University of Sunderland

Outline of the Customised Award Scheme

Outline of the Customised Award Scheme

Building Your Programme

The University operates a Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS). This has many advantages for you, including:

• full- or part-time study, and the opportunity to vary this during your time here
• credit for what you successfully study
• credit given to you for previous study (known as Accreditation of Prior Learning)
• transfer of credits to another programme of study at Sunderland, or to another Higher Education Institute, in the UK or abroad.
  

Your programme is designed in conjunction with a member of the academic team and the relevant subject staff to suit your individual needs.

Full-Time Study

To qualify as a full-time student you must be studying modules totalling 80 credits or more during an academic year. The expectation is that you will study 120 credits per year (ideally 60 credits per semester, but due to timetabling you might have to study 70/50 credits between Semester 1 & 2). It will therefore take you three years to complete an undergraduate honours degree.

Part-Time Study

Students studying on a part-time basis are permitted to register for up to 80 credits in any academic year. If 80 credits are exceeded full-time status is conferred. This means that it will take a part-time student a minimum of 9 semesters, or four and a half years, to obtain an Honours degree. Students may take up to nine years to complete a degree.

As a part-time student you may find yourself taking modules at more than one level at the same time.

Changing Your Mode of Study

It may be possible to change your mode of study during the course of your programme. If you wish to change from full-time to part-time, or vice versa, you must arrange an appointment to see the CAS Scheme Leader or an Academic Tutor, who will discuss the implications of such a change with you.

Your programme is built up of a number of modules. These may be Core, Optional or Elective. The number of credits modules attract carry vary between 10, 20, 30, or 40 Core (Compulsory) Modules. These are modules that you must do. Almost every subject demands core modules at each level and they usually supply the theoretical basis of your subjects. When choosing your modules you should make sure that your core modules are given priority. You need to build your other modules around your core modules. One of the academic team will be available to help you with your module choice.

Optional Modules

These modules are defined by your subject(s) and usually offer a variety of perspectives on your chosen subject.

Elective Modules

For most subject combinations you are able to study an elective module at each level of your programme, if you so choose. This module will count towards the 120 credits at that level. "Elective" modules enable you to partake of other University Programmes. For example, if you wish to study a modern language in addition to your chosen subjects you can add a module from the Universities Language Scheme to each level of your Programme. If you wish to engage in "personally applying career learning" by highlighting the employability skills developed through the study of a particular combination of disciplines, e.g.  American Studies and English and research the possible career paths (e.g. job/occupation) or options (e.g. Post-graduate study/ working abroad/taking year out, etc) available to you then you could take one of our Independent Study Skills modules (for more info. contact the Module Leader, Maria Dawson).

Co-Requisite Modules

Some modules may have co-requisites which are identified on module descriptors. Co-requisites are those modules, which must be studied alongside each other. A co-requisite module is normally at the same level as the requiring module.

Pre-Requisite Modules

Some modules may identify other modules which you must have already studied and passed. Such modules are referred to as "pre-requisites" and are normally at a lower Level than the requiring module.
Award Titles

Do I get a qualification?

You could be awarded with a Certificate, Diploma or Degree (BA/BSc) if you study at an Undergraduate Level or with a Postgraduate Certificate, Diploma or Masters Degree (MA/MSc) if you study at a Postgraduate Level. It all depending on the amount of credits and what level you have studied.

Certificate in Higher Education for those wishing to study 120 credits at level 1 or equivalent.


Diploma in Higher Education for those wishing to study 120 level 1 credits and 120 level 2 credits or equivalent.


A degree without honours for those wishing to study 120 level 1 credits and 120 level 2 credits and 60 level 3 credits or equivalent.


A degree with honours for those wishing to study 120 level 1 credits and 120 level 2 credits or equivalent, and 120 level 3 credits.


A Post Graduate Certificate for those wishing to study 60 postgraduate level credits.


A Post Graduate Diploma for those wishing to study 120 postgraduate level credits.


A Masters (MA/MSc) degree for those wishing to study 180 postgraduate level credits.


BA/BSc and MA/MSc awards will be either:

a.A named award e.g. BSc/BSc (Hons) in Psychology with Artificial Intelligence where the name and subject content are negotiated with the Scheme Leader, Director of Study and External Examiner, where applicable, and complies with subject benchmarking. A dissertation, project or independent study must be undertaken at level three. Such degrees must not already exist within the Universitys provision. The designation of the award title will be determined by the balance of the modules studied. Dual, major/minor and triple award titles can be made following QAA guidelines on the balance of credits per subject.
or
b.A generic award of a B.A./BSc or B.A./BSc. (Hons) or M.A./MSc in Customised Studies where students do not require a named award and wish to have a flexible and self defined content which embraces the concept of lifelong learning. The internal coherence of the degree comes via the pre-requisites and/or co-requisites for each level and a dissertation, project or independent study must be undertaken at level three.

Credit Route: Students on this route will be predominantly studying part time, and have their credits counted on a year by year basis. These students will be given a transcript which will be recognition of achievement of credit for the year. Students will NOT be given University certification for credits achieved on this section of the CAS, they can however request an enhanced transcript which would consist of written confirmation of their results on headed notepaper.

Degree Students

If you choose to study for a degree (undergraduate or post graduate) your programme of study will be designed in negotiation with the CAS Scheme Leader, relevant subject specialists and yourself. It will then have to be approved to run by the Scheme Board of Studies, after which one of the subject specialists will then become your Director of Study.The number of credits obtained, the subjects studied and the combination type determines the title of your final award.If you are studying with aim of achieving a degree with honours you must have passed 360 credits (120 at each of the three Levels) including all cores for your chosen combination type in each subject.