Glossary of key terms used in curriculum development procedures and processes.
Alternative Qualification (AQ)
Collaborative Provision
CPD - Continuing Professional Development
Exemption
Fee Schedule
JACS Code
Management Information Unit (MIU)
MOMD
PARG
Programme Requirements
Programme Specification
Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Bodies (PSRBs)
Standard Fees
Alternative Qualification (AQ)
An alternative qualification is a programme set up to award to students who have not achieved the necessary grades/credits for award of the degree on which they have been registered. For example, awarding a PGDip to a student who had registered onto an MSc programme.
Collaborative Provision
Collaborative provision normally involves the development and delivery of a programme of study (or module) by another organisation or body, in the UK or overseas, leading to a University of Birmingham award or the award of University of Birmingham credit. Sometimes this leads to a jointly awarded degree, with a single certificate bearing the insignia of both universities. Additional information can be found on the Collaborative Provision website
CPD - Continuing Professional Development
Refers to a wide variety of provision, from one-off lectures to flexible/part time Masters programmes. CPD is also used to describe stand alone modules that do not necessarily count towards a programme.
Exemption
An exemption refers to the formal approval for a programme or module to include elements that are outside Regulations. Applications for exemptions are considered by the Academic Policy and Regulations Committee.
Fee Schedule
The list of a School�s Market-Priced Course fees, together with non-self financing programmes charging a premium fee. The fee Ladder is a table showing the fees that can be charged for Home/EU students on GT programmes. The table links the fees to ladder points. Additional information about fees can be found on the Planning website.
JACS Code
The Joint Academic Coding of Subjects, a coding structure introduced in 2002/03, agreed by UCAS and HESA which provides for all Higher Education subjects to be coded according to a common, truly hierarchical, four-character subject code. Every Higher Education programme in the UK must be assigned to a JACS code that best describes the subject content of the programme of study.
Management Information Unit (MIU)
These are the units used by Planning for allocating finance and for HESA purposes. They correspond to Colleges, Schools and Departments. Planning maintain a MIU map which shows the links between the actual School structures and the systems that model it such as Banner, the personnel and finance systems etc.
MOMD
A Module Outside the Main Discipline is a module in a subject which is not normally a part of the student's main degree programme but which may be taken for additional credit to enhance their study. Schools and Departments across the University open up modules to students from other areas in a wide range of subjects and disciplines.
PARG
The Programme Approval Review Group was restructured late 2008 and is now the Programme Approval Review Committee (PARC).
Programme Requirements
The list of modules which are associated with a given programme in a given academic year, including details of whether they are compulsory or optional. Liable to change from year to year.
Programme Specification
Details connected with a given programme such as its educational aims, reference points, programme outcomes and learning, teaching and assessment strategies. Liable to hold good for several years, and does not necessarily refer to specific modules.
Standard Fees
The minimum fee for a programme. These are set by the University for GT programmes and Overseas students, by the DfES for FT UG and PGCE programmes and by Research Councils UK for GR programmes. Additional information about fees can be found on the Planning website.
