UK Higher Education Qualifications Dr Stephen Jackson Quality Assurance Agency

Outline Degree-awarding Powers Frameworks for Higher Education Qualifications Qualifications Descriptors Characteristics of qualification types Foundation Degree qualification benchmark Subject benchmark statements

‘A UK degree can be awarded only by an authorised degree- awarding body (usually a university) which has overall responsibility for the standard and quality of the qualification. This applies even if all or part of the course is provided by a separate college or organisation. The same requirement also applies to other higher education qualifications (graduate and postgraduate diplomas and certificates). Once granted, degree awarding powers (DAP) and the right to be called a university (‘university title’ or UT) cannot be easily removed….The Privy Council (a formal body of advisers to the Queen) is responsible for decisions about DAP and UT.’ Degree-awarding Powers

Framework for HE Qualifications

Each level represents a distinct level of intellectual achievement and is illustrated by a qualification descriptor for that level. These qualification descriptors are integral to an outcomes-based approach to the award of qualifications as they set out the generic outcomes, characteristics and attributes which holders of qualifications at that level possess in terms of what they know, understand and are able to do. Qualifications Descriptors

Holders of a bachelor's degree with honours will have developed an understanding of a complex body of knowledge, some of it at the current boundaries of an academic discipline. Through this, the holder will have developed analytical techniques and problem-solving skills that can be applied in many types of employment. The holder of such a qualification will be able to evaluate evidence, arguments and assumptions, to reach sound judgments and to communicate them effectively Bachelor’s Degree

Doctoral degree characteristics and Master's degree characteristics provide information about the purposes, content, assessment methods and titles of different types of UK doctoral and master's degrees. They are additional reference points to provide advice and guidance for those responsible for doctoral and master's programmes. Qualification types Doctoral Degree Characteristics Master’s Degree Characteristics Foundation Degree Qualification Benchmark

‘Foundation Degrees integrate academic and work-based learning through close collaboration between employers and programme providers. They build upon a long history of design and delivery of vocational qualifications in higher education, and are intended to equip learners with the skills and knowledge relevant to their employment, so satisfying the needs of employees and employers. Foundation Degrees are located within level 5 of The framework for higher education qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (FHEQ) …. [they do not] represent an end of first cycle higher education qualification in terms of the Bologna declaration.’ Foundation Degree Qualification Benchmark

‘Subject benchmark statements provide a means for the academic community to describe the nature and characteristics of programmes in a specific subject or subject area. They also represent general expectations about standards for the award of qualifications at a given level in terms of the attributes and capabilities that those possessing qualifications should have demonstrated.’ Subject Benchmark Statements

Registered charity numbers and qaa.ac.uk Dr Stephen Jackson Associate Director International Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, UK