Procedure for the Award of posthumous degrees – Taught Undergraduate or Masters Programme

1. Purpose

This SOP outlines the correct procedure to be followed when making an application to Academic Board for consideration for the award of a posthumous degree in relation to a taught Masters or Undergraduate programme.

2. Introduction and Scope

This procedure relates to taught Masters and Undergraduate programmes only. For information regarding the procedure on postgraduate research awards, please refer to the ‘Procedure for the award of a posthumous degree- Postgraduate research degree award’.
Academic Board is normally supportive of awarding posthumous awards where the following conditions are satisfied:

• the student was near completion or has completed at least 60% of a programme;
• the student has a good academic record, ideally the student would have been on course to achieve an honours award;
• the student has the support of the relevant School/Department.

Please note that every criterion listed above must be satisfied for the awarding of a posthumous degree.

3. Procedure

Application for consideration for a posthumous award where students have met the criteria above, must be made, in writing, to Academic Board by the candidate’s School/Department, with the permission of the candidate's family or next of kin.

To make an application for award of a posthumous degree, the relevant School/Department must complete the following steps:

1. The Head of School/Department sends a letter to Academic Board to request consideration of the award of a posthumous degree to the named student. The letter should indicate the support of the Programme Co-ordinator(s) and Head of College and include the specific rationale for the request.
2. The letter is to be addressed to either the Deputy President and Registrar or the Academic Secretary and Assistant Registrar.
3. A copy of the student’s academic record will be requested from the Student Records and Examinations Office and appended to this request.
4. The request will be included under Chair’s Business for the next Academic Board meeting, where possible. A member of the requesting School/Department is entitled to attend the meeting of Academic Board to support the application.
5. Academic Board will consider the request and make a decision. The outcome will be communicated by the Office of Academic Affairs and Governance to the Student Records and Examinations Office and to the requesting School/Department.
6. The Student Records and Examinations Office will amend the student record as appropriate.
7. The Office of Academic Affairs and Governance will inform the Office of Marketing and Communications of the outcome, and where applicable, the student will be included in the appropriate conferring ceremony.

Effective Date: 05 December 2018

Review Date: 05 December 2020