Hello! We are so excited to welcome you to studying Combined Honours in Social Sciences at Durham in the autumn. We have compiled a list of FAQs that may help you prepare for coming and to plan your studies.
(This list of FAQs are in relation to studying Combined Honours in Social Sciences specifically. The list of university-wide FAQs is available here: https://www.dur.ac.uk/student.registry/faq/ )
What support is available to me to help me settle in?
One of the great things about Durham is that you belong to your college and your department, so there are a range of support mechanisms available to you. Your college will have been in touch with you about your college mentor, academic parenting schemes and various other initiatives. Within Combined Social Sciences, there are three main support mechanisms. Firstly, the CHSS staff (Megan and Jennifer). Megan, the Director, has office hours every Monday from 10-12 when you can pop in for a chat. Jennifer, the administrator, is available daily to answer questions as well. For support with specific modules, you can ask your academic advisor or the dedicated Combined Honours coordinator in each department. Finally, new for this year, we have the CHSS peer mentor scheme. Every fresher will be allocated a 2nd or 3rd year student mentor and you’ll meet them all during induction week. Mentor emails will be sent out mid-September to introduce you to your mentor.
I have to choose 120 credits, but what are credits?
Credits measure the ‘size’ of a module and its workload. A typical undergraduate module is 20 credits, but some modules are ‘double modules’ and are 40 credits.
You can take 120 credits each academic year. For e.g., common combinations are: 6 x 20 credit modules; or 1 x 40 credit module + 4 x 20 credit modules. There are also some 10 credit modules in 2nd and 3rd year in certain departments.
As a Combined Honours student, you still take the same number of credits per academic year (120) as someone studying a single honours course – you just have greater flexibility with the choice of modules across different subjects that you can take to reach these 120 credits!
Can I choose whatever modules I want?
You can choose a combination of modules from across a number of subjects on the Combined Honours in Social Sciences programme. As mentioned before, these modules need to add up to 120 credits in total across the year. There are some things you need to consider when choosing which modules are suitable:
1. It will be necessary to check that the lectures and seminars of your modules do not clash with each other. This can be done at: http://www.maths.dur.ac.uk/users/maths.teaching/tt/module_checker.html It will not be possible to take modules that have their lectures on the same day at the same time. If the timetable checker shows a possible clash between a seminar/tutorial in one module and a lecture/ another seminar/ tutorial in another, it may still be possible to take both of these modules as there are often several possible seminar groups for you to join. You must check that there is a suitable seminar group with no clashes that you can join.
2. It is important to remember that some of the level 1 modules are “prerequisites” for modules at levels 2 and 3 – this means that to do a module later on in your degree you will have needed to have taken a specific module at level 1 (as the content will provide essential knowledge/ background for the level 2 and 3 content). Therefore, it is recommended that you check the online faculty handbook: list modules by department (https://www.dur.ac.uk/faculty.handbook/listdeptmodules/) for the modules available in the rest of the years of your degree to see whether there are any modules at level 1 you need to take in order to enable you to study the modules you want to at level 2 and 3.
3. Another important note is that it is not possible to study some modules in tandem with each other – likely due to the similarity of content. This will also be marked on the pages linked above (under “Excluded Combination of Modules”).
4. The modules must also be running in the academic year 2018-9!
When do we have to have definitely decided the modules we want to take for the rest of the year and the rest of the degree programme?
You need to preregister for modules in SGIA (School of Government and International Affairs) and History during September. We will email you with the specific deadline and process for this. Your overall first year module registration will be completed during Induction week. Some departments preregister for second/third year modules in February or March, so keep an eye on your emails for information about this in Epiphany term.
How do I know when and where my lectures and seminars are?
When you know which modules you are taking, you can check the teaching timetable online here: https://timetable.dur.ac.uk/ to see when the lectures and seminars of your individual modules are. Your timetable may differ in the two terms, so make sure you check the Epiphany (term 2) timetable again after Christmas.
Do my first year marks count for anything?
Your first year is formative and the marks do not count towards your final degree classification. This is designed to help you adjust to university-level study and to put into practice the new skills you have learnt before being assessed on these in the summative years of level 2 (weighted 40%) and 3 (weighted 60%). However, if you fail any module(s) (by scoring 40% or less) you will have to re-take these in order to progress to the next level of study. It is also worth pointing out that if you decide to apply for a summer work placement or internship these often ask you to list your grades achieved at university so far (including the first year) so it is worth trying to do your best in the first year too!
Who do I contact if I’m not sure about something?
If you are unsure about anything to do with your Combined Honours programme of study before arriving then you should contact:
Megan Bruce, Director of Programme: megan.bruce@durham.ac.uk
Jennifer Davison, Programme Administrator: combined.honours@durham.ac.uk
When you arrive there will be introductory sessions in induction week which will be a chance to ask any further questions.
When you start your course in the week after induction week, you will be given an academic advisor in one of your subjects. This person should be your port of call for academic-related matters.
If you are unsure about anything to do with your college, college accommodation or pastoral matters then you should contact your allocated college’s student support team about this directly.
Enjoy the rest of your summer and get excited for your next adventure starting in October! ☺
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