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Quality Enhancement and Validation
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Programme specifications

Programme specifications have been developed at Birkbeck to meet the requirements of the QAA and HEFCE to provide public information, in a short and concise format, which may be used by all potential stakeholders including current and prospective students, employers, professional and statutory bodies, institutions and teaching teams, academic reviewers and external examiners.

Programme specifications show how a student progresses through a programme and outlines the benefits that, on completion, the student should have derived from the programme. Programme specifications have been developed for all undergraduate (Certificate HE/Diploma HE, Foundation, BA, BSc, LLB, Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma) and taught postgraduate programmes (LLM, MA, MSc, MRes, MA/MSc by Research, Postgraduate Diploma, Postgraduate Certificate).

The College's template for programme proposals takes the form of a combined programme proposal/specification form. The form therefore attempts to bring together, into a coherent whole, the planning work with regard to academic content, resource allocation, academic regulations and marketing prior to implementation of a new programme whilst also covering the requirements of a programme specification.

Programme specifications play a key role in internal and external reviews including Institutional Audit which examines "the accuracy and completeness of the information [including programme specifications] that an institution publishes about the academic standards of its awards and the quality of its educational provision, including the published teaching quality information (TQI)" (QAA, 2006).

Please note that published programme specifications should be read in conjunction with the associated specifications for the Common Awards Scheme (CAS) which commenced in 2008/09.  The CAS specifications are correct as at the time of initial approval and will be updated, as appropriate, during programme review.  Please also refer to the relevant School pages for further information regarding updated programme information. 

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Quality Enhancement and Validation (Registry Services), Birkbeck, University of London, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HX.