Quality Manual – Chapter 7

Graduation Procedures and Standards

7.1. Role of the Senate SPCEP

In accordance with its terms of reference, the Senate SPCEP is responsible for approving the examination results of all SPCEPs leading to CUHK qualifications on behalf of the Senate.

7.2. Monitoring of Exit Standards

The graduate lists of SPCEPs are recommended by the SDPUs or their respective programme offering units for approval by the Senate SPCEP at the point of graduation. A clear set of criteria underpinning the exit standards at programme level is available. Measures to safeguard against the risk of grade inflation are in place at course level.

Capturing the overall check points of graduation standard, the template Graduate List Proforma is used for the formal submission of graduate lists to the Senate SPCEP (Appendix 7-1). Information on the “Year of Admission” of each graduate and the “Rolling Admission Figures” of each cohort is required for the monitoring of possible grade inflation by the Senate SPCEP while information on “No. of Students Who Discontinued Their Studies”, “No. of Students Remaining in the Programme within the Maximum Study Period” and “No. of Students Remaining in the Programme beyond the Maximum Study” of each cohort is required for implementing the policy on maximum study period (Appendix 5-12).

Criterion-referenced assessment is adopted. All courses and programmes should follow their respective assessment rubrics in terms of grading and assessment. If Distinctions and/or Merits are granted, the SDPUs should refer to the Guidelines on the Awards of Distinction and Merit for SPCEPs (Appendix 7-2).

In the case of Higher Diploma programmes, a report on the data related to the distribution of Distinctions and Merits should be prepared for submitting to the Senate SPCEP on an annual basis (Appendix 7-3). The data would underpin the Senate SPCEP’s monitoring of exit standards.

For programmes at certificate and diploma level, a Biennial Report on the Distribution of Distinctions and Merits is also compiled by the Secretariat of the Senate SPCEP (formerly the Secretariat of the UExB) for the Senate SPCEP to gauge possible grade inflation and identify good practices (Appendix 7-4).

7.3. Centralized Certification Services

All certificates of award-bearing programmes are issued at the Registry of the University. The Senate SPCEP at the Registry of the University provides centralized certification service for students of all SPCEPs leading to CUHK qualifications. Each graduate certificate is printed with a unique alphanumeric code on its back with the same University’s logo in the front page.

There is a prescribed format and usage of wordings that can be printed on the graduate certificates (Appendix 7-5).

Graduate certificates for programmes at HKQF Levels 4-6 contain the signatories of the Pro-Vice-Chancellor, i.e. Chairperson of the Senate SPCEP, the Registrar, as well as the Head(s) of SDPU(s) concerned or the Director of Divinity School of Chung Chi College (DSCCC)10. On the other hand, graduate certificates at HKQF Levels 1-3 contain the signator(ies) of the Head(s) of SDPU(s) concerned or the Director of DSCCC10.

Each graduate certificate is a unique document and no duplicate copy will be issued.

Replacement certificate in case of loss or damage of an original certificate can be issued through the submission of application by the programme offering unit to the Secretariat of the Senate SPCEP. The procedures for the application for replacement of certificate are in Appendix 7-6.

7.4. Standardized Guidelines for Non-award-bearing Programmes

A Certificate of Attendance (Appendix 7-7) is issued to a participant having fulfilled the attendance requirements of a short-term educational and professional training course of the SDPUs. On the other hand, a Certificate of Completion (Appendix 7-8) is issued to a participant who has fulfilled both the assessment and attendance requirements of a short-term educational and professional training course of the SDPUs.

Clear guidelines are developed on the issuance and printing of both the Certificate of Attendance and the Certificate of Completion (Appendix 7-9). The programme offering units are entrusted with the issuance of certificates for this category with reference to the established guidelines.

Essential data of non-award-bearing (Category 39) programmes are collected at different levels of the University for monitoring through the Non-CUSIS CID8 by the Senate SPCEP. The flowchart for reporting procedures and the relevant template are in Appendix 6-1 and Appendix 6-2 respectively.


10 For DSCCC programmes only.