Degree Approval, Quality Monitoring and Enhancement

Introduction

All University of Southampton degree programmes are required to meet the conditions for registration as set by the Office for Students (OfS), and as defined in section B of the Conditions of registration - Office for Students.

Senate is the ultimate academic authority within the University, but cannot be directly involved in decision making on all matters for which it is formally responsible: the range of business undertaken inevitably means that delegation of powers and responsibility to individuals and to committees is necessary.

The Academic Quality and Standards Subcommittee (AQSS) is a subcommittee of the Education and Student Experience Committee (ESEC) and has delegated responsibility to oversee the quality monitoring and enhancement (QME) framework and its implementation, and the University regulations. 

Consideration of quality for all PGR programmes is routed through the Postgraduate Research Quality Monitoring and Enhancement Subcommittee (PGR QME Subcommittee) which is charged with making recommendations for defining, managing and monitoring programme quality assurance processes for PGR degrees to the Doctoral College Committee (DCC) and to AQSS.

Programme Approval and Review

Programme approval is the process by which new PGR degree programmes are checked against academic quality and standards expectations.

Programme review is the quinquennial process of reflecting on existing PGR degree programme delivery and student experience and planning for the next cycle of programme enhancement.

The Programme Approval and Review: Postgraduate Research Degree Programmes sets out detailed guidance to support this process.

Annual Monitoring

This process forms part of the University’s evidence in assuring itself and outside agencies of the quality of its PGR degree provision and provides opportunity to reflect on current provision and to consider enhancements. Templates to support the annual monitoring process are available from QSAT. The Annual Monitoring Portal sets out further information regarding the process.

The School Report is produced by the Doctoral Programme Director to:
(1) reflect on research degree provision;
(2) share good practice and identify issues of concern; and
(3) comment on plans for enhancement in the coming year.
The Report should provide a detailed reflection and evaluation of the School's PGR degree programme(s), and to aid its completion, a data snapshot for the reporting period is provided by the Doctoral College and by the Centre for Higher Education Practice. 

The Faculty Commentary is produced by the Faculty Director of the Graduate School and should reflect, at the level of the Faculty, on:
(1) recruitment, admission and student numbers;
(2) progression monitoring and review, examination and completion;
(3) the student experience; and
(4) training and professional development for students and staff.
A commentary on any Faculty-specific activities that have been delivered in support of the student experience should also be included.

The Faculty Action Plan is completed by the Faculty's PGR annual monitoring group.
(1) Section 1 should list the concerns and good practice reported on the Faculty Action Plan for the previous reporting period, identifying progress made and/or the outcome achieved.
(2) Section 2 refers to the current reporting period and is informed by the School Reports and the Faculty Commentary. It should identify actions associated with issues of concern and good practice, assigning agreed deadlines for completion.

Scrutiny and continuous review
The Faculty's PGR annual monitoring group is asked to: (a) confirm that there has been a sufficiently detailed evaluation of all PGR programmes for the reporting period; (b) confirm that, for the reporting period, the quality and standards of the Faculty's research degree provision can be assured; and (c) confirm that improvement and enhancement across the Faculty is driven through the Faculty Action Plan. All School Reports, the Faculty Commentary, and the Faculty Action Plan should be approved by the Faculty Graduate School Subcommittee (FGSSC), and submitted for review to PGR QME Subcommittee's annual monitoring scrutiny group.  This group will produce an Institutional Overview Report for consideration by PGR QME Subcommittee, DCC, and AQSS. FGSSC is expected to keep the Faculty Action Plan under review, providing regular progress reports to DCC which retains oversight of the process. 

Periodic Review

Periodic review evaluates the operation and performance of each Faculty’s entire PGR degree provision, and is conducted every five years in accordance with a schedule determined by PGR QME Subcommittee. A Faculty’s research degree provision may be subject to more frequent review if significant concerns have been identified and/or where there has been significant change to the structure and delivery of its provision. The PGR Periodic Review – Policy sets out detailed guidance to support this process and associated templates are available from QSAT.