3. Programme design and types

3.6. Faculties and schools must specify the constituent units for all existing and any new programmes in the programme specification, as well as the programme aims, intended learning outcomes, any opportunities for conditional progression and the status of those units within its structure, including whether they are ‘must-pass’. The programme specification is also the definitive record for any programme-level rules on the award of credit, student progression and qualifying for the intended or exit awards.

3.7. Faculties and schools whose programmes or units are either validated by professional bodies or which are required to adhere to curricular content specified by professional bodies will establish with those organisations what constitutes an acceptable curricular structure.

3.8. The University does not encourage students to take more than the required units for any programme, however, a student may request to take a unit in addition to their programme structure (i.e. the unit is not listed in the programme structure and student is not permitted to take it as an alternative optional unit). This requires the agreement of both the Programme Director of the student’s programme and the Unit Director. If agreed, the student will engage with the unit as normal and be awarded credit if they meet the relevant criteria, however, neither the credit nor the marks contribute to their progression or final award. The student pays a pro-rata fee for the additional unit.

3.9. Where distance learning is required or offered for part of, or whole of, a programme, faculties and schools must consider and fulfil the principles for the design and delivery of programmes by distance learning.

Programme start and end dates

3.10. Normally an undergraduate or taught postgraduate programme will commence on the Monday of Welcome Week.

3.11. Normally an undergraduate programme will finish on the final day of term time whilst a taught postgraduate programme will finish on the dissertation deadline date, as both set out in the University Almanac.

3.12. A programme may be permitted to have alternative start/end dates where it contains practice-based elements that are constrained by when they can be arranged in the calendar and/or it is specifically designed to be studied flexibly by working professionals. An alternative start/end date for a programme requires approval by the relevant Faculty and the University Education Committee.

Levels of study - programmes

3.13. The University of Bristol, in accordance with the national Qualifications Framework, awards the following taught academic qualifications:

Masters Degree – at level 7
Integrated Masters Degree – at level 7
First Degrees in medicine, dentistry and veterinary science – at level 7
Postgraduate Diploma – at level 7
Postgraduate Certificate – at level 7
Postgraduate Certificate in Education – at level 6
Graduate Diploma – at level 6
Graduate Certificate – at level 6
Bachelors Degree (with and without Honours) – at level 6
Diploma of Higher Education – at level 5
Certificate of Higher Education – at level 4

View a list of the academic awards made by the University: Annex 9: Academic awards made by the University 2025/26 (PDF, 205kB).

Undergraduate programmes

3.14. Undergraduate programmes may be a single unitary degree or a joint degree devoting approximately equal time to two subjects or a major/minor combination where the minor subject accounts for at least a quarter of the programme.

3.15. Where a programme crosses faculty or school boundaries, one of the contributing schools or faculties must own the programme and apply the relevant regulations as set out in this document. For programmes that span faculties the programme committee must decide the ‘owning’ school or faculty, guided by the balance of the programme and the home school / faculty of the academic lead.

3.16. The degrees of BA, BSc, BEng, LLB, may be awarded with honours or as ordinary degrees. Names of successful candidates for honours shall be arranged as follows: first class honours; second class honours in two divisions and third-class honours. The names of successful candidates for the ordinary degrees shall be listed separately.

3.17. The normal requirement for each full-time year of undergraduate study is 120 credit points.

3.18. A student on a degree programme must take and satisfactorily complete University of Bristol units which comprise the final 120 credit points of the programme, except where there is a specific agreement with another institution that has been approved.

Integrated masters degrees

An integrated masters degree is an undergraduate programme that merges the study of a bachelor's degree with a master's degree into one continuous degree.

3.19. Integrated Masters degrees must state in their programme specifications whether they are of the advanced study type (type II as defined by the QAA), professional type (type III) and/or has a formal period of study abroad / in industry.

3.20. Integrated Masters degrees without a period of study abroad or in industry will have an exit award of a Bachelors Honours degree at the end of the third year of study, in accordance with the University’s credit framework. Where the exit award for the integrated masters has the same title as a free-standing degree also awarded by the University, students leaving with the exit award must have completed the same or directly equivalent programme learning outcomes as graduates from the free-standing programme.

3.21. Where exit awards are not professionally accredited, this must be set out in the programme specification and reiterated to students prior to the start of the second year of study.

3.22. The degrees of MSci, MArts, MLibArts and MEng may be awarded with honours, as follows: first class honours and second-class honours in two divisions.

3.23. The University also provides a number of programmes that prepare students for study at degree level:

Gateway Year – a year of study at level 4 that is integrated with and prepares students for studying on an identified non-modular professional degree programme. Such years of study are subject to specific programme regulations.

Preliminary Year – a year of study at level 4 or equivalent to level 3 in the national Qualifications and Credit Framework that is integrated with and prepares students for studying on an identified modular degree programme. Such years of study are subject to specific programme regulations.

Foundation Year – a year of study in a stand-alone programme at level 4 or equivalent to level 3 in the national Qualifications and Credit Framework that prepares students for admission to higher education generally. Such years of study are subject to this Code, with any deviations being captured in specific programme regulations.

Taught postgraduate

3.24. Postgraduate Masters degree programmes are structured to include a dissertation (or equivalent project) unit of 60 credit points, unless otherwise stated in specific programme regulations due to accreditation purposes, as approved by the Faculty. Postgraduate Masters awards with an enhanced research component normally require dissertation/s worth 90 to 120 credit points.

Master of Research (MRes)

3.25. The MRes is a classified taught postgraduate degree.  Its main aim is to provide a structured research training programme which can act as a foundation for doctoral study or for a research career outside academia.  It may also be used to provide an exit award from a doctoral programme which includes a taught component.

3.26. An MRes will comprise 180 credit points, and include a research component of between 60 and 120 credit points at level 7.

3.27. All MRes programmes will provide an exit award of a Postgraduate Certificate (with the attainment of 60 credit points).  If the structure of the taught component permits, MRes programmes will also provide an exit award of a Postgraduate Diploma (with the attainment of 120 credit points).