Academic Regulations
Academic Regulations
Academic Regulations
1.2 The Senate is the body responsible to Queen Mary’s Council for the management of academic activity,
including academic standards and the quality of programmes leading to awards of Queen Mary and of
the University of London (Ordinance A15). The Senate delegates responsibility for certain matters to
other bodies and individuals.
1.3 The Academic Regulations will be approved by the Senate, normally in advance of their coming into
effect.
1.4 The Academic Regulations 2023-24 take effect from 1 August 2023 and apply to programmes and
modules leading to awards or academic credit from Queen Mary or the University of London, and to -
students (including associate students) registered on those programmes and modules. Specifically,
they apply to all students registering for the first year of a programme from 1 August 2023 except for:
i a student admitted with accredited prior learning to a subsequent (eg second) developmental
year of a programme. The regulations for the cohort joined apply, here.
ii a student transferred within Queen Mary to another programme. The regulations for the cohort
joined apply, here.
iii a student changing programme duration (eg from a four-year to a three-year programme). The
regulations for the cohort joined apply, here.
iv where a programme has approved special regulations that deviate from the standard regulations.
v where it is otherwise specified in these regulations.
1.5 The processes of enrolment and registration confirm a student’s acceptance of Queen Mary’s Charter,
Ordinances, regulations, rules, and other policies and codes of practice. This forms the basis of the
contract between Queen Mary and the student.
1.6 All references to the ‘Academic Regulations’ include programme, module, and special regulations.
Awards
1.7 Queen Mary holds and exercises independent degree awarding powers, and – under the Ordinances of
the University of London – delegated powers to make awards in the name of the University of London.
All awards are made in the name of Queen Mary University of London unless special regulations apply.
The awards covered by these regulations are:
Undergraduate awards
Delegated authorities
1.8 The Senate delegates authority for the consideration of achievement, progression, awards, and other
related matters for taught programmes to the Subject and Degree Examination Boards. More details
are available in the Assessment Handbook, which is approved by the Senate.
1.9 The Senate delegates authority for the management of academic quality and standards, including
development of academic policy, to the Education Quality and Standards Board. More details are
available in the Education Manual, which is approved by the Education Quality and Standards Board.
1.10 The Senate delegates authority for the consideration of achievement, progression, and awards for
research students, and programme approval and amendment for research programmes, to the
Research Degrees Programmes and Examinations Board. More details are available in the Education
Manual, which is approved by the Education Quality and Standards Board.
1.12 The Senate delegates authority for the development, approval, management, and review of
partnerships and other initiatives with external partners to the Partnerships Board. More details are
available in the Education Manual, which is approved by the Education Quality and Standards Board.
1.14 Programme regulations specify requirements for admission, curriculum content and outcomes,
module diets, methods of assessment, and any further requirements for progression or award. Each
programme of study has a programme specification that includes these regulations.
1.15 Module regulations specify the requirements to take complete and pass specific modules. Each
module has approved learning outcomes and assessment methods and weightings, detailed in a
module proposal or amendment form. Any other requirements that must be met to pass a module will
also be detailed in those forms.
1.16 The programme and module regulations in place at the time a student starts that programme or
module apply for the full duration of that study, though amendments may sometimes be made where
the change is to the benefit of the student.
1.17 In certain circumstances Queen Mary may need to amend or withdraw a programme or module.
Normally, an amendment will affect only the next cohort of students to join the programme or module
and students will be formally notified and provided with an opportunity to object, should they wish to
do so, where an amendment would affect the current cohort.
1.18 Once the withdrawal of a programme is approved no further students can be recruited, but the
programme will not be formally withdrawn until no students remain registered on it.
1.20 An exception to the standard application of the approved regulations can only be granted by approval
of a suspension of regulations. Such requests are exceptional, and can only be made where:
i circumstances have arisen that were not foreseen by the regulations; and/or,
ii the application of the regulations would be manifestly unfair to one or more students.
1.22 The outcome of a suspension request will be communicated by the nominee of the Chief Governance
Officer and University Secretary to the requesting body, which will communicate the outcome to any
student or other party involved.
Appeals
1.23 A student may appeal against a decision taken under Queen Mary’s regulations, policies, or procedures
where they believe they have grounds to do so (as set out in the Appeal Policy). Any appeal must be
made within 21 days of the decision being appealed against, and in accordance with the Appeal Policy.
2.2 An applicant who has previously been registered as a student at Queen Mary or elsewhere may not
apply for a programme with significant overlap with the previous programme. Applications will be
considered in line with the Policy on Accreditation of Prior Learning. The Senate, or its delegated
authority, will determine where there is overlap and will be empowered to grant exceptions to this
rule on a case-by-case basis.
2.3 An applicant who has been awarded an exit award from Queen Mary and who wishes to complete their
studies will be considered for admission in line with the Policy on Accreditation of Prior Learning. The
exit award certificate must be returned to Queen Mary before any higher award can be made.
2.4 An applicant who has been awarded an exit award from Queen Mary and who wishes to complete their
studies may be considered for re-admission subject to the following conditions:
i the exit award was not made as a result of failure to meet the requirements for progression or
award;
ii no more than five years have elapsed since the award of the exit award;
iii the applicant returns the certificate for the exit award prior to the award of a higher qualification
being made.
2.5 An applicant who has been awarded Queen Mary credits from modules, either taken standalone or as
part of study toward an intended award, may be considered for readmission, subject to being in good
standing with the university.
2.6 Minimum and maximum permitted durations of study for a student admitted with Accredited Prior
Learning are based upon the time registered on the new programme at Queen Mary, rather than the
normal programme duration (eg a student who directly entered year two of a three-year programme
would have a maximum permitted duration of three years, rather than four).
2.7 Marks for Accredited Prior Learning achieved at other institutions are not used in classification.
Instead the weighting of study will be adjusted, as appropriate to the programme, such that
classification is based solely on credits taken at Queen Mary
2.8 Other than in exceptional circumstances approved by the Head of Admissions a student will not be
admitted directly to the final developmental year of an undergraduate programme, unless they are
studying a programme with an approved collaborative arrangement. In such cases, the prior study
and marks achieved count towards the final award, as agreed through the collaborative arrangement
or at the point of admission.
Fraudulent admission
2.9 Where a student secures admission to Queen Mary based on qualifications, documents or statements
that are found to be false or cancelled, the Senate or its delegated authority will terminate that
student’s registration.
2.11 Each student must comply with the Code of Student Discipline. Behaviour must not interfere in any
way with the proper functioning or activities of Queen Mary or those who work or study at Queen
Mary, and a student must not engage in actions that otherwise damage Queen Mary or that do not
align with Queen Mary’s values.
2.12 A student must check their Queen Mary email account regularly for messages.
2.14 Before registration, a student must ensure that their programme of study and modules are acceptable
to them, and that they can meet the attendance, learning, and assessment requirements. Queen Mary
cannot change programme or module regulations, requirements, or scheduling to meet the needs of
an individual student.
2.15 A student must enrol with Queen Mary at the beginning of their studies and re-enrol at the beginning
of each subsequent academic year of their programme, in accordance with instructions and deadlines
issued by Queen Mary. A student who does not enrol or re-enrol by the specified deadline will be
deregistered and will cease to be a student.
2.16 A student who has not complied with all requirements for enrolment or re-enrolment may be
temporarily enrolled for a specified period. During that period the student may attend classes and use
Queen Mary facilities. If, at the end of that period, the student has still not met all of the requirements
then they will be deregistered and will cease to be a student.
2.17 An individual not registered for a programme of study cannot be an enrolled student of Queen Mary.
However, it is possible for a registered student to not be enrolled (eg while on an interruption of
studies or resitting out of attendance). Where registration is terminated, enrolment is also terminated.
2.18 An individual who is not enrolled or registered cannot use Queen Mary facilities except where this is
expressly approved on the delegated authority of the Senate. A student who is registered but not
enrolled (eg on an interruption of studies or while resitting out of attendance) may have limited access
to some facilities.
2.19 An enrolled student may take a temporary break from their studies, known as an interruption. The
procedure and conditions are detailed in the Interruption of Study Policy.
2.20 A student who fails to provide the following on request will have their registration and enrolment
terminated, and will cease to be a student:
i evidence that they hold immigration permission with conditions that do not restrict them from
undertaking their programme of study in the country or territory where they are studying; or,
ii evidence that they are exempt from immigration control in the country or territory where they are
studying.
Personal details
2.21 A student must provide documentary evidence of identity on initial enrolment; this may be required in
advance. A student who enrols or registers under a false name or identity, or with other information
that is subsequently found to be false, will be deregistered and will cease to be a student.
2.22 A student must inform Queen Mary of their personal and term-time addresses on enrolment and
inform Queen Mary in writing or by other prescribed means of any subsequent change of address.
2.23 All letters, transcripts, certificates and awards will be issued in the name under which a student is
enrolled. Any request to record a change of name must be made in writing, or by other prescribed
means, and supported by appropriate documentary evidence. Queen Mary will not issue revised
documents where a graduate has changed their name after graduation unless there has been an
administrative error, or where the graduate has undergone gender reassignment.
2.24 Each student will be issued a student identity card upon enrolment. A student must always carry this
when on Queen Mary premises, including the Students’ Union, and when participating in Queen Mary
or Students’ Union activities. Queen Mary reserves the right to exclude from any campus, building or
activity a student who cannot produce their current identity card upon demand. If an identity card is
lost or stolen, the student is responsible for arranging a replacement; Queen Mary reserves the right to
charge a fee for this replacement.
2.25 The Queen Mary student identity card includes a photograph showing the full head and face. There
must be no head-covering in the photograph unless it is worn for medical or religious reasons. In no
circumstances can the face be covered in the photograph. Queen Mary reserves the right to check the
identity of any student by comparison of the student’s face and the photograph on the identity card.
2.26 Queen Mary reserves the right to require any student to undertake relevant Occupational Health and
Disclosure and Barring Service checks in order to continue on the programme; this may be required as
a condition of admission, or at any time in a student’s studies, or both. Failure to comply with this
regulation or to meet set deadlines to engage with the clearance process may result in the student
being deregistered from Queen Mary, or in a recommendation or requirement for the student to
interrupt their studies.
2.28 A student who has been absent because of illness or an infectious or contagious disease may be
required to produce medical certification of fitness to study or practice before being permitted to
resume study at Queen Mary.
2.29 A student not deemed fit to study or practise after a required medical examination may be
deregistered from Queen Mary or may be advised or required to interrupt their studies.
2.30 A student on a medical or dental programme must inform the Queen Mary Health Centre if they are, or
have reason to believe that they may be, an infectious carrier of any disease or condition specified by
the Senate, or its delegated authority, as requiring notification.
2.32 An individual in debt to Queen Mary from a previous registration will not be permitted to enrol as a
new student until the debt is cleared.
2.33 Queen Mary will determine a student’s fee status and resulting university fees upon application in
accordance with the University Fee Regulations. Once determined, a student’s fee status cannot
change during their period of registration except under conditions specified in those regulations.
Queen Mary reserves the right to increase fees at any time and without prior notice, normally for
implementation in the next academic year.
2.34 Queen Mary may charge an application fee and/or a fee deposit during the process of admission. The
provisions governing application fees and fee deposits are published in the University Fee
Regulations.
2.35 Arrangements and acceptable methods for the payment of university fees are stated in the University
Fee Regulations, and are dependent on each student’s fee status and programme of study.
Exceptionally, Queen Mary may approve arrangements for a self-financing student to pay by
instalments; a student who defaults on the agreed instalments will immediately become liable for the
full outstanding balance. University fees are not normally refundable.
2.36 A student must make arrangements for the payment of their university fees at the beginning of each
academic year as a pre-condition of enrolment or re-enrolment. Exceptionally, a student may be
temporarily enrolled for a specified period to make arrangements for the payment of fees. If the
student has not made satisfactory payment arrangements by the end of that period then they will be
deregistered and will cease to be a student.
2.37 University fees include fees for registration and examinations (including resits), but exclude fees for
retakes or first takes (where a student repeats the teaching for one or modules), or for field trips.
2.38 A student with university fee debts is not entitled to receive formal confirmation of results or
progression from one year to the next, or any award of Queen Mary or the University of London.
2.40 Queen Mary will issue a formal, written notification of the intention to deregister the student and a
specific deadline by which they must pay the relevant fee or charge. Where payment is not received by
that deadline, the student’s registration and enrolment will be terminated and they will cease to be a
student. A student may appeal against deregistration where they believe they have grounds to do so,
in accordance with the Appeal Policy.
2.41 A student may leave Queen Mary before completing their programme of study. Where this is an active
decision initiated by the student this is known as ‘withdrawal’. Where the action is taken by Queen
Mary it is known as ‘deregistration’ (used in situations including where a student has failed to meet
the requirements for engagement, exhausted all opportunities to pass or progress in their
programme, or reached the maximum permitted duration of study). Both withdrawal and
deregistration lead to the immediate termination of registration and enrolment, upon which the
individual ceases to be a student of Queen Mary.
2.42 A student will not normally be admitted to a new programme of study until at least 12 months have
passed following deregistration or withdrawal. Exceptions will be considered for approval on a case-
by case basis by the Senate, or its delegated nominee (the Head of Admissions).
2.43 In accordance with its statutory obligations, Queen Mary will report when an individual ceases to be a
registered student to the relevant governmental and other external agencies. These include but are
not limited to: UK Visas and Immigration, the Student Loans Company, Local Education Authorities,
any other sponsors, and Transport for London.
Duration of study
2.44 Each programme has a normal duration of study. Where this is not explicitly specified at the point of
programme approval it will be set at the minimum period of time in which the programme can be
completed where full module loads are taken according to the mode of study.
2.45 The minimum duration of study to be eligible for award is one third of the normal duration.
2.46 The maximum duration of study is the normal duration plus one year (excepting the MBBS and BDS
programmes, where it is the normal duration plus two years). A student who exceeds this limit will
have their registration and enrolment terminated and will cease to be a student. Queen Mary may also
deregister a student where it is no longer possible for a student to complete a programme within the
remaining period of permitted maximum duration.
2.47 Interruptions of study, first takes, and years of intercalation do not count towards the duration of
study. Retakes, and periods spent resitting (or first sitting) out of attendance do count towards the
duration of study.
2.48 In exceptional circumstances, Queen Mary may extend a student’s maximum permitted duration of
study. This requires support from the student’s school or institute, which will submit a formal request
to the Student Records Office for consideration by the Director of Registry Services (or nominee).
2.49 A person cannot simultaneously be registered for a programme of study at Queen Mary and another
programme of study (at Queen Mary or elsewhere) without the express permission of the Senate, or its
delegated authority (the Head of Admissions, or nominee).
2.50 Intercalated medical and dental programmes are an exception to the rule on concurrent study. A
student remains registered on their primary programme while undertaking the intercalated
programme. There must be no overlap between the intercalated programme and the subsequent year
of the primary programme unless the intercalation period is for a postgraduate programme.
Change of programme
2.51 When Queen Mary makes an offer to study at Queen Mary, it is for the programme specified in the offer
communication. Requests to change programme will only be considered exceptionally, only where
places are available, and only where the conditions below are met. A request to change programme
requires approval from the relevant Head of School (or nominee) and, for applicants and first-year
students, the Head of Admissions (or nominee).
i an applicant may only change programme at the offer stage if they meet the published entry
requirements for the intended programme.
ii a first-year student may only change programme if they meet the published entry requirements
for the intended programme and all published requirements for the intended programme up to
the point of transfer, including registration for or satisfactory completion of all specified modules.
iii a student in a subsequent year of study may only change programme if they meet all published
requirements for the intended programme up to the point of transfer, including registration for or
satisfactory completion of all specified modules.
Modes of study
2.52 Each programme has one or more specified modes of study. These relate to the intensity (full-time,
part-time, flexible mode) and the nature of study (on campus, study abroad/on placement, distance
learning). Change of mode of study is not permitted unless the programme allows for this (eg some
programmes are available in full-time and part-time modes). A programme may include different
modes of study in different developmental years; this is normally limited to variation in the nature
rather than the intensity of study.
2.54 In addition to these modes of study a student may, subject to a decision of an examination board, be
registered to resit out of attendance (taking resit or first sit assessments without attendance) or to
retake or first take one or more modules (repeating the teaching and assessment in attendance as a
consequence of either failure or extenuating circumstances).
Developmental years
2.55 The term ‘developmental year’ refers to one year of full-time study, or the equivalent workload where
study is not full time. Where study is not full time, a developmental year may extend over more than
one academic year. There will normally be a progression point at the end of each developmental year.
2.57 An undergraduate student must take modules to the value of 120 credits in a full-time academic year.
A postgraduate (taught) student must take the prescribed volume of credit (typically 60 credits for a
Postgraduate Certificate, 120 credits for a Postgraduate Diploma, and 180 credits for a standard one-
year masters award) in a full-time developmental year.
2.58 Queen Mary will set expectations and minimum requirements for a student’s engagement with
teaching, learning, and assessment for their programme of study; these will be published by the
student’s school/institute. ‘Attendance’ does not always require physical attendance, eg distance-
learning students ‘attend’ through participation in teaching, learning and assessment activities.
Failure to comply with these requirements may result in deregistration.
2.59 Queen Mary will specify term, semester, and examination dates, and hours of operation. Teaching,
learning, and assessment will be delivered in these periods. A student must be available to participate
in these activities during the published periods and hours of operation. Occasionally, these activities
may occur outside of the periods specified as term or semester dates (eg field trips); dates will be
published in advance, and students are still expected to attend these activities.
2.60 A student must not be absent from Queen Mary during term-time without obtaining written
agreement in advance from their Head of School/Institute (or nominee).
2.62 Where a student fails to meet the published requirements for engagement, the Head of
School/Institute (or nominee) will issue the student with a formal warning in writing, and give a
specified period in which to improve one or more of attendance, participation, and submission of
assessments. If the student does not satisfactorily improve their engagement then they will be
deregistered. Before deregistering a student with a declared mental health disability, the
School/Institute must consult with the Mental Health Coordinator (or deputy) in the Disability and
Dyslexia Service and hold a meeting with the student under the Fitness to Study Policy with a member
of the Disability and Dyslexia Service present. Where a student holds a Student visa (formerly called
Tier 4 immigration permission), Queen Mary is obliged to report non-engagement to UK Visas and
Immigration, and may deregister a student without this formal warning process.
2.63 A student may appeal against a deregistration decision if they believe they have grounds to do so, in
accordance with the Appeal Policy.
Module registration
2.64 A student must register for modules each year in accordance with instructions from their school or
institute and the specified requirements of their programme of study by the specified deadline. A
student who does not register for a module is not permitted to undertake teaching, learning, or
assessment for that module.
2.65 An enrolled student who fails to complete module registration by the specified deadline will not be
able to make their own selections. The student’s school or institute will make selections for the
student, including where there would normally be an element of choice.
2.66 Once a student’s module choices have been confirmed, the student will not normally be permitted to
make any further changes. A student will only be permitted to change modules more than two weeks
into the teaching of a module in exceptional circumstances.
2.67 Many programmes of study include modules designated as ‘compulsory’ (must be taken) and ‘core’
(must be taken and must be passed). Rarely, a student may have taken the same module or a directly
equivalent module previously, at Queen Mary or elsewhere. In these circumstances a Head of
School/Institute (or nominee) may seek approval from the Senate or its delegated authority (the
Director of Registry Services (or nominee) to exempt a student from a particular module. In such cases
the module must be replaced with one or more alternatives to bring the student up to the required
credit load for award.
2.68 Each module has an ‘academic level’ indicating its relative complexity, intellectual challenge, depth of
learning, and expected level of learner autonomy. A minimum 75 per cent of credits taken by a student
in any developmental year must be at, or higher than, the academic level corresponding to that
developmental year. Individual programmes and awards may specify higher requirements (eg, all
modules taken in the final year of an MSci or MEng programme must be at level 7).
Study abroad
2.70 Some programmes of study include a compulsory year of study overseas; these have specific
regulations detailed in Section 4 of these regulations. Other programmes do not include a compulsory
year of study overseas but a student may spend one semester studying overseas at another institution
of university status with whom Queen Mary has an approved exchange agreement. In those cases the
regulations below apply.
2.71 A student who wishes to study for a semester abroad must complete an application process, following
procedures managed by the Global Opportunities Office.
2.72 To be eligible to study for a semester overseas, a student must pass all modules from developmental
years prior to the period abroad and achieve a weighted average mark of 60.0 or higher up to the
relevant point in the weightings 1:3:6:6 (for years 1:2:3:4).
2.73 A student cannot study abroad in the first year or in the final semester of a programme of study.
2.75 While studying for a semester abroad, a student is subject to the regulations and policies of the host
institution. This includes reassessment; some institutions do not offer resits, and in those cases a
student will have only one attempt to pass the modules.
2.77 When a student withdraws or is deregistered they will receive marks for any assessment(s) completed
up to that point, or else marks of zero. A student is not entitled to resit if they have withdrawn or have
been deregistered.
2.78 A student does not need to pass a module to complete it (although ‘successful’ completion of the
module does require a pass). A module is completed when a student passes, fails, or withdraws from
the module or programme of study, or is deregistered from the programme of study.
2.80 A student who does not meet the requirements to pass a module will fail that module. This will
normally be because the module mark achieved is lower than the module pass mark, but it is possible
to fail with a module mark above the module pass mark. This is known as ‘qualified failure’ and occurs
when a student fails to meet additional conditions for passing the module, as specified in the module
regulations. Qualified failure is recorded with a grade of ‘FQ’, and the mark will be reduced to 39.0
(where the module pass mark is 40.0) or 49.0 (where the module pass mark is 50.0).
2.81 The module pass mark for all postgraduate taught modules and for level 7 undergraduate modules is
50.0. The module pass mark for other undergraduate taught modules is normally 40.0. Special
regulations detail any exceptions to these rules; notably, the MBBS, BDS, BSc Oral Health, and FdCert
Clinical Foundation Studies (undergraduate awards) have module pass marks of 50.0.
2.82 A student will receive a mark of zero if they fail to attempt an assessment (recorded as 0NS, to indicate
non-submission). This will be used in the calculation of the module mark.
2.83 The module mark is held to one decimal place. It is calculated using the marks for each summative
element of assessment for the module, using the approved weightings from the module specification.
Resits
2.85 A student has a maximum of two attempts to pass a module – the first attempt, and one resit. In rare
circumstances the resit may be replaced by a retake. MBBS and BDS students also have two attempts
but may, under prescribed circumstances and at the discretion of the examination boards, be granted
an exceptional third attempt.
2.86 A resit is a second or subsequent attempt to pass a module, by reassessment. A resit does not allow or
require attendance at classes. Marks and credit achieved for a resit count towards the developmental
year in which the module was taught, not the year in which the resit occurs (where this differs).
2.87 A student cannot resit a module that has been passed. This includes circumstances where a student
has passed a module overall but has failed one or more elements of assessment. Additionally, a
student who meets the requirements for an award is not entitled to take any remaining resit
opportunities; where the minimum award requirements are met, the award will be made.
2.88 Where a student resits one or more assessments for a module, the mark for the module will be capped
to the minimum pass mark.
2.89 If a student fails a module at both the first attempt and resit then the higher module mark (calculated
using the best of the two marks for each element of assessment) will stand; this is known as the ‘best
fail’.
2.90 Resits can take two forms: ‘standard’ or ‘synoptic’. The module specification will state which form
applies. Where standard reassessment is used, the marks for assessments passed at the first attempt
stand; a student resits only the failed elements, the results of which are combined with those from the
elements passed previously. Where synoptic reassessment is used, the results from the first attempt
are set aside and the student will resit one or more new elements of assessment that, together, will
count for 100 per cent of the module mark (normally, but not always, a single assessment).
2.91 A student due to resit (or first sit) must do so at the next available opportunity; deferral is not
permitted. However, if a student is abroad as part of their programme of study at the next available
opportunity they will be permitted to resit at the next opportunity after their return, without penalty.
1
As noted above, level 7 undergraduate modules and all modules on certain undergraduate programmes
have a module pass mark of 50.0. In those cases, any mark below 50.0 will have a grade of F (Fail).
2.93 A student will be automatically registered to take any available resits (or first sits) at the next normally
available assessment opportunity. The student may opt out of an assessment opportunity by
following the published procedure, but in doing so will forfeit any remaining attempts to pass the
module. In circumstances where this would leave the student unable to achieve the intended award
outcome this may result in their deregistration.
2.94 If a student does not attempt a resit (or first sit) assessment for which they are registered, it will count
as one of their permitted attempts at the module and the student will receive a mark of zero for the
assessment (recorded as 0NS, to indicate non-submission). This mark will be used in the calculation of
the module mark. In circumstances where this would leave the student unable to achieve the
intended award outcome this may result in their deregistration.
2.95 Visiting associate students are subject to the same provisions as Queen Mary students, except for the
timing of the next available assessment opportunity after the first attempt:
i for semester one-only associate students this will occur by the end of the main examination
period, with the results approved at the June meeting of the Subject Examination Board.
ii for full-year and semester two-only associate students this will occur by the end of the late-
summer examination period, with the results approved at the August Subject Examination Board.
2.96 The award of academic credit relates to achievement in individual modules. A student who passes a
module will receive academic credit.
2.97 Each module has a specified credit value agreed at the point of approval. The volume of credit
awarded when a module is passed is fixed and does not vary in accordance with the level of
achievement (which is reflected in the module mark).
2.98 Certain programmes (normally leading to postgraduate taught awards) allow for the award of credit
where a module is failed, subject to certain conditions. This is known as ‘condoned failure’.
2.99 A student cannot normally repeat the teaching for a module. In the limited circumstances where this
is permitted it is known as a ‘retake’ (or, where it was awarded based on extenuating circumstances, a
‘first take’). Retakes and first takes are distinct from ‘resits’ and ‘first sits’; in the latter cases a student
will repeat only the assessment for a module and not the teaching.
2.100 A retake/first take involves attendance at classes and completion of all elements of assessment,
whether previously failed or not. A student cannot retake a module that was passed and cannot
normally first take a module that was passed.
2.103 A student’s transcript will list all attempts at a module (ie both the original attempt and any retake/
first take).
2.104 A retake or first take can only be awarded on the recommendation of a Subject Examination Board
and with the approval of the associated Degree Examination Board.
2.105 A retake or first take must be taken at the next available opportunity. If a student fails to do so, the
missed retake/first take will count as one permitted attempt at the module irrespective of whether the
student actually registered for the attempt.
Retakes
2.106 A retake will only normally be recommended where it is not practically possible to resit a module (ie
where assessment requires regular attendance, eg in laboratory facilities).
2.107 A retake counts as one of the permitted attempts at a module and is awarded instead of a resit
opportunity. Module results are capped to the minimum pass mark unless special regulations apply.
First takes
2.108 A first take may be recommended where extenuating circumstances impacted meaningfully upon a
student’s attendance and performance for one or more modules and where there is good reason why
the student did not interrupt their studies at the proper time.
2.109 A first take replaces the original teaching and does not count as an additional attempt. The results for
the first take are not capped, and normal resit provision will apply. A student on the MBBS or BDS
programmes will normally need to first take a full year, rather than individual affected modules.
Awards
2.110 Eligibility requirements for individual awards are detailed in later sections of the Academic
Regulations. This section details policies common to all awards.
2.111 Awards of Queen Mary are conferred by the approval of a Degree Examination Board, on the
recommendation of Subject Examination Board.
2.112 An award will be made once a student meets the minimum requirements for award. A student who
meets the minimum award requirements but has resit or first sit attempts remaining will not be
eligible to take those resits or first sits (though a Degree Examination Board may approve an exception,
for first sits only).
2.113 The ‘field of study’ (the degree title, for example ‘English’) for an award will be the title approved by the
Senate or its delegated authority.
Classification Mark
2.114 The Classification Mark is an aggregate mark that reflects a student’s overall performance across their
programme of study. The Classification Mark always factors in weightings from modules of different
credit values, and normally also factors in year weightings. It is held to one decimal place and is always
calculated as if the required volume of academic credit was taken. In most cases the Classification
Mark will determine the classification of a student’s award. The means of classification and the means
of calculating the Classification Mark are detailed in the Academic Regulations specific to each award.
2.115 The borderline classification policy can be used to recommend a higher award classification than that
indicated by a student’s Classification Mark where specified criteria are met and the Subject
Examination Board agrees, with collective academic judgement, that the higher classification better
reflects the student’s overall performance. The policy does not apply to awards that do not classify
using the Classification Mark (notably the BDS and MBBS awards).
2.116 The borderline classification policy can only be used to recommend a higher classification where the
following conditions are met. There is no discretion at the pass/fail border, as this represents a
minimum standard of achievement for the award.
i each student with a Classification Mark within 1.5 per cent of a borderline (except at the pass/fail
border) is determined to fall within the ‘zone of consideration’ and will be considered as a
possible case for application of the borderline policy;
ii a student falling within the zone of consideration and with at least half of their final year credits
(half of ‘all’ credits for postgraduate taught awards) with marks at the level of the upper
classification (or higher), will be raised to the higher classification.
iii Where the final year includes advanced standing credits from another institution, only Queen
Mary credits will be considered in the borderline policy (ie at least half of the ‘Queen Mary’ credits
must be at or above the level of the higher classification).
iv Where a student studies on a part-time basis, all modules comprising the full-time equivalent final
year will be used in the borderline policy.
2.117 The borderline policy is applied after the initial award and classification calculations. Where an award
has specific requirements for marks in particular modules (eg a minimum dissertation/project mark
for Merit or Distinction level), those rules take precedence over the borderline policy (ie if a student
meets the borderline policy requirements but does not meet the dissertation/project requirement, the
classification will not be raised).
Exit awards
2.118 An exit award is an award at a lower level than that for which a student initially registered. An exit
award may be recommended where a student meets the requirements for the lower level award and
where the student has either withdrawn or been deregistered. Where a student has been deregistered
the nature of the deregistration will be considered when determining whether or not to recommend
an exit award. Certain programmes do not permit exit awards or attach special conditions to exit
awards (eg alternative fields of study).
i Master of Clinical Dentistry (MClinDent) (the next highest award is the MSc).
ii Master of Science (Euromasters) (MSc (Euromasters)) (the next highest award is the MSc).
iii Master of Arts (MA), Business Administration (MBA), Laws (LLM), Research (MRes), Public
Administration (MPA), or Science (MSc).
iv Postgraduate Diploma (PgDip).
v Postgraduate Certificate (PgCert).
vi Certificate in Learning and Teaching (as an exit award from the PgCert Academic Practice, only).
2.120 Exit awards for undergraduate programmes have the following hierarchy. A student will be awarded
the highest linked award for which they meet all requirements:
i Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS), Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) (the next
highest award for the BDS and the MBBS is the BSc).
ii Master in Science (MSci) (the next highest award is the BSc), Master of Engineering (MEng) (the
next highest award is the BEng or BSc (Eng))
iii Bachelor of Arts (BA), Engineering (BEng), Laws (LLB), Medical Science (BMedSci), Science (BSc)
Science (Economics) (BSc (Econ)), or Science (Engineering) (BSc (Eng)).
iv Ordinary Degree (only used as an exit award).
v Graduate Diploma (GradDip) (not used as an exit award).
vi Graduate Certificate (GradCert) (only used as an exit award for the GradDip).
vii Foundation Degrees in Arts (FdA) and Science (FdSc) (not in use as intended or exit awards).
viii Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE).
ix Certificate of Higher Education (CertHE).
x Foundation Certificate (FdCert)
2.121 If a student has passed more than the minimum required volume of academic credit for the exit award
then the best of those credits will be used to calculate the Classification Mark, to the volume of credit
required for that award.
2.122 An exit award will be classified according to the standard classification conventions for the relevant
award, excepting the provision of the next regulation.
2.123 An undergraduate exit award not available as an intended award in its own right (Ordinary Degree,
GradCert, DipHE, and CertHE) at Queen Mary will be classified using a Classification Mark that is a flat
average of the marks for the modules used towards the exit award rather than using the year-
weighting algorithm specified in the progression and award regulations.
Aegrotat awards
2.124 An aegrotat is an unclassified award. It may be recommended for a student who has taken all modules
required for award but who was absent from the final assessment for the programme due to illness or
other medical cause judged sufficient by the Subject Examination Board. Exceptionally this may also
apply to a student who completed the assessments but whose performance was adversely affected by
serious illness or another cause judged sufficient by the Subject Examination Board, or where a
student has died. An aegrotat award will only be made where there is no reasonable prospect of a
student being able to return to complete the programme. Where the intended award would have been
made with Honours, the aegrotat will also be issued with Honours.
2.125 A student who meets the requirements for the award for which they are registered cannot be
considered for an aegrotat award.
2.127 A student may accept or decline the offer of an aegrotat award. If they accept, the award will be
conferred and the student will cease to be eligible for any remaining assessments. If they decline, the
student may take the missed or failed assessments as first sits, where applicable, and will cease to be
eligible for the aegrotat award.
2.128 A graduate who requests a duplicate award certificate must confirm that the original certificate has
been lost. Only one copy of each award certificate can be in circulation at any time.
Revocation of awards
2.129 The Senate, or its delegated authority, may revoke an award made under these regulations. A
revocation made in a graduate’s favour (eg to replace an award with one with a higher classification)
requires approval from the relevant Degree Examination Board (or Chair). Where it would not be in the
graduate’s favour, approval from the President and Principal (or nominee) is required.
3.1 The Academic Regulations on assessment cover core requirements and rights for students in relation
to assessment. Further assessment policies and procedures are detailed in the Assessment Handbook,
while the Assessment Strategy informs the design of assessments.
3.2 This section of the regulations does not apply to postgraduate research students, to whom separate
regulations apply.
Assessment schemes
3.3 Each module will have an approved scheme for assessment and reassessment, designed to test
specified module aims and learning outcomes. This will be detailed in the module specification. A
student will be informed of the approved assessment scheme as soon as possible and no later than
the start of the module.
3.4 Exceptionally, Queen Mary may use its discretion to use assessment methods other than those
detailed in the module specification for an individual student. This may occur as an adjustment for a
student with a registered disability (on the advice of the Disability and Dyslexia Service) or when
setting a resit or first sit assessment, subject to the following conditions:
i the alternative assessment must involve some additional assessment activity that constitutes a
justifiable and efficient assessment of the intended learning outcomes; and,
ii a full statement of the alternative assessment methods, and the justification for their use, is
approved by the Subject Examination Board Chair and submitted to the Directorate of
Governance and Legal Services (DGLS).
3.5 Where a module has been withdrawn, the standard assessment scheme will normally be offered for
only one year after the discontinuation date. A Subject Examination Board may impose an alternative
assessment scheme beyond that date.
Setting an assessment
3.6 The design and setting of assessment is the responsibility of the relevant module organisers and
internal examiners, in accordance with the approved module regulations, Assessment Handbook, and
Assessment Strategy. In some cases (eg examinations) assessments are also subject to approval from
the relevant Subject Examination Board and external examiner(s). In other cases (eg some
professional capability assessments) approval from the relevant professional body may be required.
Marking an assessment
3.7 Marking is conducted in line with the policies detailed in the Assessment Handbook. Each element of
assessment has a marking scheme or set of assessment criteria used to determine the mark and/or
grade awarded. The range of marks and grades available for an assessment normally matches that in
use for the associated module; exceptions include elements of assessment that are assessed on a
pass/fail basis, and schemes that only use certain marks/grades within the range.
Academic misconduct
3.9 Academic misconduct is cheating (or attempted cheating) that occurs in relation to an assessment. It
includes, but is not limited to, plagiarism, examination offences, falsification of data, collusion, use of
a ghost-writing service, impersonation, and breach of any of the Academic Regulations on Assessment
Queen Mary takes any allegation of academic misconduct seriously, and will investigate it in
accordance with the Academic Misconduct Policy. Penalties for academic misconduct can be severe,
including failure with no right of resit, and expulsion from Queen Mary.
Assessment types
3.10 Queen Mary recognises five categories of assessment, within each of which is a wide variety of
assessment types. These are primarily administrative divisions, but there are policies and regulations
specific to certain categories, especially examinations. Those that relate to students are detailed
below. The high-level assessment categories are:
i invigilated examination (coded as EXM (when centrally administered) or EXN (when administered
by a school/institute)).
ii coursework (CWK).
iii practical assessment (PRA).
iv dissertation or project (DIS).
v professional capability assessment (CAP).
Invigilated examinations
Examination timetable
3.11 Queen Mary will generate an individual examination timetable for each student, giving the dates,
times, and venues for all invigilated examinations for their registered modules. Forgery of an
examination timetable is an offence and will be investigated under the Academic Misconduct Policy.
3.12 The full examination timetable for the main May/June examinations session will be published at least
three weeks before the date of the first examination. Amendments to the timetable may be necessary,
and will be published alongside the main timetable.
3.13 Each student is responsible for informing themselves of the dates, times, and venues of their
examinations, for checking their personal timetable and querying possible errors or omissions, and for
checking for any amendments to the full examination timetable.
Arriving at an examination
3.15 A student should arrive at the examination venue in good time to consult the seating plan (displayed
outside the venue). Students will normally be admitted to the venue five minutes before the
scheduled start time, to find their allocated desks. A student must sit only at their allocated desk.
3.16 The examination will begin at the published time. If this is not possible for any reason then the senior
invigilator will record this in their report. Once the examination begins, a student will be under
examination conditions until an invigilator terminates the examination or until the student completes
their attempt and leaves the venue.
3.17 A late student will be admitted to the venue up to 30 minutes after the start of the examination. A
latecomer will only be admitted after that point if no other student sitting the same examination has
left the venue. A latecomer will not receive any additional time.
3.19 An internal examiner familiar with the examination subject must be either present or contactable for
the full duration of each invigilated examination to provide any required clarifications. Clarifications
will be limited to the correction of typographical errors or misprints; in no circumstances will an
examiner or invigilator elucidate a question. Any clarification will be announced to all students via the
senior invigilator, who will also make a written record of the announcement.
3.21 A student not in possession of a Queen Mary student identity card will not be permitted to sit an
examination unless they are issued with a temporary examination permit – on production of
photographic evidence – by the Directorate of Registry Services.
3.22 A student must write their student identity number, name, and signature in the appropriate places on
the answer script (and only in those places), in accordance with the written instructions. Any
exception will be clearly stated on the answer scripts, announced by an invigilator at the start of the
examination, and repeated as necessary. During the marking process, only the student identity
number will be visible to the internal examiners.
3.24 A student must not bring food or drink other than bottled water into an examination venue, unless
this is for medical reasons.
3.26 All mobile telephones and other electronic devices, regardless of location, must be switched off and
deactivated for the duration of an examination so that they cannot be used or cause disturbances. A
device that causes a disturbance will be confiscated by the invigilators, who will make a record and
inform the student that the incident will be investigated under the Academic Misconduct Policy.
3.27 Certain examinations allow the use of electronic calculators. A student will be informed in advance if
this is the case and must comply with any specified requirements or restrictions on permitted devices.
All calculators must be compact, hand-held, quiet, have their own power supplies, and not form part
of a communications or electronic entertainment device (eg a mobile telephone). Possession or use of
stored information or prepared programmes is not permitted and will be investigated under the
Academic Misconduct Policy. The student is responsible for ensuring that the device is in working
order and for providing in advance for alternative means of calculation if the device fails. The name
and model of calculator used must be stated on the answer script.
3.28 A student must wear clothing that shows the full head and face for the purposes of identity checks.
There must be no head or face covering unless these are worn for religious or medical reasons. Where
a head or face covering is religious or medical, a student must still prove their identity by checking
against the student identity card on request, in an appropriate manner.
3.29 An invigilator may inspect any item brought into an examination venue by a student and may require
a student to empty their pockets. Failure to comply will be recorded by the invigilators and
investigated under the Academic Misconduct Policy.
3.31 A student under examination conditions possessing or using unauthorised materials (including when
not actually in the examination venue) will be investigated under the Academic Misconduct Policy.
3.32 All work, including rough work, must be completed on the stationery provided. Work that the student
does not wish to be assessed should be clearly crossed out. Use of correction fluid is not permitted.
3.33 A student must write legibly. Illegible handwriting will not normally be transcribed, nor will a student
be permitted to dictate the contents. Any part of a script deemed illegible by an examiner will
normally be awarded no marks. Exceptions may apply where a student has a registered disability that
was declared to the Disability and Dyslexia Service.
3.34 All answers must be given in English, unless the question paper states otherwise. The use of English-
foreign language dictionaries is not permitted unless specifically authorised in the question paper.
3.36 A student must not communicate, or attempt to communicate, with anyone other than an invigilator
(or a member of staff invited to do so by an invigilator). A student wishing to attract the attention of an
invigilator must do so without causing a disturbance.
3.37 A student who causes an unnecessary disturbance in an examination venue may be required to leave.
This will be recorded by the invigilators and investigated under the Academic Misconduct Policy.
3.38 If an invigilator suspects a student of academic misconduct then they will inform the student, mark
the student’s answer script with their initials, make a record of the incident, and confiscate any
prohibited materials. The student will be permitted to continue with the examination, using a new
answer script if necessary. The invigilators will prepare a written report as soon as possible after the
end of the examination and submit this for investigation under the Academic Misconduct Policy.
3.39 In the event of emergency evacuation of an examination venue (eg a fire alarm), a student must follow
the instructions of the invigilators. Question papers, answer scripts, and personal items must be left in
the venue. Students remain under examination conditions and must not attempt to communicate, to
allow the examination to recommence.
3.40 By attending an examination, a student declares that they are ‘fit to sit’. If a student is taken ill during
an examination and does not feel able to continue, the invigilators will make a record of the incident.
The student may submit a claim for extenuating circumstances with evidence in the usual way, but
this will only be accepted if the student was fit to sit on entering the venue but – for unforeseen
reasons – became ill during the examination. In these circumstances, any work completed up to the
point at which the student left the venue will become null and void, irrespective of whether the
extenuating circumstances claim is subsequently upheld; the student will be treated as if they had
never attended the examination.
3.41 A student who wishes to leave the examination venue temporarily may do so, with permission from an
invigilator. A student cannot leave during the first 30 minutes or the final 15 minutes of an
examination, though in exceptional circumstances related to illness or other unexpected cause an
invigilator may permit this. A student who leaves an examination temporarily will be accompanied by
an invigilator, and a record will be made.
3.42 A student who has completed their attempt before the end of the examination may leave the venue
once their answer script has been collected, but not in the first 30 or final 15 minutes.
3.43 At the end of the examination, a student must stop writing immediately when instructed, and remain
quietly in their seat until all answer scripts and question papers have been collected and permission
to leave is given. A student is responsible for ensuring that:
i all answer scripts are firmly tied together and labelled with their student identity number (or
name, or other details, as directed).
ii all answers are clearly labelled with the relevant question number.
iii all required information on the front of the answer script(s) is given in full.
iv all completed answer scripts are handed to the invigilator. Any script (or part of a script) that is
not handed in by the end of the examination will not normally be marked.
3.44 A student will be informed of the arrangements for assessments other than invigilated examinations
at the start of the relevant module. This will include details such as the assessment brief and – where
relevant – the specified word limit and any penalty for exceeding that limit. A student must adhere to
these arrangements.
3.45 For assessments that must be attended (rather than submitted), such as presentations and in-class
tests, a student will be informed of the date, arrangements, and rules at least three weeks in advance
of the assessment.
3.46 For assessments that must be submitted (rather than attended), such as written coursework and
dissertations/projects, a student will be informed of the submission deadline and any specified
submission method at the start of the module.
3.47 A student unable to submit/complete an assessment by/on the specified date due to medical or other
valid reasons beyond their control may submit a claim for extenuating circumstances.
i For every period of 24 hours, or part thereof, that an assignment is overdue there will be a
deduction of five per cent of the total marks available (eg five marks for an assessment marked
out of 100). After seven calendar days (168 hours or more late) the mark will be reduced to zero
and recorded as 0FL (zero, fail, late).
ii A student may submit work of passing standard but fail the module because of the late
submission penalty. Where the student is eligible for a resit attempt in such a case, the student
will not be required to resubmit the assessment; instead, the pre-deduction mark from the first
attempt will be entered for the resit. Where a student is not eligible for a resit this provision does
not apply.
iii Certain assessments may cease to be a valid measure of a module’s learning outcomes prior to
the seven calendar day cut-off. For example, where feedback has been provided to the class and a
submission made after that point would not be an accurate measure of attainment. In such cases
the late submission policy will apply as normal up to the day on which feedback is given; at that
point a mark of zero (0FL) will be applied even if this is within seven working days of the deadline.
A school/institute must make it clear to students in advance where this variant policy applies, or
else the general policy will be applied.
iv A late work penalty may be removed where a student provides good reason for the late
submission under the extenuating circumstances policy. A student must submit a formal claim
with supporting evidence in line with that policy for the circumstances to be considered.
v A school/institute may award extensions to submission deadlines. This is at the discretion of the
school/institute. Where a school/institute does consider extension requests, a student must apply
before the submission date with an extenuating circumstances claim and supporting evidence. In
no circumstances will an extension set a new deadline that is after the next meeting of the
relevant Subject Examination Board (though a first sit may be awarded).
3.49 Extenuating circumstances are circumstances that are outside a student’s control and which may
have a negative impact on a student’s ability to undertake or complete any assessment so as to cast
doubt the likely validity of the assessment as a measure of the student’s achievement.
3.50 Queen Mary operates a ‘fit to sit’ policy. This means that if an assessment of any type is attempted or
submitted then that attempt will be marked and counted as the student is deemed to be fit to sit or
submit the assessment. Any subsequent claim for extenuating circumstances will not normally be
considered. There is a special process for a student who falls ill ‘during’ an invigilated examination.
3.51 A student can seek advice on extenuating circumstances from their school/institute, the Advice and
Counselling Service, or the Student Enquiry Centre. The Advice and Counselling Service publishes
written guidance on extenuating circumstances for students.
3.52 A student must submit any claim for extenuating circumstances in writing through the official method.
A claim should be submitted as soon as possible after the assessment (if the circumstances were not
known in advance), and in no case later than three working days before the relevant meeting of the
appropriate Subject Examination Board’s Extenuating Circumstances Sub-board. Schools and
institutes will publish information, deadlines, and submission arrangements to students. A
submission by a member of staff or another student cannot be accepted on a student’s behalf.
3.53 A claim for extenuating circumstances must be accompanied by documentary evidence (outside of
the provision for self-certification, below). Where evidence is awaited, a Subject Examination Board
may defer its decision and empower its Chair to act upon its behalf (normally setting a deadline for
submission of the evidence).
3.54 Students may self-certify up to three separate incidents of extenuating circumstances per academic
year using the approved university self-certification form. This means that these claims will be
considered without the submission of documentary evidence. Each self-certified claim can cover a
period of up to seven calendar days. Self-certification may not be used where PSRBs prohibit their
use; Schools must provide clear instructions to students where PSRB requirements prohibit the use of
self-certification.
3.55 The following are not considered extenuating circumstances, and a claim made solely on one or more
of these grounds will be rejected. The list is not exhaustive.
3.56 An extenuating circumstances claim will be considered by the relevant Subject Examination Board or
by nominated staff from its Extenuating Circumstances Sub-board in line with processes detailed in
the Assessment Handbook. They will approve or refuse the claim, agree what action should be taken,
and inform the student of the outcome.
3.57 Where a Subject Examination Board approves a claim for extenuating circumstances it may approve
or recommend one of the outcomes listed below; outcomes iii and iv require an additional level of
approval, from a Degree Examination Board. The most common outcome is a first sit (outcome i).
i award a first sit. This means that the missed assessment opportunity will not count, and a fresh
attempt will be awarded at the next opportunity. The new attempt retains all characteristics of
the missed attempt, including the attempt number and whether the module mark will be capped.
ii discount the affected element of assessment from the module mark, if it counts for no more than
20 per cent of the module mark. This will only be considered if the Subject Examination Board is
satisfied that all required module learning outcomes can be adequately tested through the
remaining assessments – in most cases a student will be expected to take a first sit.
iii award a first take (repeat the module, including the teaching, without penalty), where the specific
grounds are met.
iv where a final year student meets the minimum requirements for award, defer classification to let
the student take any available first sits at the next available opportunity.
v wholly or partially waive a penalty for late submission of assessment.
3.58 Queen Mary cannot award extra marks as an outcome of a claim for extenuating circumstances.
Assessment is designed to measure achievement, not potential, and marks cannot be awarded for
what a student may have had the potential to achieve.
4.2 Certain programmes have special regulations that diverge from the standard regulations for the
associated awards. These are detailed in the Special Regulations and (for programmes that Queen
Mary runs jointly with other institutions) the Special Regulations for Collaborative Programmes.
4.3 In addition to the award-specific requirements, a student must always complete their programme
within the maximum permitted duration of study and meet any programme specific rules and
requirements for both progression and award (eg taking and passing specified modules or achieving
minimum marks in specified modules).
4.4 If a student fails to meet the minimum requirements for progression or award they may take resits or
first sits where they have attempts remaining and where it would be possible for them to meet the
requirements if they passed those resits or first sits. Where that is not possible the student will be
deregistered; an exit award will normally be issued where the requirements are met. In some limited
circumstances it may be possible for a student at risk of deregistration for failure to meet the
progression requirements to be transferred to another programme for which they do meet the
requirements; this may result in the discounting of some modules to meet the requirements of the
new programme.
Resits
4.5 A student who meets the minimum FdCert award requirements at the June examination board may
opt to defer the award and take any outstanding resits/first sits in the late summer assessment period.
This is an exception to the standard procedure. A student must submit any such request to the
Programme Director (or nominee) in writing, no less than 24 hours before the meeting of the relevant
Degree Examination Board. A student who accepts the award in June forfeits any remaining attempts.
Award requirements
4.6 To be eligible for the award of a Foundation Certificate (FdCert), a student must:
Classification
4.7 The FdCert award is classified using the Classification Mark, as below. The Classification Mark is the
weighted average mark for the developmental year.
Progression requirements
4.9 These regulations apply to a student in the first developmental year (‘foundation year’) of an
undergraduate programme with an integrated foundation year. To progress from the foundation year
to the subsequent developmental year, a student must:
4.10 A student who meets these requirements will, for subsequent developmental years, follow the
regulations for the appropriate bachelors or integrated masters award detailed in this edition of the
Academic Regulations. Marks and credits achieved during the foundation year will not count towards
the progression or award requirements for the bachelors or integrated masters programme.
Award requirements
4.11 To be eligible for the award of a Certificate of Higher Education (CertHE), a student must:
i take 120 credits, including a minimum 90 credits at academic level 4 and no more than 30 credits
at level 3; and,
ii pass a minimum 105 credits, including at least 90 at level 4 or higher and excluding any at level 3;
and,
iii achieve a Classification Mark of 40.0 or higher.
Classification
4.12 The CertHE award is classified using the Classification Mark, as below. The Classification Mark is the
weighted average mark for the developmental year.
Special regulations
4.13 The following programmes have special regulations that specify exceptions to these regulations:
Progression requirements
4.14 To progress from the first to the second developmental year of a DipHE, FdA, or FdSc, a student must:
i take 120 credits, including a minimum 90 at level 4. Pass a minimum 90 of those credits; and,
ii achieve a weighted average year mark of 40.0 or higher; and,
iii fail (after resit) no more than 30 credits in any one developmental year.
Award requirements
4.15 To be eligible for the award of a DipHE, FdA, or FdSc, a student must complete the programme and:
i take 240 credits (120 per developmental year), including a minimum 90 credits at each of
academic levels 4 and 5, a maximum 30 credits at level 3, and a maximum 150 credits at level 4;
and,
ii pass a minimum 210 credits, including at least 90 at level 5 or higher and excluding any at level 3;
and,
iii achieve a Classification Mark of 40.0 or higher.
Classification
4.16 The DipHE, FdA, and FdSc Classification Mark, is calculated as follows:
Year 1 Year 2
4.17 The DipHE, FdA, and FdSc awards are classified using the Classification Mark, as below.
Award requirements
4.18 To be eligible for the award of a Graduate Certificate (GradCert), a student must:
i take 120 credits, including a minimum 90 credits at level 6 and a maximum 30 at level 5 or lower;
and,
ii pass a minimum 105 credits, including at least 90 at level 6 or higher and excluding any at level 3;
and,
iii achieve a Classification Mark of 40.0 or higher.
Classification
4.21 The GradDip award is classified using the Classification Mark, as below. The Classification Mark is the
weighted average mark for the developmental year.
Ordinary Degree
4.22 The Ordinary Degree is a bachelors award that is awarded without honours. It exists only as an exit
award; a student cannot be registered or enrolled for an Ordinary Degree.
Award requirements
4.23 To be eligible for the award of an Ordinary Degree, a student must:
Classification
4.24 The Ordinary Degree award is classified using the Classification Mark, as below. The Classification
Mark is the credit-weighted average of the best 360 credits, including a minimum 60 credits at level 6.
Progression requirements
Standard bachelors programmes
4.26 To progress from one developmental year to the next on a standard BA, BEng, LLB, BSc, BSc (Econ), or
BSc (Eng), a student must both:
i a student on a programme with a compulsory year abroad must pass all modules and achieve a
minimum weighted average mark of 60.0 rather than 40.0 to progress to the year abroad. Failure
to meet that requirement will result in transfer to the version of the programme without a year
abroad. This requirement does not apply to compulsory placement years.
ii a compulsory extramural year does not count towards a student’s classification but must be
passed. To pass an extramural year, a student must take 120 credits and pass a minimum 90
credits (following the pass/fail standards of the host institution, for a compulsory year abroad).
Failure to pass will result in transfer to the version of the programme without an extramural year.
iii while studying for a compulsory year abroad, a student is subject to the regulations and policies
of the host institution. This includes reassessment; some institutions do not offer resits, and in
those cases a student will have only one attempt to pass each module.
Award requirements
i take 360 credits (120 per developmental year 3), including a minimum 90 credits at each of levels 4,
5 and 6, and a maximum 150 credits at levels 3-4 (of which a maximum 30 may be at level 3); and,
ii pass a minimum 315 credits, including at least 90 at level 6 or higher and excluding any at level 3;
and,
iii achieve a Classification Mark of 40.0 or higher.
Bachelors programmes with a compulsory extramural year (year abroad or placement year)
4.30 To be eligible for the award of a BA, BEng, LLB, BSc, BSc (Econ), or BSc (Eng) with a compulsory
extramural year (except for BA Modern Languages programmes in the School of Languages,
Linguistics and Film), a student must:
i take 480 credits (120 per developmental year), including a minimum 90 credits at each of levels 4,
5 and 6, and a maximum 150 credits at levels 3-4 (of which a maximum 30 may be at level 3); and,
ii pass a minimum 315 credits (excluding the extramural year), including at least 90 at level 6 or
higher and excluding any at level 3; and,
iii pass the extramural year; and,
iv achieve a Classification Mark of 40.0 or higher.
2
This regulation does not apply to BA programmes in modern languages in the School of Languages,
Linguistics and Film. Special regulations apply.
3
Except for degree apprenticeship bachelors programmes, where students take 90 credits per year for four
years.
4.32 The BA, BEng, LLB, BSc, BSc (Econ), and BSc (Eng) awards are classified using the Classification Mark,
as below.
Special regulations
4.33 The following programmes have special regulations that specify exceptions to these regulations:
i All BSc and BEng programmes accredited by the Engineering Council (EngC) in the School of
Electronic Engineering and Computer Science and in the School of Engineering and Materials
Science.
ii BSc in Accountancy [Flying Start] in the School of Business and Management.
iii BSc (Econ) in Applied Finance in the School of Economics and Finance.
iv BA Modern Languages programmes in the School of Languages, Linguistics and Film.
v BSc in Oral Health in the Institute of Dentistry.
vi All LLB programmes in the Department of Law (including Senior Status programmes)
vii Senior Status LLB programmes in the Department of Law.
4
Percentage weightings with decimal points are approximate, for guidance. Official calculations are made
using the weighting units.
4.34 The programme leading to an intercalated Bachelor of Science (BSc) or Bachelor of Medical Science
(BMedSci) award will only be available to a student currently registered for an MBBS, BDS, or BVetMed
degree of the University of London (or an equivalent programme at another institution in the United
Kingdom or the European Union) and who has completed modules to the value of at least 240 credits
on that programme, where there is no break in studies between the other programme and the
intercalated programme. Additional admissions requirements may also apply.
Award requirements
4.35 To be eligible for the award of an intercalated bachelors award, a student must:
i take 120 credits, including a minimum 90 credits at level 6, and a maximum 30 at levels 4 or 5; and,
ii pass a minimum 105 credits, including at least 90 at level 6 or higher; and,
iii achieve a Classification Mark of 40.0 or higher.
Classification
4.36 The intercalated bachelor’s award is classified using the Classification Mark, as below. The
Classification Mark is the weighted average mark for the developmental year.
Progression requirements
i a student on a programme with a compulsory year abroad must pass all modules and achieve a
minimum weighted average mark of 60.0 rather than 40.0 to progress to the year abroad. Failure
to meet that requirement will result in transfer to the version of the programme without a year
abroad. This requirement does not apply to compulsory placement years.
ii a compulsory extramural year does not count towards a student’s classification, but must be
passed. To pass an extramural year, a student must take 120 credits and pass a minimum 90
credits (following the pass/fail standards of the host institution, for a compulsory year abroad).
Failure to pass will result in transfer to the version of the programme without an extramural year.
iii while studying for a compulsory year abroad, a student is subject to the regulations and policies
of the host institution. This includes reassessment; some institutions do not offer resits, and in
those cases a student will have only one attempt to pass each module.
Award requirements
Standard integrated masters programmes
4.40 To be eligible for the award of a standard MEng or MSci, a student must:
i take 480 credits (120 per developmental year), including a minimum 90 credits at each of levels 4,
5 and 6 and 120 at level 7, and a maximum 150 credits at levels 3-4 (of which a maximum 30 may
be at level 3); and,
ii pass a minimum 420 credits, including at least 90 at level 7 and excluding any at level 3; and,
iii achieve a Classification Mark of 40.0 or higher.
Integrated masters programmes with a compulsory extramural year (year abroad or placement year)
4.41 To be eligible for the award of an MEng or MSci with a compulsory extramural, a student must:
i take 600 credits (120 per developmental year), including a minimum 90 credits at each of levels 4,
5 and 6 and 120 at level 7, a maximum 30 credits at level 3, and a maximum 150 credits at level 4;
and,
ii pass a minimum 420 credits (excluding the year abroad), including at least 90 at level 7 and
excluding any at level 3; and,
iii pass the extramural year; and,
iv achieve a Classification Mark of 40.0 or higher.
4.43 The MEng and MSci awards are classified using the Classification Mark, as below.
Special regulations
4.44 The following programmes have special regulations that specify exceptions to these regulations:
i All MSci and MEng programmes accredited by the Engineering Council (EngC) in the School of
Electronic Engineering and Computer Science and in the School of Engineering and Materials
Science.
ii all MEng programmes in the School of Engineering and Materials Science.
Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS)
4.45 The BDS degree is awarded by Queen Mary University of London, however it is also governed by the
General Dental Council (GDC) to ensure that the graduand meets the criteria for registration. The
programme may therefore be amended / altered to reflect changes in the GDC guidelines as well as
Queen Mary expectations of a graduate programme.
General requirements
Definitions
4.46 The following definitions apply to the award of BDS:
i Part: a constituent part of the examinations and assessment leading to the degree of BDS;
ii Section: a component of the Part;
iii Core studies: compulsory elements of the BDS programme, which are organised as modules and
threads;
iv Module: A discrete portion of the programme;
v Selected study component and electives (SSCs): these provide opportunities for choice of study
area, for study in depth and for study periods spent outside the school. The range of SSCs
available may vary from year to year. SSCs will be assessed as part of continuous assessment;
vi Elective: a period of up to two weeks of selected study related to the programme;
vii Continuous assessment: in-course assessment and assessed coursework.
Exemptions
4.49 No advanced standing is permitted for the BDS programme.
4.51 Professional behaviour will be assessed at various points in the course using a variety of assessment,
appraisal, self-evaluation and reporting techniques. A student whose professional behaviour is
deemed to be less than satisfactory may be required to attend a specific remedial programme, or be
referred for counselling or health care, or be required to repeat part of the programme to demonstrate
improved performance.
4.52 Professional behaviour encompasses personal honesty and integrity, self-awareness and thoughtful
conduct towards patients, teaching and hospital staff and fellow students. It also includes attendance,
punctuality, reliability, appropriate dress, and personal health and hygiene.
4.53 Clinical performance and experience will be monitored throughout the course. A student whose
clinical performance is deemed to be less than satisfactory may be required to attend a specific
remedial programme or be required to repeat part of the programme to demonstrate improved
performance.
4.54 A student whose attendance, professional attitude and conduct, clinical performance or quality of
work is considered to be unsatisfactory will be warned and, if performance does not improve, may
have their registration terminated.
Structure of examinations
4.55 Examinations for the award of BDS will be in five Parts. Parts 1 and 2 are divided into 4 modules each;
Parts 3, 4 and 5 are each single modules.
Compensation
4.56 No compensation is permitted in any elements in any Part.
4.58 Where a student has been unable to complete the required component of the Part due to acceptable
extenuating circumstances, the Examination Board has the discretion to waive the minimum
requirement subject to:
i the student having completed sufficient in-course assessments / experience to satisfy the
examiners that they have achieved an adequate command of the material; and,
ii the quality of the completed in-course assessments being of a satisfactory standard; and,
iii the student passing any specified additional course work or written element.
i to progress from Parts 1 to 2, a student must pass all the components that comprise Part 1.
ii to progress from Parts 2 to 3, a student must pass all the components that comprise Part 2.
iii to progress from Parts 3 to 4 a student must pass all the components that comprise Part 3.
iv to progress from Parts 4 to 5, a student must pass all the components that comprise Part 4.
Award requirements
4.60 To be eligible for the award of BDS, a student must:
i meet the requirements for the approved programme for which they are registered;
ii meet the requirements for the duration of registration;
iii have fulfilled the requirements for each Part of the award;
iv have met the progression requirements at the end of each Part, and be in Part 5 (the final year).
Classification
4.61 The Degree Examination Board may recommend the award the BDS degree ‘with Honours’.
4.62 The award of honours requires that there be no grades lower than a Merit awarded for any Part of the
Degree as well as achievement of Distinction in Part 4 and Part 5.
4.63 The requirements for the award of Merit or Distinctions in each Part will be set out in the mark scheme
for that Part.
4.65 A BDS exit award will be classified according to the following scale, using a Classification Mark
calculated by taking a mean average of the most recently passed 120 (CertHE), 240 (DipHE), or 360
(BSc) credits:
Professional registration
4.66 A student who has been awarded a BDS may be recommended for full registration by the General
Dental Council provided they successfully meet the criteria for professional development and
undergraduate study that both Queen Mary and the GDC regard as acceptable.
i Part: A discrete period of the programme of study. There are five Parts in the programme that
leads to MBBS: Part 1 is Year 1; Part 2 is Year 2; Part 3 is Year 3; Part 4 is Year 4; and Part 5 is Year 5
of the programme. Each full year of study has a progression point at the end of the year;
ii Section: A component of the Part: either Section A, B, C, D or E. Each Section broadly assesses the
following:
a Section A: In-course assessment, and any other requirements for in-course performance, as
specified in the mark schemes;
b Section B: Core knowledge and its application;
c Section C: Data interpretation (including image recognition) and related core knowledge;
d Section D: Clinical, communication and practical skills;
e Section E: The annual hurdle for the successful completion of non-core, Student-Selected
Components of the programme;
iii Core studies: Elements of the MBBS programme studied by all students, which are organised as
studies of biomedical systems and of people and populations;
iv System: Subjects and study of clinical medicine and its related disciplines. The five systems are:
cardiorespiratory; metabolism; locomotor; human development; and brain and behaviour. Some
elements of the programme may combine systems with other subjects or disciplines for
integrated study;
v People and populations: Subjects or disciplines that relate to individuals and communities. People
and population studies may be included within systems modules and/or delivered separately;
vi Student-Selected Components (SSCs): Short periods of study that are selected by students and
provide for in-depth study. SSCs may occupy no more than 30 per cent overall of the five-year
curriculum, and SSCs may contribute to each Part. Normally, one specified SSC may comprise up
to six weeks of selected study related to the programme, which may be undertaken elsewhere in
the UK or abroad (elective);
vii Continuous assessment: In-course assessment and assessed course work, which may be scored or
graded. In addition, continuous assessment will require satisfactory completion of any personal
and professional development portfolio requirements and any other mandatory measures of
performance.
4.69 Students will normally be permitted to repeat any given year once only.
Exemptions
4.72 A student who has pursued, in this or another university or institution in the United Kingdom, a
programme of study that covers the material contained in the first two academic years (that is, Parts 1
and 2) of the MBBS and has passed the examinations for this, may be admitted directly to the third
year at the start of Part 3.
4.74 A graduate at a standard acceptable to Queen Mary and from an appropriate programme at an
overseas university with which Queen Mary has established a memorandum of understanding may be
admitted directly to the third year at the start of Part 3.
4.76 Professional behaviour encompasses honesty, integrity, avoidance of plagiarism, self-awareness and
thoughtful conduct towards patients, teaching and hospital staff and fellow students. It also includes
attendance, punctuality, reliability, appropriate dress, and personal health and hygiene. The
professional conduct of students is expected to be in accordance with the General Medical Council
guidance: Achieving good medical practice: guidance for medical students and Professional behaviour
and fitness to practise: guidance for medical schools and their students.
4.77 Professional attitude and conduct will be monitored throughout the programme by using a variety of
assessment, appraisal, self-evaluation and reporting techniques. A student whose professional
behaviour or compliance with the programme requirements is deemed to be unsatisfactory may be
required to attend a specific remedial programme or be recommended to undertake counselling or
health care, or be required to repeat a year of the programme to demonstrate improved performance.
4.78 A student whose attendance, professional attitude and conduct and/or quality of work is formally
assessed as unsatisfactory may have their registration and enrolment terminated. A student who fails
to comply with any policy put in place by the School that applies to them may have their registration
and enrolment terminated.
Structure of examinations
4.79 Examinations for the award of MBBS will be in five Parts. Each Part will examine core studies and also
require passes in all SSCs covered by the Part.
4.80 Each Part will normally be in five Sections. Section A, Section B, Section C and Section D assess core
studies. Each of Sections A, B, C and D comprises one or more compulsory assessments. Section E is
the annual progression hurdle for SSCs.
Compensation
4.81 No compensation is permitted between Sections A, B, C, D or E for any Part of the Degree.
4.85 The requirements to pass a Part will be set out in the Scheme for Assessment and Progression for that
Part, which will specify:
Number of attempts
4.87 On successful completion of Section A, a student will normally be allowed two attempts at
examinations in Sections B, C and D: one first attempt or first sit, and one resit attempt.
Resits
4.88 Failure of any element at resit examinations will normally lead to deregistration from the programme.
Resit marks will normally be capped at the pass mark.
Extenuating circumstances
4.90 Queen Mary operates a fit to sit policy. A student wishing to claim extenuating circumstances must not
sit the examination, and must submit an extenuating circumstances form as described in the MBBS
Extenuating Circumstances Policy in the MBBS Assessment and Progression Handbook. Where a
student submits evidence of extenuating circumstances prior to the examination and these are
accepted, the Subject Examination Board may allow the student to preserve their sit status for the
next sitting of the examinations in Sections B, C or D. Where a student attempts an element of
assessment as a first sit, the mark achieved stands; a first sit mark is not capped. Where a student
attempts an element of assessment as a resit, the mark achieved is capped.
4.91 Extenuating circumstances should normally be considered prior to the Subject Examination Board
and late submission will only be considered under exceptional circumstances and at the discretion of
the Examination Board Chair and the Dean for Education.
Retakes
4.92 The Subject Examination Board may give further consideration to any student who is to be
deregistered, or at risk of deregistration, from the programme, as follows:
i where a student, otherwise in good standing, has failed to pass any or all Sections of a Part within
the permitted number of attempts and has a well-documented record of severe difficulties during
the year, the Board may permit the student to retake the year without penalty with resit
provisions operating as if the student is taking the year for the first time. Marks achieved during
the resit year will not be capped.
ii in a very limited number of cases, where a student has failed to pass any or all Sections of a Part at
the second attempt and does not meet the requirements of (i), above, but is deemed to have
sufficient potential to succeed, the Board may permit the student to re-take the year for a third
and final attempt with strict conditions imposed by the Subject Examination Board (such
conditions will be to retake all elements [including those passed] in full attendance and take and
pass all assessments in Sections A, B, C, D and E as required by the mark scheme). Such a student
will be closely monitored and unsatisfactory performance may lead to deregistration at any point
in the year. On passing the Part, such a student will not have their marks capped to the pass mark.
iii where a student fails to pass an examination at the second attempt in the summer examination
period, the Subject Examination Board may exercise its discretion to permit a third sit in the Late
Summer, if the student has a well-documented record of severe difficulties during the year, or is
deemed to have sufficient potential to succeed.
iv if a candidate fails more than one of Sections B, C or D at the first attempt in the Summer sitting
and the Late Summer sitting is less than four weeks from when the candidate is notified of the
failure, the Subject Examination Board may, taking into account previous academic performance,
normally require the candidate to repeat the year before taking their second attempt at the failed
examinations.
4.95 At the discretion of the Subject Examination Board, a student who fails an SSC may resubmit
coursework or repeat the assessment at a subsequent offering, with attendance if required - this
notwithstanding the requirements to pass Section E (the annual SSC hurdle) given in the
Requirements to pass a Section and Part (above).
4.96 Resit examinations will not normally be held for SSC assessments.
4.97 The examiners may require a student to make use of the SSC5b period, normally undertaken
elsewhere in the UK or abroad, to remedy any deficit in core studies for Part 5.
Progression
4.98 To progress from Part 1 to Part 2, a student must pass Sections A, B, C, D and E of Part 1.
4.99 To progress from Part 2 to Part 3, a student must pass Sections A, B, C, D and E of Part 2.
4.100 To progress from Part 3 to Part 4, a student must pass Sections A, B, C, D and E of Part 3.
4.101 To progress from Part 4 to Part 5, a student must pass Sections A, B, C, D and E of Part 4.
i meet the requirements for the approved programme for which they are registered;
ii meet the requirements for the duration of registration;
iii meet the Year and Part requirements for the award;
iv meet the progression requirements at the end of each Part, and pass Part 5 (the final year).
Classification of award
4.103 The Subject Examination Board may award passes ‘with Distinction’, or ‘with Merit’ at each Part.
4.104 Distinctions will be cited on the degree certificate, as they may form a part of the award. Merits will
not be cited on the degree certificate, as they do not form a part of the award.
4.105 A student with a failure in any assessment used to calculate the award of Distinction will not be
eligible for that Distinction.
4.106 The criterion for Distinction will be sustained excellence over a defined period of time. The standards
required for the award of Distinctions will be determined by the Subject Examination Board and
ratified by the Degree Examination Board. The Board will only use marks obtained at first sittings, and
will apply either a criterion-referencing or ranking system to target the top ten per cent of the cohort
for the award.
4.109 A student who does not meet the requirements for MBBS, but meets the requirements for the lower
level award of BSc (Hons), DipHE, or CertHE will be conferred the award for which the requirements
have been met, unless the student has been deregistered. Where a student has been deregistered, the
nature of the deregistration will be considered in deciding whether to recommend an exit award.
Where an exit award is conferred upon a student registered on the MBBS programme, the field of
study will be ‘Medical Sciences’.
4.110 MBBS exit awards will be classified according to the following scale, using a Classification Mark
calculated by taking a flat average of the most recently passed 120 (CertHE), 240 (DipHE), or 360 (BSc)
credits:
Special regulations
4.111 The following programmes have special regulations that specify exceptions or additions to these
regulations:
5.2 Certain programmes have special regulations that diverge from the standard regulations for the
associated awards. These are detailed in the Special Regulations and (for programmes that Queen
Mary runs jointly with other institutions) the Special Regulations for Collaborative Programmes.
5.3 In addition to the award-specific requirements, a student must always complete their programme
within the maximum permitted duration of study and meet any programme specific rules and
requirements for both progression and award (eg taking and passing specified modules or achieving
minimum marks in specified modules).
5.4 If a student fails to meet the minimum requirements for progression or award they may take resits or
first sits where they have attempts remaining and where it would be possible for them to meet the
requirements if they passed those resits or first sits. Where that is not possible the student will be
deregistered; an exit award will normally be issued where the requirements are met. In some limited
circumstances it may be possible for a student at risk of deregistration for failure to meet the
progression requirements to be transferred to another programme for which they do meet the
requirements; this may result in the discounting of some modules to meet the requirements of the
new programme.
Award requirements
5.6 To be eligible for a PgCert award, a student must meet all of the following requirements:
i take 60 credits, including a minimum 45 credits at level 7. Any credits below level 7 must be at
levels 5 or 6.
ii either:
a pass 60 credits; or,
b pass a minimum 45 credits and meet the requirements for condoned failure in the remaining
credits.
iii achieve a Classification Mark of 50.0 or higher.
Condoned failure
5.7 Failure may be condoned in up to 15 credits of modules of an PgCert award where all of the following
conditions are met:
i the module mark for each failed module is 40.0 or higher; and,
ii the credit-weighted average mark across all modules, including the failed module(s), is 50.0 or
higher; and,
iii a failed module is not designated as ‘core’ (must be passed outright) in the programme
regulations.
Special regulations
5.9 The following programmes have special regulations that specify exceptions or additions to these
regulations:
Award requirements
5.11 To be eligible for a PgDip award, a student must meet all of the following requirements:
i take 120 credits, including a minimum 90 credits at level 7. Any credits below level 7 must be at
levels 5 or 6; a maximum 15 may be taken at level 5.
ii either:
a pass 120 credits; or,
b pass a minimum 90 credits and meet the requirements for condoned failure in the remaining
credits.
iii achieve a Classification Mark of 50.0 or higher.
Condoned failure
5.12 Failure may be condoned in up to 30 credits of modules of an PgDip award where all of the following
conditions are met:
i the module mark for each failed module is 40.0 or higher; and,
ii the credit-weighted average mark across all modules, including the failed module(s), is 50.0 or
higher; and,
iii a failed module is not designated as ‘core’ (must be passed outright) in the programme
regulations.
Special regulations
5.14 The following programmes have special regulations that specify exceptions or additions to these
regulations:
Progression requirements
5.16 Certain programmes specify that certain requirements must be met before a student can progress
either from the taught modules to the dissertation/project module or from one year to the next of a
part-time programme. These programmes have approved special regulations. The regulations
detailed below are the standard ones where a hurdle applies, but the special regulations do include
exceptions. A student who fails to meet the progression requirements after exhausting all attempts at
the modules will be deregistered.
Award requirements
5.20 To be eligible for an MA, MBA, LLM, MPA, MRes, or MSc masters award, a student must meet all of the
following requirements:
i take 180 credits, including a minimum 150 credits at level 7. Any credits below level 7 must be at
levels 5 or 6; a maximum 15 may be taken at level 5.
ii either:
a pass 180 credits; or,
b pass a minimum 150 credits and meet the requirements for condoned failureion in the
remaining credits.
iii achieve a Classification Mark of 50.0 or higher.
Condoned failure
5.21 Failure may be condoned in up to 30 credits of modules of an MA, MBA, LLM, MPA, MRes, or MSc
masters award where all of the following conditions are met:
i the module mark for each failed module is 40.0 or higher; and,
ii the credit-weighted average mark across all modules, including the failed module(s), is 50.0 or
higher; and,
iii a failed module is not designated as ‘core’ (must be passed outright) in the programme
regulations.
Classification
5.22 The MA, MBA, LLM, MPA, MRes, or MSc masters award is classified using the Classification Mark, as
below. The Classification Mark is the credit weighted average mark for the full programme of study.
i All MSc programmes accredited by the Engineering Council (EngC) in the School of Electronic
Engineering and Computer Science and in the School of Engineering and Materials Science.
ii MSc in Laparoscopic Surgery and Surgical Skills.
iii MA in Education for Clinical Contexts.
iv LLM in Technology, Media and Telecommunications Law by Distance Learning.
v MSc in Astrophysics (and all exit awards from that programme).
vi MSc in Chemical Research (and PgDip exit awards from that programme).
vii MRes in Clinical Research.
viii MRes in Economics and MRes in Finance
ix MSc in Emergency and Resuscitation Medicine.
x MSc in Endocrinology and Diabetes.
xi MSc in Endodontic Practice.
xii MSc in Gastroenterology.
xiii MSc in Management of Intellectual Property.
xiv MSc in Mathematics (and all exit awards from that programme).
xv MSc in Paediatric Emergency Medicine
xvi MSc in Physician Associate Studies.
xvii MSc in Prehospital Medicine
xviii MSc in Tactical, Military, Operational and Austere Medicine.
Progression requirements
Progression from one developmental year to the next
5.25 An MSc designated ‘Euromasters’ is a two-year full-time programme. A student must meet the
requirements below before they can progress to the second year. Progression must be confirmed by
the Subject Examination Board. A student who fails to meet the progression requirements after
exhausting all attempts at the modules will be deregistered.
i take modules to a minimum value of 120 credits; and,
ii pass modules to a minimum value of 90 credits; and,
iii achieve a minimum mark of 40.0 in each module.
5.26 A student who misses the progression hurdle by 30 or fewer credits due to approved extenuating
circumstances or because late summer resits were not offered may be permitted to progress at the
discretion of the Subject Examination Board.
Award requirements
5.27 To be eligible for an MSc designated ‘Euromasters’ award, a student must meet all of the following
requirements:
i take 240 credits (equivalent to 120 in each developmental year), including a minimum 210 credits
at level 7. Any credits below level 7 must be at levels 5 or 6; a maximum 15 may be taken at level 5.
ii either:
a pass 240 credits; or,
b pass a minimum 210 credits and meet the requirements for condoned failure in the
remaining credits.
iii achieve a Classification Mark of 50.0 or higher.
Classification
5.29 The MSc designated ‘Euromasters’ award is classified using the Classification Mark, as below. The
Classification Mark is the credit-weighted average mark for the full programme of study.
Progression requirements
Progression from one developmental year to the next
5.31 An MClinDent is a two-year full-time programme. A student must meet the requirements below before
they can progress to the second year. Progression must be confirmed by the Subject Examination
Board. A student who fails to meet the progression requirements after exhausting all attempts at the
modules will be deregistered.
Award requirements
5.32 To be eligible for an MClinDent award, a student must:
i take 360 credits (equivalent to 180 in each developmental year), including a minimum 330 credits
at level 7. Any credits below level 7 must be at levels 5 or 6; and,
ii pass 360 credits (condoned failure is not permitted for an MClinDent award); and,
iii achieve a Classification Mark of 50.0 or higher.
Classification
5.33 The MClinDent award is classified using the Classification Mark, as below. The Classification Mark is
the credit-weighted average mark for the full programme of study.
6.2 Programmes that Queen Mary runs jointly with other institutions generally have lengthy and detailed
special regulations. Those are recorded separately, in the Special Regulations for Collaborative
Programmes.
6.3 Failure may be condoned in up to 15 credits of modules where all of the following conditions are met
(this also applies to a PgDip exit award from this programme):
i the module mark for each failed module is 40.0 or higher; and,
ii the credit-weighted average mark across all modules, including the failed module(s), is 50.0 or
higher; and,
iii a failed module is not designated as ‘core’ (must be passed outright) in the programme
regulations.
Blizard Institute
6.4 A PgCert Clinical Research student wishing to change programme to a higher award must have
completed two modules for transfer to the PgDip, or three modules for transfer to the MRes. The
PgCert must not have been awarded prior to the transfer.
6.5 The standard hurdle for progression from the taught modules to the project applies.
MSc in Gastroenterology
6.6 The standard hurdle for progression from the taught modules to the project applies.
6.7 The standard hurdle for progression from one year to the next on a part-time programme applies for
the distance learning version of the programme.
6.8 An MSc in Gastroenterology student may request an alternative field of study that reflects the content
of their taught modules. A student who achieves a pass in the module ‘Neurogastroenterology’,
‘Hepatology’, or ‘Paediatric Gastroenterology’ will be eligible (respectively) for the field of study
‘Gastroenterology (Neurogastroenterology)’, ‘Gastroenterology (Hepatology)’, or ‘Gastroenterology
(Paediatric)’. A student must make their request to the Programme Director, in writing, before the
meeting of the relevant Degree Examination Board.
6.10 The standard hurdle for progression from the taught modules to the project applies.
6.12 Non-standard pass marks apply to certain modules for reasons of professional accreditation
exemptions. The pass marks in use are 40.0, 50.0, and 55.0. Programme information will specify which
pass mark applies to each module.
6.13 To progress from one developmental year to the next a student must:
i. take and pass modules as follows:
a. developmental year one to two: take 120 credits at level 4 in year one. Pass a minimum
90 credits in year one. Achieve a minimum mean average year mark of 40.0 or higher*.
b. developmental year two to three: take 120 credits at level 5 in year two. Pass a
minimum 195 credits across years one and two including the placement module.
Achieve a minimum weighted average mark of 40.0* or higher using the two mean
average year marks in a 1:3 weighting (year one counting for 25 per cent and year two
for 75 per cent of the mark).
c. developmental year three to the final developmental year: take 120 credits at level 6 in
year three. Pass a minimum 315 credits across years one, two and three including both
placement modules. Achieve a minimum weighted average mark of 40.0* or higher
using the three mean average year marks in a 1:3:3 weighting (year one counting for
approximately 14.3 per cent, and each of years two and three for approximately 42.9
per cent of the mark).
ii. fail (after resit) no more than 30 credits in any one developmental year.
iii. meet (or be able, within the regulations, to meet) all programme-specific requirements such as
passing core modules.
* as noted in the preceding regulation, some modules have pass marks higher than 40.0. This means that, in
different years, the minimum weighted average mark required for progression will be higher than 40.0 in
some cases as it will not be possible to meet the other progression requirements without passing those
modules. However, the mark required will never be ‘lower’ than 40.0.
6.14 To be eligible for the award of BSc Accountancy [Flying Start], a student must:
i. take 480 credits (120 per developmental year), comprising 120 credits at each of levels 4 and 5,
and 240 credits at level 6; and
ii. pass a minimum 435 credits, including all core modules and placement modules; and,
iii. achieve a Classification Mark of 40.0 or higher.
6.15 The BSc Accountancy [Flying Start] Classification Mark and classification outcome is calculated using
the algorithm (1:3:3:6 weightings) and bandings for BSc degree apprenticeship programmes as set out
in section 4 of the Academic Regulations.
6.17 Exit awards will have the field of study ‘Dental Sciences’ rather than ‘Oral Health’
6.18 All modules are core, and a student must pass all modules in one year before progressing to the next.
6.19 Where a student is eligible for a retake or first take they will normally need to reattempt the entire
year rather than just the affected module(s).
6.20 The Postgraduate Certificate (PgCert) is not available as an exit award for this programme.
6.21 A non-standard progression hurdle from the taught modules to the project applies. A student must
meet the requirements below before they can progress to the dissertation/project.
6.22 The standard hurdle for progression from one year to the next on a part-time programme applies.
6.23 The CertHE in Applied Finance is a 180 credit programme delivered over two years.
6.24 To progress from developmental year one to year two a student must take 105 credits, pass a
minimum 75 credits, and achieve a credit-weighted year average mark of 40.0 or higher.
6.25 To qualify for the award of CertHE in Applied Finance a student must:
i Take 180 credits, including a minimum 150 at level 4 and a maximum 30 at level 3.
ii Pass a minimum of 150 credits at level 4.
iii Achieve a Classification Mark of 40.0 or higher. The Classification Mark will be calculated using 1:3
weightings for the weighted year average marks of years one:two respectively.
6.26 A student who does not meet the award requirements for the CertHE in Applied Finance will be
considered for the exit award of CertHE in Applied Financial Studies, where they meet the
requirements for that award. The CertHE in Applied Financial Studies is a standard 120 credit CertHE
exit award.
6.27 If a student who successfully completes the CertHE in Applied Finance chooses to undertake the BSc
in Applied Finance, the CertHE will be revoked upon acceptance to the BSc and the credits and marks
from the CertHE programme will count towards the BSc award.
6.28 The BSc (Econ) in Applied Finance is a 180-credit programme delivered over two years. It is designed
to follow on from the CertHE in Applied Finance, and the award of BSc (Econ) in Applied Finance is
based on the 360 credits taken across both the CertHE and BSc (Econ) programmes.
6.29 To progress from developmental year one to year two a student must take 105 credits, pass a
minimum 75 credits, achieve a credit-weighted year average mark of 40.0 or higher, and fail no more
than 30 credits in any one developmental year.
6.30 The award requirements and classification scheme for the BSc Applied Finance are those used for a
Queen Mary BSc (Econ) Degree Apprenticeship. However, the following special conditions apply:
i Students must take 180 credits while registered on the BSc (Econ) programme, of which a
minimum 150 credits must be at level 6.
ii For the purposes of award and classification Queen Mary will consider the results of both the BSc
(Econ) programme and the CertHE programme (or the equivalent advanced standing credit); this
means that the award is based on 360 academic credits. For the purpose of calculating the
Classification Mark, year one of the CertHE is treated as developmental year one, year two of the
CertHE as developmental year two, year one of the BSc (Econ) as developmental year three, and
year two of the BSc (Econ) as developmental year four.
6.31 The MRes in Economics and the MRes in Finance are 240 credit programmes delivered over two
calendar years (120 credits in each year).
6.32 A student must meet the requirements below to progress to the second year. Progression must be
confirmed by the Subject Examination Board. A student who fails to meet the progression
requirements after exhausting all attempts at the modules will be deregistered.
6.33 A student who misses the progression hurdle by 40 or fewer credits due to approved extenuating
circumstances may be permitted to progress at the discretion of the Subject Examination Board.
6.34 To be eligible for the award of MRes Economics or MRes Finance, a student must meet all of the
following requirements:
6.35 A student who does not meet the requirements for the MRes may be eligible for the exit award of
PgDip or PgCert, if the requirements for those awards are met.
6.39 Where a student fails a module but achieves a minimum mark of 30.0 (for modules at academic level
six or lower) or 40.0 (level seven modules) and fulfils all other requirements for progression and
award, academic credit will be issued for the failed module(s) up to the limits specified in these
regulations. This is called a compensated pass.
6.40 To progress from one developmental year to the next on an EngC accredited BEng or BSc programme,
a student must take and pass modules as follows:
i developmental year one to two: take 120 credits including a minimum 90 at level 4 in year one.
Pass a minimum 90 credits in year one, where the mark in any failed modules is at least 30%.
Achieve a minimum mean average year mark of 40.0 or higher.
ii developmental year two to the final developmental year: take 120 credits including a minimum 90
at level 5 in year two. Pass a minimum 210 credits across years one and two, where the mark in
any failed modules is at least 30%. Achieve a minimum weighted average mark of 40.0 or higher
using the two mean average year marks in a 1:3 weighting (year one counting for 25 per cent and
year two for 75 per cent of the mark).
6.41 To be eligible for the award of a EngC accredited BEng or BSc a student must:
i take 360 credits (120 per developmental year), including a minimum 90 credits at each of levels 4,
5 and 6, and a maximum 150 credits at levels 3-4 (of which a maximum 30 may be at level 3); and,
ii pass a minimum 330 credits, including at least 90 at level 6 or higher and excluding any at level 3,
where the mark in any failed module is at least 30%; and,
iii achieve a Classification Mark of 40.0 or higher.
6.42 To progress from one developmental year to the next on an EngC accredited MEng or MSci
programme, a student must take and pass modules as follows:
i. developmental year one to two: take 120 credits including a minimum 90 at level 4 in year one.
Pass a minimum 90 credits in year one, where the mark in any failed module is at least 30%.
Achieve a minimum mean average year mark of 40.0 or higher.
ii. developmental year two to developmental year three: take 120 credits including a minimum 90 at
level 5 in year two. Pass a minimum 210 credits across years one and two, where the mark in any
failed module is at least 30%. Achieve a minimum weighted average mark of 40.0 or higher using
the two mean average year marks in a 1:3 weighting (year one counting for 25 per cent and year
two for 75 per cent of the mark).
iii. developmental year three to the final developmental year: take 120 credits including a minimum
90 at level 6 in year three. Pass a minimum 330 credits across years one, two, and three, where the
mark in any failed module is at least 30%. Achieve a minimum weighted average mark of 60.0 or
higher using the three mean average year marks in a 1:3:6 weighting (year one counting for 10 per
cent, year two for 30 per cent, and year three for 60 per cent of the mark). Exceptionally, a Subject
Examination Board may use discretion to permit progression to the final year with a weighted
average of only 57.0 or higher; in doing so, the Board will consider factors including the strength
of the student’s academic profile and any approved extenuating circumstances.
6.43 To be eligible for the award of an EngC accredited MEng or MSci, a student must:
i. take 480 credits (120 per developmental year), including a minimum 90 credits at each of levels 4,
5 and 6 and 120 at level 7, and a maximum 150 credits at levels 3-4 (of which a maximum 30 may
be at level 3); and,
ii. pass a minimum 450 credits, including at least 90 at level 7 and excluding any at level 3, where the
mark in any failed module is at least 30% at levels 3-6 and 40% at level 7; and,
iii. achieve a Classification Mark of 40.0 or higher.
6.44 To be eligible for an EngC accredited MSc masters award, a student must meet all of the following
requirements:
i. take 180 credits, including a minimum 150 credits at level 7. Any credits below level 7 must be
at levels 5 or 6; a maximum 15 may be taken at level 5.
ii. pass a minimum 165 credits and meet the requirements for compensation in the remaining
credits.
iii. achieve a Classification Mark of 50.0 or higher.
Compensation
6.45 A compensated pass may be granted in up to 15 credits of failed modules of an EngC accredited MSc
masters award where all of the following conditions are met:
i. the module mark for each failed module is 40.0 or higher; and,
ii. the credit-weighted average mark across all modules, including the failed module(s), is 50.0 or
higher; and,
iii. a failed module is not designated as ‘core’ (must be passed outright) in the programme
regulations.
6.48 The standard hurdle for progression from the taught modules to the project applies; in the case of this
three-year programme that also forms a progression point between the second and third
developmental years.
6.51 A student must achieve the minimum specified hours on clinical placement as per the programme
handbook before being permitted to sit end of year exams.
6.52 Students cannot be considered for award where there are outstanding procedures under the
Professional Capability and Fitness to Practice regulations .
6.53 A student who does not meet the requirements for MSc Physician Associate Studies, but meets the
requirements for the lower level award of PgDip or PgCert will be conferred the award for which the
requirements have been met, unless the student has been deregistered. Where a student has been
deregistered, the nature of the deregistration will be considered in deciding whether to recommend
an exit award. An exit award will have the field of study "Healthcare Studies" rather than "Physician
Associate Studies" where any core module is failed:
6.54 The minimum pass mark for assessments, modules, and award is 50.0.
6.55 To pass the integrated programme and progress to the first developmental year of the MBBS or BDS
programme, a student must:
6.56 These regulations apply to the MBBS Graduate Entry Programme (GEP). The standard MBBS
regulations also apply, except where they are superseded by a regulation below.
6.57 The minimum entry requirements for Parts 1 and 2 of the MBBS GEP is a Second Class (Upper Division)
Honours degree.
6.58 The maximum permitted duration of study for the MBBS GEP is six years (the normal duration plus
two years).
6.59 The term ‘Part’ refers to a discrete part of the programme of study. The GEP has five Parts: Parts 1 and
2 form developmental year one of the programme. Part 3 is the second year, Part 4 is the third year,
and Part 5 is the fourth and final year. There is a progression point at the end of each full year of study.
6.60 The MBBS GEP extends over a minimum period of 44 months and comprises four Parts:
6.61 The examinations for the MBBS GEP will be in five Parts. Parts 1 and 2 will assess core MBBS studies
and interprofessional learning (‘Stage 1’). Parts 2, 3 and 4 will assess only core MBBS studies.
6.62 The criteria for distinctions and merits are the same as for the standard MBBS programme.
6.64 Exit awards for the MBBS (GEP) programme are calculated in the same way as MBBS exit awards.
6.65 Some of the standard provisions around compulsory extramural years do not apply. Specifically:
i a student does not need to achieve a minimum weighted average mark of 60.0 to progress to the
year abroad. Instead, a minimum mark of 40.0 is required.
ii the compulsory extramural year does not count towards a student’s classification and does not
necessarily have to be passed.
iii the School of Languages, Linguistics and Film will provide more detailed information, including
the applicability of regulations.
6.66 To be eligible for the award of a BA in Modern Languages in the School of Languages, Linguistics and
Film, a student must:
i take 480 credits (120 per developmental year), including a minimum 90 credits at each of levels 4,
5 and 6, and a maximum 150 credits at levels 3-4 (of which a maximum 30 may be at level 3); and,
ii pass a minimum 315 credits, including at least 90 at level 6 or higher and excluding any at level 3
and the compulsory year abroad; and,
iii achieve a Classification Mark of 40.0 or higher.
6.67 A specified sub-set of modules are designated as foundations of legal knowledge for professional
accreditation as a qualifying law degree (QLD) by the Bar Standards Board of England and Wales
(BSB). To achieve this accreditation, a student must meet the standard requirements for award, and
either:
6.68 To progress from one developmental year one to the next on a senior status LLB programme, a
student must:
6.69 To be eligible for the award of a senior status LLB, a student must:
i take 270 credits (135 per developmental year), including a minimum 90 credits at level 6; and,
ii pass a minimum 240 credits, including at least 90 at level 6; and,
iii achieve a Classification Mark of 40.0 or higher.
Year 1 Year 2
LLM, PgDip, PgCert in Technology, Media and Telecommunications Law by Distance Learning
6.71 The normal and maximum permitted durations of study are as follows, and study will normally be
part-time. A student must normally take a minimum 30 credits in each year of study.
i the module mark for each failed module is 45.0 or higher; and,
ii the credit-weighted average mark across all modules, including the failed module(s), is 50.0 or
higher; and,
iii a failed module is not designated as ‘core’ (must be passed outright) in the programme
regulations.
i the module mark for each failed module is 45.0 or higher; and,
ii the credit-weighted average mark across all modules, including the failed module(s), is 50.0 or
higher; and,
iii a failed module is not designated as ‘core’ (must be passed outright) in the programme
regulations.
6.72 Failure may be condoned in up to 30 (MSc/PgDip) or 15 (PgCert) credits of modules where all of the
following conditions are met:
i the module mark for each failed module is 0.0 or higher; and,
ii the weighted average mark across all modules, including the failed module(s), is 50.0 or higher;
and,
iii a failed module is not designated as ‘core’ (must be passed outright) in the programme
regulations.
6.73 A student may take a maximum 30 credits (MSc or PgDip) or 15 credits (PgCert) of taught modules at
level 6, selected from a list approved by the Head of School.
6.74 Exceptionally, and at the discretion of the Subject Examination Board, a student may request an
alternative field of study that reflects the content of the taught modules and dissertation/project
undertaken. The title will be selected from a list approved by the Programme Director. A student must
make their request to the Programme Director, in writing, at the time of entry to the examinations.
6.75 Failure may be condoned in up to 30 (MSc/PgDip) or 15 (PgCert) credits of modules or where all of the
following conditions are met:
i the module mark for each failed module is 0.0 or higher; and,
ii the weighted average mark across all modules, including the failed module(s), is 50.0 or higher;
and,
iii a failed module is not designated as ‘core’ (must be passed outright) in the programme
regulations.
PgCert in Academic Practice and PgCert in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education
6.77 The Certificate in Learning and Teaching (CILT) is a 30 credit programme with a unique award.
Classification
6.80 The Certificate in Learning and Teaching (CILT) is classified using the Classification Mark, as below.
The Classification Mark is the credit-weighted average mark for the full programme of study.
6.81 The standard hurdle for progression from the taught modules to the project applies.
7.3 The MA in History of Political Thought and Intellectual History follows the standard Queen Mary
regulations in every respect except that a student meeting the requirements for award will receive an
award in the names of both Queen Mary and UCL.
7.4 The following regulations apply to the collaborative BSc (Eng) programmes with BUPT:
1. Introduction
1.1. These regulations apply to students enrolled on the programmes of study leading to the degrees of
BSc(Eng) Electronic Information Engineering, BSc(Eng) Intelligent Science and Technology, BSc
(Eng) in Telecommunications Engineering with Management, BSc in (Eng) E-Commerce
Engineering with Law, and BSc (Eng) in Internet of Things Engineering.
1.2. The general management of the programme of study, including responsibility for the admission of
students, and the organisation of teaching, shall be the responsibility of the Academic Committee,
established in accordance with the contract between BUPT and QMUL. The day-to-day
management of the programme shall be the responsibility of the Programme Directors.
2. Definition of terms
2.1. ‘Technical modules’: modules prescribed as constituting the core technical knowledge for that
Programme (including transferable skills, Management, Business, and Law).
2.2. ‘Minor programme modules’: technical modules taken from another programme to form an
additional strand of study outside the core requirements of the degree. These modules do not
count towards the QMUL degree but marks are recorded and used towards the BUPT degree.
2.3. ‘English Language modules’: modules teaching English.
2.4. ‘Chinese compulsory modules’: modules that are required by the Chinese Ministry of Education but
do not form part of the UK degree.
2.5. ‘Optional modules’: modules that are not related directly to the programme, but are required for
students to be awarded a BUPT degree (a minimum of six Chinese credits).
2.6. ‘Engineering Environment modules’: modules that combine to form the Engineering Environment
component of the UK Honours marks; these exclude technical modules.
2.7. ‘Project’: the independent technical project carried out in the final year. This is a technical module
but is treated differently in the UK Honours calculation.
2.8. ‘Taught technical modules’: technical modules excluding the Project.
2.9. ‘Credit’: a measure of load that is related to the contact hours in the Chinese system.
2.10. ‘Take’: the first attempt at a module.
2.11. ‘First take’: where a student may attempt the module again due to extenuating circumstances,
including attending lectures and laboratories. Marks for first takes are not capped.
2.12. ‘Retake’: where a student fails to progress and must attempt the failed modules again, including
attending lectures and attending laboratories where necessary. Marks for retakes are capped.
2.13. ‘Resit’: where a student may attempt the failed module again without attending lectures and
laboratories again. Marks for resits are capped.
3. Admission
3.1. In order to be eligible for admission to Year 1 of the programme, a candidate shall have obtained
the Chinese entry standard for key universities.
3.2. Any student who secures admission to the programme on the basis of qualifications, documents or
statements that are subsequently found to be false shall have his/her registration terminated, and
shall accordingly cease to be a student.
4. Programme of Study
4.1. The minimum period of study shall be four academic years. The period of study shall normally be
continuous.
4.3. Periods of study shall include periods of interruption unless, exceptionally, the student is given
permission by the Director of the Academic Affairs Office of BUPT to have the interruption excluded
from the period of study.
a. The programme of study will consist of a list of modules published by the Academic
Committee and approved by the Chinese Ministry of Education.
b. The list of modules will show the number of credits allocated to each module.
5.2. Students may not be absent during term-time without the agreement in advance of the
Programme Director.
5.3. A student whose general attendance and/or submission of work is not considered satisfactory by
the Programme Director may have his/her registration terminated.
6. Assessment
6.1. The Programme Directors (in consultation with the Academic Affairs Office of BUPT or with the
Directorate of Registry Services for students studying in London) may approve arrangements for a
student who is ill or otherwise disabled to take his/her examination under special conditions.
6.2. Different marking scales are used by BUPT and QMUL. The marking scale used for assessment
within a module, and for the overall module mark, is determined by the Academic Committee and
is specified in the module descriptor. The relationship between the marks is:
a. A pass mark at BUPT is 60% and for QMUL modules at all levels on the programme it is 40%.
b. The mark showing distinction performance at BUPT is 85% and QMUL is 70%.
c. Marks above the pass mark are mapped as 5: cn = [−0. 05𝑢𝑢𝑢𝑢2 +13𝑢𝑢𝑢𝑢+100]/9
d. Marks below the pass mark are mapped as 6: 𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐 = ||1.5𝑢𝑢||
e. QMUL 99% is mapped to the BUPT scale as 99% rather than BUPT 100%.
f. Irrespective of the scale being used, no mark can be greater than 100%, or less than 0%.
g. The implementation of the mapping between scales is through a lookup table (Section 15)
with marks specified as integers. A separate mapping table is used for each direction.
h. For 2016/17 and earlier cohorts:
Total coursework marks and examination marks are each rounded up to the nearest integer
out of 100; when combining to give the total module mark the result is rounded to the nearest
integer.
For 2017/18 and later cohorts:
Total coursework marks and examination marks are each rounded to the nearest integer out
of 100; when combining to give the total module mark the result is rounded to the nearest
integer.
6.3. To pass a module, a student must complete all specified assessment to the standard required in the
module specification and regulations. In most cases this is a requirement to achieve an overall
module mark above the module pass mark (i.e. 40% UK scale), but some modules specify additional
conditions (e.g. all technical modules have a requirement to pass assessment hurdles [2.15] and/or
[2.16] where required).
6.4. A student who does not meet the requirements to pass a module will fail that module. This will
normally be because the module mark achieved is lower than the module pass mark, but it is
possible to fail with a module mark above the module pass mark. This is known as ‘qualified failure’
and occurs when a student fails to meet additional conditions for passing the module such as an
assessment hurdle. Qualified failure is recorded with a grade of ‘FQ’, and the mark will be reduced to
39 UK scale. Details of reattempting a qualified failure are given in the JP Assessment Handbook.
5
Where cn is the mark on the BUPT scale and uk is the mark on the QMUL scale.
6
Where cn is the mark on the BUPT scale and uk is the mark on the QMUL scale.
6.6. Where a student is required to retake the year (due to academic failure), all components of the
retake modules are reattempted and any previous marks will be replaced. The overall module
marks are capped. Where a student is granted a first take (due to extenuating circumstances), the
marks are not capped.
6.7. Reattempts shall be taken at the next available opportunity except that, in extenuating
circumstances, the Chair of the Examination Board shall have discretion to permit a student to
defer his/her reattempt(s) by not more than one academic year.
6.8. The “next available opportunity” for reattempting examinations will follow the schedule shown in
Appendix I.
a. Students will be permitted to reattempt their failed modules before the end of Year 4 in line
with the schedule shown in Appendix I.
b. Students who fail to graduate at the end of semester 8 will be permitted to take further re--
attempts as available up until the end of the maximum period of 6 years.
6.11. Where a module is withdrawn, examinations will be set to give students three resit attempts.
a. for 2021/22 cohorts onwards, permissible resits of English language modules are to be taken
with other technical modules (CET4 is no longer accepted as a replacement for English
modules for newer cohorts).
b. for 2020/21 and prior cohorts, reattempts of English language modules are to be assessed in
line with the national Chinese examination CET4. A pass in CET4 will be taken as a capped
pass in any English language module previously failed.
c. Jie Ye students who failed English language modules, irrespective of their cohorts, are
permitted to resit English language modules.
a. A student who, through illness or other cause acceptable to the examination board, is
prevented from attending or completing any assessment may be permitted to re-present
him/herself at the next available opportunity as if for the first time.
b. Requests for extenuating circumstances shall be considered by the university teaching that
module in accordance with its own policy, and the decisions reported to the examination
board.
i. For modules taught by BUPT requests will be considered by the Programme Director.
ii. For modules taught by QMUL requests will be considered by an Extenuating
Circumstances Committee that will include at least one Chinese speaker 7.
c. All requests must be made at least five working days before the examination board (for
examinations) and within one week of the student’s return from being ill (or other cause) for
coursework.
6.14. The organisation of assessments for each module on the programme shall be governed by the
regulations of the institution responsible for teaching that module.
6.15. The conduct of assessments for each module on the programme shall be governed by the
regulations of the institution responsible for conducting that assessment.
7. Progression
7.1. To progress, a student must have an accumulated failure of fewer than 20 Chinese credits
outstanding from technical or Chinese compulsory modules.
7.2. In addition to [7.1], a student must have passed 6 technical modules in Year 2 and have
accumulated 12 technical modules from Years 2 and 3 by the end of Year 3 in order to progress.
7.3. A student who has an accumulated failure of 20 Chinese credits or more from technical or Chinese
compulsory modules must retake failed modules in attendance. If that student subsequently
reaches an accumulated failure of 20 Chinese credits or more from technical or Chinese
compulsory modules they are required to withdraw.
7.4. A student who has an accumulated failure of 30 credits or more from technical or Chinese
compulsory modules is required to withdraw.
7
Medical and other evidence will generally be in Chinese.
8.3. Students have the option of resitting compensated modules if they choose to, in which case, they
will be considered at the following academic year’s Honours board.
8.4. For compensated modules, the transcript provided by QMUL will show the original marks; while
the transcript provided by BUPT will show pass marks at 60% CN scale.
8.5. Students who withdraw from their studies may be issued a Yi Ye Zhengshu by BUPT, but this will
not entitle them to a degree from either university.
8.6. A student who is awarded a Jie Ye Zhengshu by BUPT may resit the examinations within the
maximum period of six years from the original start date. Jie Ye students are permitted to resit
their failed modules in the available assessment opportunity irrespective of the cohort assessment
pattern. If the student meets the requirements in 8.1 s/he will be awarded a degree from both
BUPT and QMUL.
8.7. The transcript provided by BUPT will show all modules with marks on the BUPT scale.
8.8. The transcript provided by QMUL will show all technical and English Language modules with marks
on the QMUL UK scale plus an overall Honours classification; it will also show that the student has
passed the BUPT requirements and the Engineering Environment modules.
8.9. The Honours weighted average shall be calculated as a weighted sum with:
a. 20% for project
b. 5% for Engineering Environment
c. 75% for taught technical modules in Years 2-4 with weighting between years as shown below
in order to achieve an approximate weighting of 1:3:6 between levels 4, 5 and 6+7:
2016/17 and earlier cohorts
i. 0.18 * average % mark for Year 2 modules
ii. 0.33 * average % mark for Year 3 modules
iii. 0.24 * average % mark for Year 4 modules
8.10. Honours shall be awarded based on the Honours weighted average as follows:
8.11. The Honours Board may recommend the award of a higher classification of degree in line with the
QMUL Borderline Classification Policy.
8.13. A candidate who has completed his/her full period of study and has been absent from
examinations during his/her final year due to illness or other cause judged sufficient by the
relevant Subject Examination Board, may apply to the Programme Director, for consideration at
the Subject Examination Board, to be considered for a degree under the aegrotat provisions The
application must be accompanied by a medical certificate or other statement of the grounds on
which it is made and must be submitted within two weeks from the last examination to which the
application refers.
8.14. In considering an application for the award of an aegrotat degree, the examination board shall
consider the work that the student has submitted during the year and in such part of the
examinations as s/he has attended (if any), and records of the candidate's performance during
previous years of the programme, to determine whether there is adequate evidence that, had the
student completed the examination(s) in normal circumstances, s/he would clearly have reached a
standard for the award of the degree. If the board is so satisfied, it shall recommend the award of
an aegrotat degree.
8.15. On receipt of the offer of an aegrotat degree, the candidate may either accept the offer, in which
case the degree will be conferred, or decline the offer, and re-enter the examinations for which
s/he is eligible at the next normal date with a view to completing the requirements for the award of
a degree. A candidate who elects to reenter the examinations shall cease to be eligible for an
aegrotat degree in respect of the examinations on which the original application was based.
a. Students may request a review of an examination board decision (for an individual module or
for the overall classification) within 10 working days or 14 calendar days whichever is later, of
the results being released to students using the standard review request form.
b. Review request forms must be completed in English for modules taught by QMUL and in
Chinese for modules taught by BUPT. The form will be dealt with by the university teaching
the module using its normal procedures.
c. For reviews of the overall classification the form must be completed in English and Chinese
and will be considered jointly by the two universities.
d. A decision on the review will normally be communicated to the student and the other
university within 10 working days or 14 calendar days whichever is later, of the request being
received. This may exceptionally be extended where QMUL teaching staff are in Beijing and
the relevant examination material is in London.
e. If marks have to be changed as a result of the review they will be reported through Chair’s
action to the two universities so the records can be updated.
9. Interruption of Enrolment
9.1. A student may interrupt their enrolment for up to two calendar years (total) on the grounds of
illness or other good cause with the permission of the Programme Director under the procedures
specified by BUPT and in line with the Chinese Ministry of Education regulations. Interruption for
periods greater than two years shall be permitted only in very exceptional circumstances, with the
approval of the directors, or the Chair of the Examination Board. A student who interrupts
enrolment remains registered for their programme of study.
9.4. A student may not interrupt and return from interruption during the same academic year (for
example, a student cannot interrupt for the autumn semester only, returning in semester two).
9.5. A student who interrupts shall have the option of taking assessments for modules for which they
completed the teaching and learning before the point of interruption. However, such students
must elect either to attempt the assessments for all such modules, or for none of them.
9.6. Where a student’s registration is continuous, the Academic Regulations in place at the time of
initial registration for the programme shall continue to apply where it is specifically stated that this
is the case.
9.7. Students returning from interruption shall only be permitted to enrol at the start of a semester, as
designated in the Academic Calendar.
11.1. Minor Programmes are designed to broaden students’ knowledge by allowing them to take
additional modules apart from their Major Programme.
11.2. A Minor Programme comprises no more than 30 credits in total from a list prescribed by the
Academic Committee.
11.3. Students who have passed all technical and English Language modules and achieved good results
at the end of Year 1 can apply to register for a Minor Programme at the beginning of Year 2.
11.4. When there is a timetable clash between a major and minor module, students are required to
apply for approval from the lecturer of the minor module to allow them to take the module with no
attendance. Once approved by the lecturer, students must study the module in their own time and
take the exam.
11.5. When there is a clash between a major and minor module examination, students must attend the
major module examination first, and then attend the resit examination of the minor module
without penalty.
11.6. Students will not be allowed to continue their Minor Programme study if:
a. they have failed ONE resit attempt at a minor module; or,
b. they have failed two or more technical modules in their Major at their first attempt; or,
c. they study their final year in EECS at QMUL.
11.7. To be awarded a Minor Programme Diploma, students must pass all modules of the Minor
Programme within the duration of their Major Programme as well as passing the Major.
11.9. QMUL will not list the Minor Programme modules on the standard transcript.
8
Since BUPT does not award Honours.
a. QM penalties where the mark is capped mean that for the UK transcript and Honours
calculation the mark is limited to 40% on the UK scale (60% on the CN scale) but the mark
recorded by BUPT will be the uncapped mark as BUPT does not use capping of marks.
b. Where the penalty involves failure in the module the student may reattempt but, unless
specified in the harmonised penalties, must miss the next opportunity, if the next opportunity
is held in less than six months, and except for students spending the final year in London
where examinations are held annually.
c. Penalties:
i. A formal warning
ii. A requirement that the student resubmit the relevant piece(s) of assessment by a
specified deadline with no cap on the mark that may be obtained.
iii. A requirement that the student resubmit the relevant piece(s) of assessment by a
specified deadline with the resubmission mark capped at the minimum pass mark.
iv. A mark of 0 for the relevant piece(s) of assessment, but if the module is failed the
student may reattempt at the next opportunity.
v. A mark of 0 in the module of which the assessment forms a part, with the module mark
capped on any reattempt at the minimum pass mark.
vi. The overall classification of Honours to be reduced by one grade with an explanation to
be provided as to why the calculated mark does not match the Honours awarded.
vii. Recommendation to the Steering Committee 11 that the student be expelled from the
two universities. The Steering Committee decision must be ratified by the
Principal/President of both universities before the student can be expelled.
Penalty vi. will only be applied for exam offences where the QMUL standard penalty of
failure of all modules would mean dismissal by BUPT as the students cannot fail more
than 30 credits under BUPT regulations.
9
Eg the OIA in the UK.
10
QMUL may only award degrees in China under license from the Chinese Ministry of Education and must
comply with Chinese Law.
11
The contract between QM and BUPT states that this level of disciplinary action should go through the SC.
13.2. Notwithstanding 11.1 a student may complain about teaching in any module under the procedures
of either university.
13.3. Once a student has entered a complaint under the procedures of one university, they may not
subsequently complain to the other, except under the conditions of 11.5.
13.4. The university receiving the complaint shall copy that complaint to the other and keep the other
university fully informed of all steps taken.
13.5. Where the complaint is considered sufficiently serious that it may lead to disciplinary action
against a member of staff, the two universities will consult on the appropriate action to be taken,
bearing in mind the provisions in the contract for such issues.
14. External Examiners
14.1. Each university shall appoint external examiner(s), subject to the approval of the other.
14.2. Additional external examiners may be appointed as deemed necessary but must be approved by
both universities.
16. Appendix I:
7.5 The regulations applicable to collaborative undergraduate programmes with Beijing University of
Posts and Telecommunications (BUPT) also apply to the BSc Information and Computational Science
programme delivered through Queen Mary School Hainan. Queen Mary School Hainan is a second,
separate Joint Educational Institution (JEI) between Queen Mary and BUPT.
7.6 The following regulations apply to the collaborative BSc Biomedical Sciences programmes with NCU:
1. Introduction
1.1. The programmes are offered jointly by Nanchang University [NCU] and Queen Mary, University of
London [QMUL]. The programmes run concurrently, with elements of the BSc in Biomedical
Sciences [QMUL] contributing to the Bachelor of Medicine offered by NCU.
1.2. The BSc in Biomedical Sciences is the award offered by QMUL. The duration of the programme
extends to five years, in parallel with the medical degree offered by Nanchang University. By
enrolling on the programme students are registered for two programmes of study which, if the
requirements of each are successfully completed, will lead to both awards being made at the end
of the five year period.
1.3. These regulations pertain to the requirements of the BSc in Biomedical Sciences award; however,
the relationship to the Bachelor of Medicine offered by NCU is also described where appropriate.
1.4. The general management of the programmes, including responsibility for the admission of
students, and the organisation of teaching, shall be the responsibility of the Academic Committee,
established in accordance with the Contract between NCU and QMUL. The day-to-day
management of the programmes is the responsibility of the Programme Director. The Programme
Director will oversee both the BSc Biomedical Sciences (QMUL) and the Bachelor of Medicine
(NCU), based in Nanchang; however, both awards are governed by the individual regulations of the
awarding institution.
2. Definition of Terms
2.1. ‘Compulsory modules’: modules prescribed as core to the programme of study.
2.2. ‘English Language modules’: modules teaching English and Personal Development Planning (PDP)
and are compulsory for the award of the BSc in Biomedical Sciences and the Bachelor of Medicine.
2.3. ‘Chinese compulsory modules’: modules that are required by the Chinese Ministry of Education but
do not form part of the BSc degree.
2.4. ‘Technical modules’: modules that are prescribed as constituting the core technical knowledge for
the programme, which are those modules compulsory for award of the B.Sc in Biomedical
Sciences and the Bachelor of Medicine, excluding the Chinese compulsory modules.
2.5. ‘Credit’: a measure of load that is related to the contact hours in the Chinese system.
2.6. ‘Take’: the first attempt at a module.
2.7. ‘First take’: a student may attempt the module again due to extenuating circumstances, including
attending lectures and laboratories. Marks for first takes are not capped.
3. Admission
3.1. In order to be eligible for admission to Year 1 of the programme, a candidate shall have obtained
the Chinese entry standard for key universities i.e. to take the National Higher Education
Examinations and pass the admission score line set for NCU
3.2. Any student who secures admission to the programme on the basis of qualifications, documents or
statements that are subsequently found to be false shall have his/her registration terminated, and
shall accordingly cease to be a student.
4. Programme of Study
4.1. The minimum period of study shall be:
a. Five academic years for the BSc in Biomedical Sciences.
b. Five academic years for the Bachelor of Medicine in Medicine.
c. The period of study shall normally be continuous
4.3. Periods of study shall include periods of interruption unless, exceptionally, the student is given
permission by the Director of the Teaching Affairs Office of NCU to have the interruption excluded
from the period of study.
5.2. Students may not be absent during term-time without the agreement in advance of the
Programme Director.
5.3. A student whose general attendance and/or submission of work is not considered satisfactory by
the Programme Director may have his/her registration terminated.
5.4. Students may be required to undertake a medical examination, either as a condition of admission,
or at any time during their studies. A student who has been absent as a result of a serious illness, or
an infectious or contagious disease, may be required to produce a medical certificate before being
permitted to resume study.
6. Assessment
6.1. The Programme Director (in consultation with the Teaching Affairs Office of NCU, or with the
Directorate of Registry Services of QMUL for students studying in London) may approve
arrangements for a student who is ill or otherwise disabled to take his/her examination under
special conditions.
6.2. Different marking scales are used by NCU and QMUL. The marking scale used for assessment
within a module, and for the overall module mark, is determined by the Academic Committee and
is specified in the module specification. The relationship between the marks is:
a. A pass mark at NCU is 60% and at QMUL is 40% for modules at all levels.
b. The mark showing distinction performance at NCU is 85% and first class at QMUL is 70%.
c. Marks above the pass mark are mapped as 12: cn = (-0.05uk2 + 13uk + 100) /9
d. Marks below the pass mark are mapped as 13: cn = 1.5uk
e. Irrespective of the scale being used, no mark can be greater than 100%, or less than 0%.
f. The implementation of the mapping between scales is through a lookup table (§13) with
marks specified as integers. A separate mapping table is used for each direction.
g. Total coursework marks and examination marks are each specified as an integer out of 100;
when combining to give the total module mark the result is rounded to the nearest integer.
6.3. A student who has passed a module may not repeat any part of the assessment for that module
unless, exceptionally, this is specifically permitted by the examination board.
12
Where cn is the mark on the NCU scale and uk is the mark on the QMUL scale.
13
Where cn is the mark on the NCU scale and uk is the mark on the QMUL scale.
6.5. Resits shall be taken at the next appropriate opportunity except that, in exceptional
circumstances, the Chair of the Examination Board shall have discretion to permit a student to
defer his/her resit(s).
6.6. In case of a non synoptic resit, where a student is required to only resit the examination
component, the highest existing coursework mark for that module will be combined with the new
examination mark, to produce a new overall mark, and this is capped.
6.7. The “next appropriate opportunity” for resit examinations will be determined by the SEB and is
informed by the teaching timetable.
6.9. Resits in English Language are implemented as the national Chinese examination CET4. A pass in
CET4 will be taken as a capped resit pass in any English Language module previously.
a. The first resit examination will be on the syllabus as taught to the student for their first sit.
b. Subsequent resit examinations will be on the syllabus as taught to first-sit students during
that year, but all lecture material will be made available to resit students.
6.11. Where a module is withdrawn, examinations will be set to give students a maximum of 3 resit
attempts.
a. A student who, through illness or other cause acceptable to the examination board, is
prevented from attending or completing any assessment may be permitted to re-present
him/herself at the next available opportunity as if for the first time.
b. Requests for extenuating circumstances shall be considered by the university teaching that
module in accordance with its own policy and the decisions reported to the examination
board.
i. For modules taught by NCU requests will be considered by the Programme Director.
ii. For modules taught by QMUL requests will be considered by an Extenuating
Circumstances Committee that will include at least one Chinese speaker 14.
c. All requests must be made at least one week before the examination board (for examinations)
and within one week of the student’s return from absence for coursework.
6.13. The organisation of assessments for each module on the programme shall be governed by the
Regulations of the institution responsible for teaching that module.
14
Medical and other evidence will generally be in Chinese.
7. Progression
7.1. To progress from the first and second years of study in the Joint programme, a student must have
an accumulated failure of less than 20 Chinese credits outstanding from technical or English
modules. For the remainder of the programme, and for the Bachelor of Medicine at NCU, there is
no progression requirement and students may carry forward resits provided that they meet the
conditions of §8 before the end of the normal study period.
7.2. A student who has an accumulated failure of 30 credits or more from technical or Chinese
compulsory modules may be required to withdraw at the discretion of the programme Directors.
8.2. The Honours board may recommend the award of the degree with compensated failures in up to
two technical and / or English modules, where:
a. the overall mark for each failed module is between 30 -39% on the UK scale;
b. the honours weighted average mark is at least 40% on the UK scale;
c. the Year 3 Project module mark is at least 40% on the UK scale;
Where a student meets the requirements for award for the QMUL degree with or without
compensated modules, the requirement to also pass the NCU degree is waived.
8.3. A student who withdraws (or quits) the program after one year of study may be issued a Yi Ye
Zhengshu by NCU, but this will not entitle them to a degree from either university. These students
will also be considered for the award of CertHE (see 2.15).
8.4. A student who is awarded a Jie Ye Zhengshu by NCU may take or retake the modules or resit the
examinations within the maximum period of six years from the original start date. If the student
then meets the requirements in 8.1 he/she will be awarded a degree from both NCU and QMUL.
8.5. The transcript provided by NCU will show all the Bachelor of Medicine modules with marks on the
NCU scale.
8.6. The transcript provided by QMUL will show BSc Biomedical Sciences modules with marks on the
QMUL UK scale plus an overall BSc Honours classification; it will also show that the student has
passed the NCU requirements for the Bachelor of Medicine.
8.8. The BSc Honours shall be awarded based on the BSc Honours weighted average as follows:
a. 1st Class >= 70.0%
b. Upper second class : 60.0 – 69.9%
c. Lower second class : 50.0 – 59.9%
d. Third class : 40.0 – 49.9% 8.9.
8.9. A student who is in academic debt to either institution shall not be entitled to receive examination
results, to progress from one year to the next, or to receive any award.
8.10. The QMUL provisions for Aegrotat degrees shall not apply.
9. Data Protection
9.1. Personal data held in the UK will be subject to UK Data Protection legislation; personal data held in
China will follow normal NCU practice and comply with the relevant Chinese law.
10.3. Appeals
a. Students appealing against any type of decision shall use the normal procedure of the
university that made the original decision. A student may not appeal against the decision of
one university to the other.
b. Any hearing requiring the student to be present shall be conducted face-to face if that is
physically possible; if not it shall be held electronically.
c. Documentation from the student in support of their appeal and any oral submission at a
panel meeting must be in English for matters handled at QMUL and Chinese for NCU.
10.5. Harmonised Penalties Offences will be dealt with using the normal procedures of the university
concerned but penalties must be taken from the agreed set of harmonised penalties.
11.2. Notwithstanding 11.1 a student may complain about teaching in any module under the procedures
of either university.
11.3. Once a student has entered a complaint under the procedures of one university, they may not
subsequently complain to the other, except under the conditions of 11.5.
11.4. The university receiving the complaint shall copy that complaint to the other and keep the other
university fully informed of all steps taken.
11.5. Where the complaint is considered sufficiently serious that it may lead to disciplinary action
against a member of staff, the two universities will consult on the appropriate action to be taken,
bearing in mind the provisions in the contract for such issues.
12.2. Additional external examiners may be appointed as deemed necessary, but must be approved by
both universities.
Disciplinary Procedures
Each university has its own discipline and appeals procedures, which are not repeated here.
1. The general principle is that each university is responsible for offences that affect the modules that
it is teaching (apart from as in (4) below) and the normal procedures of that university apply, but
any penalty applied will be from the “harmonised penalties” in the appendix. The penalty will be
kept on record in both universities and each university will follow its normal practice in whether the
offence will be shown on the transcript
2. CET4 and CET6 are Chinese national examinations and any disciplinary matters arising will be dealt
with under the national procedures specified for those examinations.
3. Offences during an invigilated examination will be dealt with by the university providing the
teaching, and penalties imposed from the harmonised list.
4. Non-academic disciplinary matters will be dealt with by NCU under Chinese Law for students
committing offences in China.
5. Students spending part of the degree in Queen Mary will be treated exactly the same as any other
Queen Mary student for disciplinary issues and assessment offences, except that the penalties will
be taken from the harmonised list of penalties below.
Students may request a review of an examination board decision using the standard form produced by
each university, which will be copied to the other university. The form must be submitted to the
appropriate university 16 within 10 working days of the results being released to students. Details of how
to get the form and how to submit it will be given to students before the results are released.
For the avoidance of doubt, the date of release of marks is defined as when students can access marks
on mySIS for QMUL modules and the NCU system for NCU modules. Students are expected to check
their results in a timely manner and the 10 working day period will not be extended for students who do
not check.
The university receiving the form will deal with the request using its normal procedures.
A decision on the review will normally be communicated to the student and the other university within
14 days of the request being received. This may exceptionally be extended where QMUL teaching staff
are in China and the relevant examination material is in London.
If marks have to be changed as a result of the review they will be reported through Chair’s action to the
two universities so the records can be updated.
Appeals
Students appealing against any type of decision shall use the normal procedure of the university that
made the original decision. A student may not appeal against the decision of one university to the other.
Any hearing requiring the student to be present shall be conducted face-to face if that is physically
possible; if not it shall be held electronically.
Documentation from the student in support of their appeal and any oral submission at a panel meeting
must be in English for matters handled at Queen Mary and Chinese for NCU.
15
Since NCU does not award honours.
16
Since NCU does not award honours.
QMUL penalties where the mark is capped mean that for the UK transcript and Honours calculation the
mark is limited to 40% on the UK scale (60% on the CN scale) and the mark recorded by NCU will also be
a capped mark.
Where the penalty involves failure in the module the student may resit but, unless specified in the
harmonised penalties, must miss the next opportunity except for students spending the final year in
London where examinations are held annually.
Penalties:
i. A formal warning
ii. A requirement that the student resubmit the relevant piece(s) of assessment by a specified
deadline with no cap on the mark that may be obtained.
iii. A requirement that the student resubmit the relevant piece(s) of assessment by a Specified
deadline with the resubmission mark capped at the minimum pass mark.
iv. A mark of 0 for the relevant piece(s) of assessment, but if the module is failed the student may
resit at the next opportunity.
v. A mark of 0 in the module of which the assessment forms a part, with the module mark capped
on any resit at the minimum pass mark.
vi. The overall classification of Honours to be reduced by one grade with an explanation to be
provided as to why the calculated mark does not match the Honours awarded.
vii. Recommendation to the JP Steering Committee 19 that the student be expelled from the two
universities. The Steering Committee decision must be ratified by the Principal/President of
both universities before the student can be expelled
Penalty vi will only be applied for exam offences where the Queen Mary standard penalty of failure
of all modules would mean dismissal by NCU as the students cannot fail more than 30 credits under
NCU regulations.
17
Eg the OIA in the UK.
18
QMUL may only award degrees in China under license from the Chinese Ministry of Education and must
comply with Chinese Law.
19
Under the contract between QMUL and NCU, section 9.8(f) states that this level of disciplinary action
should go through the SC.
1. Definition of terms
1.1. ‘Chinese compulsory modules’: modules that are required by the Chinese Ministry of Education but
do not form part of the Queen Mary award.
1.2. ‘Discipline modules’: modules that are prescribed as constituting the necessary technical
knowledge for the programme.
1.3. ‘Chinese Credits’: Chinese academic credits are measures of load that are related to the contact
hours in the Chinese system. These are different to UK academic credit in the UK system.
1.4. ‘Take’: an attempt at a module.
1.5. ‘First take’: a student may attempt the module again due to extenuating circumstances, including
attending lectures and laboratories if required. Marks for first takes are not capped.
1.6. ‘Retake’: where a student must attempt a failed module again, including attending lectures and
laboratories. Marks for retakes are capped.
1.7. ‘First sit’: where a student may attempt the missed assessment due to extenuating circumstances
without attending lectures and laboratories again, providing coursework has been completed or
discounted. In this case, marks for coursework will stand in the assessment and marks for first sits
are uncapped.
1.8. ‘Resit’: where a student may attempt the assessment again for a module, but may not attend
lectures and laboratories again, unless attendance at laboratories is specifically approved as being
necessary to reattempt a failed module. Marks for resits are capped.
1.9. ‘Probation’: Due to poor academic performance (as defined in §7.1) in any year, students could
apply to restudy for one academic year.
1.10. ‘Jie Ye Zhengshu’: a certificate awarded by NPU to students who have taken all modules in either
of the two programmes, but failed some modules. They can complete the degree if they pass the
resit(s) within the maximum period of study.
1.11. ‘Capped marks’: the module mark on resit and retakes is “capped” at the minimum pass mark for
the transcripts of both universities and in the calculation of the classification for the Queen Mary
award.
1.12. ‘Year’: study years on programmes are numbered 1-4 to follow Chinese practice.
1.13. ‘NPU diploma’: Equivalent of a certificate of attendance certifying that students have completed 4
years of study at NPU. This NPU diploma can be awarded without the student having attained all
the requirements for a degree certificate.
1.14. ‘Degree Certificate’: certificate issued on graduation for the awarded degree (BEng or MSc) on
successful attainment of all requirements of the double degree.
The following sections are common regulations for all collaborative programmes with NPU in
QMES. Special regulations relating to the award of specific undergraduate or postgraduate
degrees follow:
2. Admission
2.1. In order to be eligible for admission to Year 1 of the undergraduate programmes, a candidate shall
have obtained the Chinese entry standard for key universities i.e. to take the National Higher
Education Examinations and pass the admission benchmark set for NPU.
2.3. Any student who secures admission to the programme on the basis of qualifications, documents or
statements that are subsequently found to be false shall have his/her registration terminated, and
shall accordingly cease to be a student.
3. Programme of study
3.1. Composition of the programmes of study
i. The programmes of study will consist of programme-specific lists of compulsory modules
published by the joint Academic Committee and approved by Queen Mary in the UK and the
Chinese Ministry of Education in China.
ii. The list of modules will show the number of credits allocated to each module.
4. Enrolment
4.1. Students are required to enrol at the beginning of their programme of study at both NPU and
Queen Mary, and to confirm their enrolment at the beginning of each academic year. Enrolment is
conditional on making satisfactory arrangements for the payment of fees.
4.2. If a medical examination by the NPU Hospital or another designated hospital determines that a
student’s health condition(s) mean that they are not fit to study, the student may apply for
interruption of studies for one year, with NPU’s approval. Such a student is not registered and will
not be granted the same access to resources or facilities as other students at NPU. The student
should submit their application to leave the campus within two weeks; otherwise, NPU has the
right to cancel any interruption of studies which may have been granted.
4.3. The interrupted student must provide a medical certificate from a hospital above county-level that
confirms their fitness to study in order to resume their studies. This must be provided not later
than one week before the start of the new academic year. The student will then have a medical re-
examination at the NPU Hospital or another designated hospital. If the Teaching Affairs Office of
NPU and the Teaching Affairs Office of QMES are satisfied with the results of that re-examination
the student shall be registered and begin learning with the students of the subsequent academic
year. Otherwise, NPU has the right to deregister the student.
5. Assessment
5.1. Different marking scales are used by NPU and Queen Mary. The marking scale used for assessment
within a module, and for the overall module mark, is determined by the Academic Committee and
is specified in the module specification. The equivalence between the marks is:
i. A pass mark at NPU is 60% and at Queen Mary is 40% for undergraduate modules.
ii. A pass mark at NPU is 60% and at Queen Mary is 50% for postgraduate modules.
5.2. Resit
i. Where a student has failed a module, he/she is required either to undertake a reassessment
or to resit the components that have been failed, depending on the reassessment
methodology stipulated in the module specification. The overall module mark attainable for
any resit shall be capped at the minimum pass mark on the transcripts for both universities.
ii. Resits shall be taken at the next available opportunity except that, in exceptional
circumstances, the Chair of the Subject Examination Board shall have discretion to permit a
student to defer his/her resit(s). Reasons may include, for example, military service or
approved industrial placements. The “next available opportunity” for resit examinations will
be determined by the Subject Examination Board and is informed by the teaching timetable
but will not be earlier than seven weeks after the start of the next semester.
iii. A student may have one resit attempt at a module.
iv. A module that has been passed may not be resat or retaken.
5.3. Retake
i. If the one resit attempt is failed the student will be required to retake the module in the
following academic year; such a retake will be capped.
ii. Where a module is withdrawn, an examination will be set to give students additional resit
attempts.
iii. A student who falls into one of the categories below will not be allowed to take the
examination for the corresponding module and will need to retake the module. The retake
attempt will be capped. The deficiency in [C], [D] or [E] must be rectified before the student is
allowed to sit the examination.
a. does not attend at least two-third of lectures or the laboratory hours for a module
without permission;
b. misses three lectures where random checks on attendance are carried out;
c. does not submit at least two-thirds of the laboratory reports for a module;
d. does not submit at least two-thirds of the coursework for a module without permission;
e. fails the practical component of a module.
6. External examiners
6.1. Each university must appoint at least one external examiner to its programmes, and may appoint
additional external examiners as deemed necessary. All external examiner appointments must be
approved by both universities.
7. Award requirements for collaborative programmes with NPU in the Queen Mary Engineering School
7.1. To be awarded the double degree certificates from NPU and Queen Mary, a student must have
completed all of the award requirements of both NPU and Queen Mary. Since the requirements of
for the award of the NPU degree require all modules to be passed, it is implicit that the award
requirements for the QM degree are simultaneously met;
7.3. A student who does not meet requirements of the degree certificate of both universities cannot be
awarded a degree by either institution.
8.2. A request for review can only be on the grounds of procedural error or the grounds that
extenuating circumstances have not been made known at the appropriate time for a good reason;
there can be no review of academic judgement.
8.3. The form must be completed in English for modules taught by Queen Mary and in Chinese for
modules taught by NPU. The form will be dealt with by the university teaching the module.
8.4. For reviews of the overall classification, the form must be completed in English and Chinese and
will be considered jointly by the two universities.
8.5. A decision on the review will normally be communicated to the student and the other university
within 10 working days of the request being received. This may exceptionally be extended.
8.6. If marks have to be changed as a result of the review this will be reported through Chair’s action of
the Subject Examination Board to the two universities so that the records can be updated.
9. Data Protection
9.1. Personal data held in the UK will be subject to UK Data Protection legislation; personal data held in
China will follow normal NPU practice and comply with the relevant Chinese law.
10. Introduction
10.1. These regulations apply to students enrolled on the double degree programmes in Materials
Science and Engineering and Polymer Materials and Engineering between the two institutions,
Queen Mary University of London [Queen Mary] and Northwestern Polytechnical University [NPU]
leading to the award of two degrees: BEng both from Queen Mary and NPU.
Withdrawal or deregistration of a student requires approval from the Dean of QMES, the Vice
Dean for Students of QMES and the Teaching Affairs Office of NPU. NPU will send a written
deregistration notice to the student and report the deregistration to the local Education
Department at the same time. If for any reason the deregistration notice cannot be sent to the
student, an announcement within NPU will be released and after seven days have passed it
will be considered that the notice has been sent to the student.
12.2. Students who meet the deregistration conditions because of poor academic performance (defined
in 12.1) can apply for one-year probation in their programme. The application must be approved
by Dean of QMES, the Vice Dean for Students of QMES and the Teaching Affairs Office of NPU. Full
tuition fees are required for the probation period.
12.3. A student can only have one academic year of probation. During that year a student can study only
the modules that they had failed and cannot study modules they have passed. A student who still
falls into one of the categories defined above (12.1) at the end of the probation year will be
deregistered from the programme of study.
12.4. Other issues related to withdrawal should be dealt with according to the rules below:
i. A student who gets a deregistration notice should proceed with campus leaving procedures
within two weeks;
ii. NPU will send a withdrawal certificate to the student concerned. Where the student has
completed at least one year of study NPU will instead send a letter of attendance to the
student.
13.2. Final year students will have a qualification examination in their last semester. Registered students
who have completed the required modules and met graduation requirements within specified
time will be awarded the degree of NPU.
13.3. A student who has not completed all of the required modules may apply for an extension, but must
still complete the programme within the maximum period of study.
13.4. A student who has completed all of the required modules but has failed one or more of those
modules may apply for an extension of completion. Such a student can receive an NPU Diploma
and can take a resit within one year of completion. If the resit is passed, the student can be
awarded the NPU Degree, and hence also the Queen Mary award. NPU shall not allow any student
to take a resit beyond one year of completion.
13.6. Students that are placed on disciplinary probation in their final year cannot have it removed
before graduation and can only apply for Jie Ye Zhengshu. These students can apply for
replacement of Jie Ye Zhengshu with an NPU diploma within one year of graduation as long as it is
still within the maximum period of study.
13.7. A student who has studied at NPU for at least one year can apply for a letter of attendance after
completing the leaving procedures.
The transcript provided by NPU will show all marks on the Chinese scale (NPU in 15.1).
14.1. The transcript provided by Queen Mary will show all marks on the UK scale (Queen Mary in 15.2)
plus an overall BEng Honours classification.
14.2. The BEng Honours of Queen Mary weighted average mark shall be calculated (to one decimal
place) as follows:
14.3. The BEng Honours of Queen Mary shall be classified based on the BEng Honours weighted average
as follows:
i. First Class >= 70.0
ii. Second Class (Upper Division): 60.0 – 69.9
iii. Second Class (Lower Division): 50.0 – 59.9
iv. Third Class: 40.0 – 49.9
16. Queen Mary University of London Engineering School, NPU authorised by NPU and Queen Mary to
reserve the right of interpreting the standards.
7.1 The following regulations apply to the LLM in Commercial Law: Singapore and London.
2.1 The LLM in Commercial Law: London and Singapore is a dual degree programme. On successful
completion of the entire programme, a student shall receive an award from both partner institutions.
2.2 For the purposes of the Queen Mary degree, the LLM in Commercial Law: London and Singapore shall
follow the standard Queen Mary regulations as supplemented here.
2.3 For the purposes of the SMU degree, SMU LLM Regulations shall apply.
2.4 The programme shall comprise 270 academic credits. 135 credits shall be taken at Queen Mary, and
135 credits shall be taken at SMU.
2.5 The Queen Mary award shall be valued at 180 academic credits. This shall comprise the 135 credits
delivered at QMUL, plus 45 credits of prescribed modules delivered at SMU in accordance with 4 below.
2. Admission
2.6 Applicants shall apply directly to Queen Mary.
2.7 If an applicant satisfies Queen Mary’s LLM admissions criteria, and is shortlisted, the applicant shall
then go through SMU’s admissions process.
3. Duration of study
3.1 The normal duration of study for the entire programme shall be 16 months: 7.5 months in London and
8.5 months in Singapore. The maximum permitted duration of study shall be 29 months.
4.2 The assessment for the recognised modules includes an examination or other form of written
assessment which comprises 50% of the total mark for the module. Queen Mary shall second mark
this piece of assessment and the Queen Mary -appointed external examiner shall review work for
these modules.
5. Mark conversion
5.1 The following conversions shall be used to translate SMU marks to the Queen Mary scale, and vice
versa.
7. Assessment offences
7.1 Each institution’s standard regulations on the treatment of assessment offences shall apply to the
element of the programme completed at that institution.
7.2 A student who has their registration at Queen Mary terminated as a result of an assessment offence at
Queen Mary will not be permitted to proceed to the SMU element of the programme.
7.3 A student who has his/her registration at SMU terminated as a result of an assessment offence at SMU
will not be conferred the Queen Mary degree.
8.2 To receive the award of LLM from Queen Mary, a student must:
i Meet the standard requirements for the award of LLM as defined in section five of the Queen Mary
Academic Regulations.
ii Pass the mutually recognised modules referred to in 4 above.
8.3 A student who fails to meet the requirements for the award of one institution shall not be eligible for
an award from the other institution. The only exception that may be made to this requirement relates
to difficulties in obtaining appropriate visas to study, as detailed in 9 below.
9. Visa issues
9.1 The movement of students between London and Singapore is contingent on the issue of appropriate
visas, a factor which is out of the control of both SMU and Queen Mary. In order to mitigate visa
difficulties, the following shall apply where students are able to demonstrate problems with visas as
follows:
9.2 If a student is unable to obtain a visa for Singapore which covers the duration of the SMU programme,
having regard to the reasons, the parties shall make reasonable adjustments to permit the student to
proceed with at least the part of the programme necessary to obtaining the Queen Mary degree,
whether or not the student is able to enter Singapore for a reduced period. The fees paid by the
student to SMU will be in proportion to the number of SMU credits taken.
9.3 Having regard to QMUL’s legal obligations, and bearing in mind that the policies and decisions of
national authorities are out of the control of both Parties, the parties will explore whether it might be
possible to obtain an exemption from the relevant Singapore authorities for students who might be
disqualified from obtaining a Singapore visa for reasons which qualify as discriminatory under the UK
Equality Act 2010.
9.4 If a student is unable to obtain a visa to study in the UK, and is able to provide documentary evidence
relating to this difficulty, then the student may transfer his or her registration to the SMU LLM
programme.
9.5 As a result of these adjustments to mitigate problems in obtaining a UK visa, the student shall be able
to complete and be eligible to obtain the SMU LLM only.
10.1 Students wishing to submit a complaint about any aspect of the part of the programme taken at Queen
Mary shall do so under the Queen Mary Student Complaints Policy.
10.2 Students wishing to submit a complaint about any aspect of the part of the programme taken at SMU
shall submit the complaint directly to SMU.
10.3 The Course Management Group (with responsibility for oversight of the programme) will monitor
student complaints and will determine the appropriate procedure for any complaint which spans both
parties.
1. The LLB in English and French Law is four year a double degree programme. On successful
completion of the entire programme, a student shall receive an award from both partner
institutions. Students shall complete two years of study at Queen Mary University of London,
followed by two years of study at Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. On successful completion
of the four years of study, a student shall receive the award of LLB English and French Law from
Queen Mary, and a Bachelor Degree in Law (French and English Law) and Master 1 in Law (French-
Foreign Laws, French and English Law) from the Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. A student
must meet the requirements for all of these awards in order to receive any of these awards.
2. Except where specified below, standard Queen Mary regulations, policies and procedures apply to
all elements of the programme delivered by Queen Mary University of London and standard
Sorbonne regulations apply to all elements of the programme delivered by the Université Paris 1
Panthéon-Sorbonne.
3. The Queen Mary LLB in English and French Law shall be classified using the results of all modules
taken in developmental years one and two, plus the fourth year module ‘Jurisprudence and Legal
Theory’ (total 270 credits). In all other respects, the classification regulations for the LLB Senior
Status programme shall be followed; these are outlined in section four of Queen Mary’s Academic
Regulations.
4. A student who begins on the double programme may transfer to the standard Queen Mary LLB at
any point prior to the commencement of the third year of study. A student may transfer from the
Double Degree to the standard Queen Mary LLB in the third year of study, but must do so before
completing any assessments. Transfer is not possible in the fourth year of study. All transfers shall
be subject to approval from the academic department and satisfactory academic progress. Where
a transfer takes place, classification shall be based on the modules that would form the
classification grouping for the standard Queen Mary LLB; this may include modules that were
taken in the first year of study of the Double Degree, while some final year modules may be
excluded.
2. To be eligible for the Queen Mary award of LLB English and French Law, a student must meet all
programme and pathway requirements, and:
i take 270 Queen Mary credits (120 in each of developmental years one and two and 30 in
developmental year four), including a minimum 90 credits at level 6; and,
ii pass a minimum Queen Mary 240 credits, including at least 90 at level 6; and,
iii achieve a Classification Mark of 40.0 or higher; and,
iv meet the requirements for the Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne award, as specified in the
Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne regulations.
3. The Queen Mary award of LLB English and French Law Classification Mark is calculated as follows,
using only Queen Mary module marks:
4. The Queen Mary award of LLB English and French Law is classified as follows:
5. The borderline classification policy operates in the standard manner except that a student falling
within the zone of consideration and with at least half of their second and final year Queen Mary
credits with marks at the level of the upper classification (or higher), will be raised to the higher
classification, ie a student must have at least 75 credits at or above the higher level across
developmental years two and four.
7.8 The following regulations apply to the Double LLM in International Business Law and in French and
European Law with Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. For avoidance of doubt, standard Queen
Mary regulations apply for any elements taught in English as part of the Queen Mary programme in
Paris. Standard Paris 1 regulations apply for any elements taught in French with Paris 1, as well as to
the internship element.
1. Introduction
1.1. These regulations apply to students enrolled on the QMUL-Paris 1 Double LLM programme.
1.2. The general management of the programme of study, including responsibility for the admission of
students, and the organisation of teaching, shall be the responsibility of the Academic Co-
Directors, established in accordance with the contract between Paris 1 and QMUL, and based on
the standard procedures of each institution. The day-to-day management of the programme shall
be the responsibility of the Academic Co-Directors.
1.3. The programme is taught entirely in Paris.
1.4. The programme is offered full-time only, over 18 months, starting in January. In total, students will
undertake the equivalent of 270 QMUL credits.
a Part 1 (January – August) comprises 150 QMUL credits (120 credits of taught modules plus 1
dissertation valued at 30 credits) taken with Queen Mary University of London.
b Part 2 (September – March) comprises credit (7 courses from within the French and European
Law curriculum) taken with Paris 1, involving a minimum of 140 taught hours.
c Part 3 (April – June) comprises the internship module, taken with Paris 1, and recognised by
QMUL as 30 credits.
2. Definition of Terms
2.2. QMUL dissertation: a dissertation to the value of 30 credits written in English, requiring
independent research, and supervised by a member of QMUL’s Academic staff.
2.3. Paris 1 dissertation: a dissertation to the equivalent value of 30 QMUL credits, in French, requiring
independent research, and supervised by a member of Paris 1 Academic staff. The Paris 1
dissertation will only be taken in exceptional circumstances if required as a substitute for the
internship module.
2.4. Internship module: a work placement that takes place over a minimum of 3 months as a
component part of the Programme. It is the student’s responsibility, with support from Paris 1 and
QMUL, to secure the internship in advance of Part 3 of the programme. Should, for whatever
reason, a student fail to secure an internship for the expected period, they would not be
disadvantaged, as they would still be able to secure credit towards the programme in the form of a
dissertation in French.
2.7. First take: where a student may attempt the module again due to extenuating circumstances,
including attending lectures. Marks for first takes are not capped.
2.8. First sit: where a student is unable to complete one or more assessments due to valid and
accepted extenuating circumstances, and is granted the opportunity to take those assessments
without it counting as an additional attempt.
2.9. Retake: where, following failure at the first attempt, a student may attempt the module again,
including attending lectures. Marks for retakes are not capped. A retake counts as the second and
final attempt at a module. A retake shall only be awarded in circumstances where it is not possible
to award a resit.
2.10. Resit: where a student fails a module (and/or fails to progress) and must attempt the failed
assessment(s) again, without attending lectures again, but with access to QMplus resources. Marks
for resits are not capped.
2.11. Year: this refers to the period of study, commencing in January of each calendar year. It spans 18
months.
2.12. Start of Term: this refers to the same start date in January as the QMUL LLM in Paris programme.
3. Admission
3.1. In order to be eligible for admission to the programme, a candidate shall have obtained the
standard QMUL entry requirements in law and in English language, as well as a minimum of B2
equivalent in French, as assessed by Paris 1.
3.2. Any student who secures admission to the programme on the basis of qualifications, documents or
statements that are subsequently found to be false shall have his/her registration terminated, and
shall accordingly cease to be a student.
3.3. QMUL oversees application and admission procedures, in coordination with Paris 1.
3.4. A deposit of €3,000 must be paid by the student, to Paris 1, no later than 30 November prior to the
start of the Double LLM programme. This sum is non-refundable, but will be deducted from the
tuition fees due to Paris 1.
4. Programme of study
4.1. The minimum period of study shall be 18 months. The period of study shall be continuous,
transitioning between the institutions in September of each year.
4.4. Periods of interruption shall not count towards the maximum permitted duration of study.
a During Part 1 with QMUL: modules of 15 or 30 QMUL credits each will be chosen from the
QMUL list of modules available, adding up to 120 taught credits, and a 30- credit QMUL
dissertation is compulsory.
b During Part 2 with Paris 1: 7 courses from within the French and European Law curriculum,
involving a minimum of 140 taught hours
c During Part 3, students will undertake the internship module. In case an internship is not
secured, the Paris 1 dissertation will be undertaken instead.
d During the programme, students will undertake courses in Legal French and French as a
foreign language with Paris 1.
e It is recommended that students undertake the QMUL courses: “Introduction to Common
Law and the English Legal System” (6 hours over 3 days in January) and Critical Thinking and
Writing in Law (CTWL) (36 hours delivered over 6 days across Part 1). CTWL is compulsory for
those students attaining level 7.0 in IELTS, or its equivalent, overall, but whose level in the
written element is at level 6.5 or its equivalent.
5.2. A minimum of 50% of the tuition fees must have been received by QMUL for a student to fully enrol
at the Start of Term. Those students who do not pay the entire fee required by QMUL may set up a
payment plan with QMUL Finance with an administration fee of £50. Even under a payment plan,
fees must be received in full absolutely no later than 30 April, i.e. approximately 4 months after the
enrolment and the Start of Term. A student who fails to make such arrangements, or subsequently
defaults on the payment of fees, shall be deregistered from the programme of study.
5.3. Students will need to enrol again at Paris 1 in advance of the September following the start of the
programme. The fees for registration at Paris 1, with a deduction made for the first non-refundable
payment of three thousand (3,000) euros, must be paid in full and at the latest before the 1
September prior to the start of classes at Paris 1 (semesters 2 and 3).
5.4. In accordance with French legislation, students must pay the Contribution vie étudiante et de
campus CVEC, for the beginning of each university year, via the dedicated platform:
cvec.etudiant.gouv.fr . Across the entire programme period, the CVEC must be paid twice by
students of this Double degree. A first payment online for the CVEC must be paid to coincide with
the non-refundable deposit due, at the latest, by 30 November prior to the start of the Double LLM.
A second online payment for the CVEC must be made by 1 September of the following year, to
coincide with the payment of the outstanding tuition fee for Paris 1.
5.5. Students may not be absent during term-time without the agreement in advance of the
Programme Co-Directors.
5.6. A student whose general attendance and/or submission of work is not considered satisfactory by
the Programme Co-Directors may have his/her registration terminated across both institutions. A
formal warning shall be issued to give the student the opportunity to improve their conduct before
deregistration takes place.
6. Assessment
6.1. The organisation of assessments for each module on the Programme shall be governed by the
regulations of the institution responsible for teaching or supervising that module.
6.2. The conduct of assessments of each module on the Programme shall be governed by the
regulations of the institution responsible for conducting that assessment.
6.3. The Programme Co-Directors (in consultation with relevant colleagues at Paris 1 and/or with the
QMUL Directorate of Registry Services) may be consulted about arrangements for a student who is
ill or otherwise disabled to take his/her examination under special conditions.
6.4. Different marking scales are used by Paris 1 and QMUL. The marking scale used for assessment
within a module will be that of the institution teaching it. The marking scale used for the overall
LLM programme mark of Paris 1 will be that of Paris 1. The marking scale used for the overall LLM
programme mark of QMUL will be that of QMUL. The internship module mark will be denoted on
the Paris 1 scale, and its equivalent QMUL mark will be incorporated into the overall QMUL LLM
programme mark. See clause 14 below and annex A for mark equivalencies.
6.5. QMUL’s differentiation between Pass, Merit and Distinction shall be applied to the QMUL LLM only.
7. Progression
7.1. Progression between parts 1 and 2 of the Programme is automatic, regardless of the results of the
assessment for the QMUL modules. Only issues with attendance (see clauses 5.5 and 5.6) or fee
payments (see clause 5.2) may prevent a student from progressing between parts 1 and 2.
Similarly, progression between parts 2 and 3 of the Programme is automatic.
7.2. The double LLM Programme is distinct from the other LLM programmes of Paris 1 and the QMUL
LLMs in Paris. For a student enrolled on the double Programme there can be no within-Programme
transfer from this Programme into the QMUL LLM in Paris programme or the Paris 1 LLM
programme at any point during the 18-month study period. Only if necessary under the
circumstances outlined in 8.3 below could a transition between the programmes occur, as a
default, rather than at the request of the student.
8. Degree Requirements
8.1. Attendance is mandatory. For greater than 3 absences, a student may be marked as failing the
course.
8.2. The Sorbonne Law School - Queen Mary University of London Double LLM is a double degree
programme. On successful completion of the entire programme, a student shall receive an award
from both partner institutions.
8.3. Paris 1 Regulations shall apply to the conferment of the Paris 1 award.
8.5. Should it arise that a student successfully fulfils parts 1 and 3 of the Programme, but fails part 2,
s/he may be awarded a single LLM by QMUL only. Similarly, should a student successfully fulfil
parts 2 and 3, but fails part 1, s/he may be awarded a single LLM by Paris 1 only. This is without
prejudice to the fees paid.
9. Interruption of Enrolment
9.1. A student may interrupt their enrolment for up to two calendar years (total) on the grounds of
illness or other good cause with the permission of the Programme Co-Directors under the
procedures specified by QMUL and in line with any immigration or other relevant factors. A student
who interrupts enrolment remains registered for the programme of study.
9.2. A student resitting out of attendance shall not be entitled to an interruption of enrolment as
defined in this section, and shall remain registered for the Programme.
9.3. A student who interrupts shall have the option of taking assessments for modules for which they
completed the teaching and learning before the point of interruption. However, such students
must elect either to attempt the assessments for all such modules or for none of them. Where a
student decides to postpone assessment until return from interruption, that assessment will take
place at the next available sitting of the relevant Part of the Programme.
9.4. Where a student’s registration is continuous, the Academic Regulations in place at the time of the
initial registration for the Programme shall continue to apply except where it is specifically stated
that this is not the case.
9.5. Students returning from interruption shall only be permitted to enrol at the start of one of the
Parts of the Programme, as appropriate to their outstanding study needs.
10.1. For Part 1, assessment offences will be managed in accordance with QMUL regulations.
10.2. For Parts 2 and 3, assessment offences will be managed in accordance with Paris 1 regulations.
10.3. The decisions made by Paris 1 in relation to assessment offences for Part 3 will be recognised by
QMUL and taken into account as appropriate in a student’s progression and the final award of the
degree.
11. Appeals
11.1. For Part 1, appeals will be managed in accordance with QMUL regulations.
11.2. For Parts 2 and 3, assessment offences, appeals, and disciplinary matters will be managed in
accordance with Paris 1 regulations.
11.3. The decisions made by Paris 1 in relation to appeals for Part 3 will be recognised by QMUL and
taken into account as appropriate in a student’s progression and the final award of the degree.
12.2. For Parts 2 and 3, disciplinary matters will be managed in accordance with Paris 1 regulations.
12.3. The decisions made by Paris 1 in relation to disciplinary matters for Part 3 will be recognised by
QMUL and taken into account as appropriate in a student’s progression and the final award of the
degree.
13.1. Where a student has a formal complaint about teaching in any module that complaint will be
made to the university providing the teaching under its normal procedures.
14.2. Paris 1 shall use external examiners appointed under its own procedures.
14.3. Paris 1 Programme Co-Director shall attend the sub-Board at which the recognition of the
internship module takes place.
15.1. Paris 1 marks and degree classifications stand for the Paris 1 LLM.
15.2. QMUL marks and degree classifications stand for the QMUL degree.
15.3. In the case of QMUL recognition of the Internship module, the mark equivalencies detailed in
Annex A shall be used for the incorporation of the Paris 1 grade into the QMUL degree average.
7.10 Students are subject to the Queen Mary Digital Fees and Cancellation Policy.
University of Malta
7.12 The MSc in Surgical Skills follows the standard regulations, policies and procedures of Queen Mary
University of London except in the following particulars:
1.2. The general management of the programme of study, including responsibility for the admission of
students and the organisation of teaching, shall be the responsibility of the Board of Studies,
established in accordance with the contract between the University of Malta and Queen Mary. The
day-to-day management of the programme shall be the responsibility of UM.
2. Admission
2.1. Applicants shall apply directly to Queen Mary in the first instance and subsequently to University of
Malta. If an applicant satisfies the agreed entry criteria set out in 2.2, the applicant shall then go
through UM’s admission process.
2.2. Official offer letters shall be sent to successful applicants by the University of Malta. The University
of Malta shall provide details of confirmed students to Queen Mary, to ensure enrolment at both
institutions.
3.2. The programme shall be delivered on a part-time basis. The normal duration of study for the
programme shall be 24 months, and the maximum permitted duration of study shall be 36 months.
4. Enrolment
4.1. Students must enrol with both Queen Mary and UM at the beginning of each year of study.
5. Modules
5.1. The modules jointly owned by UM and Queen Mary shall be marked by examiners from both
institutions; UM shall mark the theoretical elements of assessment and Queen Mary shall mark the
practical skills elements of assessment.
7.3 Members of both Parties and the External Examiner(s) will form membership of this sub-
examination board and both Parties will provide administrative support.
8. Complaints
8.1. A student wishing to complain about a module shall, in the first instance, raise the issue informally
with the institution responsible for that module. If an informal resolution is not possible, the
complaint shall be investigated in line with the policies of the Party offering the module. The
jointly derived modules shall be treated as Queen Mary modules for this purpose.
8.2. Complaints about the Programme or non-academic elements of the Programme shall be
investigated in line with the policies of the lead organisation.
9. Academic Appeals
9.1. A student wishing to submit an academic appeal shall do so under the Queen Mary academic
regulations and procedures.
i. evidence that they hold immigration permission with conditions that do not restrict them
from undertaking their programme of studies in the country or territory where they are
studying; or,
ii. evidence that they are exempt from immigration control in the country or territory where
they are studying.
7.13 The double MSc in Molecular Medicine and in Genomic Medicine is a double award; on successful
completion, a student will receive an MSc in Molecular Medicine from International Medical University
of Malaysia (IMU) and an MSc in Genomic Medicine from Queen Mary. The MSc in Genomic Medicine is
subject to standard Queen Mary regulations in all respects. The MSc in Molecular Medicine is subject to
IMU regulations in all respects. A student must meet the requirements for both awards to achieve
either award.
8.1 These regulations take effect from August 2023 and apply to all research studies programmes and all
students registered for a research studies programme at Queen Mary. A student who enters for
examination is examined in accordance with the regulations in place at the time of examination entry
or re-entry. The following regulations are not applicable to Master by Research (ResM) programmes
and other exceptions are indicated in the relevant regulations:
transfer from another institution (Reg. 8.15-8.16)
annual progression requirements (Reg.8.66-8.74)
transfer to writing-up status (Regs. 8.20-8.24)
availability of theses (Regs. 8.126-8.127)
8.2 The Academic Regulations, Part 2 – General Regulations apply to students registered for a research
studies programme at Queen Mary. The regulations for taught programmes of study apply to research
degree students who are required to undertake an element of taught study as a part of their research
studies programme.
8.3 The Queen Mary Code of Practice for Research Degree Programmes applies to all research studies
programmes and all students registered for a research studies programme at Queen Mary, except for
the ResM unless specifically indicated in the Code. Compliance with the Code of Practice is
mandatory. In any issues of interpretation of the Code, the Academic Regulations take precedence.
8.4 Research degrees awarded by Queen Mary University of London are awards of the University of
London or of Queen Mary University of London.
8.5 In 2013/14, Queen Mary implemented its independent degree awarding powers. New and continuing
students in 2013/14 were given the option of receiving either a Queen Mary award or a University of
London award, where appropriate. Students were required to make their selections before the
published deadline in 2013/14 and in accordance with the stated procedure. New students who
enrolled from 2014/15 shall be awarded Queen Mary awards where the requirements are met.
8.6 These regulations also apply to students registered as an associate student of Queen Mary
undertaking study that is part of a research studies programme.
8.8 All references to ‘Academic Regulations’ include ‘research studies programme regulations’.
8.9 Queen Mary reserves the right to amend the Academic Regulations as it considers appropriate.
General
8.10 A student is required to enrol with Queen Mary at the start of their research degree programme and
register for the research studies programme. The period of registration will date from the point of
initial enrolment.
8.11 Students are required to re-enrol each academic year for the duration of the programme of studies
(including during the period of writing-up of the thesis and examination) regardless of the mode of
attendance. Re-enrolment takes place in August each year. Failure to re-enrol results in termination
of registration.
8.12 A student registers for a programme of research study from the point of initial enrolment leading to
the award of:
8.13 A student may be permitted to enrol as an associate student and undertake a period of guided study
and/or research that does not lead to an award of Queen Mary or the University of London. An
associate student enrols with Queen Mary normally for a period of up to six months and a maximum of
12 months. This period does not count towards the minimum registration period required for award.
The student is normally required to terminate their studies at the end of the period of registration as
an associate student. The period of registration may be extended with the permission of Senate or its
delegated authority
8.14 An associate student may enrol with Queen Mary for a longer period of registration in cases where:
i a student is undertaking research studies at Queen Mary as part of a formal collaboration between
Queen Mary and another institution, governed by a written agreement or contract; or,
ii a student has their primary registration at another institution and a member of Queen Mary
academic staff is a formal member of the student’s supervisory team, usually the second
supervisor.
Such students may enrol as associate students with Queen Mary for the duration of their programme
of study at the primary institution with the permission of Senate or its delegated authority.
8.15 A candidate registered for a research degree at another institution may transfer their registration at
the discretion of Senate or its delegated authority and be exempted from part of the research studies
programme at Queen Mary. Where this occurs, the period of registration at Queen Mary must be at
least 12 months full-time or 24 months part-time. Queen Mary will determine the appropriate point of
entry to the programme.
8.16 On transfer of registration, the registration for the original degree will lapse.
Concurrent study
8.17 A person currently registered for a qualification of Queen Mary may not concurrently be registered for
a degree, diploma, or certificate at any other institution, except with the express permission of Senate
or its delegated authority. Similarly, a student registered on a research studies programme may not be
simultaneously registered for more than one Queen Mary programme, except with the express
permission of Senate or its delegated authority.
Mode of attendance
8.18 The following modes of attendance are available to students:
i full-time.
ii part-time (50% of the workload of a full-time student per year).
8.19 A student is expected to continue in the same mode of study for which they originally registered.
Transfer between full-time and part-time study may be permitted by Senate or its delegated
authority. In such cases, the minimum and maximum registration periods will be adjusted according
to the length of registration spent in each mode.
Writing up status
8.20 A student may transfer to ‘writing up’ status with the approval of Senate or its delegated authority
provided that they have completed the minimum registration period and not exceeded the maximum
registration period. In order to transfer to writing up status, a student is normally required to have
completed all experimental work or collection of material related to their thesis, to have passed
annual progression in the second year of study (fourth year of study for part-time students) and, in the
judgement of the primary supervisor, be in a position to submit the thesis within 12 months. A
student registered for MPhil/PhD can only be transferred to writing up status if they have completed
the transfer process from MPhil to PhD where transfer is a requirement of their research studies
programme.
8.21 A student must enrol during the period of writing up and pay any fee applicable during this period.
8.22 The maximum period for ‘writing up’ is normally one calendar year regardless of the mode of
attendance of the student, unless the terms of a studentship stipulate that a longer period of writing-
up is permitted. If a student does not submit their thesis by the date agreed in the transfer to writing-
up application, they must agree a new thesis submission deadline with their school/institute. A school
/ institute may apply a charge if the writing up status is extended beyond one calendar year where it
has not been extended for a specific cause.
8.24 The period of extension counts as part of the overall period of registration.
Examination status
8.25 A student who submits their thesis for examination shall be transferred to ‘examination’ status with
effect from the date of submission of their thesis.
Interruption
8.26 A student may be permitted to interrupt a research studies programme for a maximum period of two
years in total throughout their period of registration or for a maximum period prescribed by the terms
of any studentship, on the grounds of illness or other good cause with the permission of Senate or its
delegated authority.
8.27 A student may interrupt their registration on the grounds of primary carer leave for up to one year per
child. This may cover pregnancy and related illnesses, and/or caring responsibilities. Periods of
interruption for primary carer leave shall not count towards the maximum of two years permitted for
interruption, but in all other respects the standard interruption procedures shall apply. Secondary
carers wishing to take an extended period of leave shall do so under the standard interruption
procedures.
8.28 Research students may interrupt and return to studies within the same academic year but can only
interrupt for whole months at a time.
8.29 The period of interruption does not count towards the minimum or maximum registration period for
the research studies programme, in accordance with the Interruption Policy.
8.30 A student is not required to pay fees during the period of interruption.
Minimum and maximum registration periods 20
8.31 A student must not be registered for a programme of study for a period longer than the normal
duration for the programme of study plus one year. Periods of interruption shall not count towards
the maximum permitted duration of study. In exceptional circumstances, Senate (or its delegated
authority) may approve an extension to the maximum permitted duration.
8.32 The registration period starts on the date of a student’s initial enrolment and registration with Queen
Mary for the research studies programme.
8.33 The registration period ends on the date of award or termination of registration.
8.34 Queen Mary terminates the registration of any student who exceeds the maximum registration period.
20
Previously known as ‘period of study’
8.35 The minimum period of full-time study for the awards of MPhil, PhD, MD(Res), EngD and DrPS is two
calendar years. The minimum period of full-time study for the award of DClinDent and DPsych is three
calendar years.
8.36 The minimum period of full-time study for the award of ResM is one calendar year.
8.37 The minimum period of part-time study for the awards of MPhil, PhD, MD(Res), EngD and DrPS is four
calendar years. The minimum period of part-time study for the award of DClinDent and DPsych is six
calendar years.
8.38 The minimum period of part-time study for the award of ResM is two calendar years.
8.39 The minimum period of study for the award of ResM prior to submission of the research project
dissertation for examination shall be ten months full-time study or the part-time equivalent.
8.40 The minimum registration period for a student who has transferred from another
institution/programme under regulation 8.15 above is as specified in the regulation.
8.41 The maximum registration period includes any period where the student is registered as writing up.
8.42 For MPhil, PhD, MD(Res), and EngD degrees the maximum period of registration begins on the date of
initial enrolment on the research studies programme and ends on the deadline for submission of the
thesis for examination. On submission of the thesis for examination a student is transferred to
examination status and remains registered on their programme of study until either the award of the
degree or termination of studies. A student who has not submitted their thesis for examination by the
end of the maximum period of registration must apply to extend their period of registration for up to
twelve months or for a maximum period prescribed by the terms of their studentship.
8.43 The maximum period of full-time study for the awards of MPhil, PhD, MD(Res), EngD, DrPS, DPsych
and DClinDent is 4 calendar years (including any writing up period).
8.44 The maximum period of part-time study for the awards of MPhil, PhD, MD(Res),EngD, DrPS, DPsych
and DClinDent is 7 calendar years (including any writing up period).
8.45 The maximum period of full-time study for the award of ResM is 2 calendar years.
8.46 The maximum period of part-time study for the award of ResM is 3 calendar years.
Exceptions to the maximum and minimum registration periods
8.47 Exceptionally, Senate or its delegated authority may permit a student to submit the thesis for
examination either before the minimum registration period, or after the maximum registration period,
or to extend the writing up period and/or period of registration for a maximum of 12 months. The
maximum extension for the ResM is 6 months.
8.48 In exceptional circumstances, Senate (or its delegated authority) may approve an extension to the
maximum permitted duration of study for a longer period than 12 months (6 months for the ResM).
Attendance requirements
8.50 In addition to the general attendance requirements, attendance refers to Queen Mary’s expectations
with regard to the way in which students engage with their research studies programme. The specific
nature of attendance requirements varies depending on the nature of the research studies
programme. General expectations are that a student meets regularly with their primary supervisor
and undertakes training and other specified activities that may also include the completion of taught
modules. There should be a minimum of ten supervisory meetings per academic year for full-time
students (pro rata for part-time students) held at regular intervals up to submission of the thesis for
examination. Supervision meetings may be held with any member of the supervisory team.
8.51 Students may exceptionally be permitted to undertake the majority of their studies at a research
organisation external to Queen Mary as part of a formal agreement or contract with joint supervision
provided by staff at Queen Mary and the partner research organisation. Schools and Institutes must
assess that the supervision and research facilities and resources to be provided by the research
organisation are satisfactory. The agreement with the research partner may be subject to approval by
Partnerships Board in accordance with its terms of reference. Exceptions to the standard model of
research studies may require the approval of the Research Degrees Programmes and Examinations
Board. The Queen Mary requirements for supervision apply.
8.52 A full-time student is not permitted to undertake other duties or work (apart from limited
demonstrating or tutorial duties) without the approval of their primary supervisor(s) unless provided
for in the terms of any studentship.
Termination of registration
8.53 Senate or its delegated authority may terminate the registration of a student who fails to meet the
progression requirements for the research study programme or where their general attendance or
submission of work and/or completion of required activities fails to meet the stated requirements.
8.54 Termination of registration may also take place as a result of non-attendance/participation in any
aspect of the research studies programme in accordance with the general regulations on attendance.
8.55 Termination of registration means that enrolment is also terminated and the individual is no longer a
student of Queen Mary in accordance with the general regulations.
8.56 A student for whom registration is terminated may appeal against this decision under the Appeal
Policy.
Studentships and scholarships
8.57 Studentships or scholarships may include additional, and/or specific requirements and conditions.
These requirements and conditions apply in addition to these Regulations to those students in receipt
of the studentship or scholarship.
8.59 Upon registration, a student identifies the topic of their research and the research studies programme
to be followed. Senate or its delegated authority approves the title of the thesis at the point of
notifying entry for examination.
MD(Res) and ResM
8.60 Senate or its delegated authority approves the title of the thesis for the MD(Res) and the title of the
dissertation for the ResM prior to registration for the research studies programme.
DrPS, DPsych and DClinDent
8.61 Senate or its delegated authority approves the subject and title of the thesis and/or research portfolio
after the equivalent of one year’s full-time study on the research studies programme.
Change of title
8.62 In all cases, Senate or its delegated authority approves any change to the title of the research thesis or
dissertation in accordance with the required procedure.
Supervision
8.63 The Queen Mary Code of Practice for Postgraduate Research Programmes sets out the requirements
for supervision.
8.64 Supervisors are appointed to the role by Senate or its delegated authority and meet the approved
criteria, which may include relevant training requirements being met.
Progress monitoring
8.65 Progress monitoring is a formal review process that takes place at least once per academic year in
accordance with the requirements approved by Senate, or its delegated authority. Progress
monitoring informs progression.
Progression
8.66 Progression is a formal process that permits a student to continue to the next stage/period of their
research studies programme.
8.68 Progression decisions are made in accordance with procedures established by Senate or its delegated
authority.
8.69 The 6 to 9 month (Year 1) progression point (12 to 18 months for part-time students) is undertaken in
accordance with the approved requirements for the PhD, MPhil, MD(Res) or EngD research studies
programme and may include the submission of written work and an oral examination. Year 1
progression decisions are made by the Director of Graduate Studies following a panel’s review of the
student’s progress. Any panel recommending a decision about a student’s progression or registration
on a research studies programme must comprise at least two people, at least one of whom must be
independent of the student’s supervisory team. The Chair of the panel should have experience of
being a Queen Mary primary supervisor who has taken their student successfully through one annual
progression review event. External members may be appointed to the panel. In such cases, one
member of the panel must be a member of Queen Mary staff who is independent of the student’s
supervisory team. The independent members of the panel have the casting vote regarding the
recommended outcome. The Director of Graduate Studies approves members of progression panels.
8.70 Progression decisions in subsequent years of study (18-24 months and 30-36 months for full-time
students, and 36-48 months and 60-72 months for part-time students) are made in accordance with
procedures outlined in the relevant research studies programme regulations, approved by Senate or
its delegated authority. Progression decisions are made by the Director of Graduate Studies. It is
recommended that part-time students should complete an annual review in the intervening years.
i Progress – the student may progress to the next stage of the research studies programme
ii Referred – the student must undertake further specified work and be reconsidered for progression
again within 3 months
i Progress – the student may progress to the next stage of the research studies programme
ii Fail to progress – the student may transfer registration to MPhil or other appropriate programme
iii Fail to progress – the student’s registration is to be terminated
8.73 The process of assessment for progression must always include a meeting with the student if the
recommendation is referral for a second assessment or fail to progress.
8.76 The regulations for the transfer process for the year of entry to the research studies programme shall
apply.
Students registered for a research studies programme after 1 September 2010
8.77 A student registered for a research studies programme leading to the award of MPhil or MD(Res) after
1 September 2010 may transfer their registration to PhD.
8.78 The transfer process normally takes place between 12 to 24 months for a full-time student and 24 to
48 months for a part-time student. The transfer process is undertaken in accordance with the
approved requirements for the research studies programme which include the submission of written
work and an oral examination. The oral examination is conducted by a panel of examiners that
comprises at least two members. The examiners for transfer from MPhil to PhD may include the
supervisor and must include at least one examiner, knowledgeable in the field, who is not connected
with the student’s research.
8.79 Where a student is successful and transfers their registration, the date of initial registration for the
research studies programme continues to apply for the purpose of determining maximum and
minimum registration periods.
8.80 Where a student is unsuccessful in the transfer examination, the examiners may recommend that they
may remain registered on the MPhil programme and be examined for that award, or that the student
should be permitted to submit for transfer on one further occasion. If a student is unsuccessful at the
second attempt at transfer, the examiners may recommend that they may remain registered on the
MPhil programme and be examined for that award, or may recommend that their registration should
be terminated.
8.81 A student may appeal against the decision of the examiners for transfer under the Appeal Policy.
Examination entry
8.82 Examination entry is the formal process by which a student notifies Queen Mary of their intention to
submit the thesis and be examined for the degree for which they are registered. Examination entry is
also the process by which the title of the thesis is notified and approved. The procedure for
examination entry is approved by Senate or its delegated authority.
8.83 A student intending to enter for examination is required to complete the relevant forms for
examination entry. The forms should be submitted to the designated body at least three months
before the proposed submission of the thesis. The submission of the thesis must take place up to
twelve months after examination entry. After twelve months, if the thesis has not been submitted, a
new entry form is required and a re-entry fee may be required.
8.84 For a student to be entered for examination, Queen Mary must confirm that they have completed the
research degree programme in accordance with the relevant regulations.
8.86 For a student on a ResM programme the programme guidance shall describe the arrangements for
examination entry. In exceptional circumstances, Senate or its delegated authority may permit an
extension of the dissertation submission deadline. A student may be permitted to extend their
submission deadline by up to one month at the discretion of their school/institute. A request for an
extension to the submission deadline exceeding one month and up to a maximum of six months must
be considered by the Research Degree Programmes and Examination Board. The period of extension
must be within the maximum period of study. Extensions will not be granted retrospectively.
Submission of thesis/dissertation
8.87 A student is required to submit their thesis in a form that meets the requirements for a thesis. A
student is required to submit an electronic copy of their thesis to the Research Degrees Office in the
approved format of a digital (PDF) file.
8.88 The student is required to bring to the oral examination a copy of their thesis paginated in the same
way as the copy submitted to Queen Mary.
8.89 In submitting a thesis for examination or re-examination a student accepts responsibility for its
contents and quality. Students are required to conform to Queen Mary’s policy on editorial assistance
and to include in their thesis a statement of originality detailing any work undertaken in collaboration
with others.
8.90 For a student on a ResM programme the programme guidance shall describe the requirements for the
submission of the dissertation for examination.
Requirements for a thesis/dissertation
8.91 The thesis/dissertation must meet the specific requirements provided in Appendix 1 of these
regulations.
Requirements for DrPS, DPsych and DClinDent
8.92 In addition to the thesis, the professional doctorates of DrPS, DPsych and DClinDent are examined
through a broader range of methods than thesis and oral examination. The requirements for the
awards of DrPS, DPsych and DClinDent are those approved by Senate or its delegated authority.
Word limits
8.93 The thesis/dissertation must not exceed the following word limits:
8.95 A Panel of Examiners is established for each individual examination of an MPhil, PhD, MD(Res), EngD
and for the DrPS, DPsych and DClinDent as appropriate.
8.96 A Panel of Examiners is established for an individual examination of a ResM or for a group of students
where the dissertations are in cognate fields of study.
8.97 The Panel of Examiners comprises a minimum of two examiners appointed by Senate or its delegated
authority. The Code of Practice for Research Degree Programmes specifies the membership of the
panel of examiners and the criteria for the appointment of examiners.
Examination requirements
8.98 The examination for ResM is by submission of the dissertation. An oral examination is required for
certain examination results as set out in Regulation 8.111. If required, the oral examination will
normally be held within three months of the date of submission of the dissertation.
8.99 The examination for MPhil, PhD, MD(Res) and EngD is by submission of thesis and oral examination of
the thesis. The examination for EngD is by submission of a thesis or a research portfolio and oral
examination. The examination for DrPS, DPsych and DClinDent is by submission of thesis and/or
research portfolio, other required assessments and oral examination. At their discretion, the
examiners may also examine the candidate by practical or written examination.
8.100 The examination process is held in private and is not a public examination. The candidate must be
consulted on their preference for the format of the oral examination, and the candidate and the
examiners must agree whether to hold the viva in person or remotely. The oral examination may be:
i normally held at Queen Mary with the candidate and the examiners present in person;
ii held by video-link with the candidate and the examiners attending remotely; or
iii organised as mixed mode of attendance if agreed by the candidate. Either the candidate or one of
the examiners may attend the examination by video-link. In such cases an independent chair if
required or viva convenor must be in attendance with those attending in person for the duration
of the examination.
8.101 All matters related to the examination are confidential. Examiners are not permitted to divulge the
content of previously unpublished material contained in the student’s thesis until such time as the
thesis is made available or any restrictions on access to the thesis are removed.
8.102 The examination is conducted in English (unless the Senate or its delegated authority has given
permission for it to be conducted in another language). The candidate must attend the examination at
the place and time specified by Queen Mary and must bring with them a copy of the thesis that is
paginated in the same way as that submitted for examination.
8.103 Each examiner prepares an independent report on the thesis in advance of the oral examination. The
examiners exchange reports before the oral examination.
8.105 The examiners may reject a thesis/dissertation which they consider to be incomplete or unacceptable
without conducting an examination. Such cases will be reported to the Chair of the Research Degree
Programmes and Examinations Board to determine the action to be taken. The candidate may be
permitted to submit the thesis for examination on a subsequent occasion.
8.106 The examiners have a right to make comments in confidence to the Principal of Queen Mary in a
separate report.
8.107 The examiners submit to the Academic Registrar’s nominee copies of their preliminary reports and a
joint final report that details their judgement of the candidate's performance and reasons for the
decision they have reached. The joint report will be available to the candidate for their personal
information, and the supervisor(s) and School/Institute Director of Graduate Studies. The preliminary
reports are made available to the candidate at the discretion of the examiners. Examiners should
normally submit their independent preliminary reports and joint report on the examination with the
examination outcome form to the Research Degrees Office within two weeks of the date of the oral
examination of the candidate.
8.108 Where the supervisor is in attendance at the oral examination they must not participate in the
examination but may make comments if asked to do so by the examiners. The examiners may, at their
discretion, consult the supervisor before completing their report, particularly if they have doubts
relating to the appropriate decision to be made.
8.109 If a candidate becomes unwell in advance of an oral examination, they should notify the supervisor
who will make reasonable efforts to change the date of the examination. In attending an oral
examination, candidates declare themselves ‘fit to sit’. Any subsequent claim for extenuating
circumstances shall not normally be considered.
Decisions of the Panel of Examiners
8.110 Except as provided in paragraph 8.105 the examiners read the dissertation and agree the result of the
examination.
8.111 The options open to examiners in determining the result of an examination are as follows:
i if the dissertation fulfils the criteria for the Master by Research degree as set out in Appendix 1 of
these regulations, the examiners report that the candidate has satisfied them in the examination
for the Master by Research degree;
iii if the dissertation, though inadequate, shall seem of sufficient merit to justify such action, the
examiners may determine that the student be permitted to re-present their dissertation in a
revised form for a second and final time within six months. This option is not available to
examiners re-examining a dissertation. The examiners shall not make such a decision without first
submitting the candidate to an oral examination. The resubmitted dissertation shall be submitted
to both examiners;
iv the examiners may determine that the candidate has not satisfied them in the examination, that
the degree should not be awarded and that the student should not be permitted to re-present
his/her dissertation in a revised form for examination. The examiners shall not, however, save in
exceptional circumstances, make such a decision without submitting the candidate to an oral
examination;
v students who fail to submit or resubmit the dissertation by the required deadline will be
deregistered.
8.112 Except as provided in paragraph 8.105 the examiners, after reading the thesis, examine the student
orally and at their discretion by written papers or practical examination or by both methods on the
subject of the thesis and, if they see fit, on relevant subjects.
8.113 The options open to examiners in determining the result of an examination are as follows:
i if the thesis fulfils the criteria (set out in Appendix 1) and the candidate satisfies the examiners in
all other parts of the examination, the examiners will report that the candidate has satisfied them
in the examination for the degree and recommend a Pass;
ii if the thesis otherwise fulfils the criteria but requires minor amendments and if the candidate
satisfies the examiners in all other parts of the examination, the examiners may require the
candidate to make minor amendments as specified by them in full and in writing, in or with their
joint report, within six months. The amended thesis shall be submitted to the examiners or one of
their number nominated by them for confirmation that the amendments are satisfactory;
iii if the thesis otherwise fulfils the criteria but requires major amendments and if the candidate
satisfies the examiners in all other parts of the examination, the examiners may require the
candidate to make major amendments as specified by them in full and in writing, in or with their
joint report, within nine months. The amended thesis shall be submitted to both the examiners
for confirmation that the amendments are satisfactory;
v if the thesis satisfies the criteria but the candidate fails to satisfy the examiners at the practical or
written examination held in conjunction, the examiners may determine that the candidate be
exempted on re-entry from presentation of the thesis and be permitted to submit to a further
practical or written examination within a period specified by them and not exceeding 18 months.
The examiners may at their discretion exempt the candidate from taking a further oral
examination. This outcome may not be recommended for candidates undertaking a second
(re-) examination;
vi if the thesis satisfies the criteria for the degree, but the candidate fails to satisfy the examiners at
the oral examination, the examiners may determine that the candidate be permitted to re-present
him/herself for a further oral examination within a period specified by them and not exceeding 18
months for the PhD, MD(Res), EngD, DrPS, DPsych or DClinDent degree or 12 months for the MPhil
degree. This outcome may not be recommended for candidates undertaking a second
(re-) examination;
vii the examiners may determine that the candidate has not satisfied them in the examination. The
examiners shall not, however, save in very exceptional circumstances, make such a decision
without submitting the candidate to an oral examination (in the case of a second examination,
examiners’ discretion about whether to hold a second oral examination still applies), nor, for the
PhD or EngD degree, before considering whether the candidate does or might be able to satisfy
the requirements for the award of the MPhil degree. If they so decide, the examiners shall submit a
report which demonstrates either (a) how the criteria for the MPhil degree are satisfied, or (b)
what action would need to be taken in order for these criteria to be satisfied.
If the examiners recommend that the criteria for the MPhil degree are or may be satisfied, the
candidate will be informed that they have been unsuccessful in the examination for the PhD or
EngD degree, but that their examiners have indicated that they have either reached the standard
or subject to minor amendments will reach the standard required for the award of the MPhil
degree. The candidate will be given three months to indicate whether they wish to be so
considered (to run concurrently with any period for minor corrections as required).
If they do not wish to be considered for the MPhil degree, or does not confirm that they wish to be
so considered within the specified period, then they will be informed that they have failed to
satisfy the examiners for the PhD or EngD degree and that they may no longer be considered for
the award of the MPhil degree.
If they wish to be considered for the award of MPhil under this regulation, the candidate will not
be required to re-submit the thesis or undergo an oral examination but will be required to fulfil
the requirements for the MPhil examination in all other respects. Any minor amendments required
shall be made within three months of the date of notification of the examination outcome and the
amended thesis shall be submitted to the examiners or one of their number nominated by them
for confirmation that the amendments are satisfactory.
viii the examiners may determine that the candidate has not satisfied them in the examination and
recommend that the candidate has failed with no re-entry permitted. The examiners shall not,
save in very exceptional circumstances, make such a decision without submitting the candidate to
an oral examination (in the case of a second examination, examiners’ discretion about whether to
hold a second oral examination still applies).
8.114 Except as provided in paragraph 8.96 the examiners, after reading the thesis and/or research
portfolio, examine the student orally and at their discretion by written papers or practical
examination or by both methods on the subject of the thesis and, if they see fit, on relevant subjects.
8.115 The options open to examiners in determining the result of an examination are as follows:
i if the thesis fulfils the criteria (set out in Appendix 1) and the candidate satisfies the examiners in
all other parts of the examination, the examiners will report that the candidate has satisfied them
in the examination for the degree and recommend a Pass;
ii if the thesis otherwise fulfils the criteria but requires minor amendments and if the candidate
satisfies the examiners in all other parts of the examination, the examiners may require the
candidate to make minor amendments as specified by them in full and in writing, in or with their
joint report, within six months. The amended thesis shall be submitted to the examiners or one of
their number nominated by them for confirmation that the amendments are satisfactory;
iii if the thesis otherwise fulfils the criteria but requires major amendments and if the candidate
satisfies the examiners in all other parts of the examination, the examiners may require the
candidate to make major amendments as specified by them in full and in writing, in or with their
joint report, within nine months. The amended thesis shall be submitted to both the examiners
for confirmation that the amendments are satisfactory;
iv if the thesis, though inadequate, shall seem of sufficient merit to justify such action, the examiners
may determine that the candidate be permitted to re-submit their thesis in a revised form within
12 months. Examiners shall not, however, make such a decision without submitting the candidate
to an oral examination. The examiners may at their discretion exempt the candidate from a
further oral examination following the re-submission of the thesis. This outcome may not be
recommended for candidates undertaking a second (re-) examination;
vi if the thesis satisfies the criteria for the degree, but the candidate fails to satisfy the examiners at
the oral examination, the examiners may determine that the candidate be permitted to re-present
him/herself for a further oral examination within a period specified by them and not exceeding 12
months. This outcome may not be recommended for candidates undertaking a second
(re-) examination;
vii the examiners may determine that the candidate has not satisfied them in the examination. The
examiners shall not, however, save in very exceptional circumstances, make such a decision
without submitting the candidate to an oral examination (in the case of a second examination,
examiners’ discretion about whether to hold a second oral examination still applies). Where the
examiners recommend this decision, they shall also consider whether a candidate may meet the
requirements for a relevant Level 7 (masters) programme and, if appropriate, recommend that
they be considered for the award of that degree by the relevant Subject Examination Board;
viii the examiners may determine that the candidate has not satisfied them in the examination and
recommend that the candidate has failed with no re-entry permitted. The examiners shall not,
save in very exceptional circumstances, make such a decision without submitting the candidate to
an oral examination (in the case of a second examination, examiners’ discretion about whether to
hold a second oral examination still applies).
Points applicable to all degrees
8.116 If the examiners are unable to reach agreement or decide that they cannot make a recommendation
on the examination outcome, their reports shall be referred to the Chair of the Research Degree
Programmes and Examination Board, who shall determine the action to be taken. Action may include
the appointment of an independent assessor to review the thesis/dissertation and submit a report to
the Chair to inform their decision; the candidate may be permitted to submit the thesis/dissertation
for examination on a subsequent occasion; and other action at the Chair’s discretion. In the event that
the Chair of the Research Degree Programmes and Examination Board was involved in the student’s
supervision or examination, the case is determined by a Deputy Dean for Research not in the
candidate’s faculty.
8.118 A candidate who fails to satisfy the examiners will not be permitted to re-enter for the examination. If
the examiners’ decision is to fail the candidate outright and to reject all other examination outcomes,
they should indicate the reasons for their decision in the joint report.
8.119 Where the examiners have decided that the criteria for award are satisfied in part, in some or all of the
elements for examination [thesis, oral, practical etc.] but the criteria for award are not met, the
student may be re-examined. This applies to all research studies programmes and awards. Queen
Mary charges a fee for re-examination. When the re-examination takes place, the regulations and
procedures in force at the time of re-entry apply. The same examiners will normally undertake the re-
examination. The outcomes of re-examination are those that are specified for the award in question.
8.120 Except for the ResM, on re-examination only options (i), (ii), (iii) and (vii) are available to the
examiners.
8.121 A student who does not re-enter within the prescribed time frame will be deemed not to have satisfied
the examiners in the examination, and will have their registration terminated.
8.122 Where the student has failed to satisfy the examiners (i.e. failed), there is no right of re-examination.
Award of the degree
8.123 Senate or its delegated authority awards the degree. For University of London awards, Senate or its
delegated authority awards the degree under delegated authority from the University of London.
8.124 Except for the ResM, the award of the degree does not occur until the student has submitted a digital
copy of the final thesis.
8.125 Senate or its delegated authority may award a research degree posthumously in accordance with the
approved policy.
Availability of theses
8.126 Except for the ResM, it is a requirement for the award of the degree that one digital copy of a
successful thesis be stored in the electronic repository of the Queen Mary Library. Students are
required to sign a declaration relating to the availability of the thesis (the detailed declaration is given
in Appendix 2).
8.127 A candidate may apply to Queen Mary for restriction of access, for a period not normally exceeding 12-
months, to their thesis and/or the abstract of the thesis on the grounds of commercial exploitation or
patenting or other specified exceptional circumstances and in accordance with the procedure
adopted by Queen Mary for consideration of such applications. Restricted access may also be agreed
by Queen Mary with the candidate’s sponsoring organisation. This period may be extended beyond
12- months in exceptional circumstances and with the approval of Senate or its delegated authority.
Examination offences and academic misconduct
8.128 Academic misconduct during the course of a research studies programme and examination offences,
including plagiarism, will be investigated under the Academic Misconduct Policy.
8.129 All assessment that is submitted for progress review, transfer, or examination is subject to the
Academic Misconduct Policy. Work that is submitted for review by the supervisor during the course of
the research preparation is not considered to be a formal submission of assessment and is not subject
to the Academic Misconduct Policy.
8.130 A research student who is found to have committed an assessment offence may also incur the
following penalties:
8.131 Where plagiarism or fraud is established after an award has been made, the award may be revoked.
8.132 Research students are also subject to the Queen Mary policies relating to research integrity and other
associated research policies and procedures, including the procedure for dealing with allegations of
research misconduct.
Appeals
8.133 A student may appeal against a progression decision or a decision of a panel of examiners using the
Appeal Policy.
Collaborative arrangements
8.134 Collaborative arrangements for the supervision and award of research degree programmes are
approved in accordance with the policy and procedures established by Senate, or its delegated
authority, for that purpose. Such arrangements may lead to the award of a single Queen Mary degree,
two degrees from both Queen Mary and the partner institution(s) or a single degree awarded jointly by
Queen Mary and the partner institution(s).
8.135 In all cases, where a research studies programme leads to a dual or double award, the award of one
institution cannot be made where the requirements for the award of the other awarding institution(s)
are not met.
Revocation of award
8.136 Queen Mary may revoke an award made under these regulations, in accordance with the relevant
procedures of Queen Mary or the University. Such cases shall be considered on a case-by-case basis by
Senate, or its delegated authority.
Additional award requirements for European Doctorate
8.137 A PhD may be designated ‘European Doctorate’ where the approved research studies programme
permits. As a minimum, a European Doctorate is required to fulfil the criteria approved by Senate or
its delegated authority.
Master by Research
1. The minimum period of study shall be one calendar year’s full-time study or the part-time equivalent.
2. Assessment for the award shall in all cases be by submission of a dissertation and the examination will be
conducted in English. The scope of the dissertation shall be what might reasonably be expected after one
year of full-time study or the part-time equivalent, and the length shall not, other than in the most
exceptional circumstances, exceed 30,000 words.
a. consist of the candidate's own account of their investigations of a suitable research problem,
hypotheses or research questions; [The part played by the candidate in any work done jointly with
the supervisor(s) and/or fellow research workers must be clearly stated by the candidate and certified
by the supervisor.]
b. be either a record of original work or an ordered and critical exposition of existing knowledge;
c. be an integrated whole and present a coherent account of the main findings and their significance,
providing a critical discussion of relevant major theories, debates and concepts; [A series of papers,
whether published or otherwise, is not acceptable for submission. Research work already published,
or submitted for publication, at the time of submission of the dissertation, either by the candidate
alone or jointly with others, may be included. The published papers themselves may not be included
in the body of the dissertation, but may be adapted to form an integral part of the dissertation and
thereby make a relevant contribution to the main theme of the dissertation. Publications derived
from the work in the dissertation may be bound as supplementary material at the back of the
dissertation.]
d. demonstrate the capacity to design and carry out an independent research project using appropriate
research methods and utilizing suitable skills and techniques;
e. give a critical assessment of the relevant literature, describe the method of research and its findings
and include a discussion on those findings;
and
f. be written in English and the literary presentation shall be satisfactory, displaying good presentation
and referencing skills.
Master of Philosophy
1. The minimum period of study shall be two calendar years' full-time study or the part-time equivalent.
2. Assessment for the award shall in all cases be by submission of a thesis and an oral examination, which
shall be conducted in English. The scope of the thesis shall be what might reasonably be expected after
two or at most three years of full-time study, and the length shall not, other than in the most
exceptional circumstances, exceed 60,000 words.
b. be either a record of original work or an ordered and critical exposition of existing knowledge
and shall provide evidence that the field has been surveyed thoroughly;
d. give a critical assessment of the relevant literature, describe the method of research and its
findings and include a discussion on those findings; and
e. be written in English and the literary presentation shall be satisfactory, although Queen Mary
may permit on an exceptional basis only a thesis in the field of modern foreign languages and
literatures only to be written in the language of study; in such cases the thesis shall include
additionally a submission of between 10,000 and 20,000 words which shall be written in English
and shall summarise the main arguments of the thesis.
In certain specified fields other forms of material may be required to be submitted for
assessment within or in addition to the thesis:
English
In the field of English, a candidate may undertake research leading to the submission of a
written thesis, or a combination of a written thesis and practice in the form of a creative
element (original novel, novella, collection of short stories, work of creative nonfiction
including memoir and other forms of life-writing such as biography and autobiography,
collection of poetry, full-length stage play, screenplay, or teleplay). In the case of a doctorate
with a creative element, it will usually constitute the largest proportion of the submitted work
and the critical thesis the balance thereof, the latter taking the form either of an exegesis
reflecting on the candidate’s creative practice and the work produced, or a critical project on a
topic whose analysis informs, or is related to, the creative component. The balance between
the creative and critical elements shall be agreed between the student and supervisor(s). The
critical commentary component shall be a minimum of 20,000 words.
Film Studies
In the field of Film Studies, a candidate may undertake research leading either to the
submission of a written thesis or a combination of a written thesis and practice in the form of
original film, video, or new media (the balance between the written and practical components
is determined by the needs of the project).
In such cases the submission is examined in relation to the criteria for the degree outlined
above. Students who submit a combination of a written thesis and practice do so on the
understanding that the material is submitted concurrently and examined as an integrated
whole. Practice must be submitted using a form of retainable documentation agreed in
consultation with the supervisor and Director of Graduate Studies, and approved by the faculty
Deputy Dean for Research (Research Degrees), or nominee.
f. Requests for the thesis to be submitted in alternative formats may be approved by the faculty
Deputy Dean for Research (Research Degrees) where there is a demonstrable need, explaining
clearly the reasons for this. Requests should be submitted jointly by the candidate for
examination and their supervisor, with the approval of the School/Institute Director of
Graduate Studies.
Doctor of Philosophy and Doctor of Engineering
4. The minimum period of study shall be two calendar years' full-time study or the part-time equivalent.
5. Assessment for the award of PhD shall in all cases be by submission of a thesis and an oral examination,
which shall be conducted in English. The scope of the thesis shall be what might reasonably be
expected after three or at most four years of full-time study, and the length shall not, other than in the
most exceptional circumstances, exceed 100,000 words.
6. Assessment for the award of EngD shall be either by submission of a thesis as for the PhD or by
submission of a research portfolio and an oral examination, which shall be conducted in English. The
research portfolio shall consist of a coherent set of up to four linked research projects with one or more
external (industry, public-sector or third-sector) partners based on the student’s projects/placements
during the programme. The scope of the thesis shall be what might reasonably be expected after three
or at most four years of full-time study, and the length shall not, other than in the most exceptional
circumstances, exceed 100,000 words.
a. consist of the candidate's own account of their investigations, the greater proportion of which
shall have been undertaken during the period of registration under supervision for the degree;
[The part played by the candidate in any work done jointly with the supervisor(s) and/or fellow
research workers must be clearly stated by the candidate and certified by the supervisor.]
b. form a distinct contribution to the knowledge of the subject and afford evidence of originality
by the discovery of new facts and/or by the exercise of independent critical power;
d. give a critical assessment of the relevant literature, describe the method of research and its
findings, include discussion on those findings and indicate in what respects they appear to the
candidate to advance the study of the subject; and, in so doing, demonstrate a deep and
synoptic understanding of the field of study, (the candidate being able to place the thesis in a
wider context), objectivity and the capacity for judgement in complex situations and
autonomous work in that field;
e. be written in English and the literary presentation shall be satisfactory, although Queen Mary
may permit on an exceptional basis only a thesis in the field of modern foreign languages and
literatures only to be written in the language of study; in such cases the thesis shall include
additionally a submission of between 10,000 and 20,000 words which shall be written in English
and shall summarise the main arguments of the thesis;
h. In certain specified fields other forms of material may be required to be submitted within or in
addition to the thesis:
Film Studies
In the field of Film Studies, a candidate may undertake research leading either to the
submission of a written thesis or a combination of a written thesis and practice in the form of
original film, video, or new media (the balance between the written and practical components
is determined by the needs of the project).
Modern Languages
In the field of Modern Languages, a candidate may undertake research leading either to the
submission of a written thesis or a combination of a written thesis and practice in the form of a
translation into English of a literary text. The critical commentary shall be a minimum of 30,000
words. The balance between the written and practical components is determined by the needs
of the project.
In such cases the submission is examined in relation to the criteria for the degree outlined
above. Students who submit a combination of a written thesis and practice do so on the
understanding that the material is submitted concurrently and examined as an integrated
whole. Practice must be submitted using a form of retainable documentation agreed in
consultation with the supervisor and Director of Graduate Studies, and approved by the faculty
Deputy Dean for Research (Research Degrees), or nominee.
i. Requests for the thesis to be submitted in alternative formats may be approved by the faculty
Deputy Dean for Research (Research Degrees) where there is a demonstrable need, explaining
clearly the reasons for this. Requests should be submitted jointly by the candidate for
examination and their supervisor, with the approval of the School/Institute Director of
Graduate Studies.
Professional Doctorates (DrPS, DPsych and DClinDent)
8. A programme of study and examination for the degree of Doctor in/of ----- shall satisfy the following
requirements:
a. the aims and objectives of the programme shall be such that it will provide an education at an
intellectual level equivalent to that required for the PhD;
b. the programme of study shall extend over a period of at least three years' full-time study or the
part-time equivalent;
e. the programme shall, in addition to the thesis and/or research portfolio, include elements of a
practical/work-related/professional nature and formally taught elements appropriate to
support its academic objectives;
f. the elements listed at 7[e] shall be assessed by methods and at an intellectual level and at a
time appropriate to the programme, and approved by Senate or its delegated authority. Such
assessment shall normally involve at least one examiner external to the University;
g. the final examination contributing to the award of the degree shall be designed (i) to test the
thesis against the stated requirements (see 7[d] above) and (ii) to test the candidate's
conceptual understanding of the integration of all elements of the course and their related
assessment;
h. the final examination shall include an oral examination of each candidate conducted by at least
two examiners, one of whom shall be external to Queen Mary in accordance with the normal
requirements for examiners for research degree programmes.
Progression
9. A student must meet any programme or pathway requirements, and pass all taught / directed study
modules for the current developmental year. Such modules are graded pass/fail for the purposes of the
doctoral degree. Directed study assessment results including module marks, and progression decisions,
will be considered at the relevant postgraduate Subject Examination Board.
10. The provisions of Section 5 of the Academic Regulations concerning postgraduate programme modules
shall apply to professional doctorate programmes, in particular the regulations specifying the “Marks
and grades for student performance in individual modules” and the “Requirements to pass a module”.
11. Students shall also be required to undertake a formal assessment in each developmental year of
research-based study to confirm progression to the following year. The format of such assessments
shall be outlined in the programme specification for each professional doctorate programme.
12. Where a student misses a taught / directed study module assessment due to an approved certified
absence or fails to meet the progression requirements for the current developmental year, the
examination board may apply its discretion and, if it deems it appropriate, permit the student to
progress.
Eligibility for award
13. To be eligible for award a student must pass all taught / directed study modules and satisfy the
requirements for the examination of the research elements of the professional doctorate programme.
Academic credit requirements for award
15. A student who does not meet the requirements for award but is entitled to resits or retakes may elect to
exit with the award of Postgraduate Diploma, Postgraduate Certificate or appropriate master’s award,
where the requirements for those awards are met. The student shall then be ineligible to resit or retake
the failed modules to meet the requirements for the professional doctorate programme.
16. A student who does not meet the requirements for award and has exhausted all attempts, but who
meets the requirements for the award of Postgraduate Diploma, Postgraduate Certificate or
appropriate master’s award shall be conferred the award for which the requirements have been met,
unless the student has been deregistered. Where a student has been deregistered, the nature of the
deregistration shall be considered in deciding whether to recommend an exit award. In such cases the
progression and award regulations for the Postgraduate Diploma, the Postgraduate Certificate and the
master’s award shall apply as specified in Section 5 of the Academic Regulations concerning
postgraduate programmes.
Doctor of Medicine (Research) (MD(Res))
17. The minimum period of study shall be two calendar years' full-time study or the part-time equivalent.
18. The emphasis of the programme of study will be on the development in the individual student of:
b. original, independent and critical thinking and the ability to develop theoretical concepts;
e. the ability to analyse critically and evaluate the research findings and those of others; and
g. Assessment for the award shall in all cases be by submission of a thesis and an oral
examination, which shall be conducted in English. The scope of the thesis shall be what might
reasonably be expected after three or at most four years of full-time study, and the length shall
not, other than in the most exceptional circumstances, exceed 50,000 words.
a. consist of the candidate's own account of their investigations, the greater proportion of which
shall have been undertaken during the period of registration under supervision for the degree;
[The part played by the candidate in any work done jointly with the supervisor(s) and/or fellow
research workers must be clearly stated by the candidate and certified by the supervisor.]
d. give a critical assessment of the relevant literature, describe the method of research and its
findings, include discussion on those findings and indicate in what respects they appear to the
candidate to advance the study of the subject; and, in so doing, demonstrate a deep and
synoptic understanding of the field of study, (the candidate being able to place the thesis in a
wider context), objectivity and the capacity for judgement in complex situations and
autonomous work in that field;
h. requests for the thesis to be submitted in alternative formats may be approved by the faculty
Deputy Dean for Research (Research Degrees) where there is a demonstrable need, explaining
clearly the reasons for this. Requests should be submitted jointly by the candidate for
examination and their supervisor, with the approval of the School/Institute Director of
Graduate Studies.
Declaration
1. I authorise that the thesis I present for examination for the degree shall, if a degree is awarded, be
deposited in the electronic institutional repository of the library of Queen Mary University of London
and that, subject to the conditions set out below, it may be made available for public reference, inter-
library loan and copying.
2. I authorise Queen Mary or University authorities as appropriate to supply a copy of the abstract of my
thesis for inclusion in any published list of theses offered for higher degrees in British universities or in
any supplement thereto, or for consultation in any central file of abstracts of such theses.
3. I understand that before my thesis is made available for public reference, inter-library loan and copying,
the following statement will have been included at the beginning of my thesis or clearly associated with
any electronic version: The copyright of this thesis rests with the author.
4. I warrant that this authorisation does not, to the best of my belief, infringe the rights of any third party.
5. I understand that if my thesis is not approved by the examiners, this declaration will become void.
Academic credit An indicator of the amount and level of learning. The structure of academic
credit and levels as applied to modules and programmes leading to awards of
Queen Mary are detailed in the Queen Mary Academic Credit Framework.
Academic level The relative complexity, depth of study, and learner autonomy required in
relation to a module in the context of its discipline. Each module and award is
assigned a level from the following scale:
Academic year A period running from 1 August to 31 July. The developmental years of most
undergraduate programmes follow academic years, and policies and
regulations are normally written by academic year. See also developmental
year, and calendar year.
Accredited Prior Prior, certificated study from another institution deemed equivalent to Queen
Learning (APL) Mary modules from which exemption is sought.
Calendar year A twelve-month period. Many masters programmes run for a full calendar
year, which may cross two academic years. See also academic year;
developmental year.
Compulsory module A module that must be taken to meet requirements for progression or award.
Core module A module that must be taken and passed to meet requirements for
progression or award. Core modules cannot be condoned.
Co-requisite module A module that must be taken at the same time as another, specified, module.
Delegated authority Where the authority invested in an individual or body is delegated to another
individual or body for a specified purpose.
Developmental year A year of a programme. Normally one academic year of full time study, during
which a student is normally required to be registered for 120 credits of
modules. Developmental years for part time students normally last two years.
See also academic year and calendar year.
Elective module A module that a student may select from a specified list of options.
Element of assessment An individual item of assessment. The assessment for a module may comprise
several elements of assessment.
Enrolment A process by which individuals with offers of places to study become students
of Queen Mary. New students must pre-enrol before enrolment, and returning
students must re-enrol each year.
Extenuating Circumstances that are outside a student’s control which may have a negative
circumstances impact on a student’s ability to undertake or complete any assessment so as
to cast doubt on the likely validity of the assessment as a measure of the
student’s achievement.
External examiner A senior professional academic from outside Queen Mary who monitors the
assessment process for fairness and academic standards.
Field of study The description of the modules passed by a student. Represented in the name
of the programme and the title of the award conferred upon a student
First sit The repeat of all or part of a module’s assessment following a certified
absence at the first attempt due to extenuating circumstances acceptable to
the examination board. A first sit replaces the first attempt and does not count
towards the value of academic credit for which a student must normally be
registered in an academic or developmental year. First sit module marks are
not capped.
First take The repeat of a module following failure at a previous attempt. This involves
attendance and completion of all elements of the module, and submission of
all assignments, whether assessed or not. First takes count towards the value
of academic credit for which a student must normally be registered in an
academic or developmental year. Module marks for first takes are not capped.
First takes incur pro rata tuition fees.
Module An approved block of teaching and learning leading to the award of academic
credit and forming part of a programme of study.
Module assessment Assessment of the performance of a student on a module. This may include a
variety of elements and forms of assessment.
Module mark The overall module result. This may be a weighted aggregate of marks from
several elements of assessment. It is held to one decimal place.
Notional study hours The number of hours required to complete an academic credit, module, or
programme.
Programme regulations The regulations for an individual programme of study, approved by the
Senate, or its delegated authority.
Programme of study A package of modules approved by the Senate, or its delegated authority, and
(programme) leading to an award of Queen Mary or the University of London.
Progression The process of moving from one developmental year to the next, or from the
taught element to the dissertation or project element of a programme.
Qualifying mark/ A specified minimum mark that must be obtained in one or more elements of
qualified failure assessment in order to pass a module. This is in addition to, and distinct from,
the requirement to achieve a pass in the module mark to pass the module. For
example: ‘Students must obtain a minimum aggregated and weighted
coursework average of 30.0, and a minimum module mark of 40.0, in order to
pass the module.’
Special regulations Programme or module regulations that diverge from the general Academic
Regulations for good reason, approved by the Senate or its delegated
authority. These are detailed in Sections 6-7 of the Academic Regulations.
Students Students of Queen Mary. Ordinance C1 describes, ‘persons who are students
of QMUL and associate students of QMUL’. The Academic Regulations apply to
all students undertaking undergraduate or postgraduate study at Queen Mary
and any person whom the Senate declares to be a student of Queen Mary.
Total credit value The total amount of academic credit required for an award.
Threshold requirement A progression requirement for certain programmes. Students must achieve a
year - or aggregate - average (threshold) to progress to the next
developmental year. This is in addition to the credit requirements for
progression.
Regulation Delegation
1.8 Authority for the consideration of achievement, progression, awards, and other related
matters for taught programmes is delegated to the Subject and Degree Examination Boards.
1.9 Authority for the management of academic quality and standards, including development
of academic policy, is delegated to the Education Quality and Standards Board.
1.10 Authority for the consideration of achievement, progression, and awards for research
students, and programme approval and amendment for research programmes, is delegated
to the Research Degrees Programmes and Examinations Board (RDPEB).
1.11 Authority for the approval, amendment, and withdrawal of taught programmes of study is
delegated to the Taught Programmes Board.
1.11 Authority for the approval, amendment, and withdrawal of modules is delegated to school-
and institute-level Education Committees.
1.12 Authority for the development, approval, management, and review of partnerships and
other initiatives with external partners is delegated to the Partnerships Board.
1.19 Authority for the approval of special regulations is delegated to the Education Quality and
Standards Board (for award-level regulations) and to the Taught Programmes Board (for
programme and module level regulations, including assessment regulations). Approval is
subject to the conditions stipulated in the regulation.
1.21 Authority for the approval of a suspension of regulations is dedicated to a named role(s) by
the Principal as Chair of Senate. At the time of publication this is the Director of Governance
and Legal Services and the Director of Registry Services. As stated in the regulation,
suspension also requires approval from either the relevant Subject and Degree Examination
Boards (or their Chairs), or a Head of School/Institute/Directorate or equivalent. Any request
should be submitted to the Academic Quality and Standards team in the Directorate of
Governance and Legal Services (UG and PGT requests) or the Research Degrees Office in the
Directorate of Registry Services (PGR requests) in the first instance.
2.2 Authority to refuse admission to an applicant who has previously been registered on a
programme with significant overlap to that being applied for, and to grant exceptions to
that rule, is delegated to the Head of Admissions (or nominee).
2.6 Authority to grant direct entry with APL to the final year of a programme in exceptional
circumstances and where the conditions of this regulations are met is delegated to the Head
of Admissions (or nominee).
2.9 Authority to permit a person not registered or enrolled on a Queen Mary programme to use
Queen Mary facilities is delegated to the Vice-Principal (Education), on the recommendation
of a Head of School/Director of Institute.
2.18 Authority to specify health conditions that must be reported to Queen Mary by students on
medical or dental programmes is delegated to the Vice-Principal (Health) (or nominee).
2.26 Authority to impose an interruption of study or deregistration on a student who does not
undertake or does not disclose the results of a required medical examination is delegated to
the Vice-Principals (including the Deputy Vice-Principals). Authority to impose restrictions of
activity while assessments are ongoing is delegated to the Deans for Education (or
nominees).
2.30 Authority to grant an exception to the rule that an applicant who withdrew or was
deregistered from a programme of study cannot apply for a new programme at Queen Mary
within 12-months of withdrawal/deregistration is delegated to the Head of Admissions (or
nominee).
2.42 Authority to extend the maximum duration of study for an individual student is delegated to
the Director of Registry Services (or nominee).
2.48 Authority to permit concurrent study is delegated to the Head of Admissions (or nominee).
2.49 Authority to permit a student to change programme where the requirements of the
regulation are met is delegated to the relevant Head of School/Director of Institute. A
change of programme for an applicant or first year student requires additional approval
from the Head of Admissions (or nominee).
2.51 Authority to allow a part-time mode of study for an individual student where part-time
study is not normally available is delegated to the Director of Registry Services (or nominee)
on the recommendation of a Head of School/Director of Institute.
2.53 Authority to exempt a student from a core module and replace it with an alternative
(subject to the conditions of the regulation) is delegated to the Director of Registry Services
(or nominee) on the recommendation of the relevant Head of School/Director Institute (or
nominee).
2.67 Authority to approve arrangements for the conversion of credits and marks for modules
studied abroad is delegated to the Education Quality and Standards Board.
2.74 Authority to approve the field of study for a programme (as part of the programme approval
process) is delegated to the Taught Programmes Board.
2.113 Authority to revoke an award is delegated to the relevant Degree Examination Board (or
Chair) where revocation would be in a graduate’s favour. A revocation not in a student’s
favour required approval from the Principal, as Chair of the Senate.
2.129 Authority to extend the enrolment of an associate research student beyond 12-months is
delegated to the Deputy Dean for Research (Research Degrees) on the advice of the Director
of Graduate Studies. Requests will be raised through the admissions process or on the
request of a school/institute.
8.13 Authority to extend the enrolment of an associate research student beyond 12-months is
delegated to the Director of Graduate Studies. Requests will be raised through the
admissions process or on the request of a school/institute.
8.14 Authority to permit an associate research student to enrol at Queen Mary for the duration of
their research programme at their primary institution is delegated to the Deputy Dean for
Research (Research Degrees) on the recommendation of the Director of Graduate Studies.
8.15 Authority to permit the transfer of research student’s registration from another institution
to Queen Mary is delegated to the Director of Graduate Studies. Requests will be raised
through the admissions process, in accordance with the specified time limits.
8.17 Authority to permit concurrent study elsewhere or at Queen Mary for research students is
delegated to the Head(s) of School(s)/Institute(s) and the Director of Graduate Studies for
the School/Institute where the student is registered. Consideration will be on a case-by-case
basis, coordinated by the Research Degrees Office.
8.19 Authority to permit transfer between full- and part-time study for research students is
delegated to the relevant Director of Graduate Studies, on the advice of the primary
supervisor. Consideration will follow a request from the student supported by the primary
supervisor and taking account of any limitations arising from any studentship.
8.20 Authority to permit transfer to ‘writing up’ status is delegated to the Deputy Dean for
Research (Research Degrees) on the advice of the Director of Graduate Studies. The primary
supervisor must confirm that the student is expected to complete within one year.
8.26 Authority to permit interruption of a research studies programme for up to two years (or for
a maximum period as prescribed by the terms of any studentship) is delegated to the
Research Degrees Programmes and Examination Board. Requests should be made on the
appropriate form and submitted to the Research Degrees Office.
8.26 Authority to permit interruption of a research studies programme for a period of more than
two years is delegated to the Director of Registry Services or their nominee. Requests
should be made on the appropriate form and submitted to the Research Degrees Office.
8.23, 8.31, Authority to allow a research student to submit either before the minimum registration
8.47 and period or after the maximum registration period, or to extend the writing up period and/or
8.86 period of registration is delegated to the Research Degrees Programmes and Examinations
Board. Requests should be made on the appropriate form and submitted to the Research
Degrees Office.
8.48 Authority to extend a research student’s maximum permitted duration of study for a period
greater than 12-months is delegated to the Director of Registry Services or their nominee.
Requests should be discussed with the Research Degrees Office in the first instance, which
will seek approval from the Research Degrees Programmes and Examinations Board before
seeking the approval of the Director of Registry Services or their nominee.
8.53 Authority to terminate the registration of a research student who fails to meet the minimum
stated requirements for attendance or submission of work and/or completion of required
activities is delegated to the Research Degrees Programmes and Examinations Board, on
the recommendation of the Faculty Deputy Dean for Research (Postgraduate Research). A
recommendation from the primary supervisor following progress monitoring is reported to
the Director of Graduate Studies for review, who if in agreement refers the recommendation
to the Faculty Deputy Dean for Research (Postgraduate Research) for consideration before
referral to the Board for final approval.
8.59 Approval of an MPhil, PhD or EngD thesis title at the point of notifying entry for examination
is delegated to the Director of Graduate Studies, as part of the examination entry process.
8.60 Approval of an MD(Res) or ResM thesis/dissertation title prior to registration for the
programme is delegated to the Director of Graduate Studies, as part of the admissions
process.
8.61 Approval of the subject and title of the thesis and/or research portfolio for the DrPS, DPsych
and DClinDent awards is delegated to the Director of Graduate Studies and occurs after the
equivalent of one year’s full-time study on the research studies programme.
8.62 Approval of any change to the title of the thesis is delegated to the Director of Graduate
Studies, with a written notification to the Research Degrees Office.
8.64 Responsibility for the appointment of supervisors and for ensuring that supervisors have
had appropriate training is delegated to the Head of School/Institute, in accordance with
the requirements of the Code of Practice for Research Degree Programmes.
8.65 Responsibility for the annual progress monitoring of research students is delegated to the
Director of Graduate Studies, in accordance with the established requirements for progress
monitoring that informs progression.
8.67, 8.68, Authority for the approval of progression requirements and procedures for research studies
and 8.70 programmes is delegated to the Research Degrees Programmes and Examinations Board.
8.67 Authority to approve members of progression panels for research programmes is delegated
to the Director of Graduate Studies, on the recommendation of the primary supervisor.
8.74 Authority to approve the deregistration of a research student who fails to meet their
progression requirements is delegated to the Director of Graduate Studies, on the
recommendation of the progression panel.
8.82 Approval of the examination entry procedure for research studies programmes is delegated
to the Research Degrees Programmes and Examinations Board, and is coordinated by the
Research Degrees Office.
8.92 Authority to approve DrPS, DPsych, and DClinDent award requirements is delegated to the
Research Degrees Programmes and Examinations Board.
8.94 Authority to approve lower word counts for specific research studies programmes is
delegated to the Research Degrees Programmes and Examinations Board.
8.97 Authority to approve examiners for research programmes is delegated to the Research
Degrees Programmes and Examinations Board, following nomination under the
examination entry process.
8.102 Authority to approve the conduct of a research studies examination in a language other
than English is delegated to the Research Degrees Programmes and Examinations Board,
following an individual application to the Board setting out the reasons for the request.
8.123 Authority to award a research degree is delegated to the Research Degrees Programmes and
Examinations Board, following review of the panel of examiners’ reports and confirmation
of their recommendation for award (coordinated by the Research Degrees Office).
8.125 Authority to posthumously award a research degree is delegated to the Research Degrees
Programmes and Examinations Board, in accordance with the stated procedure.
8.126 Authority to approve the extension of the 12-month restricted access period for a thesis is
delegated to the Deputy Dean for Research (Research Degrees), following an individual
application setting out reasons for the request and why the circumstances are exceptional.
Once a student has submitted the final copy of their thesis prior to award of the degree, the
responsibility is delegated to Library Research Services.
8.134 Authority to approve the arrangements for collaborative research degrees is delegated to
the Research Degrees Programmes and Examinations Board, in accordance with the
approved policy and procedures.
8.136 Authority to revoke a research award is delegated to the Principal, on the recommendation
of the Chair of the Research Degrees Programmes and Examinations Board or their
nominee.
8.137 Authority to approve the requirements for a European Doctorate award is delegated to the
Research Degrees Programmes and Examinations Board, in accordance with the approved
policy and procedures.