Senate Approves Temporary Regulation – 2006 Graduation to Go Ahead

(taken from Warwick insite - for Warwick students)


Yesterday the University Senate, the supreme academic authority of the University, approved a new temporary University Regulation designed to ensure that all final year students will graduate this summer and their prospects will not be damaged by the AUT industrial action.

New Regulation Follows Aegrotat Principles

The new temporary Regulation will ensure fair treatment for all candidates and is entirely consistent with current practice. It follows long-established principles for the award of aegrotat degrees where some marks are missing (due, for example, to absence from an examination for medical reasons).

Classified and Unclassified Degrees

Under the new Regulation Boards of Examiners have the right to reach any decision they would normally reach, including the award of a classified degree (if there is sufficient evidence available). Alternatively, they may decide to award an unclassified Honours degree if more than 30% of marks from examinations or other pieces of assessed work are missing because they are being withheld by AUT members. In some cases, even where more than 70% of marks are presented, Boards may still determine that an unclassified degree should be awarded (if, for example, one or two core module marks are missing). The Regulation ensures that the Boards of Examiners meetings will proceed as normal.

Once the full marks profiles are available for all candidates (after the suspension or conclusion of the AUT industrial action) Boards of Examiners will meet again to make decisions on classifications for all those who received unclassified degrees and to review all previous classification decisions. New, and final, degree certificates will then be issued to those affected.

It is important to stress that, in the case of students who receive a classified degree and whose marks are then reconsidered, the new Regulation stipulates that any changes to the degree class awarded can only be to the student?s benefit, i.e. there will be no lowering of degree classifications.

Degree Congregation

At the Degree Congregation in July graduating students will receive a degree certificate together with a letter explaining the background to the award of unclassified degrees.

Interim transcripts will be issued to graduates in the summer in the normal way. These will be provisional and will be re-issued with the complete set of confirmed marks once these become available.

Employer Liaison

The University is keenly aware of the possible impact of the award of unclassified degrees on students in career terms and is taking advice from the Careers Service and AGCAS, the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services, about the guidance for potential employers.

All Examinations to Proceed as Normal

It is now clear that all this year's examination question papers will be set and students must prepare for exams as normal.

The University sincerely hopes that the AUT industrial dispute will be resolved before July and that the University will not have to use this temporary regulation but the Senate has approved it as a necessary precaution to ensure that students are not disadvantaged by industrial action.

Warwick Standards Maintained

The new Regulation is intended to ensure that all students will ultimately achieve the degree they have earned.

Further Information

If you have any comments or questions please email internalcomms@warwick.ac.uk