Academic Regulations 2004/05
School of Social Sciences

Regulations for the Degree of Bachelor of Science in the Social Sciences

  1. The degree of Bachelor of Science in the Social Sciences is awarded by Senate on the recommendation of the Board of the School of Social Sciences. It may be awarded with honours or as a pass degree.

  2. For admission to any course leading to the degree of Bachelor of Science in the Social Sciences, candidates must have:

    1. satisfied the regulations for admission to degree courses as specified in Section IV : General Regulations for Students;

    2. passed the General Certificate of Education, or equivalent examination, in Mathematics;

    3. satisfied the course requirements appertaining to the relevant programme.

  3. On registration, every candidate shall enter one of the following programmes:

    Accounting and Economics
    Economics
    Economics with Actuarial Studies
    Economics and Econometrics
    Economics and Economic History
    Economics and Finance
    Economics and French
    Economics and Management Sciences
    Economics and Mathematics
    Economics and Politics
    International Relations
    Master of Economics
    Master of Social Work
    Politics
    Politics and Economic History
    Politics and International Relations
    Politics with Law
    Politics and Social Policy
    Politics and Sociology
    Population Sciences
    Public and Social Administration
    Sociology
    Sociology and Social Policy
    Social Policy and Administration
    Social Work

  4. Degree programmes are based on a common unit structure: the first part extends over one year full-time and comprises 8 units, each of which is worth 15 credit points; the second part extends over 2 years full-time and students are required to study 8 units in each year, each of which is worth 15 credit points. (For further details of the Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS), see Section IV : General Regulations for Students.) The content of each part is prescribed in the separate regulations for each programme. Details of the assessment procedure for each programme shall be as provided in the regulations for the programme.

  5. Where the regulations or any programme provide for a choice of subject, such choice shall be subject to the requirements and limitations set out in the programme regulations. Choices may nevertheless be amended by the Board of the School.

  6. In order to progress to Part II of the degree programme, students must achieve honours-equivalent standard in the Part I examinations. For an individual unit, this requires a mark of 40%.

    1. In assessing overall performance in Part I, one mark below 40% will be condoned provided it is not in a core unit for the student's degree programme, and provided that the aggregate across 8 units is at least 320. Core units for each programme are as specified in the School Part I booklet. Some programmes may designate all Part I units as being 'core'.

    2. Students failing to satisfy the examiners will be required to retake all units in which they have secured less than 40%, usually in the supplementary period.

    3. Students failing to satisfy the examiners after the supplementary examinations may retake the units in which they have secured less than 40% on one further occasion only, in January/June of the following academic year as an external student. The mark for all retaken papers will be capped at 40%. Students failing to satisfy the examiners after resit are normally recommended for termination of course.

  7. The Part II examination shall be conducted by examination papers and such other methods of assessment as may be approved by the School Board.

  8. Where assessed work, dissertations and project reports are prepared as part of the final examination, they shall be submitted in accordance with School requirements.

  9. In order to qualify to proceed from year 2 to year 3 of a degree programme, candidates must reach a standard in the examinations deemed satisfactory by the Board of the School, including practical examinations and course assessments where these are prescribed. A satisfactory standard similarly must be obtained in the final year of the course to qualify for the award of Bachelor of Science in the Social Sciences.

    1. Each candidate shall, in the case of failure, have one right to resit his/her undergraduate course and shall not be allowed a further resit unless the School Board, in exceptional circumstances, so permits.

    2. Candidates resitting an examination in the academic year following initial failure will normally be required to take the papers set for that year irrespective of any syllabus change. It is the responsibility of the candidate to ascertain whether any such changes have been made.

    3. To progress from year 2 to year 3, students must pass at least 6 out of 8 course units. Students failing to satisfy the examiners in three or more course units may retake these on one further occasion only, normally during the supplementary examination period. Students will be eligible to retake papers in year 2 irrespective of whether they have already retaken papers in Part I. The mark for all retaken papers will be capped at 40%.

    4. Candidates who fail to satisfy the examiners in the final examination may sit the failed units, provided they have not previously exercised their right to resit. The mark for all retaken papers will be capped at 35%.

  10. In re-examining students, the method of assessment used originally will be repeated.

  11. A list of successful candidates within each programme will be issued with the names arranged in the following classes: first class honours, second class honours (in two divisions), third class honours and pass. Within each class the names will be arranged in alphabetical order.

  12. A candidate may transfer from one programme to another, normally not later than the end of the first year of the course, subject to:

    1. the Heads of Teaching Programmes concerned being satisfied that the candidate's Part I subjects are appropriate for the programme he/she wishes to enter;

    2. the agreement of the Heads of Teaching Programmes concerned; and

    3. the approval of the School Board.

  13. All students are required to follow, and be examined in, approved units in Quantitative Methods. The approved units are as follows:

    PROGRAMME REQUIRED QM UNITS
    Single or Joint Honours Politics, Sociology, Social Policy, Social Work Studies, Population Sciences (except Economics and Politics). STAT1003 and STAT2009
    Economics and Econometrics
    Economics with Actuarial Studies    		 ECON1007, ECON1008 and ECON1011
    Other single and joint honours Economics* (including Accounting and Economics and Economics and Management Sciences) Either ECON1005 and ECON1006 or ECON1007 and ECON1008

    * Students following Economics Single Honours or joint honours in Economics and Finance who do not qualify to take ECON1007 must take ECON1005, ECON1006 and ECON1008.

  14. All students registered for Economics Single Honours or Joint Honours with Accounting, Economics, Econometrics or Management Sciences are required to follow and be examined in an approved programme in Economics according to the rules set out in the School Part I booklet.

  15. With the permission of the Head of the relevant Teaching Programme, students who are not registered on degree programmes 'with' a modern language, or on a joint honours programme including a language, may nevertheless be permitted to spend one semester studying at a University in Europe under the SOCRATES scheme in either their second or third years where an approved link exists between the School and the European institution concerned.

  16. Where regulations allow students to take only a single unit of language as an option, this must be taken in Semester 1. Students will not normally be permitted to continue with that language in the following year. However, where number of options and prerequisites allow, and with the agreement of the relevant Head of Teaching Programme and the Language Centre, a single unit option in a different language may be taken in subsequent years.

    Where regulations provide for students to take a language option in each of Semester 1 and Semester 2, students may choose either to take a single language unit in Semester 1 (in which case they register as above) and take a further non-language option in Semester 2 as specified in the regulations, or they take a double Language unit (one unit in each semester).

    Where individual programme regulations allow, students taking a double unit may be permitted (but are not required) to continue with that language in the following year, either as a single or a double unit, but they will not normally be permitted to take optional units in a different language.

    Students registering for a double unit may change to a single Semester 1 language unit up to the end of week 3 of Semester 1; after this point they may not normally transfer to a single unit.