(Table adapted from QAA 2008)
| ACTIVITY |
Reflect on the words/phrase/sections that are underlined in Table 1 and that represent key differences between degree and Master’s level awards. What are the recurring themes?
On studying the QAA’s detailed descriptors for the award of honours degrees and Master’s, the main themes or differences that can be identified relate to:
| • | the ability of the award holder to practise at the forefront of their academic discipline, field of study, or area of professional practice; | |
| • | undertaking their own research or advanced scholarship; | |
| • | demonstrating originality in the application of knowledge; | |
| • | having a role in creating and interpreting knowledge in their discipline; | |
| • | dealing with complex issues both systematically and creatively; | |
| • | making sound judgements that demonstrate self-direction and originality; | |
| • | acting autonomously and continuing to develop skills through independence; | |
| • | evaluating critically and even proposing new hypotheses. |
This is how the QAA summarises the capability of Master’s graduates:
In broad terms, graduates of all Master’s degrees should be capable of demonstrating a systematic understanding of knowledge, much of which is at, or informed by, the forefront of the discipline, field of study or area of professional practice. They should be capable of demonstrating originality in their application of that knowledge and in addressing problems. They will have demonstrated a comprehensive understanding of the techniques applicable to their own research or advanced scholarship. In relation to future employment, Master’s graduates will be expected to possess the skills needed to exercise independent learning and to develop new skills to a high level.
(QAA, 2009, p. 7)
The content, structure and delivery of Master’s awards
As stated previously, the content of a Master’s degree in terms of the areas of knowledge and understanding, expertise and skills that the student will acquire are defined by the higher education institution (HEI). The content of a programme will be appropriate to the intended purpose of the award. This means that the content or curriculum will reflect the needs of the discipline/field of study, the profession or both. In some cases, especially where the Master’s is within a professional field, the content of the degree will be agreed with an employer or professional regulatory body such as the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) or the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), and the professional body will then monitor and regulate delivery through approval of courses and audit.
As previously discussed, Master’s degrees are delivered via full- or part-time programmes with varying amounts of face-to-face contact or distance learning. This may be full-time (usually one year) or the equivalent over a part-time trajectory. However, this does vary – the MPhil, for example, often takes up to two years to complete full-time.
It may also be that students are able to use the Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS), which is used by many universities in the United Kingdom to monitor, record and reward passage through modular courses and to facilitate movement between courses and institutions. This approach recognises that Master’s degrees may be modular and may incorporate progression through to postgraduate certificate (60 credit points) and diploma (120 credit points). A postgraduate Master’s degree is equivalent to 180 points and so, if an individual has been awarded 15 or 20 credits for successful completion of a Master’s level module at a different institution, or even awarded a postgraduate certificate or diploma, it may be that these credits can be transferred and effectively used to buy in credit against a whole Master’s programme. Universities will have established policies concerning the use of CATS points, and these should be made clear in the admissions policies for different courses or programmes and are usually considered on a case-by-case basis. One element that will normally be considered is ‘currency’ and this is a judgement about whether the knowledge and learning achieved on the module or course where a student wants to use the CATS is considered by the university as remaining current and valid. A broad definition of this excludes study that is more than five years old.
There will also be an integrated strategy of teaching, learning and assessment that enables the student to demonstrate the intended learning outcomes appropriate to the programme’s overall aims.
Learning outcomes
Learning outcomes describe what a student should be able to do in order to successfully complete either a course of study, a module or even a short and specific study session. They describe student activities and attainments (Baume, 2009) and essentially what they should be able to do by the end of the period of study.
They are therefore essential to students on two main levels. The first is in deciding which programme of study to undertake. Do the outcomes of the programme meet or fit with the learning opportunity that you are looking for? Secondly, once enrolled on the course, the individual learning outcomes for the module give a clear summary of what the student needs to demonstrate in order to pass the module. In essence they set out what any module assessment should demonstrate. This is important information that helps students understand exactly what it is that they have to do and learn in order to pass. They should therefore use the learning outcomes to shape and focus their reading and assessed work (Burns and Sinfield, 2004).
Assessment, learning and teaching
The assessment, learning and teaching (ALT) methods to be used will be identified in individual programme documentation, such as a programme specification, and may include a diverse array of methods. Those used will be selected by the institution or academic lead as being most appropriate to the discipline or field of study and the programme’s aims, mode of delivery and typical entrants (see Figure 2).
| • | lectures; | |
| • | tutorials; | |
| • | seminars; | |
| • | practical work, or practice placements; | |
| • | the use of textbooks, journal papers, electronic databases; | |
| • | individual project work; | |
| • | group work; | |
| • | practice sessions and learning through case studies; | |
| • | work-based learning; |