Unit Choices & Learning Agreement
European Credit Transfer System (ECTS)
The European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) was established to provide recognition for academic study undertaken at another higher education institution. ECTS provides a way of measuring and comparing studies and transferring credits gained from one institution to another.
Your home institution should guarantee full academic recognition for the studies you have undertaken abroad. The period spent abroad replaces a comparable period of study at your home institution.
For more information visit The European Commission Education and Training Website|.
Learning Agreement
As an Exchange student you must complete a Learning Agreement to ensure you get academic recognition for your studies. This is a very important document as it represents your contract of studies whilst on exchange.
The Learning Agreement states the units that you will be studying at Southampton Solent University and is relevant for entering your curriculum against your records.
When you arrive at Southampton, you will discuss your Learning Agreement with your Faculty's Erasmus Coordinator. Please note that sometimes your first choice of units that you would like to study may not be avaliable or may be over/undersubscribed, in which case alternative units will need to be chosen. Your coordinator will be able to give you full information about this.
You can download the Learning Agreement here. |
Choosing Units
In the UK system each unit is worth between 10 and 40 UK Credits (CATS). All incoming exchange students are expected to complete a normal academic workload of 120 CATS/ 60 ECTS (full year of study) or 60 CATS/30 ECTS (1 period). Your Erasmus funding could be in jeopardy if you take fewer. One additional 20 CAT /10 ECTS language unit may also be taken either as supplementary or integral to your Learning Agreement.
The majority of units at Southampton Solent University are taught over the course of the year and not on a period basis. The Faculty of the Creative Industries and Society (FCIS) offers a portfolio of units on a semesterised basis. Please note it is not possible to gain credit for completing 1 half of a year-long unit.
The process for choosing units varies depending upon which faculty you wish to apply to. Please remember that you may only choose units from within the study area of your degree programme and the contract area.
Faculty of the Creative Industries and Society (FCIS) |
Faculty of Business, Sport & Enterprise (Full Year Applicants Only)|
Maritime and Technology Faculty| (MarTec) |
Once you have decided the units you would like to study, please fill the learning agreement and get in touch with the Academic Partnerships Office.
Changing Units
If you change any of the units listed on the finalised Learning Agreement you will be required to fill in the section named "Changes to original proposed learning agreement" form, which you can find on page 2 of the Learning Agreement form. This section must be signed by you, your Academic Tutor and a member of the Academic Partnerships Office, who will notify your home university.
If you change your units or decide to stop studying a unit, you MUST inform your lecturer, your Faculty Exchange Co-ordinator and the Academic Partnerships Office. Failure to advise us of any changes will mean that your student record is not updated and will then delay your results and transcript at the end of the year.
To view PDF files, you need to have Adobe Reader™ installed. Adobe Reader™ is available free from the Adobe website.|