Taught Masters Assessment Framework
Changes to Regulations for Taught Master's Level Awards
The rules for assessment for all taught Masters level awards are changing for new students from September 2006. All students commencing courses on or after September 2006 will be governed by the new Senate Regulation 3. Any student who is continuing postgraduate studies and who started their course before September 2006 will continue to be governed by the old Senate Regulations - available here.
Under new Senate Regulation 3 assessment is carried out using grade descriptors and students are awarded grades for modules and individual elements of assessment within modules.
In order for a student to achieve a particular Masters level award, a minimum here.
At the module level, if a module has more than one assessment the overall grade for the module is determined by calculating a particular weighted combination of the grades in the individual elements of the module. If any individual assessment of a module receives grade F then the module is failed (but reassessment may be possible). To work out overall module grades please consult the module level assessment calculation tables. Alternatively, you can download an Excel spreadsheet which you can use to calculate module grades for any combination of elements, weightings and grades achieved.
A student who fails to achieve the taught part grade profile required for the award of a Masters degree may normally, as of right, retrieve up to a maximum of 40 credits of assessment and may, at the discretion of the Board of Examiners, be permitted to retrieve a further 20 credits of assessment. A student who fails the dissertation may be permitted to revise and resubmit the dissertation on one occasion only.
Please note that some taught Masters level courses will have slightly different assessment frameworks. For instance some programmes have more than 180-credits and so require a different grade profile. Therefore you should also now check your programme handbook to see if any additional regulations apply.
Please see Senate Regulation 3 for full details.
Links to Documents
- Senate Regulation 3
- Grade Descriptors
- Grade Profile Table
- Table setting at minimum credit required by grade
- Module Level Assessment Grade Calculation tables (Word Document)
- Module grade calculator (Excel spreadsheet)
- An Introduction for Staff to Revisions to Senate Regulation 3
- Supplementary Guidelines for Schools on the Implementation of Revised SR3 2006
