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The Exeter Award

Enhance your employability

FCH

  • combine subjects not otherwise possible at Exeter
  • cross-subject degrees to suit your interests and career ambitions
  • leads to a named degree title of the subjects you study
  • study two subjects, or sometimes three
  • create your own themed pathway
  • vary the proportion of the subjects each year
  • add vocational elements to your studies
  • opportunities for study and work abroad

 

The actual titles

GraduationThe title of a Flexible Combined Honours degree reflects the areas studied, e.g.

  • BA (Hons) in International Relations and Law
  • BSc (Hons) in Biosciences and Psychology
  • BA (Hons) in English and Mathematics
  • BSc (Hons) in Biosciences and History with French
  • BA (Hons) in Mediterranean Studies
  • BA (Hons) in Romance Languages

The phrase Flexible Combined Honours is not mentioned in the degree title - it is purely an 'administrative' term used within the university.

What counts towards the title?

The degree title is normally determined from the subjects studied just in the second and final years of study.

First year studies may sometimes influence the degree title, e.g. if a large amount of a single subject was taken in year one, and this subject was continued in further years, it could be appropriate for this to affect the relative order of named subjects.

Degree awardingHow titles are derived

The second and final years comprise 240 credits in total (270 if with a year study abroad).

Subjects studied in equal or near-equal proportion in the second and final years (i.e. between the ratios of 120:120 and 135:105 credits - appropriately adjusted for year abroad students) are placed in alphabetical order and separated by 'and', e.g.

  • BA (Hons) in Economics and Geography

Subjects studied in unequal proportion (i.e. one subject is more than 135 credits) are placed with the larger subject first and separated by 'with', e.g.

  • BSc (Hons) in History with BioSciences

Some subjects require core elements to be studied or a certain level to be reached, and if they are not, then that subject may include the word 'studies' to indicate it is a reduced form of the subject, e.g.

  • BA (Hons) in Mathematics and Psychological Studies
  • BA (Hons) in English with Spanish Studies

A subject can only be mentioned in a degree title if it is studied for at least 60 credits, within either of the second and final years or spread across both (e.g. 30 credits in each year). Such minor subjects are placed at the end of a degree title after the word 'with', e.g.

  • BA (Hons) in History and Geography with Archaeology

Degree titles with a minor pathway in a Modern Foreign Language

Modern foreign languages can be taken as a minor pathway within your degree programme, allowing you to start a new language or develop an existing one. This usually involves 30 credits of the language per year for more than one year.

The way the language can be mentioned in your degree title varies according to how the language has been taken (French is used as an example below):

  • "... with French" - minimum of 60 credits, comprising:
    • 30 credits of language modules at level 2 or higher and
    • 30 credits more of language, or relevant option modules at level 2 or higher
    with the language modules taken within the appropriate Modern Language department
  • "... with French studies" - minimum of 60 credits of relevant option modules at level 2 or higher, which do not include language modules
  • "... with proficiency in French" - minimum of 60 credits of language modules, of which 30 credits are at level 2 or higher, taken through the Foreign Language Centre.

Degrees which include Study Abroad

If 60 or more credits of the degree are spent studying abroad, then the phrase "with Study Abroad" is added to the degree title.

It does not matter in which academic year the study abroad occurs.

Who decides on the title?

During the Spring term of your final year, the Director of the FCH programme proposes a title to you. If you are unhappy with the proposal you can talk through desired changes and if these are academically appropriate and acceptable to the Director, such changes can be made. Students cannot, however, insist on changes or on a specific title.

Once the title is agreed between you and the Director, the appropriate teaching departments are consulted. The departments have the right to change titles.

The departmentally approved titles are presented to the FCH Board of Studies for comment, further revision if required, and approval.

They are given final approval by the Undergraduate Faculty Board.