Passed: May 2022 (10th)

What do you want? / Why do you want it? 

Joint Honours students risk a poorer university experience. These are often attributed to the organisation and management of student education provision by which is focussed on the Parent School. Examples include (but are not limited to);

- Personal tutoring dependent and focussed on the Parent School subject

- Difficulties navigating and integrating into their teaching school due to ‘invisibility’ as a JH student

- Timetable clashes meaning that JH students are less likely to choose the modules they want, or experience clashes in their timetable with core modules/the only modules available for them to chose

- Inability to access opportunities which are reserved for Single Honours or ‘parented’ students only

- Requirement to submit the same evidence multiple times for ongoing medical or other conditions

- Not getting the right support for final year projects which bring both sides of their degree together, or restrictions in subjects available

- Assessment bunching due to lack of communication about and visibility of JH students

- Not being able to graduate with the School of their choice

To improve Joint Honours students’ sense of belonging, it is important for them to be given the option to choose which school they graduate with:

“I am a final year Joint Honours English and Music student. My parent school is English and therefore I have to graduate with the school of English at the moment. However, I spend most of my time in Music, have been really involved in the ensembles, I was the leader of the School of Music orchestra this year and I am also a School of Music representative for open days. I have a lot of friends in Music so when I got told I cannot graduate with Music I was very disheartened. I think students should be able to choose which school they graduate with as being a joint honours student it is hard to feel a sense of belonging. Therefore being able to choose who they graduate with would give them that sense of belonging to whichever school they have spent more time in or feel more connected with.”

The Curriculum Redefined project is currently seeking to solve many of the issues affecting Joint Honours students, but it is important that these issues are addressed now so that current Joint Honours students who may not be at the University when the Curriculum Redefined project is complete, can also have an equitable university experience. This policy is proposing that LUU lobby the university to ‘level up’ the experience of these students and address issues that put these students at a unique detriment, including providing the opportunity to choose which school they graduate with.

This policy idea is made up of two separate policies that expired in 2022. The original policies were “We should let Joint Honours students choose which school they graduate with” submitted by Clara Coslett, and “The University should ensure that Joint Honours students have an equitable university experience” submitted by Serene Esuruoso.