Regulation XI

1. In this Regulation "School" shall be taken to mean a School of the University responsible for a programme of which professional training or international experience forms a part.

2. The Diploma in Industrial Studies, Diploma in Professional Studies, or Diploma in International Studies shall only be awarded in those programmes which have been designated by Senate as programmes in which these awards may be made.

3.1 A Diploma may be awarded to students who, in the course of having qualified for a Bachelors or Integrated Masters degree in designated programmes of the University, shall also have completed professional training or study abroad in accordance with the following conditions. In exceptional circumstances, a Diploma may be awarded to a student who has met the following conditions, but who has not qualified for a degree in a designated programme.

3.2 The professional training or study abroad shall take place in locations and organisations which are acceptable to the School. It may be split between multiple different locations and organisations.

3.3 The professional training or study abroad shall be of at least 45 weeks' duration in total, exclusive of annual leave, except

1. where it takes place wholly in one or more educational organisations, when it shall coincide with the length of the academic year;
2. where it is split between study abroad and an industrial/professional work placement, when it shall comprise at least one semester's study abroad and a total of at least 25 weeks in an industrial/placement setting;
3. where the student undertaking professional training or study abroad is unable to complete 45 weeks of attendance, they shall be referred to the procedure set out in paragraph 3.4.

3.4 Where a student is unable to complete 45 weeks, they may seek a further placement (with the support of their School and the Careers Network). However, if the student is unable to secure a further placement in order to complete 45 weeks of professional training or study abroad, then:

1. a period of 35 weeks or more shall be accepted without any extra work being required. This must include a minimum of 25 weeks of substantive placement activity, or at least one semester of study abroad to remain eligible for the Diploma award;
2. a minimum of 25 weeks shall normally be required to remain eligible for the Diploma award, but for periods of 25-34 weeks additional work agreed by the relevant Associate Dean (Education and Student Experience) may substitute for professional training or study abroad.

Any student, having embarked on professional training or study abroad, who is unable to complete a minimum of 25 weeks of substantive activity and, as a consequence, is unable to qualify for the Diploma award, will be charged tuition fees in accordance with Regulation XVI.

3.5 The professional training or study abroad shall be completed before the end of the academic programme.

3.6 The nature of the professional training or study abroad shall be determined by the School in collaboration with the organisation within which it takes place.

3.7 Each student receiving professional training or study abroad shall be supervised by:

1. a member of staff in the School responsible for the student’s programme (hereafter known as ‘School Tutor’);
2. a responsible person in the organisation in which the professional training or study abroad is being undertaken (hereafter known as ‘External Tutor’).

4.1 For students commencing professional training or study abroad in 2023/24 only:

In cases where the professional training or study abroad takes place in a single location, the assessment of a student's performance shall derive from the following:

1. an assessment by the External Tutor in co-operation with the School Tutor of the student's professional training or study abroad;
2. in the case of the Diploma in Industrial Studies or the Diploma in Professional Studies, a dissertation of about 5,000 words, or such other length as may be determined by the School, or, in the case of the Diploma in International Studies, a project report. The dissertation or project report will be written by the student on a subject to be agreed with the School Tutor. It will be assessed by the School Tutor and may be subject to scrutiny by an External Examiner appointed by the University. Students, whose professional training or study abroad takes place in a non-English speaking environment designed to improve their foreign language proficiency, may be required by the School to submit their dissertation or project report in a language other than English;
3. a progress assessment which will be a report (or reports) by the student on their period of professional training or study abroad, assessed by the External Tutor and/or their School Tutor in collaboration;
4. such other exercises as may be decided by the relevant Associate Dean (Education and Student Experience) to be appropriate to the professional training or study abroad in a designated programme of study.

4.2 For student commencing professional training or study abroad from 2024/25 onwards:

In cases where the professional training or study abroad takes place in a single location, the assessment of a student's performance shall comprise all three of the following elements:

1. A short piece of work which demonstrates the students’ ability to succinctly communicate to a range of audiences their professional training or study abroad experience, and the learning, skills and competencies they have gained from it. This may take the form of a poster, infographic, presentation, video submission or other assessment as determined by the School.
2. Written reflective work(s) which demonstrate that the student has reflected in the learning, skills and competencies gained from their professional learning or study abroad. This may take the form of a dissertation, report(s), reflective diaries, portfolio or other assessment as determined by the School, but should not exceed the equivalent of 3,000 words in total.
3. An assessment by the External Tutor and the School Tutor of the student's performance in their professional training or study abroad.

Elements i and ii shall be assessed by the School Tutor, with input from the External Tutor where appropriate. Students whose professional training or study abroad takes place in a non-English speaking environment designed to improve their foreign language proficiency, may be required by their School to submit their assessment in a language other than English.

4.3 In cases where the professional training or study abroad is split between different locations or organisations, the assessment of a student's performance shall be comparable to that available for students based in a single location or organisation; and in accordance with 4.1 above.

4.4 Provided that in the case where experience leading to the Diploma in International Studies is divided between study abroad and one of more industrial/professional work placements, the assessment of a student's performance shall include satisfactory completion of approved modules at the partner educational organisation.

4.5 Provided that in the case where experience leading to the Diploma in International Studies involves a full academic year of study abroad, the student shall be required to undertake modules agreed between the student, the Exchange Co-ordinator in their School and the responsible person in the host institution and complete the assessments in the modules set by the host institution. The assessment of the student’s performance for the award of the Diploma in International Studies shall derive from their performance in the modules taken, as evidenced by the host institution, combined with one or more assessments as outlined in the School module specification(s). The assessment of the student’s performance will be carried out in accordance with 4.1 above.

5.1 For students who are unable to complete 45 weeks of placement activity or a full academic year of study abroad, flexible arrangements permit the student to remain eligible for the relevant Diploma. In these circumstances, activity undertaken during the Part I year will be classed as substantive or supplementary, as defined by the student’s School:

1. Substantive activity should be of a quality and level recognised as professional training or study abroad experience.
2. Supplementary activity should be relevant and of benefit to the student, but might not be of the nature normally acceptable for professional training or study abroad