Guidance notes: Principle 12 Specialisations

Principles

12.1 Specialisations are approved sequences of specified subjects which students choose to complete their postgraduate award qualification. They may include compulsory subjects and restricted electives.
12.2 A specialisation is a sequence of subjects in a discipline or on an interdisciplinary theme that totals 32 points in volume.
	12.2.1 Specialisations are accredited by Academic Senate.
	12.2.2 Specialisations will be components of the essential set.
	12.2.3 Specialisations must contribute to the acquisition of the course learning outcomes.
	12.2.4 Specialisations are added to the award title on a student’s testamur.
12.3 Masters courses may have specialisations.
12.4 Graduate Diplomas can recognise a specialisation but must be consistent with 12.2.2 and 12.2.3.
12.5 Graduate Certificates and non-degree courses cannot have specialisations recognised.
12.6 A specialisation can be available to more than one course, in which case its structure must be identical in each course. If the specialisation is not identical, it will require a different name in subsequent courses.

12.1 Specialisations were previously used in undergraduate course structures. This principle aligns specialisations with postgraduate courses only.
This decision and the related decision to revert to majors and minors in undergraduate degrees, were informed by an investigation of the use of the terms in the HE sector. This evidenced a lack of definitional clarity across the sector. Discussion of options was informed by changes in the ways majors, minors and specialisations could be identified on the testamur and more specifically, the removal of restrictions.
Using the terms major, minor and specialisation in a purposeful way and in ways that are aligned to different types of courses allows us to provide clarity to students.

A key aspect of this principle is the fact that Specialisations apply to postgraduate courses only. This is a change to previous policy and practice.
This change to the use of specialisations is reflected in a revised Nomenclature policy.
The benefits of the use of majors, minors and specialisations are noted in Principle 11.