SFE Assessing Eligibility Guidance 2013/14 - Practitioners - Student ...

2013/14 HE Student Finance
Assessing Eligibility Guidance
182. For the purposes of student support a first degree includes honours
degrees and ordinary degrees (e.g. BA, BSc, LLB etc), first degrees
in Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Science (e.g. MBChB or BM
BS, BDS, BVetMed and BVSc), integrated Masters degrees (e.g.
Meng, Mchem, Mphys, Mpharm) and Foundation Degrees.
183. A first degree course that began on or after 1 September 2009 is not
a designated course where it leads to the award of a professional
qualification and where a first degree (or equivalent qualification)
would normally be required for entry to a course leading to the award
of that professional qualification.
First Degree Courses – Integrated Masters Degree
184. Integrated Masters are generally four year programmes of study in
science, engineering and mathematics disciplines. They comprise
an integrated programme of study including typically three years
study at undergraduate level and one year postgraduate leading to a
single integrated undergraduate qualification. Students enrol at the
outset for the full course. For the purposes of student support ELQ
policy, they are treated as equivalent to an honours degree.
First Degree Courses – Cambridge Tripos
185. Courses at Cambridge University are divided into parts, each lasting
one or two years. In some subjects there are two parts – Part I and
Part II, while in others, especially in science and engineering there is
an optional Part III. Students enrol at the outset for the full course. If
they have successfully passed each part, they continue onto Part III.
This three part degree is known as a Cambridge Tripos. On
successful completion of all three parts students may be awarded an
undergraduate Masters award such as MEng or MSci. Cambridge
students must state that it is their intention to take Part III of the
Tripos before completion of the third year of the course.
As a whole, the four year course can attract student support.
However, Part III is also offered as a separate one-year
postgraduate course. Graduates of other universities who wish to
take Part III of the Tripos at Cambridge would not be enrolled on
the four year course but on the separate one year course which, as
a stand-alone postgraduate course, does not qualify for student
support.
First Degree Courses – Foundation Degrees
186. Foundation degrees (Fds) are vocational higher education
qualifications that feature work-based learning. Many Fds,
particularly part-time ones, combine academic study with learning in
the workplace. Fds were introduced to help address the skills gap at
the associate professional and higher technician level. Fds are
typically developed with substantial help from employers and other
stakeholders such as professional bodies. Foundation degrees
constitute 240 credits, and provide a defined progression route to
some bachelor‟s degrees.
Many foundation degree courses are automatically designated for
support, provided they meet all parts of regulation 5(1). However,
HEIs have been encouraged to be flexible in their provision of
foundation degrees, and consequently a number may be organised
so that days of learning in the workplace and days of study are
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