• Section 1 - Introduction
• Section 2 - Policy
• Section 3 - Procedures
• Section 4 - Guidelines

Section 1 - Introduction

History

(1) The Dean's List Policy was introduced at the the University in Autumn Session 1995. Minor amendments to the Policy were approved in 2004 and 2007. In 2009 the Policy was reviewed by the Deans of Faculty and amended in order to recognise the various student cohorts and to account for flexible arrangements for study at the the University. It was further amended in 2012 to reflect the change in title from Dean to Executive Dean and in order to permit an Executive Dean to vary the minimum point value that students are required to meet in order to be eligible to be included on the Executive Dean's List in those cases where the course structure is such that the point value is less than 32 points over a maximum of 3 sessions and to provide Executive Dean's with discretion to determine the eligibility of a student in those cases where the student's eligibility is ambiguous. It was further amended in 2014 to clarify the Executive Dean's discretion to deny a student inclusion on the Executive Dean's List on certain grounds despite the student satisfying the academic criteria, or to include a student on the Executive Dean's List where the student does not satisfy the academic criteria but exceptional circumstances exist which merit a student's inclusion on the Executive Dean's List.

Section 2 - Policy

(2) The purpose of the Executive Dean's List is to acknowledge outstanding academic performance by undergraduate (including integrated and add-on Bachelor (Honours) awards) and coursework postgraduate (i.e.: Graduate Certificate. Graduate Diploma, Master by coursework and coursework professional doctorate) students in a Faculty.

(3) To be included on the Executive Dean's List a student must have:

1. achieved a grade of Distinction or High Distinction in all coursework subjects undertaken, or H1 in the case of a Dissertation subject; and
2. completed a minimum of 32 points over a maximum of 3 sessions. (Note: The Executive Dean may approve exceptions to this requirement, which shall be noted by Faculty Board.)

(4) All cohorts of students (e.g.: part-time, full-time, offshore etc.) are eligible for consideration of inclusion on the Executive Dean's List.

(5) The Executive Dean shall have discretion to determine the eligibility of a student to be included on the Executive Dean's List in those cases where the student's eligibility is ambiguous.

(6) For the purposes of these criteria:

1. each session of study may only be counted once in the calculation of eligibility for the Executive Dean's List;
2. a period of approved leave of absence between two consecutive sessions of enrolment will not affect a student's eligibility for inclusion on a list;
3. Satisfactory(SY)/Unsatisfactory(US) grades will not be included in the calculation. However, one 8 point subject (only) that is graded US/SY may be used to count towards the minimum points for those sessions to be used in the calculation of eligibility for the Executive Dean's List Award (e.g.: a student who has completed 32 points over 3 sessions, including one 8 point subject graded US/SY is eligible for an award as long as all other subjects in the sessions are graded DI or HD or H1);
4. where a student has completed more than 32 points during the sessions to be included in a calculation, all of the subjects completed during the period must have been graded at DI, HD or H1 (or US/SY as in above point) in order to be eligible for the award; and
5. Postgraduate students undertaking studies in Masters by Research, Doctor of Philosophy or research professional doctorate programs are not eligible for consideration for inclusion on the Executive Dean's List.

Exceptional Circumstances

(7) The Executive Dean shall have discretion to determine whether to include a student on the Executive Dean's List where a student has not satisfied the academic criteria but exceptional circumstances exist which have been brought to the attention of the Executive Dean by the Course Coordinator which merit inclusion on the Executive Dean's List.

(8) The Executive Dean shall have discretion to determine whether to exclude a student from the Executive Dean's List where a student has satisfied the academic criteria; but:

1. a student has been found guilty of academic or general misconduct under the provisions of the Student Academic Misconduct Policy or the Student General Misconduct Rule during the year in which the Executive Dean's List is being decided; or
2. exceptional circumstances exist which have been brought to the attention of the Executive Dean by the Course Coordinator which merit exclusion from the Executive Dean's List.

(9) In such exceptional cases the variation shall be noted by the Faculty Board. In cases of academic or general misconduct:

1. a student remains eligible to be included on the Executive Dean's List in other years;
2. where a student is included on the Executive Dean's List and, after being awarded a certificate, is found guilty of misconduct for that same year, the award shall be withdrawn, and the certificate and any other material received by a student shall be recovered, where possible; and
3. where a student's inclusion on the Executive Dean's List is subsequently withdrawn, the Faculty shall include this withdrawal in any register, publication or similar of recipients.

Section 3 - Procedures

(10) The Executive Dean will compile the list of students each year from advice provided by Course Coordinators.

(11) Students included on the Executive Dean's List will be awarded a certificate which will bear:

1. the the University logo;
2. the words "This is to certify that [student's full name] enrolled in the course leading to the award [nomenclature of award] was included on the Executive Dean's List for [session/year] in recognition of outstanding academic performance";
3. the Executive Dean's signature; and
4. the date of issue.

(12) The Certificates, to be prepared by the Faculty, will be presented at a Faculty presentation ceremony to be held annually.

(13) The Executive Dean's List will also be published in appropriate the University publications.

Section 4 - Guidelines

(14) The Policy determines the criteria to be used when determining a student's eligibility for inclusion on the Executive Dean's List.

(15) It is aimed at recognising the performance of continuing students, across the various student cohorts and the flexible arrangements for studying at the the University, who display a high level of academic achievement.