| Description | Minutes of a committee established in 1998, together with the Research Postgraduate Committee (see UB/COM/104) and the Undergraduate Committee (see UB/COM/106) to approve and advise on research programmes on behalf of the Academic Board of Senate (see UB/COM/60 for minutes of this committee).
Its terms of reference were to scrutinise proposals for the introduction of new taught postgraduate programmes of study prior to approval by the Academic Board; to monitor periodically the content of established taught postgraduate programmes of study; to approve new modules and amendments to existing modules for taught postgraduate programmes of study; to consider any matters relating to academic policy development and implementation relating to taught postgraduate provision referred to it by the Academic Board; and to take decisions on applications from individual taught postgraduate students relating to their progress within or despite regulations
Membership consisted of a chair appointed by the Academic Board from among its own members; twelve further members appointed by the Academic Board; two student members, nominated by the Guild of Students; and a Secretary. It reported to the Academic Board. The first meeting was held on 12 November 1998, and it met around four times a year.
Minutes contain information about module approval; programme approval; the modularisation of taught postgraduate programmes; programme structure of taught postgraduate programmes; and examination recommendations. Minutes of the meeting held on 29 April 1999 contain discussion of the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) Consultation Paper on Qualification Frameworks for Postgraduate Qualifications. Minutes of the meeting held on 11 November 1999 include a copy of the QAA consultative paper on higher education qualifications frameworks. Minutes of the meeting held on 5 May 2000 include a copy of the QAA Quality Audit Report for the University of Birmingham, February 2000, and minutes of the meeting held on 2 November 2000 include a copy of the report of a working party on Anonymous Marking.
Following a review of the Committee's terms of reference, it was recommended that the Taught Postgraduate Committee and the Research Postgraduate Committee should be merged, but this merger was deferred while the Taught Postgraduate Committee was developing regulations for taught postgraduate programmes. It was intended that there should be joint meetings of the two committees during the academic session 2001-2002, followed by a full merger for the academic session 2002-2003. Meeting papers survive for meetings of the Taught Postgraduate Committee held in February 2001 and May 2001, but no further records survive. It is likely that the May 2001 meeting was the last of the committee before the trial merger with the Research Postgraduate Committee. See UB/COM/123 for records of the merged Postgraduate Committee |