Programme specifications for multidisciplinary programmes: the BA Arts and Social Sciences Pass Degree, University of Strathclyde
| Pages | 211-215 |
| Published date | 01 December 2000 |
| Date | 01 December 2000 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/09684880010379016 |
| Author | Mark Ellis |
| Subject Matter | Education |
Programme
specifications for
multidisciplinary
programmes: the BA
Arts and Social Sciences
Pass Degree, University
of Strathclyde
Mark Ellis
Introduction
The idea of programme specification (PS) is
based on the assumption that programmes
can be defined prospectively in terms of
knowledge and understanding and a set of
generic learning outcomes. While many HE
programmes can be more or less defined in
terms of what successful students should
know and be able to do as a result of learning,
some programmes are the result of students
combining different subjects in a variety of
unpredictable ways. An example of this is the
multidisciplinary Scottish Ordinary degree. In
such student-determined programmes it is
not possible to pre-determine a knowledge or
subject skill base but there are likely to be
generic cognitive and general skill and
capability outcomes. This article describes an
approach being developed at the University of
Strathclyde to create a PS for the BA Arts and
Social Sciences Pass Degree.
Curriculum structure
The course is studied over the equivalent of
three academic years. After a five-subject
first-year students choose to progress with
two subjects (the first and second principal
subjects). They must take four full-year
classes in their first principal subject during
the second and third year; and two classes
from their second principal subjects; and
another class in either of their principal
subjects; and one further approved full-year
class. In practice, this means that students
either take an equal weighting of their two
principal subjects throughout years 2 and 3,
or in year 3 they study one subject
predominantly. Also year 2 and 3 students
would be more likely to do eight one-semester
half-classes than four full-year classes. As a
minimum, students must pass the equivalent
of 13 full-year classes amounting to 33
credits. They may also be taking subjects from
the business faculty, so the BA degree PS will
need to be shared with subjects such as
human resource management, law,
marketing, planning and economics.
Initial discussions about the drafting of PS
within the arts and social sciences faculty
produced the response from several
departments that the ``programme'' was the
BA degree ± certainly up to the end of Level 3
± and that the separate departments did not
The author
Mark Ellis is Vice Dean in the Faculty of Arts and Social
Sciences at the University of Strathclyde with
responsibilities for the BA Arts and Social Sciences Pass
Degree programme.
Keywords
Higher education, Qualifications, Specifications, Arts,
Social sciences
Abstract
This article considers the issue of programme specification
in the context of a faculty-based multidisciplinary
programme. It argues for the creation and articulation of a
multidisciplinary programme specification for the BA Arts
and Social Sciences Pass Degree (Levels 1-3) and subject-
based programme specification for each subject within
the degree programme covering all four Levels in the
Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework. It describes
the structure of a multidisciplinary programme
specification and considers the issues it will raise.
Electronic access
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is
available at
http://www.emerald-library.com
211
Quality Assurance in Education
Volume 8 .Number 4 .2000 .pp. 211±214
#MCB University Press .ISSN 0968-4883
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