BA/BSc Partnership Degree Programme
- UCAS code: Non-UCAS
- Mode of study: Part time
- Duration: Flexible
- Entry requirements 2013: A typical applicant would usually have post-school higher education such as an HNC, or equivalent, or part of a degree course, together with appropriate work experience.
- Please see details of the range of other qualifications that will also be considered on the 'Entry Requirements' tab below. Please do contact us for advice on other qualifications that aren't listed here.
Find out more:
Tel: +44 (0)23 9284 6261/6260
Email: learningatwork@port.ac.uk
Department: Learning at Work
Course overview
The Partnership Degree Programme allows working people to study for university degrees without leaving their jobs.
It is a three-way partnership between you, your employer and the University. Much of the learning comes from projects that form part of daily work, which minimises the time spent attending University and ensures that the knowledge gained is relevant to your employer's business.
How long does it take?
The time you take to complete your studies is up to you and is not tied to the academic calendar. It depends on the point at which you enter the course and your personal circumstances at work and at home.
Benefits to you
- Your existing knowledge counts towards the degree award.
- You gain a university qualification without having to take a career break.
- Learning through work-based projects reduces the amount of leisure time you have to spend on study.
- You will learn what you need as you need it.
- You can tailor the pace of learning to suit demands on your time.
- Learning leads to professional and career enhancement.
Benefits to your employer
- Staff education brings commercial and strategic awareness.
- Commercially valuable work projects are part of the learning programme.
- The organisation gains knowledge of best practice and the latest technologies from work-based projects.
- University tutors provide new knowledge and advice.
- Better qualified staff enhance the organisation's leadership position.
- Staff who have been supported to gain Partnership qualifications show increased loyalty to their employers.
- Employee motivation is increased as staff develop their skills.
Access to a stable work situation is important for success on a Partnership Programme course. This programme may not be suitable for people whose work is voluntary, temporary or on short-term contracts. It is unlikely to suit those who are retired or unemployed. Applications from self-employed people are welcome.
Course content
A Partnership Programme degree comprises four elements:
- Accredited Prior Learning
- Learning Management
- Work-based Learning Projects
- Taught Units
Accredited Prior Learning (APL) allows you to receive credit for the qualifications you already have and for experience that has given you the learning equivalent to academic qualifications. This can include in-service training courses and qualifications, as well as learning from on-the-job experience. To claim credit for experiential learning you have to submit a portfolio of evidence matching your knowledge and skills to units in the University's Taught Units Database.
The maximum APL credit you can receive is two thirds of the credit for the award.
Prior Learning Portfolios should be submitted as soon as possible, to allow time for assessment before registration.
Learning Management is a credit-rated unit. It is the linking thread for your studies. In this unit, you will write a learning contract and amend it, as necessary, if circumstances change. You will work to the contract plan and deliver your evidence (reports, reviews or other items) on the dates you have specified.
Work-based Learning Projects usually make up the bulk of the learning contract. They must involve new learning for you, so they cannot be simply the activities involved in your regular job. However, they should be of value to your employer as well as yourself and you should be able to carry out much of the project work in normal working hours.
Taught Units from the University of Portsmouth or other higher education institutions can be included in your programme. They are a good way of acquiring new knowledge in a structured way. They are delivered as part of the University's normal teaching provision and are not run by the Partnership Programme.
What awards can I obtain?
You will choose your proposed award title according to the subject material you plan to include in your studies. You must, however, choose one of the award titles from this list:
BA:
- Business
- Business and Computer Studies
- Combined Studies*
BSc:
- Applied Computing
- Applied Science
- Combined Studies*
- Engineering Studies
- Engineering and Management Studies
- Engineering and Project Management
- Maritime Studies
*Combined Studies is the award for students whose work is not covered by any of the others.
Teaching and assessment
The Partnership Programme is unusual in allowing you to set your own objectives, course content and timetable. We set the framework for your degree and assess your work, but you choose what to learn, how you will learn and what evidence you will deliver for assessment. We ensure that you achieve the standard appropriate to your award through a process of learning management.
All Partnership Programme degrees must include work-based learning projects and most students choose to do the majority of their studies by this means. University taught units and other training programmes provide additional and supporting learning.
Career prospects
The Partnership Programme allows working people to study for university qualifications without leaving their jobs. Students must have access to the work-based projects that they propose to study.
The Partnership Programme aims to develop students in the workplace using professional standards of competency and improve performance. The employer normally experiences a direct benefit as the study is based on current projects in the workplace.
Partnership Programme courses cannot be accredited by professional institutions, because the content of each Learning Contract is unique. Some institutions have agreed to give approval in advance to individual Learning Contracts as satisfying the academic requirements for professional registration.
Facilities and features
You will have support from:
- a workplace mentor chosen by you - someone at work who can offer advice, guidance and moral support
- a personal University tutor in your area of study
- a learning management tutor - one of the Partnership Programme academic staff
- lecturing staff in your taught units
- written feedback on all items submitted for approval or assessment
- an introductory learning management course to help you develop your learning contract, devise projects, conduct research and write reports. The course is offered as a one-day short course and online
Maths Café
The Maths Café is a daily drop-in facility, where any University can receive help on any maths or statistics problem they encounter in their studies. It operates in a friendly, informal location which we hope will encourage students to visit us. Handouts on key topics are available to take away. You can also be shown how to use computer aided learning packages, which can be accessed from any computer attached to the University's computer network.