Mandate for Study Programme Manager/PhD programme manager
Adopted by the University Board 7 March 2018, with amendments in the university’s Academic Affairs Committee 3 November 2020.
The Study Programme Manager/PhD programme manager is the leader of one or several educational offers. The study programme manager/PhD programme manager operates in cooperation with the Head of Department, persons responsible for courses and the other course teachers, students, and technical and administrative staff.
Definitions: Study Programme: A unit of study that comprises a collection of courses with overall learning outcomes and that is offered to students for application and admission, i.e., bachelor, master’s – and PhD programmes as well as one-year and half-year programmes. Education offered: generic term for study programmes and courses Student: Students at the bachelor- and master’s level and PhD candidates.
The Faculty Board may delegate responsibilities from the PhD programme manager to a PhD specialisation leader.
The study programme manager/PhD programme manager has the following responsibilities and tasks:
1. Manage the development of the educational offer’s academic content, profile, and relevance by:
a) Supervising the development of a programme design that ensures cohesion between the programme’s description of learning outcomes, teaching -, learning, and assessment methods, and also gives progression to the course of study. The PhD programme manager must ensure that there is a sufficient degree of cohesion between the course- and training part and the work with the thesis.
b) Contributing to the educational offer meeting the requirements of national and local regulations.
c) Contributing to the work of internationalisation at home and abroad. This includes ensuring that student exchange/stays abroad in degree programmes are facilitated.
d) Initiating the use of existing opportunities to fund development processes in courses and programmes through local, national, and international schemes.
e) Contributing to the cooperation with society and enterprises, which includes being a driving force relating to cooperation on practical training or other kinds of student affiliations. f) Contributing to good connections between education and research.
2. Contribute to the study programme having student-active and varied teaching-, learning, - and assessment methods which ensure that the programme’s learning outcomes are achieved, by:
a) Stimulating research-based teaching-, learning, - and assessment methods.
b) Being a driving force concerning the use of digital tools in teaching-, learning, - and assessment methods.
c) Being a driving force concerning the quality of academic supervision. d) Stimulating to students taking an active role in the learning process.
3. Lead the quality work in the educational offer in accordance with the university’s quality system, by:
a) Chairing course teacher meetings
b) Leading the study programme committee/PhD programme committee
c) Cooperating with student representatives
d) Preparing the annual programme report and contributing to its follow-up.
e) Conduct periodic programme evaluations f) Reporting possible quality deviances to the Head of Department or the Dean.
4. Be a prime mover in establishing a good learning environment by, among other things:
a) Ensuring that the students receive a high-quality academic and social introduction to the study programme and the courses as a basis for achieving the learning outcomes.
b) Stimulating to the students being included in the academic community and in research projects.
c) Contributing to PhD candidates being attached to research groups and that they get the necessary follow-up and professional development.
d) Contributing to well-functioning cooperation with students and student representatives. e) Contributing to preventive work against harassment in cooperation with the student representative and ensuring that notes of concern are brought to the attention of the Head of Department or the administration.
5. Other responsibilities
a) Provide input to the Head of Department on the need for personnel resources in the study programme.
b) Coordinate term planning. c) Other study programme-related responsibilities delegated from the faculty management and the Head of Department.
6. Required competence
The study programme manager/PhD programme manager must be employed in a full position at UiA, and meet the following competence requirements:
Bachelor’s level: Assistant Professor
Master’s level: formally qualified as Associate Professor
PhD level: Formally qualified as Full Professor
In special cases, exemptions from the competence requirements may be made for a specific period of time. Exemptions must be in writing and approved by the Dean.