The Credit and Undergraduate Awards Regulations are reproduced in part below. They are particularly important as they provide the framework which determines progression and successful completion of a programme of study. The full text is available on the University website. The Regulation permits the Faculty to exercise discretion in a number of matters. Text that appears in a box with a single line border states the practice which has been approved by the Faculty for the programmes of study within the School of Chemistry. Annex B provides some additional guidance in respect of seeking permission of the Faculty to interrupt and extend a period of study.
Except where specified, these regulations apply only to full-time programmes.
1. Credit is a means of structuring units and programmes of study according to the volume of student work required. One credit corresponds to ten notional hours of student workload.
2. Level is a means of describing the intellectual demands of units and programmes of study. Units shall be assigned a level as follows: 0 corresponding to the typical demands of a foundation year; 1, 2, or 3 corresponding to the typical demands of successive years of a bachelor’s degree programme; or 4 corresponding to the typical demands of a master’s degree programme.
3. The standard undergraduate academic year shall comprise 120 credits for programmes with honours, and 100 credits for ordinary programmes. The credits shall normally be divided equally between the semesters.
4. In undergraduate programmes, unless Senate permits otherwise, the units shall be 10 credits or integral multiples thereof, except for units at level 4, which shall be 10 or 15 credits or integral multiples thereof.
Within the School of Chemistry all course units are multiples of 10 credits
5. Award of the Certificate of Higher Education requires 120 credits, with at least 100 credits at level 1 or above.
6. Award of the Diploma of Higher Education requires 240 credits, with at least 100 credits at level 2 or above.
7. Award of the ordinary degree of Bachelor for a programme of standard length (three years full-time study or its part-time equivalent) requires 300 credits, with at least 60 credits at level 3 or above.
8. Award of the degree of Bachelor with honours for a programme of standard length (three years full-time study or its part-time equivalent) requires 360 credits, with at least 100 credits at level 3 or above.
The following programmes include a year in industry or a year in a University abroad and are of four years duration and require successful completion of 480 credits:
BSc(Hons) Chemistry with Industrial Experience
BSc(Hons) Chemistry with Study in North America (exit award after 4 years only)
BSc(Hons) Chemistry with Study in Europe (exit award after 4 years only)
9. Award of the integrated degree of Master for a programme of standard length (four years full-time study or its part-time equivalent) requires 480 credits, with at least 120 credits at level 4.
For longer programmes, the total credit requirements for each award are increased pro rata to the length.
Entry through the foundation year extends the total programme of study by one year and the total credit requirements by 120.
11. Not reproduced here.
12. The award of the degree of Bachelor or the integrated degree of Master for a student admitted to a programme with advanced standing in respect of learning completed prior to entry (see Paragraph 19) requires completion of at least the final year of full-time study (or its part-time equivalent) at the University of Manchester.
In every case the award of a qualification requires the final year of study to be taken within the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences of the University of Manchester.
13. Full-time study shall proceed without interruption except with permission. The full-time programme for the award of a degree shall normally be completed within two academic years of the intended completion following first registration for the programme.
a. Interruption and any consequential extension to the period of study shall require the permission of the Director of Teaching.
b. If permission is given for a period of study to be extended or for transfer to a different programme the regulations subsequently applied shall be those pertaining to the student cohort now joined whether more or less favourable.
c. If permission is given for a period of study to be repeated the programme or the programme of study may have changed from that which has been or would have been studied and re-examination will relate to the current programme.
14. A student successfully completes a unit by demonstrating achievement of specified intended learning outcomes. For numerical assessment, marks are determined by the extent to which the student achieves the intended learning outcomes, such that in principle the full range from 0 to 100% is available. Where there is numerical assessment, the normal pass mark shall be 40%. Where there is no numerical assessment the unit shall be graded pass or fail.
15. The Board of Examiners may determine from evidence available to it that a student who has been prevented by good cause from completing the assessment for a unit shall be awarded the percentage mark if at least half the assessment has been completed or a pass if less than half the assessment has been completed.
16. For the purposes of determining progression, the percentage mark that represents a compensatable fail shall be not less than 30%. Where a unit is graded pass or fail there is no compensatable fail mark.
17 to 20. Not reproduced here.
21. The overall mark for a given year of a programme shall be calculated as an average of the numerical marks awarded for each unit in that year weighted by the credits for that unit, with suitable provision for marks from any assessments that relate to more than one unit or to study outside the standard programme. Units graded pass or fail are excluded from the calculation.
22. The minimum overall pass mark shall be 40% to progress from one year of a programme for the degree of Bachelor to the next and to progress to Years 2 and 3 of a programme for the integrated degree of Master. The minimum overall pass mark shall be 50% to progress to Year 4 of a programme for the integrated degree of Master.
a) the minimum mark for progression to year 2 and 3 of the integrated masters programme shall be:
For MChem(Hons) Chemistry with Industrial Experience 55%
For MChem(Hons) Chemistry with Forensic Science 50%
For MChem(Hons) Chemistry with Forensic and Analytical Chemistry 50%
For MChem(Hons) Chemistry with Patent Law 55%
For MChem(Hons) Chemistry with Study in North America 60%
For MChem(Hons) Chemistry with Study in Europe 60%
b) for all other programmes the minimum mark for progression to year 2 will be 40% and to year 3 50%
c) for all programmes the minimum mark for progression to year 4 is 55%
23. To progress from one year of a programme to the next, a student must
• reach the minimum pass mark overall;
• reach the pass mark in individual units totalling at least two thirds of the credits for that year;
• reach the compensatable fail mark in all remaining units.
Faculties may allow Schools on discipline-specific grounds to adopt more stringent standards, including (but not restricted to):
• limiting the number of credits for which a compensatable fail mark will be available in each of the separate components of a joint degree programme;
• specifying core units for which no compensatable fail mark will be available;
• increasing the proportion of the total credit that must reach the pass mark (ultimately to the total credits available, thus allowing no compensatable fails);
• setting a compensatable fail mark greater than 30% as allowed under Paragraph 16;
• setting a higher pass mark overall.
a) For Chemistry with Patent Law, LAWS course units cannot be compensated.
For Chemistry with Forensic and Analytical Chemistry, non-Chemistry course units cannot be compensated.
For Medicinal Chemistry, PHAR course units cannot be compensated below 33%
b) Progression on a programme which includes a period in a country speaking a foreign language requires reasonable progress to be made in the study of the foreign language.
c) 1st year Core Chemistry Course Units and 2nd Year Practical Chemistry (CHEM22600) cannot be compensated below 40%.
24. A student who fails to progress to a subsequent year of a programme for the degree of Bachelor, or to a subsequent year other than the final year of a programme for the integrated degree of Master, shall be reassessed in all units for which the unit pass mark was not attained. Such reassessment must assess achievement of the same intended learning outcomes but need not be of the same form as that originally used, and shall normally take place in time for the student to progress at the time originally intended. In order to progress, a student shall be required to pass each unit reassessed, and shall then be deemed to have obtained the necessary credits, but the marks originally obtained shall stand for the purpose of calculating the overall mark for the year. Compensation is not normally available, but Faculties may for good cause allow Schools to adopt a scheme of compensation that is not more generous than they use under Paragraph 23.
a) Compensation shall be available on reassessment and shall be applied in the same manner as on first assessment.
b) Reassessment is not possible in a laboratory based coursework unit and failure in such a unit will normally require the unit to be retaken in the next academic year without progression and the programme of study to be extended by one year.
c) Reassessment is not normally possible in any study taken in industry or at an institution abroad and subsequent progression will require transfer to an alternative programme of study.
d) Examinations at levels 3 or 4 are set once only in any academic session and failure to take such examination at the single opportunity available will normally require the programme of study to be extended by one year or graduation delayed until the examination is taken at the next opportunity.
25. Not reproduced here.
26. A student who fails to progress to the final year of a programme for the integrated degree of Master shall not be reassessed but instead shall be considered forthwith for the award of the degree of Bachelor.
27. A student who fails after reassessment (and application of compensation allowed as in Paragraph 24) to progress to a subsequent year of a programme for an Honours degree but has passed units totalling at least 100 credits (after compensation where allowed) shall progress to the subsequent year of the programme for the ordinary degree of Bachelor, except as allowed under Paragraph 28.
28. A student who fails to progress to a subsequent year of a programme having failed after reassessment to reach the unit pass mark (or the compensatable mark where compensation is allowed) in units totalling no more than 20 credits may be allowed by the Board of Examiners to progress to the next year taking additional units of the same credit value and at the same level as the failed credits, in addition to the full set of units for that year. To complete that year successfully, the student must satisfy the usual criteria for the year and reach the unit pass mark for the additional credits at the first attempt. A student who satisfies the criteria for the year but fails to pass the additional credits shall be treated as having completed successfully that year of the programme for the ordinary degree of Bachelor.
Students will not normally be permitted to progress to year 2 or year 3 of the honours programme if they have failed to achieve 120 credits in the preceding year.
Re-start of the programme of study shall require permission of the School Examination Board
30. To progress to a subsequent year of a programme for the ordinary degree of Bachelor, a student must:
• reach the pass mark overall in units totalling 100 credits;
• reach the pass mark in individual units totalling at least 60 credits;
• reach the compensatable fail mark in all remaining units.
31. The Board of Examiners, or other body constituted for this purpose, may determine from evidence of good cause shown before an assessment period (or exceptionally after the assessment period if the cause was not then known to the student or could not then have been shown by the student) that a student’s performance was likely to have been impaired. It may then judge that without the impairment the student would have reached higher marks sufficient to demonstrate the necessary learning outcomes and thereby satisfy the requirements for progression under the criteria in Paragraphs 21 to 30 or for a given degree classification under the criteria in Paragraphs 32 to 37. It shall not adjust the mark of the student in individual units or overall, but shall treat the unadjusted marks separately in any subsequent computations.
32. The degree of Bachelor with honours shall normally be awarded in classes 1, 2i, 2ii and 3. The integrated degree of Master shall be normally awarded in classes 1, 2i and 2ii, unless approval by a professional, statutory or regulatory body requires the use of class 3. The Ordinary degree of Bachelor shall not be awarded in any classes or divisions.
Year by Year Weightings
BSc Programmes |
Year 1 |
Year 2 |
Year 3 |
Year 4 |
Chemistry |
0% |
40% |
60% |
n/a |
Chemistry with Medicinal Chemistry |
0% |
40% |
60% |
n/a |
Chemistry with Business & Management |
0% |
40% |
60% |
n/a |
Chemistry with Industrial Experience |
0% |
40% |
0% |
60% |
MChem Programmes |
Year 1 |
Year 2 |
Year 3 |
Year 4 |
Chemistry |
0% |
20% |
30% |
50% |
Chemistry with Medicinal Chemistry |
0% |
20% |
30% |
50% |
Chemistry with Patent Law |
0% |
20% |
30% |
50% |
Chemistry with Business & Management |
0% |
20% |
30% |
50% |
Chemistry with Industrial Experience |
0% |
25% |
25% |
50% |
Chemistry with Study in Europe |
0% |
25% |
25% |
50% |
Chemistry with Study in North America |
0% |
25% |
25% |
50% |
Chemistry with Forensic and Analytical Chemistry |
0% |
20% |
30% |
50% |
33. The Board of Examiners may determine from evidence available to it that a candidate for an honours degree who has been prevented by good cause from completing the final examination or assessment shall be awarded a class of degree the Board judges to be suitable, or unclassified honours if the Board judges that no class can be determined.
34. A candidate for any award who fails to satisfy the requirements for the intended award but satisfies those for a lower award shall be eligible for the lower award. The programme title of the lower award will normally be the same as that of the intended award, but an appropriate alternative programme title shall be used:
• when the student has not satisfied the credit requirements for one of two subjects studied in combination;
• when at least part of the title of the degree is associated with a right to practise;
• for other good cause.
The Certificate of Higher Education or Diploma of Higher Education may be awarded without a programme title.
35. The overall mark for a programme is a weighted average of the overall marks for different years of the programme. For the different classes the overall mark ranges shall be
• for class 1, not less than 70.0%;
• for class 2i, less than 70.0% but not less than 60.0%;
• for class 2ii, less than 60.0% but not less than 50.0%;
• for class 3, less than 50.0% but not less than 40.0%.
For the different classes boundary zones shall be
• for class 1, less than 70.0% but not less than 68.0%;
• for class 2i, less than 60.0% but not less than 58.0%;
• for class 2ii, less than 50.0% but not less than 48.0%;
• for class 3, less than 40.0% but not less than 38.0%.
36. A student who obtains an overall mark in the range required for class 1, 2i or 2ii and obtains at least two-thirds of the credits for the final year with a mark not less than 40.0% shall be awarded that class of degree, and a student who obtains the overall mark in the range required for class 3 and obtains at least half of the credits for the final year with a mark not less than 40.0% shall be awarded that class of degree, save that any Faculty may decide to introduce more stringent requirements. Except as provided under Paragraph 37, a student who obtains an overall mark in the range for that class but obtains less than the specified fraction of the credits for the final year with a mark not less than 40.0% shall be awarded the next class lower, or for class 3 shall be considered under the criteria in Paragraph 38.
37. A student may be considered for the next higher class of degree than determined by Paragraph 36 by one of two methods approved for each programme by the relevant Faculty.
Method A (by mark distribution)
A student who obtains an overall mark in the boundary zone for that class and obtains at least two-thirds of the credits for the final year with a mark not less than 40.0% will obtain that class if at least two thirds of the credits for the final year are in or above the range required for that class.
Method B (by mark review)
For a student who either
(i) obtains an overall mark in the range required for a given class but does not obtain the fraction of the credits for the final year with a mark not less than 40.0% (as specified in Paragraph 36); or
(ii) obtains an overall mark in the boundary zone for that class and obtains the fraction of the credits for the final year with a mark not less than 40.0% (as specified in Paragraph 36),
the relevant External Examiners will review the marks, and may conduct an oral (viva voce) examination of the student. On the basis of that review, the External Examiners may recommend that the student obtains that class of degree.
The School of Chemistry will use Method A for consideration of students in the boundary zone.
Note that the following exit degree awards will NOT be considered for automatic promotion via method A: BSc(Hons) Chemistry with Study in North America; BSc(Hons) Chemistry with Study in Europe; BSc(Hons) Industrial Chemistry.
38. The ordinary degree of Bachelor shall be awarded to a student who at the end of the honours programme obtains an overall mark not less than 40.0% averaged over final-year units totalling 60 credits and obtains at least half of those credits with a mark not less than 40.0%.
39. The ordinary degree of Bachelor shall be awarded to a student who at the end of the ordinary programme obtains an overall mark not less than 40.0% averaged over final-year units totalling 100 credits and obtains at least half of the credits with a mark not less than 40.0%.
40. Not reproduced here