Assessments

What do the abbreviations for assessments in the unit catalogue mean?

You can find details of assessment abbreviations in the table on our page about unit assessment information.

Credits

How many credits make up a year?

The number of credits making up a year of study will vary according to the course you are studying. See our glossary for further information.

Courses

I am due to start a postgraduate course next year. Why can't I find my course of study on the web catalogue?

Postgraduate course and unit catalogues are produced to a different timetable to the undergraduate catalogues. We expect to produce the Postgraduate catalogues in August. Please note that not all courses will be represented in the Postgraduate course catalogues. We only usually include structures for full-time postgraduate taught courses although some others may be included. If you cannot find details of your course in the catalogue please contact your department for further information.

Why is only part of my course included in the course catalogue?

Not all years of a course may be running in a given academic year. If only certain years of your course are included in the catalogue then your course is probably either a new course which is being phased in or a course which is being phased out one year at a time.

Units

Can I change my unit at any time?

No. You must choose your optional units when asked to do so.

• New undergraduate and full-time taught postgraduate students will be able to select units at the beginning of the academic year.

• Continuing undergraduates will be asked to select their units for the following academic year on-line during April or May (prior to the start of the Semester 2 exams). Once on-line unit selection has closed, you may only change your optional units in exceptional circumstances, and this is subject to approval from your director your studies. If you meet the criteria for changing your options, you must request this change using your department's normal procedure by the Wednesday of the first week of the relevant semester. Any changes to optional units must be made on the basis of the published timetable and may be subject to constraints such as maximum group sizes and pre-requisite rules.

How do I register for a Skills Centre Unit?

Please see the Skills Centre website for information on how to enrol on their courses.

It says in my department handbook (given to me when I started my course two years ago) that I can take unit XXX this year. Why isn't this unit in the catalogue for my course?

Courses and units within courses are subject to change and so the catalogues only apply to the specific year for which they were created. This means that if you are in the second year of your course in 2024/25 you cannot assume that the third year of the course in 2024/25 will remain the same for 2025/6. You should not assume that the course description given to you at the start of your course will be accurate for the duration of the course.

What is a "Must Pass Unit" (MPU)?

A Must Pass Unit (MPU) is a unit which you must pass in order to qualify to proceed with a course or to receive its normal award at the end; marginal failure in such units cannot be condoned.

What is a "Director of Studies Approved Unit"?

You can find information about Director of Studies approved units on our dedicated web page. Not all courses have Director of Studies Approved Units.

Useful contacts and links

For queries relating to the structure of your course and/or the units available to you

Please contact your Director of Studies in the first instance. Although Academic Registry is responsible for the maintenance of the course and unit catalogues on the web, this information is provided to us by your Department.

To report a problem or mistake in the web catalogue

Use the Help/Info button on the SAMIS log in page.

Go back to a web page

• Go back to the course and unit catalogues home page