Guidance on the completion of programme specificationsPlease complete all Sections of the Programme Specification.

Please note that the numbering of the sections referred to below is for undergraduate programmes;master’s level programmes, because they have no section for a UCAS code, have one fewer sections,so section 8 below becomes section 7 on the master’s level template.

General note on circulation: programme specifications are published on University's website by theMarketing Department. Any new or revised programme specifications designed following an event, orany revision to the specification completed as part of a formal programme change procedure, should beforwarded to Marketing for inclusion under the "Further Information" section of the programme's webpage.

Sections 1 and 2: Awarding Institution and Teaching InstitutionThese two sections make a distinction between the institution that is responsible for the award and theinstitution doing the teaching, so that in the case of collaborative provision, the awarding institution willbe the University of Greenwich, while Section 2 will record the name of the partner.

Section 3: Faculty/DepartmentThis should list the University Faculty and Department responsible for the programme.

Section 4: Final AwardThis should give the title of the final award only (in other words, awards such as CertHE and DipHE arenot mentioned here), without reference to the subject, e.g. BSc, BA, MEng etc.

Section 5: Programme Title and Approved EndorsementsThis should list the title of the subject as given in the named award, e.g. Multimedia & Games DesignTechnologies. In general this should be for a single programme (see Section 7 below); the exception tothis is where there may be a single programme title with a number of endorsements.

Section 6: Qualification Level (Framework for Higher Education Qualifications FHEQ)‐The FHEQ is a formal structure which the UK has adopted to define it’s qualification system. Generallythe FHEQ identifies a hierarchy of qualification levels in ascending order and states the genericrequirements for qualifications to be awarded at each of these levels. The framework shows whatqualifications are at the same level and indicate how one qualification may lead to another either at thesame or a higher level. It describes a continuum of learning which allows any new qualifications to beplaced within the educational system. Assigning levels to qualifications promotes the accurate andconsistent description and marketing of qualifications by those who award them.

The FHEQ provides a context for the articulation, review and development of qualifications. It is a tool both for securing threshold academic standards nationally and for making valid comparisons of qualifications internationally (thus facilitating student mobility).

The agreed schema for qualifications levels in the UK is demonstrated in the table below. Theundergraduate award you are designing should be based upon these levels and credit requirements. Formuch greater detail on the expectations on the nature of awards at all levels please refer to the QualityAssurance Agency Booklets on Qualifications Frameworks which can be found at:

http://www.qaa.ac.uk/assuring standards and quality/the quality code/qualifications‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐

1D5 Guidance Notes (May 2020)

Section 7: AccreditationThis section allows for the recording of the name of the relevant Professional, Statutory and RegulatoryBody accrediting a professional degree, for example, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) forthe appropriate architecture programmes. The accreditation should be recorded as ‘This programme isaccredited by xx for the purpose of yy’.

Section 8: UCAS CodeThis should give the UCAS code for an individual programme. It is not envisaged that programmespecifications will cover more than one programme, even where there are significant similaritiesbetween cognate programmes. This is to enable stakeholders (e.g. potential applicants or employers) tobe certain that the information they are accessing relates to the programme that is of interest to them.This may mean a certain amount of duplication between programme specifications, but is necessary fortheir intended audience.

Section 9: Maximum/Minimum Period(s) of RegistrationIt is important to have clear information here about maxima and minima for periods of registration forthe different modes in which the programme appears.

Section 10:Programme Codes are necessary here to ensure clear identification of the programme on Banner.

2D5 Guidance Notes (May 2020)

Section 11:In requesting that the last date when the programme specification was revised, this section is designedto ensure that there is a clear record of the sequence of successive versions of programmespecifications.

Section 12: External Reference PointsIn this section you need to identify how you have used external frames of reference when designing theprogramme of Study.

These may include: QAA Subject Benchmarks Professional Body requirements and guidelines Statutory Body requirements and guidelines

Benchmarking statements are QAA guides for the subject which define what a student is expected tolearn from studying that subject. They are defined by academic staff in the field and provided tostudents and universities by the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA). Subject Benchmark statements areexplained and described on the Agency’s website at:

http://www.qaa.ac.uk/assuringstandardsandquality/subject guidance/pages/subject‐ ‐benchmarkstatements.Aspx

Reference to the relevant QAA Subject Benchmarking Group(s) is required for undergraduateprogrammes and for master’s level courses.

There are also statements developed specifically for NHS/ Department of Health qualifications:

http://www.qaa.ac.uk/AssuringStandardsAndQuality/subject guidance/Pages/Benchmarking‐ ‐academicand‐practitioner standards in healthcare subjects.aspx‐ ‐ ‐ ‐

The statements have been designed to make clear the academic characteristics and standards of UKhonours degrees, and master’s degrees. Where programmes meet more than one benchmarking group,each benchmark group that applies should be cited.

A reference to the group or groups of benchmark statements that apply to the programme is all that isrequired in Section 11 of the programme specification. Reference to the detailed Subject BenchmarkStatements should be provided in sections 15 and 16, where the skills that will be developed over thecourse of the programme are identified. Where the skills developed on the courses meet more thanone benchmarking statement, each Subject Benchmark Statement that applies should be cited.

University Approval Panels will expect to see how course teams have used the SubjectBenchmark Statement(s) in the design and development of the course and curriculum content at thepoint of initial validation.

Section 13: Entry RequirementsThis section should outline the entry requirements for the programme, starting with the UCAS tariffpoints and other equivalent qualifications. The English Language requirements should be included. Forthe version of the programme delivered at a collaborative partner the local entry requirements shouldalso be included.

Section 14: Educational Aims of the Programme and Potential Career Destinations: some

3D5 Guidance Notes (May 2020)

exemplarsThis section should supply a synopsis for students and other external audiences of the type ofprogramme the students will be pursuing and the potential career opportunities this will make available,for example:

BA Criminology

The aim of this degree is to provide a coherent multi disciplinary programme of study which offers a‐rigorous grounding in criminology, together with a sound knowledge of the law, of social policy, and ofpractice within the criminal justice and social welfare fields, in other words it will give the student aninsider knowledge of how each of these different disciplines and fields works. The programme willpromote their understanding of the socio legal context within which the criminal justice and other‐agencies operate, while at the same time developing their analytical and problem solving skills to enablethe student to understand criminology at a national and international level. As a graduate of theprogramme they will therefore be well equipped to take up a range of posts within the fields of criminaljustice and social policy (e.g. in different departments in the Home Office) or to undertake furthertraining in order to use their expertise in other fields, such as journalism.

BA Criminal Justice Studies

This inter disciplinary degree programme provides a rigorous grounding in all aspects of the Criminal‐Justice system and process, so that the student develops an understanding of how the law, social policyand social welfare come together in that setting. They will develop a detailed awareness of theframework within which the criminal justice and other agencies operate while at the same timedeveloping in their analytical skills, their capacity for critical judgement and their ability to makereasoned choices between alternative solutions. This will allow the student the flexibility to take up arange of different careers across the criminal justice and other agencies. For example, the programme issuitable for those wanting a career or improved prospects in the Probation Service, the Prison Service orthe Police Service, but it would also benefit those interested in working as Child Protection Officers, asCrown Prosecution staff, as Fraud Officers within a range of different contexts (e.g. Customs & Excise,the insurance or the health sectors), or as paralegal employees.

Section 15: Student Skills Development Statements: some exemplarsAs with 13 above, this section should be written with the potential student and other external audiencesin mind and be used to summarise the skills sets that they can expect to develop as a result of studyingon this programme. It should describe the skills development that is embedded within the teaching onthe programme. This section will appear on the Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR) for allstudents who register and complete this programme of study.

BA English

The English degree provides a solid grounding in English literature from the Renaissance to the presentday, and encourages the student to think critically about literary texts in relation to their ownintellectual and professional interests. It will also give them the opportunity to study the literature andculture of Europe and the Americas. The degree programme encourages the student to explore themany different approaches to the study of English, and the productive links that can be made with otherdisciplines like History, Politics and Film Studies. The degree will develop their capacity for independentthought and judgment and it will increase their confidence in oral and written communication. TheQuality Assurance Handbook, Appendix D5 Guidance Notes (May 2015) Page 6student’s ability to handle information and argument in a critical and self reflective manner will increase‐substantially, as will their skill in working with others as a member of a team.

BA Accounting and Finance

4D5 Guidance Notes (May 2020)

The Accounting and Finance degree develops the student’s capacity to provide a critical evaluation andevidence of a company’s financial position. This programme builds their ability to locate, extract andanalyse data from multiple sources and to appreciate the appropriate use of statistical concepts. Thedevelopment of IT skills is also embedded in all the subject areas they will be studying. The student willdevelop skills in managing data, using software packages such as Excel and Sage, and if they followspecific options, the student will be able to extend these skills and add database use to them. Overall,this degree provides the opportunity for them to improve their capacity for independent thought whilemaintaining and developing their ability to work in groups or teams.

DipHE Nursing

The programme provides the opportunity for the student to rehearse and develop the following skills:NMC prescribed clinical skills; resuscitation; manual handling; communication and inter personal skills,‐ ‐including teamwork; numeracy and IT skills; time management; advocacy; problem solving and decision ‐making skills. The student will be able to provide evidence of having developed these skills through aportfolio of work, which they will put together over the course of the programme.

Sections 16 and 17: Programme Outcomes: Knowledge, Understanding and SkillsFor Sections 15 and 16, the outcomes achieved for the programme as a whole should be detailed. Theyshould be the ‘threshold’ outcomes attained by a student on that programme at a defined level (e.g.Level 6 on an undergraduate programme). The QAA Subject Benchmark Statements include guidance on‘threshold’ standards of achievement and it should be clear from Section 15 and 16 how these are metthrough appropriate teaching, learning and assessment methods.

The QAA’s guidance on the use of Subject Benchmark Statements is as follows:

“Subject benchmark statements set out expectations about standards of degrees in a range of subjectareas. They describe what gives a discipline its coherence and identity, and define what can be expectedof a graduate in terms of the abilities and skills needed to develop understanding or competence in thesubject.

Working closely with the higher education sector, we have published subject benchmark statements fora range of disciplines. Some statements combine or make reference to professional standards requiredby external professional or regulatory bodies in the discipline.

Subject benchmark statements do not represent a national curriculum in a subject area. Rather, theyallow for flexibility and innovation in programme design within an overall conceptual framework established by an academic subject community. They are intended to assist those involved inprogramme design, delivery and review and may also be of interest to prospective students andemployers, seeking information about the nature and standards of awards in a subject area.

Subject benchmark statements are available for honours degrees and master's degrees. There arealso statements specifically for NHS/Department of Health qualifications and for professionalqualifications in Scotland.”

Section 18: Teaching, Learning and Assessment Methods related to the programme learningoutcomes and skills sets

The information on teaching, learning and assessment methods in Section 17 should be specific enoughto enable those looking at the programme specification to understand how particular forms ofknowledge, understanding or skill are developed in students through the use of specific approaches toteaching, learning and assessment. This means that it is insufficient to provide generic lists such as‘lectures, seminars and workshops’ under each heading. The information needs to be precise enough to

5D5 Guidance Notes (May 2020)

give an indication of how it will contribute to the achievement of any given outcome or set of outcomes.

Section 19: Programme Structure: Levels, Courses and Credits

This section should give a clear indication of the programme structure, with reference to the full rangeof courses and associated credits. There is no need, however, to provide any diagrams or detail anypathways through the programme, unless this can be given simply and in a way which is immediatelyintelligible.

For a programme specification, statements are required on what knowledge, understanding and skillsstudents should be able to demonstrate at the end of each level of the programme. These shouldindicate the developmental stages through which progression towards the outcomes detailed inSections 15 and 16 are achieved, so that a clear set of stages in the development of learning outcomes,credits and awards can easily be seen.

6D5 Guidance Notes (May 2020)