Senate

Subject: PG Cert and PG Dip awards on MRes programmes

Origin Learning and Teaching Committee; PDQ Team

Background

At its January meeting, the PDQ Team was informed that Curriculum Sub-Committee had requested that the position concerning the PG Certificate and PG Diploma as exit awards on MRes programmes be clarified.

At its meeting on 12 January, CSC returned to MRes proposals from the Department of Human Sciences. The proposers were congratulated on the quality of the revised documentation, which fully aligned with the University's concept of an MRes [as approved by LTC and Senate in November 2005].

It was noted that the proposed Programme Regulations made no mention of the award of PGDip\PGCert, in line with the Sub-Committee's recommendation to Learning and Teaching Committee at its last meeting that such awards should not be available as alternative\exit awards for an MRes. That recommendation had not been carried forward to Senate, however, and its status was unclear.

CSC asked that this matter be clarified and the outcome reported to the proposers, and to those recently submitting other MRes proposals.

Explanatory Note

The PG Cert and PG Dip are normally available as exit awards on taught Masters programmes for students who complete only part of the requirements for the Masters degree, either by choice, or as a result of failure in the assessments for the higher volume award. The awards are invariably made in the same subject as the Masters programme: for example, the PG Dip awarded to students who exit from the MSc in Mobile Communications is the PG Dip in Mobile Communications. In the case of the MRes, however, whereas the full title of the degree conveys appropriate information about the level, nature and subject of study (eg Master of Research in Human Biology), ‘PG Cert’ and ‘PG Dip’ combined in the title with the subject discipline (PG Dip in Human Biology) could give a less than accurate impression of the studies undertaken. The difficulty is highlighted by the fact that the same award title would be available for students on an MSc in Human Biology who might have followed advanced studies in the discipline without a research skills/training focus.

Recommendation

Learning and Teaching Committee recommends to Senate that the lower volume awards should be available to students on MRes programmes, but the awards should be styled as the PGCert or PGDip in Advanced Studies in [the subject named in the relevant MRes title].