Last Updated on 22/08/2024
This page under review following a review of the Thesis Preparation Assignment (TPA) with updates to the page due in September 2024.
Full details of the Assessment schemes and criteria can be found in the programme specification. An overview of this process is provided in the programme completion and failure processes document.
Scheme of assessment
From 2018 cohort onwards, to obtain the award students are required to complete all three elements of the programme. These comprise: –
- All five (for trainees in 2018-2020 cohorts) or three (for trainees in 2021 cohort onwards) clinical placements
- Passing all seven coursework assignments
- A doctoral thesis
Coursework and evaluation of clinical placements are considered at regular programme exam board meetings. The thesis is examined towards the end of the trainee’s registration on the programme.
Requirements for pass
Clinical placements: Students up to the 2020 cohort undertake five clinical placements, and students in the 2021 cohort onwards undertake three (usually longer) placements. In the event of a placement failure, the student may be required to re-take the placement (and completion of the programme may be extended accordingly – which may be on an unfunded basis). Details on the fail criteria for an individual placement are available on the placement failure pages. Students who fail more than one placement are deemed to have failed the programme and are not allowed to proceed.
Coursework: The student is required to pass all seven distinct pieces of assessed coursework. These comprise three ‘Broad Skills’ assignments and four ‘Live skills’ assignments. The broad skills assignments are the Self-Assessment Exercise, the Placement Assignment -Service Evaluation, and the Thesis Preparation Assignment. Students are permitted three attempts to pass each of these assignments. The live skills assignments comprise the Service Improvement Poster Presentation the three Placement Assignments – Live Skills (#1, #2 & #3). Students are permitted two attempts to pass each of these assignments. If a student fails all allowed submission attempts of a given assignment, then they are deemed to have failed the programme and is not allowed to proceed. Details of the marking process and outcomes are available in the online handbook. Please note that the details of coursework requirements above only apply to trainees beginning training in 2018 onwards; in earlier cohorts a different assessment scheme was in place for this.
Thesis: This is examined in accordance with the University regulations for doctoral theses.
Appeals
There is no right of appeal for trainees prior to the failure of the whole doctorate. Details of the Appeals process under such circumstances can be found on the Appeals programme handbook page.
Useful documents and links
Programme completion and failure processes
Criteria for placement failure
Marking process, passing and failing assignments – 2018 intake onwards
Examination of the thesis
Fitness to practise
Appeals