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General Conditions
https://www.antwerpmanagementschool.be/en/general-conditions/general-education-and-examination-regulation
Education and Examination Regulation

Education and Examination Regulation 2023-2024

The following education and examination regulations apply to all participants who are registered for a master’s degree program at Antwerp Management School. The academic director of each program may, after consultation with the vice-dean, add supplementary regulations at the level of a particular program.
These regulations apply to all master’s degrees offered during the academic year 2023-2024.

PART I – EDUCATION REGULATIONS

Article 1 – Timing of the academic year

The academic year 2023-2024 will be organized from September 1st 2023 until September 30th 2024. An extension is possible if necessary. For a specific breakdown of the academic year, please refer to the course schedule of the program in question.

Article 2 – Degree programs and educational organization

  1. The Academic Council annually ratifies, by February 1st, the list of degree programs and degree specializations to be offered during the next academic year, and the tuition fees for each degree program.
  2. The program team describes the admission conditions and procedure of each program, the content and learning objectives of the program, the beginning and ending competencies, and the program courses.
  3. The descriptions of the courses are published by the beginning of the academic year.
  4. The language of instruction is specified for each degree program. The language of the examinations is the same as the language used for the program or the course. For written examinations, including the master project, the academic director can allow motivated exceptions.
  5. The academic director decides on the awarding of exemptions on the basis of proven proficiency, credit certificates or previously earned qualifications.

    Article 3 – Registration

    1. Participants are registered for a degree program, and/or individual courses.
    2. By registering, participants enter into an agreement with Antwerp Management School which specifies their choice between a diploma contract, an examination contract or a credit contract. The study program, of the academic year for which the participant registers, is specified in the agreement, along with the tuition fee and the method of payment.
    3. Registration for a full-time master's program is valid for one academic year, and registration for an executive master program is valid for two years.
    4. If a participant does not succeed in completing his/her study program within the normal timeframe, he/she can obtain a new registration for the same degree program one time for one academic year, if the program management agrees, and after the formal consent of the Examination Committee. Measures to monitor the progress of the participant’s study program can always be imposed.
    5. If the student does not complete his/her study within the normal timeframe because the student wishes to postpone her/his master's thesis, then a written motivated file must be submitted to the program management, with an explanation of the reason for the postponement and a clear motivation for completing the master's thesis in the coming academic year. Such a request will then be submitted to the Examination Committee of Antwerp Management School, which will take a decision on this in a discretionary manner.
      - If the file is based on medical reasons (with medical evidence that clearly indicates that the student cannot terminate the program within this period), the Examination Committee will always give a positive result.
      - If such a request is based on a written statement from the employer that the professional situation of the student has changed substantially, as a result of which the student cannot terminate the study program within this period, the Examination Committee will seriously consider such request. If desired, the parties can consult on this.
      - If such a request is not based on medical reasons or on a request from the employer, the student must provide a double motivation. On the one hand, the student must indicate the reasons why she/he wishes to postpone the master's thesis, and on the other hand what initiatives the student will take to make it clear that the master's thesis will be ready a year later than planned. The Examination Committee will then decide on this in a discretionary manner.
    6. Only in exceptional circumstances, and after the participant has submitted a motivated application and has obtained approval from the Examination Committee, can a participant obtain an additional registration for the same degree program.

      Article 4 – Complaints

      Complaints concerning educational matters can be addressed to the academic director of the program, and subsequently to the associate dean education or his/her representative. The ombudsteam can act as a mediator, if necessary.

      Article 5 – Use and distribution of educational and study materials

      1. When sound- and/or video recordings are being made during learning activities which are used by the teacher for direct emission, video-conferencing, or for making the recordings available on learning platforms and/or for evaluation and feedback, students cannot contest this; however, every student has the right to ask not to be personally recorded. Students will be informed before every recording.
      2. It is not allowed for students to make sound- and/or video recordings of learning or assessment activities, unless after formal permission of the teacher(s) involved. Even with such permission, the recordings can only be used by the student for personal educational purposes. Distribution of such recordings by any means is only possible after formal permission of the teacher and/or author involved. Commercial use of recordings is always forbidden.
      3. It is not allowed to multiply or make available to others (for free or against payment) of any (parts of) study materials (e.g. course syllabi, slides, exercises, examples of exam questions, etc.) which someone has received for free or against payment during his/her study program, unless after formal permission of the author; commercial use by students of study materials is always forbidden.

        PART II – EXAMINATION REGULATIONS

        Article 6 – Types of examinations and organization

        1. At the start of each course, the instructor informs the participants about when and how they will be evaluated, and how the examination results will be determined, including the weight of the different parts of the evaluation, if any. Evaluations and examinations can be organized throughout the academic year.
        2. In the span of one academic year, participants have a maximum of two opportunities to take an examination, or a part of an examination, for a course. Between the first and the second examination opportunity, a reasonable study time of at least three weeks must be observed. This time period can be adjusted by mutual consent of all parties concerned.
        3. If the exam of a course consists of two or more parts, the instructor informs the participants if, and how, the results of certain parts of the examination can be retained for the second examination opportunity, in those cases in which the participant may fail the entire course.
        4. At the start of the academic year, the program team announces which courses do not offer a second examination opportunity during the same year, due to their specific nature. If a participant wants to take the second examination opportunity for such a course, he/she will have to register for the next academic year.
        5. A participant who has earned the required credits for a course after taking the first examination opportunity, cannot participate in a second examination opportunity for that course.
        6. After the announcement of the examination results, the participant has the right to consult his/her own written exams and to discuss the examination with the instructor.
        7. If a participant is unable to participate in an examination due to force majeure (unavoidable circumstance), he/she must report this to the program team before the start of the examination. Afterwards the force majeure must be proven with sufficient evidence (e.g. a doctor’s note). The program team will then determine if the participant may take the examination on another date.
        8. A participant who does not take the first examination opportunity, except in the case described under article 6.7, will be automatically referred to the second examination opportunity.
        9. After registration in a degree program, a participant is automatically registered for the first examination opportunity. If he/she does not succeed in the first examination opportunity, he/she is automatically offered to register for the second examination opportunity, except when a second examination opportunity is not offered during the same academic year or the student may not want to register for a second examination opportunity.
        10. Exceptions regarding the type and organization of exams can be granted to participants with a special statute (e.g. as top athlete, artist, or entrepreneur) or with a functional or learning disability, as long as this is possible within the educational organization of the program. To obtain these exceptions, participants have to submit an application at the beginning of the academic year, which will be judged on an individual basis by the program management.
        11. During online evaluation moments Antwerp Management School has the right to observe the evaluations and to record them by means of the camera of the computer and by of a second camera filming the examination setting. During evaluation moments the screen image, the activities on the keyboard and the computer mouse can be traced and recorded. Students will be informed before the recording takes place. The recording of an online evaluation can be used for evaluating the examination and to combat fraud.

        Article 7 – Ombudsservice

        1. The ombudsteam consists of one or more neutral contact person(s) and mediator(s) in cases regarding educational or exam-related problems. In particular, he/she is the main mediator between instructors and participants in cases of examination disputes. At the request of an instructor or a participant, the ombudsteam, or a member of the examination committee designated by the chairman of the examination committee, may be present during an examination.
        2. The ombudsteam is appointed for at least one academic year by the dean. The ombudsperson does not act as a mediator in disputes concerning courses or programs in which he/she is directly involved.
        3. In order to accomplish his/her task, the ombudsperson has the right to all information concerning an exam in which he/she is a mediator. He/she is, however, bound to secrecy.
        4. After all the second examination opportunities of the academic year have taken place, the ombudsperson submits a report to the dean’s office of all the cases in which he/she was involved.

        Article 8 – Examination Committees

        1. Before the beginning of the academic year, the Academic Council appoints one examination committee for full-time master's programs and one for executive master 's programs.
        2. Both of these examination committees are chaired by the associate dean education. He/she does not have voting rights.
        3. Every master's program or program orientation is represented by one member who holds voting rights, namely the academic director of the program or his/her representative.
        4. Observers (without voting rights) may be invited to attend the meetings of the examination committee.
        5. Members of the examination committee are required to attend the deliberation meetings. If they are unable to be present, they must inform the chairperson of the examination committee, and a replacement member will be appointed.
        6. At the end of a master's program, the examination committee declares if a participant has completed the program successfully and is allowed to graduate. Additionally the committee awards degrees of merit to the participant, if applicable.
        7. The deliberations of the committee are conducted in secret. Meetings may take place physically or electronically.
        8. If no consensus is reached on the graduation of a participant, or his/her degree of merit, the examination committee decides by majority voting of the members who are present with voting rights, excluding abstentions, blank votes or invalid votes. The vote is written down and confidential. In cases where an equal amount of votes are cast, the decision most favorable for the participant will be accepted.
        9. Every decision of the examination committee will be sufficiently explained and recorded in a deliberation report. The report, including the list of the members who were present at the meeting(s), will be submitted to the dean’s office.

          Article 9 – Examination Results and Credits

          1. The examination results for all courses are expressed in whole numbers to a maximum of 20. To calculate the end result, the usual rounding-off rules apply (x.01 to x.49 becomes x, and x.50 to x.99 becomes x+1).
          2. Results obtained in a second examination opportunity are subject to a negative correction of 2 full points. However, an end result of 10 points or more can never be subject to a correction below 10 points. Exemptions to this rule are possible in the case of master projects.
          3. Participants will be informed about the manner and timing of the exam results announcement at the beginning of the academic year.
          4. Once announced, the results will be considered to be final, unless clear errors can be demonstrated. In such a case, the program team will evaluate the error and implement necessary corrections immediately when the error is proven.
          5. A participant who completes a course successfully will receive the credits for that course as indicated in the study program. The credits remain valid indefinitely within the program where the credits were obtained. The school may impose a credit revalidation program if three or more calendar years have passed since the credits were originally obtained.

            Article 10 – Deliberations and grading

            1. A participant can only graduate from a program if he/she has participated in all the exams of that program, excluding exemptions.
            2. The participant’s final result is a weighted average of all the examination results that the participant obtained in the courses of his/her study program. To calculate the final result, the credits of the corresponding courses are used as weights for the examination results. The final result is expressed as a whole number out of a possible 100.
            3. If a participant has used more than one examination opportunity for the same course, the best result will be used for calculating the final result.
            4. A participant with a final result lower than 50 out of 100 cannot graduate from his/her program.
            5. A participant will graduate from his/her program if he/she has obtained the credits for all the courses in his/her study program, excluding exemptions.
            6. The examination committee can allow a participant to graduate, even if he/she has not obtained the credits for all the courses in his/her study program, if the committee determines that the participant has reached the overall learning objectives of the program and if at least one of the following conditions is met:
              1. The total number of credits that the participant has failed to obtain, excluding exemptions, is a maximum of 10 per cent of the total number of credits of the program (normally this is equivalent to 6 ECTS credits);
              2. The participant has failed only one course, excluding the Master Project;
              3. For scores of 7 out of 20 or lower, only in exceptional cases a deliberation can be granted, and this only after an explicit motivation and after an anonymous majority vote. In case of a split vote, the deliberation is accepted.
            7. The examination committee can only award degrees of merit to participants who have graduated.
            8. The examination committee awards degrees of merits on the basis of the participant’s final results. The following degrees of merit are awarded:
              1. with satisfaction: final result of 50 to 67 points out of 100
              2. with distinction: final result of 68 to 77 points out of 100
              3. with great distinction: final result of 78 to 84 points out of 100
              4. with the greatest distinction: final result of 85 points or more out of 100.
            9. In highly exceptional circumstances, the examination committee can deviate from the rules in article 9.8. This decision requires an extensive explanation and a unanimous vote (with blank and invalid votes not included).
            10. When a deliberation was granted, the examination committee can decide, after motivation, to lower the grade of merit of the student concerned by maximum one grade of merit.

            Article 10 – Fraud

            1. Fraud is considered to be any kind of cheating during exams or any type of action that can influence the result of an examination. Possession, in the examination room, of any means that can be used to commit fraud will be considered to be fraud, even if this is only determined after the examination has taken place.
            2. A person who identifies a case of fraud should immediately report this to the academic director and the program manager of the program where the alleged fraud occurred.
            3. Any complaints about fraud will be discussed by the ethics committee according to the rules laid down in the Code of Conduct.

              Article 11 – Appeals

              1. A participant who wishes to appeal a decision concerning the organization of an examination, or to appeal an examination result, may request mediation from the ombudsperson. Only if a discussion between the student and the teacher concerning the exam does not produce a satisfactory result, the student can submit an appeal to the chairperson of the examination committee. This appeal must be submitted within 10 calendar days after the organization of an exam, or within 5 calendar days after the examination results are announced. The last time period can be extended if a mediation attempt takes place between the instructor and the participant.
              2. All appeals will lead to a confirmation of the original decision or to a review of that decision. Any confirmation or review will be clearly explained.
              3. If a participant wishes to appeal a decision of the examination committee, other than the decisions discussed under 12.1 and 12.2, he/she can submit a written appeal to the chairperson of the board of appeals. This appeal must be submitted within 10 calendar days after the announcement of the examination committee’s decision.
              4. The participant who submitted an appeal will receive a decision by the board of appeals within 15 calendar days after the appeal was submitted.

              PART III – DIPLOMA FILE

              The diploma file of the master’s programs at Antwerp Management School consist of:

              - a transcript of the results

              - the diploma

              - a diploma supplement with the details of the master program, and

              - a general explanation about the organization of the Flemish higher education.

              Duplicate

              The diploma file is a unique copy. Antwerp Management School can never deliver a second authentic file, even in case of proven theft or in case of force majeure (for example fire).

              It is possible to receive a single duplicate when the original is lost or destroyed. This requires a written motivated request and a payment of € 95 per diploma. The request can be sent by email. After the request has been approved further instructions will be given to obtain the duplicate.

              Please take into account that the delivery time is 10 working days (excl. shipment). A duplicate will only be sent after the payment has been received.

              Language

              All diplomas delivered by Antwerp Management School are bilingual (Dutch and English).

              More information

              More information about the diplomas delivered by Antwerp Management School can be received at the diploma administration.

              Wim Van Driessen

              T +32 (0)3 265 49 42
              F +32 (0)3 265 47 34
              E wim.vandriessen@ams.ac.be