An Exit Award is where a student is registered on a programme but exits the programme before achieving that award, but having been assessed as having met the requirements for the Exit Award. The Exit Award may have the same NFQ level with fewer credits or have a lower NFQ level than the programme from which the student exits.
Exit Awards are embedded and validated awards within a programme leading to a specified award and are typically validated at Higher Certificate, Ordinary Degree, Postgraduate Diploma, Postgraduate Certificate, Diploma or Certificate level as appropriate to the primary programme and the number and level of ECTS credits attained.
Exit Awards shall be restricted to TU Dublin programmes of 30 ECTS Credits, Minimum.
Any designated Exit Award may or may not be classified.
Exit awards embedded within a programme are to be considered as part of the programme validation and review processes.
Where a programme exists without an exit award, the School can seek either a revalidation or major change to the programme, or it may put forward an application for the approval of an exit award via the relevant Discipline Programmes Board using the Exit Award Proposal Form
The Discipline Programmes Board should forward this application to Faculty Board, which shall forward a recommendation for approval of an exit award to University Programmes Board.
Programme specific requirements for each embedded Exit Award within a programme must be defined and at a minimum include the following:
- Title of Exit Award
- NFQ Level
- ECTS Credits required
- Programme Learning Outcomes for the Exit Award
- Classification of Exit Award, if any, and determination of same.
- Where the Exit Award is not an embedded award, the name of the Exit Award shall be unique and distinct from other programme and award names, so as to make it easily identifiable.
Conditions of Eligibility
The student must formally apply to be considered for an Exit Award.
The programme that the student is/was last registered on contains a validated Exit Award at the appropriate NFQ level.
The formal application should normally be submitted within one academic year since the student was last registered on a programme of study.
The student has successfully attained the requisite academic standing and the necessary ECTS credit required for the Exit Award.
Application for an Exit Award by a student will be considered by a formal Assessment Board for the designated programme.
A student who withdraws from a programme, applies for and is granted an exit award can subsequently apply for re-entry to the programme they exited, but not in the academic year following withdrawal. Applications for re-entry shall be considered on a case-by-case basis by the relevant School.
Candidates having been conferred with an Exit Awards shall not be required to surrender the parchment when they later qualify for and are conferred with the designated Major Award.