programme, such as any compulsory courses or additional requirements set by professional or statutory bodies or required courses for entry to the Honours or Integrated Masters years.
The MA and all Bachelors degrees except the BA in Childhood Practice and the MA in Education with Teaching Qualification (Primary) may be awarded with Honours (480 credits or slightly above) or as an Ordinary degree (360 credits or slightly above). The MA (Honours) with a Language Year Abroad or with Gaelic Immersion requires 600 credits or slightly above. Intercalated degrees are 120-credit or slightly above Honours degrees which are achieved in a single academic session embedded within a clinical programme.
1.1 Variations
The degrees of BA, BAcc, BEng/MEng, BFin, BSc/MSci in Computing Science and Software Engineering, and LLB have special requirements, listed in section 6 below.
Partnership degrees with other institutions (such as the Singapore Institute of Technology or the University of Electronic Science & Technology of China) are covered by these regulations but with some variations set out in Appendix 1.
The professional degrees of MA in Primary Education with Teaching Qualification (including the Enhanced English, Enhanced Mathematics, and Learning for Sustainability routes), MEduc with Teaching Qualification (Primary), and MDTechEd with Teaching Qualification (Secondary) are governed by the regulations below with some variations set out in Appendix 2.
2. Your Programme
Your programme is made up of courses. Each course has a credit value (for example 20 or 40 credits) and a level (1, 2, 3, 4, or 5) which aligns with the national Scottish Credit & Qualifications Framework (SCQF).
A full-time student takes 120 credits per academic session. With your College’s approval, you may take a small number of additional credits if these are needed to satisfy requirements for progress or award. If you study part-time, where part-time study is available, then you may take fewer credits per academic session, as agreed with your School or College.
2.1 Curriculum
You choose your curriculum from the available choices on MyCampus at the start of each academic session. For most programmes, there is a short period at the start of each semester where you can change this curriculum (the 'add-drop' period). Outwith the add-drop period, changes to your curriculum require approval from your Adviser of Studies. The add-drop period for a course closes either two weeks after the start of the course or on the submission date of the first summative assessment for that course, whichever is the earlier.
Honours degrees and Integrated Masters degrees require a piece of ‘substantial independent work’ to be taken as part of your degree. This takes the form of a level 4 or 5 course of at least 20 credits with the letter 'P' at the end of its course code, and is often referred to as a dissertation or independent project.
2.2 What counts towards your award
Every course on which you are enrolled counts towards your grade point average (GPA) and your total credits for that academic session, unless the University’s Extenuating Circumstances procedures apply.
You are considered to be enrolled on a course if you are enrolled on it at the date of its first summative assessment.
For each academic session, all assessment (including deferred assessment and reassessment) is governed by the Assessment Regulations published for that session, except where modified by these regulations.
Details of GPA calculations are given in the Assessment Regulations. Your GPA is expressed to one decimal place. No further rounding is applied: for example, a GPA of 11.9 does not meet a requirement of 12.0.
2.3 Satisfactory/unsatisfactory courses
Some programmes assess some or all courses on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis rather than the Glasgow Grading Scheme. Where a course is assessed on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis, the credits count towards your total credits for that session but do not contribute to your GPA. A satisfactory grade satisfies any requirement that would otherwise need a grade D3 or above.
2.4 Course requirements
Some courses require you to have completed another course first or have achieved a particular grade in it (a pre-requisite). Some courses must be taken alongside another course (a co-requisite). Some courses cover similar material and cannot both count towards your award (excluded combinations). MyCampus will guide you through these requirements when you choose your courses. Consult your Adviser of Studies if you are unsure about these.
3. Admission and Prior Learning
The entry requirements for all programmes are published in the University Prospectus and in the relevant programme specifications.
3.1 Intercalated degrees
To be admitted to an intercalated honours degree (BSc in Medical Science, BSc in Dental Science, or BSc in Veterinary Science), you must be a registered candidate for the corresponding clinical degree (MBChB, BDS, or BVMS) and have achieved grade D3 or above in all courses in the academic sessions preceding admission to the intercalated degree. Suitably qualified candidates from selected institutions of equivalent standing may be admitted to an intercalated degree programme at the discretion of the Head of School.
3.2 Graduate Apprenticeship
To be admitted and maintain registration on a Graduate Apprenticeship programme, you must have a contract of employment with a partner, and remain employed throughout your period of study.
3.3 Faster Route entry
Some programmes offer a 'Faster Route' to enter directly at level 2 for candidates with academic qualifications that are higher than the standard tariff. On admission to a Faster Route programme, you will be treated as having achieved 120 credits at level 1, and this credit is ungraded and excluded from any calculations for GPA and award classifications.
3.4 Recognition of prior learning and experience
If you have already studied at Glasgow or another institution, you may have credit recognised for that learning, or for relevant professional or life experience. This may let you enter the second or later year of a programme. See the University’s RPL policy for details.
The maximum number of credits you can have recognised towards a programme is normally half the credits for your award. For the BA in Childhood Practice, the maximum number of credits you can have recognised from prior learning is two-thirds of the credits for your award. Should you get credit for prior learning or experience, you must study at Glasgow during your final academic session.
Recognised credit from another institution is ungraded within the University of Glasgow. Ungraded credit is excluded from any calculations for GPA and award classifications.
Some degrees cannot recognise credit for prior learning or for prior professional or life experience, and your College or School will let you know if this applies to your award.
4. Length of Study
Your minimum number of academic sessions of full time study from initial registration is calculated by dividing the programme’s standard total credits by 120. Some examples of common awards are below:
|
Programme |
Credits |
Full-time minimum |
|
Accelerated LLB |
240 |
2 sessions |
|
Ordinary degree |
360 |
3 sessions |
|
Honours degree |
480 |
4 sessions |
|
MA with Language Year Abroad/Gaelic Immersion |
600 |
5 sessions |
|
Integrated Masters (MSci/MEng); see also Appendix 2 for the MEduc and MDTechEd |
600 |
5 sessions |
Your maximum period of study, whether full-time or part-time, is normally the minimum period plus two sessions. Some exceptions apply:
- Intercalated degrees must be completed within two sessions.
- The Graduate Apprenticeship programme must be completed within five sessions.
- The BA in Community Development must be completed within seven sessions.
- The MA in Arts & Humanities and the BD, if they are studied part-time, must be completed within 10 sessions, or 11 with a Language Year Abroad or Gaelic Immersion. Note that if you get an exemption from a Language Year Abroad, the minimum duration for a standard Honours degree applies.
- The Graduate Diploma must be completed within four sessions.
- The BA in Childhood Practice (which is studied part-time) must be completed within 10 sessions.
All maximum periods of study are counted consecutively from the date of first enrolment on your programme. Maximum periods of study under this section do not affect any eligibility for an exit award under sections 7, 14, and 15.
5. Progressing Through Your Programme
You progress through your programme one academic session at a time by being awarded the appropriate number of credits per session (120 if you study full-time, at least 40 if you study part-time), with a minimum GPA of 9.0.
Entry to the Honours or Integrated Masters years has higher requirements (see sections 9 and 12 below).
Some programmes have additional requirements beyond the general progression threshold, which are set out in section 6 below.
5.1 What happens if you do not meet progress requirements
If you do not meet the requirements to progress automatically, an Academic Review Panel will review your case. The Panel may:
- require you to repeat the courses required for you to successfully complete the relevant academic session;
- transfer you to a different programme (if you meet that programme’s criteria for progression and/or graduation);
- permit you, under exceptional circumstances, to progress with particular conditions or additional requirements;
- award you an exit award; or
- exclude you from further study.
If your case is reviewed by an Academic Review Panel, the Panel will follow the Instructions issued to it by the Clerk of Senate, and will:
- provide you with full details of which progress requirements you have not met, including courses, grades, and a reference to the relevant regulations;
- tell you the date of the Academic Review Panel meeting(s) where your case will be considered and the composition of the Panel;
- let you make written representations about your case before the meeting; and
- provide you with any information you need for the University’s Code of Appeals process.
6. Additional Programme Requirements
Generic requirements for ordinary degrees are found in section 7, for Honours degrees sections 8-10, for Integrated Masters sections 11-13, for Certificates and Diplomas of Higher Education section 14, and for Graduate Certificates and Diplomas in section 15.
Beyond these generic requirements, programmes may define additional criteria in order to progress, to enter the Honours or Integrated Masters programme, or to graduate – for example by specifying specific courses or components of assessment where you must achieve a particular grade or grade profile. Requirements for degrees are below, and programme specifications may also include further requirements for particular programmes.
6.1 BA in Childhood Practice
You must achieve grade D3 or above in every course. You must maintain at least 66% attendance in each course. You must be in good standing with the University with regard to Fitness to Practise. Before starting the programme, and throughout it, you must assent to the School of Education Code of Professional Conduct, which is aligned to the Scottish Social Services Council Code of Practice.
6.2 BA in Community Development
You must achieve grade D3 or above in every course. You must maintain at least 80% attendance in each course. To progress to year 4, you must complete at least 1,440 hours of community development practice over your first three years. You must be in good standing with the University with regard to Fitness to Practise. Before starting the programme, and throughout it, you must assent to the School of Education Code of Professional Conduct, which is aligned to the CLD Standards Council.
If you do not meet the grade D3-in-every-course requirement (see above) you may be considered for transfer to the BA in Community Studies if you meet the relevant requirements for that degree.
6.3 BAcc
You must achieve grade D3 or above in the following courses by the deadlines shown:
|
Courses |
Deadline |
|
At least 2 of: Finance 1, Financial Accounting 1, Management Accounting 1 |
End of year 1 |
|
All 3 level 1 courses above |
End of year 2 |
|
At least 2 of: Finance 2, Financial Accounting 2, Management Accounting 2 |
End of year 2 |
|
All level 1 and 2 courses |
End of year 3 |
If you do not meet these deadlines in the absence of an agreed exemption, you will be excluded from further study.
The Honours entry requirement in section 9 does not apply to the BAcc.
6.4 BEng and MEng
To progress each academic session, you must achieve at least 110 credits at grade D3 or above, with the remaining credits at grade E3 or above.
For award of the degree, you must also achieve:
- grade D3 or above in your substantial independent work at first attempt; and
- from year 2 to graduation, you can have no more than 30 credits in total at grades E1-E3.
If you do not meet these requirements, you will be considered for transfer to the BSc (with or without Honours) if you meet the relevant requirements for that degree.
6.5 BFin
You must achieve grade D3 or above in the following courses by the deadlines shown:
|
Courses |
Deadline |
|
Finance 1, Economics 1A, Economics 1B |
End of year 1 |
|
Finance 2 |
End of year 2 |
|
All level 1 and 2 courses |
End of year 3 |
If you do not meet these deadlines in the absence of an agreed exemption, you will be excluded from further study.
The Honours entry requirement in section 9 does not apply to the BFin.
6.6 BSc and MSci in Computing Science and Software Engineering
For the following programmes:
BSc/MSci Computing Science, BSc/MSci Software Engineering, BSc Electronics & Software Engineering, MSci Software Engineering with Work Placement
To progress within the degree and for award you must achieve, in each academic session from year 3 onwards, grade E3 or above in all courses and grade D3 or above in at least 100 course credits per academic session.
6.7 LLB
The Honours entry requirement in section 9 does not apply to the LLB. The number of Honours credits to be taken is set out in the relevant LLB programme specification. Any level 1 or 2 credits taken in year 3 do not count towards the GPA calculation used for Honours classification.
7. Ordinary Degrees
To graduate with an Ordinary degree, including the BA, you must achieve:
- at least 360 credits;
- grade D3 or above in at least 60 credits at level 3 or above; and
- a GPA of at least 9.0.
Your award may have an endorsement of Merit or Distinction, which is calculated from your grades at first attempt. The Assessment Regulations detail how this operates.
The Ordinary degree can be an award in its own right. It is also available as an exit award if you leave one of the degree programmes below before completing it.
Where the Ordinary degree is awarded as an exit award, then if you have completed courses worth more credits than are required we calculate your GPA using only the credits needed for the award. We select the combination that gives you the highest possible GPA, provided that any courses identified as compulsory for that award are included.
8. Degrees with Honours: Overview
Single Honours: You study one subject area (also called an Honours subject) in depth. At least 180 of the 240 credits making up your Honours curriculum must be in your Honours subject area. Up to 60 Honours-level credits may be in other subject areas, provided you meet relevant entry requirements.
Joint Honours: You study two subject areas equally. You take 120 credits (or slightly above) in each subject area at Honours level. Note you will only complete one piece of substantial independent work. Unless specified otherwise in the programme specification (for example, for accreditation reasons), this work may be in either of your two subject areas.
Endorsements: If you have a significant (at least 40 credits) body of study in a secondary area at Honours level, your College may choose to offer a degree title to you which may include an endorsement reflecting this study (for example, 'MA Liberal Arts with History' or 'BSc Physics with Astrophysics' or 'MA (Social Sciences) Economic & Social History with Quantitative Methods'). This applies to pre-arranged combinations which will be advertised to you by your College if they apply, and note not every combination of courses leads to an endorsement.
9. Degrees with Honours: Entry and Progress
To enter Honours at the end of year 2, you must achieve a GPA of at least 12.0 at the first attempt in at least 40 credits of the level 2 courses in your intended Honours subject area (or in each area if you intend Joint Honours).
Some programmes may have additional or higher entry requirements to Honours. These will be published by the relevant School in the academic session before you intend to enter Honours.
If you do not make the requirements for entry to Honours, you may still be admitted at the discretion of the Head of School or their nominee if your performance suggests that you can succeed. This may mean you need to fulfil any remaining requirements for entry during your Honours years.
Being admitted to an Honours programme does not guarantee admission to any particular courses. You will enrol for courses on MyCampus as usual.
To progress between your Honours years, you must achieve a GPA of at least 9.0 in each academic session’s courses.
If you are an intercalated degree student, you are admitted to a one-year Honours programme (made up of Honours courses) on the basis of your clinical degree record (see section 3).
10. Degrees with Honours: Award and Graduation
To graduate with an Honours degree, you must achieve:
- at least 480 credits (600 for MA with Language Year Abroad or Gaelic Immersion);
- at least 120 credits at level 4;
- an average GPA of at least 9.0 across the final year of your Honours curriculum (to progress through your degree you will also have already achieved this for each preceding academic session);
- grade D3 or above in the course of 20 credits or more representing your substantial independent work; and
- completion of any programme-specific requirements in section 6.
Your Honours classification is calculated from the GPAs calculated at the end of each academic session. Classification uses the grades achieved at your first attempt. The Assessment Regulations detail how this operates.
For most programmes, including the BAcc, BD, BEng, BFin, BMus, LLB, MA and some BSc programmes, both years are evenly weighted in your overall Honours GPA.
For BSc Chemistry and BSc Life Sciences, your third year contributes 25% of your Honours GPA, and your fourth year contributes 75%.
For Joint Honours, both subjects are weighted equally in your classification, regardless of the exact credit split.
For intercalated degrees, classification is calculated on all 120 credits of the programme.
11. Integrated Masters: Overview
Integrated Masters are five-year programmes of 600 credits, including Masters level courses (level 5). They are offered in subjects in the Colleges of Science & Engineering, Social Sciences, and Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences.
In the Master in Science (MSci) and Master of Engineering (MEng), you follow the same rules as for the BSc and BEng (see above) for your first two years. The following two sections cover what happens from Year 3 onwards.
For the degrees of Master in Education (MEduc) and Master of Design & Technology Education (MDTechEd), see Appendix 2.
12. Integrated Masters: Entry and Progress
To enter the MEng at the end of year 2, you must have achieved a GPA of at least 14.0 in year 2.
To enter the MSci at the end of year 2, you must have achieved a GPA of at least 15.0 at the first attempt in at least 40 credits of the level 2 courses in your intended subject area (or in each area for students intending a Joint MSci degree), and a GPA of 12.0 in year 2.
If you do not make the requirements for entry to the Integrated Masters, you may still be admitted at the discretion of the Head of School or their nominee if your performance suggests that you can succeed.
To progress within the Integrated Masters, you must achieve the following GPA in each academic session:
|
Programme |
GPA required |
|
MSci |
12.0 |
|
MEng |
14.0 |
If you do not meet this threshold at the end of Year 3, you will move into the corresponding BSc or BEng Honours programme.
If you do not meet this threshold at the end of Year 4, you will be transferred to the degree of BSc or BEng Honours and must complete any missing requirements for that degree within one further academic session.
Being admitted to an Integrated Masters programme does not guarantee admission to any particular courses. You will enrol for courses on MyCampus as usual.
13. Integrated Masters: Award and Graduation
To graduate with an Integrated Masters, you must achieve:
- 600 credits, with at least 120 at level 5;
- grade D3 or above in the course of 20 credits or more representing your substantial independent work at Masters level; and
- completion of any programme-specific requirements in section 6.
Your degree classification is calculated from the GPAs calculated from your course grades in each of Years 3, 4, and 5, and classification always uses the course grades achieved at your first attempt. The Assessment Regulations detail how this operates.
In your overall GPA, the different years of your programme are weighted differently depending on your programme:
|
Weighting |
Programmes |
|
40:20:40 |
MSci programmes with a work placement in School of Mathematics & Statistics and the School of Computing Science |
|
33:33:33 |
MEng, MSci programmes in the School of Physics & Astronomy, MSci programmes without work placement in the School of Mathematics & Statistics and the School of Computing Science, and the MSci in Chemical Physics. |
|
20:40:40 |
MSci Life Sciences |
|
20:20:60 |
MSci programmes in the School of Chemistry (except for Chemical Physics) |
|
10:20:70 |
MEduc; MDTechEd |
Some MSci programmes include a work placement year. If you are on such a programme your College must approve the placement before you begin. If you achieve grade C3 or above in the placement your degree will include 'with Work Placement' in the title. If your grade in the placement is between D3 and D1 and you complete Senior Honours, you will be awarded the degree of BSc Honours with Work Placement rather than the MSci.
If you leave before completing the Integrated Masters or do not complete the industrial placement, you will be considered for the exit awards of:
- BSc Honours or BEng Honours (if you have completed 480 credits at the required standard, including a satisfactory grade in your substantial independent work);
- BSc or BEng Ordinary (if you have completed 360 credits at the required standard);
- Diploma of Higher Education (see section 14).
14. Certificates and Diplomas of Higher Education
The Certificate of Higher Education (CertHE) and Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE) can be awards in their own right. They are also available as exit awards if you leave one of the degree programmes above before completing it.
The requirements for award are:
|
Award |
Credits required |
Level requirement |
GPA required |
|
Certificate of Higher Education |
120 |
– |
9.0 |
|
Diploma of Higher Education |
240 |
At least 80 at level 2 or above |
9.0 |
Your Certificate or Diploma will be named according to your main area of study:
- If the majority of your credits are in one subject area, your award will be in that subject (e.g., 'Diploma of Higher Education in Law').
- If your credits are spread across subject areas, your award will be in a name chosen by your College to represent your general field of study (e.g., 'Certificate of Higher Education in Life Sciences' or 'Diploma of Higher Education in Arts & Humanities').
If you have completed courses worth more than 120 credits (for a CertHE) or 240 credits (for a DipHE), we calculate your GPA using only the credits needed for the award. We select the combination for each session that gives you the highest possible GPA, provided that any courses identified as compulsory for that award are included.
Your award may have an endorsement of Merit or Distinction, which is calculated from your grades at first attempt. The Assessment Regulations detail how this operates.
15. Graduate Certificates and Diplomas
The Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma are awards for candidates who already hold a degree from a recognised institution, or an equivalent qualification.
The requirements for award are:
|
Award |
Credits required |
Level requirement |
GPA required |
|
Graduate Certificate (GradCert) |
60 |
All credits at level 3 or above |
9.0 |
|
Graduate Diploma (GradDip) |
120 |
All credits at level 3 or above with at least 60 credits at level 4 or above |
9.0 |
A Graduate Certificate is available as an exit award if you leave a Graduate Diploma programme before completing it, provided you meet the requirements above.
Your award may have an endorsement of Merit or Distinction, which is calculated from your grades at first attempt. The Assessment Regulations detail how this operates.
16. Study Abroad
Study abroad is available for most programmes, subject to your College or School’s approval. You may study abroad for up to one full academic session (normally 120 credits) or one semester (normally 60 credits).
Credit from study abroad is converted to Glasgow grades upon your return and counts towards your degree, using the published Translation of Grades and Study Abroad policy and its associated conversion tables.
If you are studying a modern language at Honours, you must normally complete a Language Year Abroad. This adds 120 credits to your programme (total 600 credits).
Appendix 1: Partnership Programmes
Some awards are delivered in partnership with other institutions.
Where a programme is delivered jointly with one or more partner institutions, the following apply:
a) Courses taught by a partner institution are assessed by that partner according to its assessment regulations and grading scheme. The equivalence of partner grades to University of Glasgow grades is governed by the grade equivalence table published for your programme.
b) Academic appeals relating to courses taught by a partner institution follow the appeals procedure of that partner institution. Appeals relating to the overall programme follow the University of Glasgow’s procedure.
c) These Regulations refer throughout to academic decisions taken by ‘the School’, ‘an Academic Review Panel’, ‘the Board of Examiners’ or other University of Glasgow decision-making body. For partnership programmes, the University will identify the appropriate equivalent joint academic decision-making body and will advise you about this.
d) Any early exit awards available at the University of Glasgow will be awarded by the University alone.
A1.1 Singapore Institute of Technology
Joint awards with the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) are governed by regulations promulgated by SIT.
A1.2 University of Electronic Science & Technology of China
These BEng programmes are delivered in partnership with the University of Electronic Science & Technology of China (UESTC):
Chengdu campus:
- BEng Electronics & Electrical Engineering with Communications
- BEng Electronics & Electrical Engineering with Information Engineering
- BEng Electronics & Electrical Engineering with Microelectronics
Hainan campus:
- BEng (Hons) Electronics & Electrical Engineering with Communications
- BEng (Hons) Electronics & Electrical Engineering with Information Engineering
- BEng (Hons) Electronics & Electrical Engineering with Microelectronics
These programmes follow the main UG regulations above with the variations below.
Model: You study at one or both institutions under one of three models:
|
Model |
At UESTC |
At Glasgow |
|
2+2 |
Years 1-2 |
Years 3-4 |
|
3+1 |
Years 1-3 |
Year 4 only |
|
4+0 |
Years 1-4 |
N/A |
Your programme specification confirms which model applies to you.
Award: To progress and to graduate, you must achieve:
- grade D3 or above in all courses in all years; and
- a Pass grade in all English language courses.
English language courses: English for Engineering courses are assessed Pass/No Pass rather than on the standard grade scale. If you receive No Pass, you are entitled to reassessment. Reassessment to meet the pass requirement is not subject to the usual limits, only to the maximum period of study.
Exit awards: if you do not complete the BEng, you may be eligible for:
- BSc (Hons) in your Engineering specialism
- BSc (Engineering Studies)
- Diploma of Higher Education (Engineering Studies)
- Certificate of Higher Education (Engineering Studies)
You must meet the English language requirement for any exit award.
Appendix 2: Professional Education Degrees
This appendix covers the following degrees, which lead to a Teaching Qualification recognised by the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS):
|
Degree |
Minimum duration |
Structure |
|
MA in Primary Education with Teaching Qualification (including the Enhanced English, Enhanced Mathematics, and Learning for Sustainability routes) |
4 sessions |
Honours (480 credits) |
|
MEduc with Teaching Qualification (Primary) |
5 sessions |
Integrated Masters (600 credits) |
|
MDTechEd with Teaching Qualification (Secondary) |
5 sessions |
Integrated Masters (600 credits) |
These programmes follow the main UG regulations above except as modified below. Where this appendix doesn’t contradict them, the main regulations apply.
A2.1 Admission
Credit for prior learning is not available for these programmes. For the MA in Primary Education, if you have completed Year 1 of another university programme in Education you may be considered for admission to Year 2, and may be asked to complete a short formative School Experience placement.
A2.2 Length of Study
These programmes must be completed within seven academic sessions from your first registration on the programme.
A2.3 Fitness to Practise
You must assent to your School’s Code of Professional Conduct at the start of each year of study. If you do not assent, you will not be permitted to access teaching, assessment, or School Experience.
If your conduct raises concerns about your fitness to practise, you may be referred to your School’s Fitness to Practise Committee. In serious cases, this may result in exclusion from the programme. See Regulation 36 of the University Regulations for details.
You must be in good standing with regard to Fitness to Practise in order to graduate.
A2.4 School Experience
School Experience (SE) is a compulsory part of your programme. It is assessed on a pass/not passed basis. Your School Experience may be discontinued, or you may be prevented from beginning a School Experience, if there is evidence that continuing would be detrimental to pupils in the school. School Experience results do not contribute to your degree classification. You must attend all mandatory instruction sessions and preparatory briefings before being permitted to attend your School Experience, and you must normally have achieved 80% attendance in all taught courses taken before beginning your School Experience.
A2.5 Progressing Through Your Programme
To progress to the next year, you are required to:
- achieve grade D3 or above in all taught courses (you may be permitted to progress with one course below grade D3, provided you successfully complete reassessment at the next opportunity), including any attendance requirements for the award of credit; and
- be graded as pass in your School Experience.
Should you progress into a year with one course below grade D3 and not meet the requirements for reassessment in that course, an Academic Review Panel will consider your progress.
You may be excluded from the programme if:
- you achieve less than a grade D3 in two or more courses on two occasions in any year; or
- you are not graded as pass in your School Experience in any year on two occasions.
An Academic Review Panel may set aside these exclusion rules and permit one further attempt. If you are given a further attempt and do not meet the requirements after that attempt, you will be excluded.
A2.6 The Teaching Qualification
The Teaching Qualification is awarded by the University, subject to you meeting the relevant Standard published by the GTCS. The Teaching Qualification may only be awarded with a degree with Honours or an Integrated Masters; if you leave the programme before completing Honours, you may receive an exit award (see section A2.9) but this will not include a Teaching Qualification.
A2.7 Religious Education Awards
If you are on one of these programmes, you may also qualify for the Catholic Teacher’s Certificate or the Award in Religious Understanding through participation in designated Religious Education courses and School Experience. Details are in the programme specification.
A2.8 Enhanced Routes
The Enhanced English, Enhanced Mathematics, and Learning for Sustainability variants of the MA in Primary Education have additional requirements for the dissertation topic and for a differentiated School Experience in Year 4; these are set out in the programme specification.
A2.9 Exit Awards
If you leave one of these programmes before completing the full degree, you may be eligible for an exit award. The tables below show what is available. If you graduate with an exit award, you may not return to the programme.
MA in Primary Education programmes:
|
Course credits completed |
Award available |
Includes TQ? |
|
360 (180 from core courses, 9.0 GPA) |
MA in Primary Educational Studies |
No |
|
240 (200 at grade D3+) |
Diploma of Higher Education |
No |
|
120 (80 at grade D3+) |
Certificate of Higher Education |
No |
MEduc with Teaching Qualification (Primary):
|
Course credits completed |
Award available |
Includes TQ? |
|
480 (400 at grade D3+, SE passed) |
MA (Hons) in Education with TQ (Primary) |
Yes |
|
480 (460 from MEduc curriculum, grade D3+) |
BA (Hons) (Primary Education) |
No |
|
360 (300 at grade D3+ from core curriculum, 9.0 GPA) |
BA (Primary Education) |
No |
|
240 (190 at grade D3+ from core curriculum) |
Diploma of Higher Education (Primary Education) |
No |
|
120 (80 at grade D3+ from core curriculum) |
Certificate of Higher Education (Primary Education) |
No |
MDTechEd with Teaching Qualification (Secondary):
|
Course credits completed |
Award available |
Includes TQ? |
|
480 (420 at grade D3+, SE passed Y1-4) |
BDTechEd (Hons) with TQ (Secondary) |
Yes |
|
480 (470 from curriculum, 450 at grade D3+) |
BDTechEd (Hons) without TQ |
No |
|
360 (310 at D3+ from core curriculum, 9.0 GPA) |
Bachelor of Design & Technology Studies |
No |
|
240 (200 at grade D3+ from core curriculum) |
Diploma of Higher Education (Technological Education) |
No |
|
120 (100 at grade D3+ from core curriculum) |
Certificate of Higher Education (Technological Education) |
No |