Postgraduate Assessment Regulations 2024/25

Manchester Metropolitan University’s Taught Postgraduate Assessment Regulations provide rules and procedures for all assessed work in order to ensure all students are fairly and objectively assessed.

1.1. These Assessment Regulations apply to all taught postgraduate provision approved by the University and delivered by the University or by its collaborative partners leading to awards or academic credit of the University. The Assessment Regulations apply to all assessments, at whatever point in a course they are undertaken, that formally contribute to the recommendation of academic credit or an award of the University.

1.2. The University’s Assessment Regulations are updated annually to ensure ongoing appropriateness to institutional requirements and sector expectations. The latest version of the Assessment Regulations is applied to all current students for any given academic year, irrespective of their year of enrolment or the Assessment Regulations in place at that time.

1.3. Exceptionally, the Chair of the Academic Board may approve temporary changes to the Assessment Regulations to mitigate the impact of events beyond the University’s control.

1.4. These Regulations will be applied to ensure equity of treatment of students, regardless of their mode of study and the number of credits that they have studied over each contributing academic year, including students engaging with Man Met Rise.

1.5. The credit specification that is contained within the Regulations for the Academic Awards of the University indicates the amount and level of academic credit expected to be gained by a student on a course leading to the award identified.

1.6. Subject to any requirements of the validating and/or awarding body concerned, courses leading to awards other than those of the University, but which the University has been licensed or approved to deliver, must be calibrated in accordance with the Regulations for Academic Awards of the University.

1.7. All Degree Apprenticeships delivered in England are linked to an Institute for Apprenticeships Standard. Each Standard has a defined assessment plan, which sets out the approach to the compulsory End-Point Assessment (EPA), including how it will be assessed. Where an EPA is integrated into the degree, it must be successfully passed in order for the degree and the apprenticeship to be awarded. In all such instances, the assessment plan for the appropriate Degree Apprenticeship will take precedence over these Assessment Regulations.

1.8. Any exemption or variation from these Assessment Regulations must be approved by the Education Committee and set out in the approved Programme Specification.

1.9. Students may normally only enrol on one course within a single standard academic period, and on modules that form part of the course on which they are registered or university-wide Man Met Rise modules. Students may only enrol on particular modules where they have satisfied any course-specific requirements.

1.10. Students registered on a course leading to the award of a Master’s Degree, who do not obtain the required credits for the Master’s award, will be granted a Postgraduate Certificate or a Postgraduate Diploma as appropriate, provided that they have gained the required credits and demonstrated achievement of the learning outcomes specified for that interim award in the Programme Specification.

1.11. Assessment results will be confirmed at an Assessment Board in accordance with the Assessment Board Procedures. The Assessment Board has the authority to confirm a student’s award or their right to continue on their course or be reassessed. Subject to the provisions of regulation 1.3, all Assessment Board decisions will be made in line with these regulations.

2.1. The minimum time for which a student may be registered on a course and gain the award to which it leads will be stated in the relevant Programme Specification, except where the provisions of the Recruitment and Admissions Policy or the Policy for the Recognition of Prior Learning  apply. 

2.2. There is no maximum period of registration, subject to modules having been completed within a period of time consistent with ensuring that the learning completed is still up-to-date and relevant. Judgements regarding this are subject-specific. There is no guarantee about the length of time for which a course or its constituent modules will be available.

2.3. Students are required to enrol for each year they are on the course. If a student does not enrol each year, their registration will lapse. A student whose registration on a course has lapsed may be considered for readmission to the same course, as long as the lapse was not due to failing off the course.

2.4. A student may apply to the Programme Leader to suspend their studies. If the Programme Leader considers that the reasons for the request are valid, they may agree to a suspension for a period of up to one year, taking account of the implications of the timing and duration of the suspension for the student’s engagement with the course and with assessment and reassessment opportunities. Decisions regarding second or subsequent requests for suspension should be made by the relevant Head of Department.

2.5. Prior to the due date of their final project, dissertation or other independent study module, a taught postgraduate student may request a Writing Up Year. This is an extension into the next academic year of a maximum of 12 months. A student may only have one Writing Up Year. Writing Up requests require the approval of the Programme Leader.

3.1. Periods of assessed practical training, placement, supervised work experience, or clinical or professional practice, whether taken in the UK or abroad, which are additional to the academic credits required for the award, may attract practice credits based on the benchmark of 120 credits representing at least 36 weeks. Practice credits are not assigned to an academic level.

3.2. Where a student commences, but does not successfully complete, a period of placement or other activity which contributes formally to the credit requirements of a course, their enrolment will revert to the standard degree. In such instances, there will be no obligation for the University to provide a reassessment opportunity or alternative placement of equivalent length except where the student has an approved claim for deferred assessment as per regulation 8.1.

3.3. Where the assessment of practice is accommodated within the course credit structure, including assessed practice undertaken through Man Met Rise, it will comply with the regulations that apply to academic credits. Provision may be approved for practice elements to be assessed on a pass/fail basis rather than being marked out of 100. In such cases, this should be clearly communicated to students.

3.4. Practice credits that are not credit-bearing and/or which are assessed on a pass/fail basis will not contribute to the classification of a taught postgraduate award.

3.5. Practice credits that are not credit-bearing will be generally exempt from the regulations relating to assessment, reassessment and continuation. Where continuation on a course is conditional upon a student having satisfactorily completed particular practice credits, students must be informed specifically of this condition.

3.6. Practice credits may be subject to the requirements of Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Bodies (PSRBs). Students must be informed specifically of any such requirements.

3.7. Practice credits may not be used in place of the academic credits but, where such practice periods are a specific course requirement, they may contribute towards the student’s overall eligibility for an award.

4.1. Students must pass or otherwise be credited with the number and level of credits specified in the Regulations for the Academic Awards of the University for a given award. Awards will only be granted to students who have demonstrated achievement of the learning outcomes for the course on which they are registered.

4.2. Students may normally take a maximum of 120 taught credits in a standard academic year for the course on which they are registered, and a maximum of 180 credits in a 12-month period, except where the Programme Specification states otherwise or where students have engaged with Man Met Rise.

4.3. All summative assessments within a module will be marked out of 100. The weighted average mark for the module is calculated from the module’s assessment marks. The weighted average mark for the module will also be expressed as a mark out of 100.

4.4. Module marks are expressed as rounded whole numbers. Module marks with a weighted average of x.49 and below will be rounded down to the nearest whole number. Those with a weighted average of x.5 and above will be rounded up to the nearest whole number.

4.5. There will be no rounding applied in the calculation of level averages for the purpose of determining a student’s eligibility for compensation, continuation, reassessment, or eligibility for a particular award classification.

4.6. Summative assessment marks will be subject to moderation in accordance with the Verification, Marking and Moderation Policy. 

4.7. All module marks are subject to formal confirmation by an Assessment Board. Confirmation by an Assessment Board will rule out any further consideration of the marks or awards at a later stage, except where a material error, failure to follow due process, or serious academic or other misconduct is subsequently identified, or where a student submits a successful late request for deferred assessment.

4.8. The University has in place a range of mechanisms and penalties for handling plagiarism and other forms of Academic Misconduct, as set out in the Academic Misconduct Policy.

5.1. Students’ continuation on courses will be determined by their performance in, and engagement with, the summative assessments in the modules on which they are enrolled.

5.2. With the exception of certain Degree Apprenticeship provision (detailed in 5.3, below) a module will be passed when a student achieves a weighted average mark of 50% for the summative assessment(s) associated with the module.

5.3. Where a module within a Degree Apprenticeship contains either the whole or a part of the End-Point Assessment (EPA), all elements relating to the EPA must achieve the pass mark of 50% in order for the module to be passed, regardless of the module’s weighted average.

5.4. A compensated pass is a pass given for a module mark lower than the pass mark, in line with regulations 5.5 and 5.7.

5.5. Students may receive compensated passes in taught whole modules where they achieve a module mark in the marginal fail category (40% to 49%) for the summative assessment(s) associated with such module(s), and have achieved an overall average of at least 50% across the total 120 taught credits for the relevant award.

5.6. The weighted level average requirement for compensation is based on the student’s uncapped marks. However, this does not apply in the case of academic misconduct caps.

5.7. For the award of Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert), a student will be allowed compensated passes in a maximum of 15 credits for the 60 total taught credits; for the award of Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) a student will be allowed compensated passes in a maximum of 30 credits for the total 120 taught credits; for the award of Master’s degree a student will be allowed compensated passes in a maximum of 30 credits for the total 120 taught credits.

5.8. Where a student has more credits in the marginal fail range than can be compensated, the module(s) with the higher credit value will be compensated. If the modules are of equal credit value, the one(s) with the lower mark(s) will be compensated.

5.9. Students on Integrated Degree Apprenticeships will not be permitted a compensated pass in any module that contains the whole, or a component of, their End-Point Assessment. Information on where an EPA occurs within a Degree Apprenticeship will be provided within the approved Programme Specification.

5.10. Although students who receive a compensated pass in a module will be granted the credits associated with the module, the mark that is recorded for the module will be the actual mark achieved, not a mark of 50%.

5.11. Where students transfer between courses, the assessment status, including marks, any caps and reassessment attempts, of any modules on the new course that the student has already taken as part of a previous course will not change.

6.1. The University operates a late submission window. The mark for any assessment submitted up to 7 days after the deadline will be capped at 50%. The late cap will be applied at assessment level.  An assessment submitted after 7 days will be capped at 0.

6.2. The late submission window does not apply to time-constrained assessments, such as exams or tests, or reassessments. If these are submitted past the deadline, they will receive a mark of 0.

6.3. Where one part of an assessment with multiple submission points is submitted late, the late cap will be applied to the full assessment.

6.4. Where, following a late submission, a student has an approved request for an extension that covers the original submission period, the late cap will be removed.

7.1. With the exception of Master of Fine Art provision (detailed in 7.2 below), students will be required to undertake reassessment in modules where they have not achieved a weighted average mark of at least 50% or a compensated pass.

7.2. Where a Master of Fine Art student fails one 60-credit module, they will have the opportunity for reassessment in that module. If the student fails both MFA-level modules, they will be awarded the fallback award of MA in the relevant subject to which they are entitled without an opportunity to resit the failed MFA module.

7.3. Where a student does not pass a module, they will be reassessed only in those assessments within the module that they have failed, except where the approved Programme Specification specifically states otherwise.

7.4. For all reassessment, the highest mark achieved for each element in any attempt should be used when calculating the new weighted average mark.

7.5. Where students have achieved a module mark of 50% or higher, they may not be reassessed in any part of the module, except where the Programme Specification specifically states otherwise or where they have deferred assessment as per regulation 8.1.

7.6. Students have the right to one reassessment opportunity in a module. Students unable to pass following reassessment will fail the course and be withdrawn from the University. Students will not be entitled to reassessment in Man Met Rise modules.

7.7. No reassessment will enable students to attain a module mark above the pass level, except where they have been permitted under regulation 8.1 to be reassessed as if for the first time.

7.8. Where a student is capped at 0 as a penalty for academic misconduct, entitlement to reassessment will be based on whether they have used the single permitted reassessment opportunity. Should misconduct have been proven on a student’s reassessment attempt, no further assessment opportunity will be offered unless it is subsequently established through the Assessment Extensions Procedure that the student is entitled to deferred assessment.

7.9. Where students fail an optional module within the course on which they are registered, they may substitute the failed module for another optional module or for a Man Met Rise module. Students substituting a failed optional module for a Man Met Rise module will undertake assessment in that module as if for the first time. Students are entitled to substitute for an alternative optional module once only within their course.

8.1. Where a student’s absence, failure to submit work or poor performance was due to illness or other factors beyond their control, and the student can provide acceptable evidence, they will have the right to be reassessed as if for the first time in any or all of the relevant assessments, under the terms of Assessment Extensions Procedure. If the assessment affected was itself a reassessment, the student will be permitted to be reassessed again but the reassessment will be capped.

8.2. Where a student has failed a module and has both capped and uncapped reassessments within that module, the module mark will not be capped if the marks from the uncapped reassessments, combined with the marks from the original attempts, give a weighted average greater than 50%.

8.3. Deferred assessment will entitle a student to an additional reassessment attempt but will not remove any cap applied as a penalty for academic misconduct.

8.4. In cases where it is not possible for a student to be reassessed in the same assessments and/or by the same methods as the first or any subsequent attempt, the relevant Assessment Board will make appropriate alternative arrangements. Any alternative reassessments must be approved by the External Examiner to ensure that they permit the module learning outcomes to be achieved.

8.5. Where appropriate, and subject to an approved Personal Learning Plan (PLP), reasonable adjustments to assessments will be made for students with a disability. Wherever possible, such reasonable adjustments will enable the student to undertake the standard assessment task. Where the nature of a student’s disability makes it impossible for a certain form of assessment to be used, the relevant Head of Department must ensure that any alternative assessment is of the same standard and presents a comparable level of challenge. Any reasonable adjustments are subject to Professional, Statutory or Regulatory Body (PSRB) requirements and only apply to individual, rather than group assessments.

Award of postgraduate certificates, postgraduate diplomas and masters degrees

9.1. The approved Programme Specification for each taught postgraduate course leading to, or incorporating, the award of a Postgraduate Certificate, a Postgraduate Diploma or a Master’s Degree will state explicitly the learning outcomes to be met by students in order to achieve each award.

9.2. Postgraduate Certificates, Postgraduate Diplomas and Master’s Degrees may be awarded at Pass level, with Merit, or with Distinction.

9.3. For an award to be made at Pass level, a student must pass or otherwise be credited with all of the modules that make up the specified number and level of credits for the award.

9.4. For a Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma or Master’s Degree to be awarded with Merit, a student must gain an overall average of 60%.

9.5. For a Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma or Master’s Degree to be awarded with Distinction, a student must gain an overall average of 70%.

9.6. For the award of Master of Fine Art, a student’s classification will be determined by the first 180 credits of study only.

9.7. Where programmes have titles that are accredited by a Professional, Regulatory or Statutory Body (PSRB), and have associated restrictions / variations to the Assessment Regulations, students may be awarded a fallback degree with a different award title provided they meet the criteria within these regulations.

9.8. Under no circumstances will marks awarded for learning by other institutions be included within Manchester Metropolitan University award classifications.

9.9. Except where the relevant Programme Specification confirms otherwise, academic credit can only be counted once. Where students have been given an interim exit award and are successfully readmitted, the previous award will be revoked prior to enrolment. This applies to students being readmitted to the same course or to a different course for which the credit already completed will count towards the final award.

9.10. Where an Assessment Board does not have enough evidence of the student’s performance to decide upon the award for which the student was a candidate (or a lower award where one is available), but is satisfied that, if not for illness or other exceptional circumstances, the student would have reached the standard required, it may make an Aegrotat award, as per Section 11 of the Regulations for Academic Awards of the University. Where such an Aegrotat award is made, a student would be permitted to complete the work, within a period of one year, for the original classified award.

9.11. Following publication of results, students may opt out of receiving any award, regardless of their assessment status.

9.12. Any decision to revoke an award will be made by the Academic Registrar on behalf of the Academic Board. 

The University is proud of its diverse community of staff, students and visitors and is committed to equality of opportunity and to creating a positive environment where everybody is treated with dignity and respect.

The University is proactively committed to providing equitable opportunities to all, irrespective of: age, disability, sex, gender identity, marital or civil partnership status, neurodiversity, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief (or no belief) and sexual orientation.

The University will ensure that treatment is equitable regardless of an individual’s identification with one or more protected characteristics, their nationality, socio-economic background, family and caring responsibilities, or any other appropriate distinction. This is underpinned by the University’s Equality and Diversity Policy and Inclusive and Diverse Culture Strategy.

In addition, this regulation and all relating policies and procedures have undergone an Equality Impact Assessment to ensure we are paying due regard to the Equality Act (2010).

• Appendix A:  Credit specification for taught postgraduate awards
• Appendix B: Exam regulations

Appendix A: Credit specification for taught postgraduate awards

For students undertaking an award under the Regulations for Academic Awards of the University.

Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert)

• Credit specification: 60 credits at level 7
• Credit total: 60

Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE)

• Credit specification: 60 credits at level 7; practice 60 credits
• Credit total: 60 plus 60

Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip)

• Credit specification: 120 credits at level 7
• Credit total: 120

Master’s Degree

• Credit specification: 180 credits at level 7 (120 taught credits and 60 credits of supervised independent study)
• Credit total: 180

Masters of Fine Art

• Credit specification: 180 credits at level 7; 120 additional credits at Level 7
• Credit total: 300

Master of Architecture

• Credit specification: 60 credits at level 7; 180 credits at level 7
• Credit total: 240

Master of Landscape Architecture

• Credit specification: 300 credits at level 7
• Credit total: 300

Professional Doctorate

• Credit specification: Level 8 - Taught elements must be credit rated at Level 8. For part 2, the research element, please see details within the Regulations for Postgraduate Research Degrees.
• Credit total: No minimum specified

Appendix B: Exam Regulations

B.1. Details of an exam, including the date, location and time, will be made available to students at least 10 working days before the exam is due to take place, other than in exceptional circumstances (including the late acceptance of an academic appeal or request for deferred assessment, or an earlier exam being rescheduled due to an evacuation).

B.2. Students are responsible for ensuring that they are aware of the assessment requirements for the course on which they are registered, including the timing, location and venue of any invigilated exams.

B.3. It is important that students seek support for exam adjustments (including oral practical exams) through a Personal Learning Plan well in advance of their assessments. If insufficient notice is given, the extent to which adjustments can be made in assessment periods may be restricted, for example by the availability of suitable rooms and/or other physical and human resources. The University will try to accommodate reasonable adjustments for short-term injuries or impairments where appropriate, but it may not be possible depending on the period of notice given.

B.4. Candidates for invigilated exams:

• Should be present at the exam venue at least ten minutes before the exam is due to start.
• Will be admitted to the exam venue upon instruction by the invigilator(s) and may enter at any time during the first 30 minutes of the exam.
• Will not be permitted to enter the examination room after the first 30 minutes of the exam.
• Unless stated otherwise, students must not leave the exam room during the first 30 minutes or the final 15 minutes of the exam except in an emergency. (For certain exams, the University will require students to remain present for the duration; this requirement will always be communicated in advance).
• Must present photographic identification (usually a student card).
• Must comply with any instructions issued prior to, at the start of, or during an exam by an invigilator or authorised member of staff.
• Must not remove any item of exam stationery from the exam venue, except for the question paper. Where it is not permitted to remove the question paper this will be explicitly stated on the front page.
• Must not use any stationery other than that issued specifically for the purpose of the exam, or which they have been instructed to bring with them (which can only be stored in a transparent pencil case).
• Must not use any form of calculator, computer, tablet, smartphone, smartwatch or other smart device, except where specifically permitted for the exam, or specified as a reasonable adjustment as per the student’s Personal Learning Plan.
• Must not use any unauthorised book, dictionary, manuscript or other aid, or access any unauthorised digital materials.
• Must not be in possession of any written or printed material(s) during the exam, unless expressly permitted by the exam and/or Assessment Regulations.
• Must not communicate with other students during the exam.
• Must not copy or attempt to copy from any other candidate during the exam.
• Must not access any cases, bags, books or personal belongings which are not permitted for the exam (these must be placed in an area specified for this purpose).
• Must not take any food or drink except for bottled water into exams, except where permitted through a Personal Learning Plan or as an ad hoc adjustment approved in advance of the exam.
• Must ensure all phones or other communication devices are switched off, not on the student’s person and not accessed during the exam, unless specified as a reasonable adjustment as per the student’s Personal Learning Plan.
• Must not be in possession of, or obtain access to, a copy of an exam question paper in advance of the date and time for its authorised release (this covers both ‘seen’ and ‘unseen’ papers).

B.5. The University must be able to verify that the person sitting the exam is the student in question.Students wearing a face covering for religious, cultural or health reasons will be asked to show their face to an appropriate invigilator in a private setting.

B.6.There will be a minimum of two invigilators present for the duration of an invigilated exam at which multiple students are sitting. In addition, at the start of the exam there may be additional staff present for the purpose of verifying the accuracy of the question paper and issuing, verbally or otherwise, any instruction with regard to paper errors.

B.7. Where a student is not on the attendance list but believes they should be sitting the exam, they will be permitted to sit the exam. However, admittance to the exam does not guarantee that the work will be marked or the mark given to the student, if it turns out they were not permitted to sit the exam under the Assessment Regulations.

B.8. Invigilated exams will be timed by a clock visible to the students and the invigilator(s). Alternative arrangements will be made where required due to a student’s disability.

B.9.If it is necessary to evacuate the exam venue for any reason, students will do so on the instruction of the invigilator(s) and must leave all papers, scripts, answer books, equipment and other material related to the exam on their desks or work areas. They must also leave any personal belongings unless instructed otherwise by the invigilators. Students will be required to assemble in such place and in such manner as the invigilators instruct and must not communicate with each other in any way on the subject of the exam.

B.10. For an on-campus PC exam, students must not submit any work after leaving the exam venue. To do so will be classed as cheating under the Academic Misconduct Policy. For an online exam, any work submitted after the specified end time will be recorded as a non-submission.

B.11. All suspected academic misconduct will be investigated in line with the Academic Misconduct Policy. The student will be permitted to remain in the exam and will have the opportunity to complete an Exam Incident Report form and make a statement.

B.12.Invigilators have the authority and discretion to instruct exam candidates in such a way as they may deem appropriate having regard for the safety of the candidates under the circumstances prevailing at the time.

B.13. The University has the authority to exclude a student whose conduct warrants it from the exam and refer the matter for consideration under the Student Code of Conduct.

• Version 1.0
• Date EIA Approved: March 2024
• Owner: Patrick Gannon, Director of Assessment Management
• Author: Victoria Thompson, Head of Assessment Governance
• Approved by: Academic Board
• Last review: June 2023
• Date for review: March 2025
• Changes in last review: 
  • The maximum period of registration has been removed in favour of subject-specific judgements regarding currency of learning (2.2).
  • Where a student has two or more units of equal credit size that can be compensated, compensation should be applied to the module(s) with the lower mark(s) (5.8)