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Components of a unit

This guide explains what a student will see when they are choosing their units via SAMIS for the Web.

Each unit within your course or programme will have the following elements:

1. A code and title

This code is unique to an individual unit. See the unit coding table for further information on the structure of unit codes.

2. A credit value

The majority of units are worth either 3, 6 or 12 credits with the possibility that project work, placement periods and dissertation units may have different values. These credits give an approximate workload for each unit.

From 2023/24, undergraduate units in Year 1 will be worth 5, 10 or 15 credits.

3. A level

This indicates the level at which the unit will be studied. See the unit coding table for further information on levels. Students must complete a certain number of credits at specified levels in order to achieve their qualification aim. The programme structures page gives more information on this.

4. A period slot

This indicates when during the academic year the unit will run. For undergraduate units this will be either:

  • Semester 1
  • Semester 2
  • Academic Year (i.e. a year-long unit)

For postgraduate units the period slot may be any of the above or:

  • Dissertation Period (typically running from the end of teaching in semester 2 to the end of September
  • Modular (no specific semester)
  • Month (e.g. M01), where M01 = August and M12 = July.

Note that some units may run more than once within a single academic session. If this is the case then each period in which the unit runs will be listed.

5. An assessment pattern

This shows how the unit will be assessed (e.g. whether you will have to produce coursework or take an exam in order to pass the unit). See the unit assessment table for a description of the different codes used.

6. Supplementary assessment information

This describes the type of supplementary assessment you will be required to undertake either for retrieval of failure or in the case of deferred assessment. Supplementary assessment will only be available to individual students where it is allowed by the regulations of the course on which they are studying.

6. Requisites

These are rules which may restrict which students the unit is available to (e.g. you may have to take one or more other units in order to enrol on this unit). See the Rules Table for an explanation of the different types of requisites used. NB. Not all units will have requisites.

7. A description

This includes sections for the Learning Outcomes, Aims, Skills and Content of the unit and gives an indication of what will be taught, the skills that will be gained and what the outcomes of taking the unit should be.

8. Programme availability

This indicates which programme/years the unit is available to.

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Support

If you have further questions about your units, please refer to our page Course and unit catalogues - information for students or contact Academic Registry.


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