About the University

Oxford Brookes University is one of the top-performing modern universities, occupying a strong position in a number of national and international league tables, and as judged by other measures of achievement. 

We are based on several campuses in and around Oxford.  The largest campus is in Headington, just outside the city centre. Other sites are at Marston Road (Health and Social Care), Harcourt Hill (Teacher Education), and in Swindon (Nursing).  

Brookes has around 18,000 students studying on a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, many of which carry professional accreditation.  Many other students are registered on programmes of study leading to Brookes awards through collaborations with partners in the UK and around the world. 

As a post-92 university, the majority of our students are following taught programmes of study, and we pride ourselves on the quality of our teaching; but we also offer a significant number of postgraduate research studentships in all areas of the University, and have a thriving research environment, which was recognised in the REF2021 in which 97% of research at Oxford Brookes was judged to be internationally recognised, and 70% to be world leading or internationally excellent. 

The University’s new Strategy 2035 is shaped around its mission statement that…

“We shape tomorrow through our unique blend of the modern and the traditional, by embracing diversity, seeking out the new, and excelling in education and research”

…and its strategic objectives are structured around four ‘pillars’ of work:

• Education and Enterprise
• Partnerships and Place
• People and Culture
• Research and Innovation

You can find out more about us on the About Oxford Brookes web pages.

The University has a broad portfolio of academic and professionally-accredited programmes, delivered by Departments and Schools organised within four Faculties, as follows:

Oxford Brookes Business School

• PVC/Dean - Prof. Tim Vorley
• Associate Dean Professional Education and Accreditation - Dr Nick Wilton
• Associate Dean Undergraduate and Postgraduate Programmes - Dr Nicolette Michels

Faculty of Health & Life Sciences

• PVC/Dean - Prof. Astrid Schloerscheidt
• Psychology, Health & Professional Development -Maxine Fletcher
• Biological & Medical Sciences - Dr Helen Packer
• Oxford School of Nursing & Midwifery - Prof. Mary Malone/Antti Kivimaki
• Sport, Health Sciences & Social Work - Dr Carolyn Mason

Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences

• PVC/Dean - Prof. Lucy Mazdon
• School of Education, Humanities and Languages - Prof. Richard Grayson
• School of Law and Social Sciences - Dr Dan Bully (Interim)
• Institute of Public Care - Fiona Richardson

Faculty of Technology, Design & Environment

• PVC/Dean - Prof. Joe Tah
• School of Architecture - Christina Godiksen
• School of Arts - Prof. Paul Whitty
• School of Engineering, Computing & Mathematics - Gordana Collier
• School of Built Environment - Prof. Ramin Keivani

You can find out more about each subject area and the programmes they deliver by visiting the Faculty and Department web pages  

The academic faculties are supported by a range of professional support services, organised into what we call ‘Directorates’, as follows:

• Academic & Student Administration (incorporating Strategic Change & Planning)
• Estates & Campus Services
• Finance & Legal Services
• People Directorate (HR)
• IT Services
• Learning Resources
• Marketing, Recruitment & Engagement

The University also works with a range of partner organisations in the UK and around the world to deliver programmes of study which lead to Oxford Brookes awards, and you may be appointed to examine on one of these programmes. Our partnerships operate under various different delivery models, depending on the local context. Most of our UK collaborative arrangements are delivered through our Associate College Partnership arrangements with a range of FE colleges around the region, mainly involving Foundation degree delivery with Bachelor’s degree top-up routes. However, we also have partnerships with a range of specialist organisations and charities to deliver CPD courses for professionals working in fields such as healthcare, humanitarian action and education.

QLIC is the University’s senior quality committee, with authority for decision-making delegated by the Academic Board.  It is responsible for maintaining an overview of the appointment of external examiners and of the issues raised in their reports, including those appointed to the University’s collaborative arrangements.  Faculty quality committees are responsible for ensuring that Programme Leads (and Programme Managers at partner organisations, supported by Brookes Liaison Managers) provide timely and satisfactory responses to external examiners’ reports.  QLIC’s ‘sister’ committee, the Teaching & Learning Enhancement Committee, also reports directly to Academic Board, and oversees activities to enhance the student experience across the University.

Examination committees make recommendations to the Academic Board on progression and awards.  Every programme of study leading to a University award will be overseen by an examination committee, and the Programme Lead for the awards you examine will be able to provide you with further details of when it meets and how it operates.
Examination committee schedules
Quality and Standards Handbook: assessment and awards

For undergraduate programmes, there is a two-tier structure, with Subject Examination Committees (SECs) operating at Faculty level and making recommendations for awards, which are checked and verified by a university-wide committee: the Undergraduate Confirmation Forum (UCF).  The SECs, which include subject external examiners, meet at the end of each semester - they are responsible for the assessment of a defined set of modules and programmes and for making recommendations on progression and awards to students within their subject fields. The Undergraduate Confirmation Forum also meets after the end of each semester and receives the recommendations from the SECs.  It meets in two sessions: firstly, to consider recommendations for the progression of continuing students, and secondly to consider and confirm awards for graduating students.

The Regulations for Study provide a framework for teaching and assessment at Oxford Brookes.  It is a comprehensive publication covering the academic regulations, policies and procedures governing all the University’s provision, aimed at staff and students.  Some updates were made to the structure of the Regulations for Study in 2020, to reflect the introduction of a new framework for undergraduate programmes for new starters in September 2020; however, a few students still remain on the old Undergraduate Modular Programme rules (which some of you may be familiar with from when you joined us).

Some of the key features of our Bachelor’s degree programmes are:

• They are made up of modules with a standard credit value of 15 credits and a pass mark of 40%;
• Students follow a programme of compulsory and optional modules, with the level of choice increasing as they progress through the levels (except where professional body requirements necessitate a more prescribed programme);
• The degree classification is calculated on the basis of average marks at levels 5 and 6, weighted 25%: 75%;
• Students also have a GPA score, which is an average of the grade points for all modules taken from level 4 to level 6, giving them an indication of progress as they progress through their programme (this is not applied to collaborative provision).

Our Foundation degree programmes are mainly (but not exclusively – we also have an on-campus FdSc programme which underpins our Nursing Associate apprenticeship) taught through our associate college partnerships, which offer a local route to a higher education qualification for students who might not otherwise have this option available to them, for example, mature learners who are in work, have caring responsibilities, or may be returning to education after a break.  These programmes have flexible entry requirements and lower tuition fees, and students benefit from small cohort sizes and, therefore, high levels of academic support – they are also dual-enrolled with Oxford Brookes and have access to our support services and learning resources. Our Foundation degrees are also based on a 15-credit module structure, but with fewer options than is the case for our on-campus Bachelor’s degree programmes; and the awards are classified as Pass/Merit/Distinction, based on the average module mark across both levels 4 and 5. Most of our partners are also approved to offer level 6 programmes so that Foundation degree graduates have the option to top up their qualification to a Bachelor’s degree, the classification for which is based on their level 6 average only – some also opt to come to Brookes for their level 6 study.  

Our Master’s degree programmes are – as you might expect – highly varied in terms of structure, and credit and award requirements, depending on the expectations of the discipline or industry concerned. They are built around a 20-credit standard module size, with a pass mark of 50%.  In common with most universities, the award classification is that of Pass, Merit, or Distinction, and is based on the overall average module mark, with a requirement for a dissertation minimum mark in the same classification category. 

We offer a range of shorter courses at all levels, which will have module credit values and pass marks aligned with the appropriate undergraduate (L4-6, 15 credit structure, pass mark 40%) or postgraduate requirements (L7, 20-credit structure, pass mark 50%), as noted above. 

The University is also the main provider for a number of higher and degree apprenticeship programmes, and is also an approved End Point Assessment Organisation for the delivery of integrated EPAs. If you have been appointed as an external examiner for an academic award associated with an apprenticeship that has an integrated End Point Assessment, you will also be asked to report on the integrity of that process.