Please note the following policies apply to all students currently studying on the programme, whether or not they started before or after 2012.

5.1 Assignment Extensions

Extensions will be granted at the discretion of the programme director. Students are permitted a maximum extension of one week. One week extensions are only granted for acute illness around assignment submission time and any unforeseen life events that affect your ability to work in the short-term. They are not given for increased workload at your place of work, students that register late or book holidays during term time.

All coursework deadline extension requests should be submitted directly to the MPH Administration Team. Please provide as much detail as possible (name, student registration number, course unit, assignment, reason for extension request), and be assured that all information will be treated confidentially. Evidence is required for extension requests, so please provide this when making the request. Course tutors do not accept extension requests.

Extension requests should be submitted by 4.00 pm on the last working day before the assignment deadline. Please do not submit extension requests via Blackboard.

Please note that extensions for one week can be permitted at the discretion of the programme director. Please note that extensions of more than one week will not be offered. Students who require more time than one week will need to complete a mitigating circumstances form and provide evidence which will be taken to the mitigating circumstances panel. This panel will make a recommendation to the Exam Board of whether the student can take the resit as a first attempt.  See section 5.3 for further details. Students who submit late will risk having penalties.

Any extension for a resit assignment will need to submit new mitigating circumstances and provide evidence. This will be taken to the panel also and a recommendation will be made. Please note that this will take time and your request is not guaranteed to be accepted. Extensions of more than one week will not be offered.

 

5.2 Late Submission (including dissertations)

Work submitted after the deadline without prior approval shall be subject to the following penalties:

The mark awarded for the piece of work will be reduced by:
·    10 marks if up to 24 hours late (1 day)
·    20 marks if up to 48 hours late (2 days)
·    30 marks if up to 72 hours late (3 days)
·    40 marks if up to 96 hours late (4 days)
·    50 marks if up to 120 hours late (5 days)

A zero mark will be awarded if the piece of work is more than 5 days late.

For further information see: Policy on Submission of Work for Summative Assessment on Taught Programmes
 

5.3 Mitigation

Mitigation describes the process by which a student may be compensated for poor assessment performance, or when they are not able to complete an exam/assessment, as a consequence of unforeseen or unpreventable circumstances.

A student must submit a request for mitigation to the MPH Administration Team, in advance of their assessment submission deadline or exam. Retrospective mitigation requests will only be considered, if presented at least 2 weeks prior to the exam board and there are compelling reasons as to why the circumstances could not be made known or presented prior to the assessment submission deadline/exam. (See Student Timetable under section 2.6 for the programme’s exam board dates.)

Any requests for mitigation will be considered confidentially by a mitigating circumstances panel. The panel will normally comprise of the Programme Director, a Programme Administrator and a senior member of School staff. Where a request for mitigation is supported, a recommendation will be made to the exam board for them to decide on the best course of action for the student.

Students are advised to consult the following guidance, which directs them to seek advice and support before and whilst submitting a request for mitigation. The University form and guidance for students, is available at:

http://www.regulations.manchester.ac.uk/basic-guide-mitigating-circumstances/

 

5.4 Word Count (including the dissertation)

In accordance with the University Policy on Marking:

Each written assignment has a word limit which you must state at the top of your first page. It is acceptable, without penalty, for you to submit an assignment within a range that is plus 10% of this limit. If you present an assignment with a word limit substantially exceeding the upper banding, the assignment will be marked but 1% will be deducted from this mark for every 100 words over the limit given.

In accordance with accepted academic practice, when submitting any written assignment for summative assessment, the notion of a word count includes the following without exception:

• All titles or headings that form part of the actual text. This does not include the fly page or reference list.
• All words that form the actual essay.
• All words forming the titles for figures, tables and boxes, are included but this does not include boxes or tables or figures themselves.
• All in-text (that is bracketed) references.
• All directly quoted material.

Certain assessments may require different penalties for word limits to be applied. For example, if part of the requirement for the assessment is conciseness of presentation of facts and arguments. In such cases it may be that no 10% leeway is allowed and penalties applied may be stricter than described above. In such cases the rules for word count limits and the penalties to be applied will be clearly stated in the assessment brief and in the submission details for that assessment.
 

5.5 Referral of Assignments (Resits)

To pass a course unit you must have submitted all (usually two) assignments (excluding assessed discussion boards), and gained an overall mark of 50% or greater at Masters Level and 40% or greater at Diploma or Certificate level. If you have failed to submit the required number of assignments you are very likely to fail the unit.

If you fail a course unit and are unable to compensate the mark, you will be offered the opportunity to take a resit assignment (known as a “referral”). The resit assignment will take the form of one assignment which is designed to test your knowledge of the entire unit and will also form your mark for the entire unit. This will be capped in line with the regulations if mitigation is not accepted.

Any extension for a resit assignment will need to submit new mitigating circumstances and provide evidence. This will be taken to the panel also and a recommendation will be made. Please note that this will take time and your request is not guaranteed to be accepted. Extensions of more than one week will not be offered.

 

Failure of a resit assignment at first attempt

If you have approved mitigation to take the resit assignment for a unit at first attempt, and you fail this assignment, you will have to wait until the following academic year to take a further resit at second attempt. We offer only one resit opportunity for each unit per year, directly following the examination board for that unit. This means that there will be no further opportunity to take a resit in the same academic year if you fail the resit assignment at first attempt. Even if you have further mitigation, you will likely be offered to retake the full unit in the following academic year.

 

Failure of a unit at second attempt

If a student fails a resit assignment they will not be eligible to take the unit again. They are also unable to take an additional unit in place of the failed one. Should this happen, the students situation will be discussed at an exam board and the student will be offered appropriate options. This may include transfer to another award such as a PG Diploma or PG Certificate, or exit from the programme if this is not possible.

A detailed description of the regulations surrounding resits can be found in Section 4.5.
 

5.6 Special Permissions (Interruptions and Extensions)

It is the expectation of the University that postgraduate taught students pursue their studies on a continuous basis for the stipulated duration of their programme. However, it is recognised that students may encounter personal difficulties or situations which may seriously disrupt or delay their studies. In some cases, an interruption or extension to your programme of study may be the most sensible option.

Students who wish to interrupt the programme or extend to write up the dissertation should initially discuss their plans and reasons with the MPH Admin Team, Dissertation Supervisor, or Programme Director.

Students should also provide documentary evidence when appropriate, for example, doctor’s letter, sick note etc.

An application must be submitted to the Programme Director who will either support or reject the request. The form will then be submitted for consideration to the Degrees Panel who will make the final decision.

The forms required for formal application are available from the MPH Administration Team.
 

5.7 Academic Appeals

Students thinking of appealing should first discuss the matter informally with an appropriate member of staff, in order to better understand the reason for the result or decision.  Should you wish to proceed to a formal appeal, this must be submitted within 20 working days of notification of the result or decision to Kevin Hewitt, Teaching and Learning Advisor (Student Appeals, Complaints, Discipline and Fitness to Practise), Room 3.21, Simon Building, University of Manchester, M13 9PL (e-mail: fbmhappealsandcomplaints@manchester.ac.uk).  The full Academic Appeals Procedure (Regulation XIX) and associated documents, including the form on which formal appeals should be submitted, can be found at www.regulations.manchester.ac.uk/academic
 

5.8 Student Complaints

The University’s Student Complaints Procedure (Regulation XVIII) and associated documents, including a Complaints Form, can be found at www.regulations.manchester.ac.uk/academic

Students thinking of submitting a formal complaint should in most instances attempt informal resolution first (see the procedure).  Formal complaints should be submitted on the relevant form to Kevin Hewitt, Teaching and Learning Advisor (Student Appeals, Complaints, Discipline and Fitness to Practise), Room 3.21, Simon Building, University of Manchester, M13 9PL (e-mail: fbmhappealsandcomplaints@manchester.ac.uk).