At Undergraduate level, programmes will be designated (internally) as either Specialist, Joint, or Integrated:
- Specialist: ‘Single degree’, where students focus predominantly on one subject area, e.g. BSc Physics and BA History. Such degrees may include the option of specialist minors, i.e. a sub-area of the overall subject area, e.g. BSc Physics with Astrophysics.
- Joint: ‘Joint degree’, where students either pair two different subject areas and take approximately the same number of credits in each, or pair two different subject areas and take more credits in one than the other (with the latter generally being known as a ‘Major/Minor degree’). Examples include BA History and Politics and BA English with History.
- Integrated: ‘Multidisciplinary degree’, where students synthesise different subject areas, e.g. BSc Global Environmental Changes and Sustainability, BSc Human Sciences, BA Policy, Politics and Economics, and BA/BSc Liberal Arts and Natural Sciences.
Stage 1 of Undergraduate degrees will normally include a substantial ‘core’ element, to provide students with a foundation that facilitates pathway personalisation at Stage 2 and beyond.
The implications of choices made throughout the degree, and particularly at Stage 1, will be made clear to students.
Stage 2 will normally include a least one ‘core’ module or one ‘core grouping’ of modules, as well as a range of curated options and opportunities for pathway personalisation.
There will normally be a minimum of 40 credits of project/dissertation (i.e. research project(s) appropriate to the subject area and level) at Stage 3.
To facilitate the above, small tweaks are being made to the minimum credit requirements for subjects named in degree titles; open the accordion below for further information.
Credit Requirements for UG Programmes
Table indicating credit requirements for UG programmes
| | Specialist | Joint | Integrated |
Award |
Total Credit Value |
Minimum no. of credits taken by students in (the/each) subject area named in their degree title |
Bachelor's Degree |
360 |
260 The minimum requirement for a named specialist minor would be 100 of these credits. |
160 credits in a major subject, 100 credits in a minor subject. |
Where relevant, 160 credits for a named major subject; 100 credits for a named minor subject. |
Integrated Master's Degree |
480 |
340 The minimum requirement for a named specialist minor would be 120 of these credits. |
220 credits in a major subject, 120 credits in a minor subject. |
Where relevant, 220 credits for a named major subject; 120 credits for a named minor subject. |
Notes:
- Students on UG degrees may also have the opportunity to add 120 credits in the form of a year abroad (‘with Year Abroad’), year in industry (‘with Year in Industry’) or intercalated year in another subject (e.g. ‘with Year in Computer Science’). Furthermore, 60 credits may be replaced by a semester abroad (‘with Semester Abroad’).
- In terms of what students must pass to get their UG degree, this is determined by the University’s overarching award regulations, e.g. students must pass 100 credits at Level H (see Regulation 7).
- Please note that there is flexibility for students to take a module ‘from a lower level’, if pedagogically appropriate (see Regulation 6 and link to additional guidance below). This will be extended to enable Stage 3 students to take a Level C module alongside their Level H modules or a Level I module alongside their Level M modules, again if pedagogically appropriate. This type of flexibility is less ‘risky’ for students than it used to be given that final stage resits have recently been introduced for students.