In the first instance, a Low Risk Proposal Form must be completed, in consultation with the risk framework, and submitted to Faculty Executive for approval. For more details, see the Low Risk Activity page.
Once Faculty approval for the partnership has been confirmed, the proposal can move to stage 2, which involves academic approval of the agreement, by Taught Programmes Board. An Articulation Agreement Proposal Form must be completed, and submitted to ARCS together with evidence of mapping the partner's programme to the corresponding QMUL programme(s) in a separate annex.
In the case of articulation agreements, it is important to undertake rigorous academic scrutiny of the partner's programme because students would be using advanced standing to count towards their QMUL award. The curriculum mapping exercise should include the following:
1. Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Bodies (PSRBs): Where applicable, specify the professional/accrediting body for the programme and the nature of the accreditation. Consider whether there are any accreditation implications for students arriving on the programme through a progression/articulation route.
2. Partnership Liaison and Transition: The arrangements for liaising with the team at the partner institution regarding student numbers, admissions, and any additional support (induction, pastoral) that may be required for transition to the QM programme need to be described in this section.
4. Point of Entry to QMUL: Indication of the point of entry on the QMUL programme that students will articulate onto. For a three year programme this is usually the second year, as QMUL does not currently enter into articulation agreements where students articulate onto the final year of the degree programme. Entry onto the first year of the programme would constitute a progression arrangement, and should be specified in section 2 above. Admission to an intermediate stage of a QMUL degree programme is on the basis of the recognition of completion of study at the partner institution to an agreed standard, which counts as advanced credit on the student’s academic record. For further information on advanced standing the latest version of the Academic Regulations should be consulted.
5. Articulation and Admission Criteria: For each award, specification of the level of achievement that must be reached at the partner institution, e.g. students must complete years 1 and 2, or the numbers of credits and level. Details of any progression requirements and average marks that students must achieve to articulate to the point of entry at QMUL. Consideration should be given to whether students would need to fulfil any QMUL programme pre-requisites and whether they would have to attend a selection interview. Articulation arrangements must be compliant with the QMUL Academic Credit Framework.
6. Curriculum and Learning Outcomes: This should explain how the partner's curriculum and intended learning outcomes are comparable with the level of the relevant modules at QMUL. Useful materials to scrutinise in this process include information that would be contained in programme and module specifications such as syllabi, learning outcomes, information on learning and teaching strategies, contact hours etc.
7. Quality Assurance Arrangements (including assessment): There should be a process to scrutinise the assessment regime in place for the partner’s identified programme for comparability. This may include the arrangements for setting and marking assessment, the assessment type profile (coursework and formal examination split) and regulations for resits. Useful materials to scrutinise in this process include samples of past examination papers, samples of coursework, and information on the module marking scheme.
Signatures: The proposal should normally be signed by the Head(s) of School(s)/Institute(s) which will be taken as confirmation of the funding for the required resources.
In order for QMUL to discharge its responsibilities appropriately with respect to the Annual Programme Review (APR), medium and large-scale collaborative programmes undergo programme-based annual monitoring.