All you need to know about credit accumulation

» What's credit accumulation?

Derby operates a credit accumulation system. Each module you take has a credit value, and as you study and pass modules, you gain credits towards your award. Some of the awards that Derby offers are:

• HNC (Higher National Certificate)
• HND (Higher National Diploma)
• BA/BSc (Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science undergraduate degree)
• as well as Postgraduate awards
• PG Cert (Post-graduate Certificate)
• PG Dip (Post-graduate Diploma)
• MA/MSc (Master of Arts or Master of Science)

» How many credits do you need for an award?

For each of these awards, there are rules about the minimum number of credits required at each level to qualify, the 3Rs (Section J Assessment Regulations for Undergraduate Programmes, and Section K Assessment Regulations for Postgraduate Programmes) will tell you exactly what these are. 

To get an HNC you will need 150 credits.

To get an HND you will need 240 credits, which are usually done at a rate of 120 credits for each stage of study.

To get a degree with Honours, an undergraduate student needs to gain 360 credits. This is 120 credits for each year of study on a 3 year degree course.

60 credits are needed at each level of a postgraduate course, so if you accumulate 180 credits, you will achieve the full Master of Art or Master of Science qualification.

» What happens if I don't get the full number of credits?

If you are studying on a degree course, there are what we call "interim awards" which you can claim if you decide not to continue to achieve the full award.

If you accumulate 120 credits you could claim a Certificate of Higher Education.

If you accumulate 240 credits you could claim a Diploma of Higher Education.

If you do not accumulate the full 360 credits for a degree but have achieved more than 300 credits, you may be able to claim a BA or BSc without Honours. You might need some specialist advice if you think that you are eligible for a degree without Honours and don't want to continue accumulating credits for the full Honours degree.

You can contact PAS for more information.

» How long should it take me to accumulate enough credits for my award?

Undergraduate Students

A full-time undergraduate student should accumulate 120 credits for each academic year of study. This means that you should accumulate the full 360 credits in 3 academic years. Sometimes circumstances mean that you have to continue into a fourth academic year, for example if you fail some modules along the way and need to catch up on your credits. This is the usual course length plus 2 years, but in exceptional circumstances this can be a maximum of 8 years.

A full-time undergraduate student on a Sandwich course would normally take 4 academic years, as one of your years of study is taken up by a placement. Your placement year doesn't carry a credit value but you need to pass it.

If you are a part-time undergraduate student, you can accumulate credit at a pace suitable for you - as long as you aren't taking on modules worth more than 90 credits (more than 90 credits in an academic year would mean that you have to be classed as a full-time student). There is a time limit on the length of registration for a part-time student of eight years.

Postgraduate Students

A full-time postgraduate student needs 180 credits to achieve a full MA or MSc. The full-time postgraduate courses at Derby are usually 12-18 months long. Sometimes circumstance mean that you have to continue a little longer e.g. if you fail some modules along the way and need to catch up on your credits. There is a time limit on the length of registration for full time students of six years.

If you are a part time postgraduate student you can accumulate credit at a pace suitable for you. There is a time limit on the length of registration for part-time students of eight years.

» How will I know if I am accumulating enough credits?

We hold Progress Boards each year in June, where teaching teams from each course check student marks, offer referrals or deferrals, and make recommendations about individual student progress. After these Progress Boards have met you will be sent a Statement of Achievement and a covering letter which tells you how you are doing, and what the Progress Board recommendation is. If the Progress Board thinks that you are in need of some very specific guidance, this will be included in the covering letter.

» What's a Statement of Achievement?

At the end of each academic year a Statement of Achievement will be sent to your home address. The covering letter with it will explain what you need to do to enrol for the next academic year, and may give you some detailed information on what you need to do if you are missing credits from previous stages or have been offered referrals or deferrals.

If you've completed your course, your Statement of Achievement will tell you what you've achieved, whether that's a pass in your HNC/HND or your post-graduate course or, if you're an undergraduate degree student, it will tell you your degree classification and degree title.

Though you'll be able to see your results online through UDo, your Statement of Achievement is an important document - it's worth saving for future reference.

» How is my undergraduate degree classification worked out?

There is a complex calculation which takes place to work out your degree classification which is based on the numeric 'scores' which are associated with the grades you get for each of your modules. Please note: the University cannot release grades in numerical form.

We can't predict your exact degree classification, but we could help you work out roughly which degree classification band you'll fall into. All results are subject to ratification after our University assessment boards have taken place, and you'll receive your actual degree results and classification during the summer after you've achieved the full number of credits for your course.

You can contact the Programme Advisory Service if you would like further details.

» I studied at a different University for a while. Can my credits from there count towards my award at Derby?

In some cases, yes, credits from another University can count towards your course here at Derby. We have a system called APL (Accredited Prior Learning) and this means that a member of the teaching staff (usually the Programme Leader) for your course can check that what you've already achieved matches our expectations and learning outcomes on modules. There are 2 types of APL:

• Certificated: (called APCL) this means that you have certificates to show what you have already achieved elsewhere, and;
• Experiential: (called APEL) this means that you have some experience, usually from previous work, which can be matched against our expectations and learning outcomes on modules. There is a charge associated with APEL applications.

You would need to discuss APL applications with your Programme Leader. You can get the forms from:
http://www.derby.ac.uk/qed/APL_Regs/APL_Form.doc

Sometimes your APL might mean that you can start a course at Derby on a later stage - perhaps going straight onto the second year and not needing to do your first year. Again, this is something that the Programme Leader can advise you on.

There is a limit on the amount of APL you can bring to Derby though - at least 50% of your final year must be made up from modules studied here.

» What's the difference between modules?

The University of Derby has several different types of modules which make up part of a programme of study. It’s useful to know what the different types of modules are:

Definitions of Module Types

Core modules:

• Used for Specialist programmes; not applicable to Joint Honours
• Designed to serve a fundamental role in the delivery of the programme
• Achievement of all credits attached to core modules on a programme is essential to achieve the award

Prescribed Modules

• Used within Specialist and Joint Honours programmes
• Develops a significant area of the curriculum
• Students are required to take all prescribed modules but failure to achieve the credits does not, in itself, prevent students from qualifying for an award

Optional Modules

• Designed to be offered to students as an element of choice
• Optional modules may complement core modules or prescribed modules

Pre-requisite modules

• Provides specific preparation for another named module
• All students are expected to take pre-requisite modules in the designated order

Mandatory pre-requisite module

• Develops an understanding, skill or competence that is indispensable to the study of another named module
• Students must have achieved the learning outcomes of a mandatory pre-requisite module before being allowed to continue to the module that depends on it for preparation

Co-requisite Modules

• Must be taken together, normally in the same stage of the programme
• The reasons for designating modules co-requisite may be either academic or logistical

This information can also be found in the 3Rs (Rights, Regulations and Responsiblities) for students