Regulations for Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry
| 1 | PREAMBLE | ||
| 1.1 | Introduction | ||
| The Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry (the College), its committees and the Regulations for its awards, have been established jointly following a Memorandum of Agreement by the Universities of Exeter and Plymouth (the Universities). The degrees, diplomas and certificates of the College will be awarded jointly by the University of Exeter and the University of Plymouth on the recommendation of the School's Award Boards, with the exception of the BClinSci, which will be awarded by the University of Exeter only. | |||
| 1.2 | Precedence of Regulations | ||
| These Regulations and associated codes of practice carry precedence over those of the Universities except where indicated. | |||
| 1.3 | Awards | ||
| The following qualifications may be awarded: | |||
| Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (BM,BS) Bachelor of Medical Science (exit qualification) (BMedSci) Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) Bachelor of Oral Health Studies (exit qualification) Bachelor of Clinical Science (BClinSci) (from September 2009) |
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| 1.4 | Use of Degrees and Other Awards | ||
| No candidate shall be entitled to the use of a degree or other award or to any of the privileges of a graduate until s/he has been awarded the degree or other qualification. No student may receive an award for which they have qualified whilst owing monies to the College or to either of the Universities. | |||
| 2 | GOVERNANCE: JOINT APPROVAL AND REVIEW BOARD |
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| 2.1 | The Universities of Exeter and Plymouth have established a Joint Approval and Review Board to act on their behalf in the oversight of the academic programmes of the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry. | ||
| 2.2 | The membership of the Board shall comprise: | ||
| Three members nominated by the Senate of the University of Exeter Three members nominated by the Academic Board of the University of Plymouth Vice Dean, Education, Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry Director of Postgraduate Education, Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry Dean, Peninsula Dental School |
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| No more than two members co-opted annually by the Board | |||
| The Chair of the Board, drawn alternately from the two Universities, and from the nominated members, shall be appointed by the Board to serve for a maximum of three years. | |||
| 2.3 | The powers of the Board acting on behalf of the two Universities shall be as follows: | ||
| (a) to recommend to the Senate of the University of Exeter and the Academic Board of the University of Plymouth (or to committees acting on their behalf) approval of amendments to Regulations and other matters as may be determined from time to time; | |||
| (b) to approve new programmes of study and as necessary subsequent amendments; | |||
| (c) to receive regular reports on the outcome of internal and external academic reviews; | |||
| (d) to receive an annual report by the College on programme monitoring, including information on student feedback and assessment performance reports; | |||
| (e) to approve the appointment of External Examiners; | |||
| (f) to approve the appointment of internal examiners for degrees by Research; | |||
| (g) to approve the management structures for progression and awards within the College including award boards for taught programmes of study; | |||
| (h) to monitor the delegation by the Universities of the approval of awards to the College Award Boards; | |||
| (i) to audit the academic standards of the College, including the periodic review of teaching quality and learning outcomes against national and professional benchmarks; | |||
| (j) to instruct the Deans of the Schools to instigate action as may be deemed necessary by the Board to maintain and/or enhance the academic quality of the School's programmes of study. | |||
| 2.4 | No new programme of study within the College shall be introduced without the approval of the Board. Documentation in support of a new programme proposal or the subsequent amendment of a programme must be presented to the Board in the manner prescribed in the approved code of practice. Such documentation must include a programme specification comprising inter alia details of aims, phases, modules, learning outcomes and modes of assessment. | ||
| 3 | UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMMES | ||
| 3.1 | Preamble | ||
| All aspects of admission to a programme of study shall be carried out in compliance with the College Diversity Policy. Students commencing a programme of study must comply with these Regulations and the detailed entry requirements for each programme, approved by the Joint Approval and Review Board (JARB) and stated in the programme documentation. | |||
| 3.2 | Admission and Registration | ||
| 3.2.1 | Admission Processes | ||
| The College shall consider each application on its individual merits and the process described in these Regulations and the codes of practice may be varied to ensure a fair consideration of individual applicants. Normally application must be made through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). | |||
| 3.2.2 | Age at Entry | ||
| The minimum age for admission to an undergraduate programme shall normally be 18 years at the predicted time for commencement of study. In exceptional circumstances, this minimum age limit may be set aside with the consent of the JARB. Whilst there is no upper age limit for applicants, the length of study and thus the potential time of active clinical practice will be considered for candidates applying to the BMBS and BDS degrees. | |||
| 3.2.3 | Fitness to Practise and Health Related Problems on Application | ||
| Applicants for clinical programmes or programmes where contact with children, vulnerable adults or patients is a part of a programme of study will also be required to comply with the College requirements for fitness to practise screening. This will necessitate the completion of a health assessment process. Doctors, as directed by the General Medical Council (GMC), and Dentists, as directed by the General Dental Council (GDC), must be deemed fit to practise. Whilst the College will endeavour to support successful applicants with an actual or potential health problem in their chosen career, some conditions may be incompatible with undertaking a clinical training programme. The College will not admit to the BMBS degree programme any individual who, at the time of entry, would not be deemed fit to practise under GMC rules or who cannot fulfil the health requirements. The College will not admit to the BDS degree programme any individual who, at the time of entry, would not be deemed fit to practice under GDC rules or who cannot fulfil the health requirements. | |||
| 3.2.4 | Disclosure of Health Related Problems and Immunization | ||
| Applicants for entry to programmes of study may be asked to declare any relevant health related problems which might affect their ability to fulfil the requirements of a programme and be required to comply with the immunization policy as set out in the codes of practice. Non-disclosure of a significant mental or physical health problem that is later discovered may lead to a student being required to withdraw. | |||
| 3.2.5 | Criminal Convictions on Application | ||
| In keeping with General Regulation 4.2.9 below, the College reserves the right to refuse admission to or exclude from its undergraduate programmes anyone with a criminal conviction. | |||
| 3.2.6 | Recognition of Prior Learning and Exemptions from Study | ||
| The nature of the BMBS and BDS degree programmes is such that no recognition of prior learning of exemptions from study is normally permissible, other than transfer at an appropriate level of study from another UK medical or dental school. Any application for such transfers will be judged in accordance with the policies of the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry. | |||
| 3.2.7 | Language Requirements | ||
| Applicants whose native language is not English will be required to provide evidence of competence in English language. | |||
| 3.2.8 | Appeals Procedures | ||
| The College shall maintain policies and procedures for appeals regarding the selection and admissions process. These policies and procedures shall be described in a code of practice. | |||
| 3.3 | Programme Awards | ||
| 3.3.1 | Requirements | ||
| The requirements for the award of each qualification shall be as follows: | |||
| Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (BM,BS) |
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600 Credits | |
| Bachelor Medical Science (BMedSci) Subject to the requirements set out in the Code of Practice. |
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360 Credits | |
| Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) |
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480 Credits | |
| Bachelor of Oral Health Studies subject to the requirements set out in the Code of Practice) |
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360 Credits |
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| Bachelor of Clinical Science (from September 2009) | 480 Credits | ||
| 3.3.2 | Recognised Qualifications | ||
| The Degrees of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery together shall constitute a recognised medical qualification with the General Medical Council of the United Kingdom. | |||
| The degree of Bachelor of Dental Surgery shall constitute a recognised dental qualification with the General Dental Council of the United Kingdom. | |||
| 3.4 | Award and Assessment Governance | ||
| 3.4.1 | The College Board will establish a series of Boards and Panels to determine progression and approve awards within the College acting on behalf of JARB which shall act on behalf of the Universities under delegated authority. | ||
| 3.4.2 | The College, on behalf of JARB, in the exercise of its powers to recommend final undergraduate awards, shall establish Award Boards. The constitution of the Progress and Award Boards is set out in a Code of Practice. The Progress and Award Board shall be responsible for the determination of undergraduate exit qualifications and the award of credit. The Progress and Award Board shall act at all times according to the assessment policies and procedures approved by the JARB and published in the College codes of practice. | ||
| 3.4.3 | Each module in a programme shall be assigned to an Assessment Panel. Assessment Panels shall determine the forms of assessment to be used, both formative and summative, in line with the processes and procedures approved by the JARB and published in codes of practice. Assessment Panels will also commission external advisors where appropriate. In addition, Assessment Panels shall co-ordinate standard setting and validation and assess acceptability of the module through, inter alia, student feedback, assessor feedback and test performance analysis. | ||
| 4 | GENERAL REGULATIONS | ||
| 4.1 | Conduct of Assessments | ||
| 4.1.1 | Every examination or assessment for a degree or other award provided by the College shall be conducted by a duly constituted Board of Examiners or Assessment Panel and shall include minimally, at least one member of the academic staff of the School. | ||
| 4.1.2 | External examiners shall be appointed by JARB. Appointment shall normally be for no more than five years. External examiners shall be required to make a report to the Dean of the School on the examination or assessments or assessment procedures they have reviewed. | ||
| 4.1.3 | All assessments and examinations shall be reviewed and monitored by the College Board and where appropriate, the requirements of external bodies such as the General Medical Council, General Dental Council and the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education shall be taken into account. | ||
| 4.1.4 | The College Board shall establish, from time to time, such rules for the conduct of assessments and examinations as it deems necessary and the College Secretary shall be responsible for ensuring compliance. Where a student fails to comply with these Regulations or a code of practice this may be treated as a disciplinary matter. | ||
| 4.2 | Student Responsibilities | ||
| 4.2.1 | Registration and Payment of Fees2 | ||
| Students are required to register in a full-time capacity at the time of their admission to a programme of study and annually thereafter. Only students who have registered and paid any tuition fee required are entitled to tuition and access to and use of College and other academic and NHS facilities. A student who fails to pay tuition fees may be required to withdraw. | |||
| Where continuing students have a debt to the School or one of the Universities they must clear the debt or reach an agreement for payment with the College Secretary before they will be allowed to re-register and continue their studies.3 | |||
| 4.2.2 | Permitted Period of Study | ||
| The minimum duration of the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery degree is five years. Under normal circumstances, a student must satisfactorily complete all assessments and examinations within seven years to qualify for the award of Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery. | |||
| The minimum duration of the Bachelor of Dental Surgery degree is 4 years. Under normal circumstances a student must satisfactorily complete all assessments and examination within six years to qualify for the award of Bachelor of Dental Surgery. | |||
| The minimum duration of the Bachelor of Clinical Science degree is four years. Under normal circumstances, a student must satisfactorily complete all assessments and examinations within six years to qualify for the award of Bachelor of Clinical Science. | |||
| Retrospective registration may be permitted but only in exceptional circumstances and with the approval of the College Board. | |||
| 4.2.3 | Attendance, Absences and Extenuating Circumstances | ||
| All students are expected to be in attendance as required by their programme of study and to attend all of the teaching events required by their programme. Where undergraduate students are absent because of illness, they must notify the College in compliance with the rules in force and published by the College from time to time in a code of practice. Likewise, where students believe that their performance in an assessment has been adversely affected by extenuating circumstances they must notify the College Office as set out in the code of practice. | |||
| 4.2.4 | Interruption of Studies | ||
| In exceptional circumstances, for example as a result of a serious illness or other difficult personal circumstance, a student may be permitted to interrupt their studies and temporarily withdraw from a programme. The period of interruption shall not normally exceed one academic year. Under normal circumstances, a student may be permitted to resume their programme of study from the beginning of the academic year only, subject to demonstrable clinical competencies and knowledge. Permission to temporarily interrupt studies shall require the approval of the Chair of the appropriate Progress and Award Board. | |||
| 4.2.5 | Withdrawal from a Programme of Study | ||
| A student who wishes to withdraw from their programme of study must notify the College Office in writing of their intention to do so as soon as the decision is made. Failure to notify promptly may mean a liability for tuition fees, residence fees or repayment of a student loan. A student considering withdrawal should seek advice and support from their academic tutor or equivalent, or student support service. | |||
| For undergraduates, compliance with the correct procedure on withdrawal, including notification to a Local Education Authority, is very important if an individual is not to jeopardise their chances of further LEA or Student Loan Company support. | |||
| 4.2.6 | Identity Cards | ||
| Students and members of staff must always be able to produce their ID card to obtain access to College teaching environments, University and NHS facilities and assessment venues. Detailed requirements shall be set out in codes of practice and conditions of use. | |||
| 4.2.7 | Safety | ||
| All students are required to comply with the safety provisions applicable within the College and to undertake such safety training as their programmes of study may require. They must follow the safety instructions issued by the Dean and other authorised persons and observe the safety rules of the Universities and NHS facilities applicable to the sites and in the premises in which they undertake their learning. The rules relating to safety shall be published by the College in a code of practice. | |||
| 4.2.8 | Conduct and Discipline | ||
| Students of the College are expected to conduct themselves in a way that permits the College and its members, to fulfil its aims without hindrance. Within the College and in the wider community, students are expected to conduct themselves in a responsible way with due consideration for others and to comply with the Law. Student conduct may be subject to assessment as detailed in programme specifications. Conduct deemed unsatisfactory may be referred to the College Fitness to Practise Committee or be treated as a disciplinary matter. Procedures relating to conduct and disciplinary action shall be published by the College in a code of practice. | |||
| 4.2.9 | Cheating including Plagiarism4 | ||
| Students must be aware that any assessment irregularity or cheating or plagiarism, intended or otherwise, occurring during or as part of an assessment, including the preparation of a thesis, may have serious consequences and could lead to a requirement to withdraw. The College shall therefore appoint a Committee of Investigation (Academic) to deal with accusations of assessment irregularities and plagiarism. This Committee shall comprise a senior member of academic or clinical staff in the Chair, and two other members of academic staff, who have not taught the student. The rules relating to academic dishonesty are published by the College in a code of practice. | |||
| 4.2.10 | Criminal Convictions | ||
| It shall be a requirement for admission to College programmes that applicants declare if they have criminal convictions. The procedures by which disclosure is to be made are set out in codes of practice. Where a student is charged with a criminal offence after entry to a programme of study or research, they shall notify the College Secretary in writing, promptly and at the latest within 2 working days of charges having been made. | |||
| 4.2.11 | Residence | ||
| Where students of the College are accommodated in property owned and/or managed by one of the Universities or one of the School's partner organisations, they shall adhere to the regulations and rules prescribed by the University or that organisation for its accommodation. Failure to comply may be treated by the College as a disciplinary offence. | |||
| 4.2.12 | Library and Information Technology Resources | ||
| Students are required to observe all rules made by the College or the Universities or one of the College's partner organisations relating to the use of IT Facilities or a Library. The College and the Universities reserve the right to withdraw IT and Library facilities from students in debt to the College or to either of the Universities. | |||
| 4.2.13 | Use of Motor Vehicles | ||
| Students must observe such rules and regulations as may be made from time to time by the College and the Universities and the College partner organisations for the use of motor vehicles by students. Failure to do so may constitute a disciplinary offence. | |||
| 4.2.14 | Codes of Practice and Other Rules | ||
| Staff and students shall observe the requirements of the College codes of practice and such other rules as may be approved from time to time by the JARB. | |||
| 4.3 | Student Rights | ||
| 4.3.1 | Complaints | ||
| The College is committed to striving for the highest quality in all of its activities. To achieve this it shall maintain a student complaint procedure to be used when informal resolution of a complaint has failed. The procedure shall be set out in the College Codes of Practice and all students informed of its existence at the time of their first registration for their programme of study. | |||
| 4.3.2 | Academic Appeals | ||
| A student may submit an appeal against a decision of a Progress and Award Board which affects his/her academic progress or right to an award. Appeals must be made in writing within five working days of the publication of results. | |||
| Appeals will only be accepted where the student can provide evidence of: | |||
| circumstances outside his/her control which materially affected his/her performance and which s/he was not able to disclose before the meeting of the relevant Assessment Board; and/or demonstrable and material procedural irregularity in the conduct of an assessment or an Assessment Board. |
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| The following5 do not constitute grounds for appeal: | |||
| dissatisfaction with the academic judgement of one or more examiners or assessors or of the Assessment Board; dissatisfaction with the formative assessment of work by staff; dissatisfaction with programme delivery, access to facilities or other relevant provision (which may form the basis of a complaint but not an appeal). |
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| The submission of an appeal will not be to the further detriment of a student's academic position. | |||
| Procedure | |||
| The procedure for appeals will be detailed in a code of practice. | |||
| Students must submit a formal appeal in writing to the College Secretary within five days of publication of results. The Dean of the School or his/her nominee will initially review all formal appeals for grounds for appeal. The Dean or his/her nominee may meet with the student at this time to clarify any points. | |||
| Academic Appeals Panel and Committee | |||
| There shall be a Joint Approval and Review Board (JARB) Academic Appeals Committee which shall consider academic appeals from students which have not been resolved within the College. | |||
| Members of the Academic Appeals Panel shall be nominated by JARB. Membership will comprise twelve members of academic staff (six drawn from the academic staff members of the University of Exeter nominated by the Senate and six from the academic staff members of the University of Plymouth Academic Board) and four students (two drawn from the Executive Officers of the Exeter Guild of Students and two from the Global Officers of the University of Plymouth Students' Union). | |||
| Each appeal will be considered by a Committee of three, comprising two academic staff members and one student. No member shall act in a case in which s/he has a personal interest or where s/he knows the student concerned either professionally or personally. The Committee membership will be nominated by the Chair of JARB. | |||
| Appeals shall be conducted in accordance with the code of practice approved by JARB. Members of the Academic Appeals Panel will receive a briefing on the code as it relates to appeals. | |||
| JARB will review the academic appeals procedures and outcomes from the Committee annually. | |||
| The appeals process rests solely with the Academic Appeals Committee and its decision is final. | |||
| 4.4 | Fitness to Practise and Occupational Health | ||
| 4.4.1 | This section of the Regulations relates to students on any programme leading to a professional medical or dental qualification. These Regulations and the fitness to practise procedures set out in the code of practice shall take precedence over Regulations relating to academic appeals, progression or discipline. To manage the activities associated with fitness to practise there shall be a Fitness to Practise Committee. Where the decision is to suspend or terminate a student's studies the student shall have a right to appeal the decision of a Fitness to Practise Committee to a Practice Appeals Committee. | ||
| 4.4.2 | Any concerns that a student on a programme leading to a professional qualification giving a right to practise medicine or dentistry may have acted in such a way or may suffer from a health problem, which may render the student not fit to be admitted to and practise medicine or dentistry should be disclosed to the College Secretary in writing. The College Secretary shall, as soon as possible, notify the student concerned that a complaint has been received and that s/he has commenced an enquiry into the allegation. At that time the student shall also be informed in writing of the nature of the allegations, the general nature of the evidence and the procedure which will then be followed. Details of the right to appeal shall be included in the College procedures set out in a code of practice. | ||
| 4.5 | Post Obitum Awards | ||
| 4.5.1 | In the event of a candidate's decease the JARB, on the recommendation of the Award Board, may award, and/or cause to be conferred, a degree, diploma or certificate post obitum, provided that: | ||
| (a) for first degrees in instances where the candidate has died before completion of the required examinations, the Award Board has consequently considered the candidate's academic record including coursework and performance in previous examinations in the University and is satisfied that, had the student not been prevented from taking the examination or assessment, the student would have passed. | |||
| (b) for first degrees in instances where the candidate has completed the examination, a favourable report has been received from the appropriate Progress and Award Board. | |||
| 4.6 | Aegrotat Awards | ||
| 4.6.1 | There is no provision for aegrotat awards for the BMBS or BDS. | ||
| 4.7 | Data Protection | ||
| All students shall comply with the terms of the Data Protection Act 1998 in the course of their studies. Failure to comply with the Act may constitute a disciplinary offence. | |||
2 To obtain information on the payment of fees and other charges students should refer to the Financial Procedures section of the Programme Handbook.
3 See also Regulation 1.4.
4 Plagiarism, one form of academic dishonesty, is the representation of another person's work (including another student's), without acknowledging the source, as one's own. It may include direct copying from texts, paraphrasing (rewording) other peoples' work and summarising their ideas, in all cases without acknowledging the source. It is the failure to acknowledge which constitutes plagiarism as all study involves the consultation of relevant sources of information. An individual may be guilty of plagiarism even if they did not intend to imply that the work was their own. Advice on the correct way to cite another person's work will be provided to students when they commence their studies.
5 Students should note that complaints relating to the quality of teaching or supervision or other circumstances that relate to the delivery of a programme of study before the point of assessment or the submission of a thesis or dissertation, are not subject to these procedures. They should instead be raised under the College student complaints procedure found in the codes of practice.
