27/6/23
The architects of Northern Ireland have today called on Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) to urgently resolve the dispute that is preventing architecture students from getting a proper degree this summer.
Architecture students who are due to graduate from QUB on 4 July 2023 have been informed that they will graduate without a degree title or classification. This situation has arisen due to the ongoing national University and College Union’s (UCU’s) Marking and Assessment Boycott (MAB) taking place across all UK universities.
The Royal Society of Ulster Architects (RSUA) has written to Ian Greer, Vice-Chancellor at QUB, asking when marking will resume, when full results will be published and whether the students will be offered the opportunity to attend a ‘proper’ graduation ceremony as well as or instead of the ‘degree without classification’ ceremony on 4 July 2023.
Ciarán Fox, RSUA Director said, “Many of these students have had their whole experience of QUB disrupted by the industrial dispute on top of having to endure the difficulties of learning through the Covid-19 years. Just when the celebrations are about to begin, to then have their full degree award held back, is a painful blow.”
“As employers, architects place value on the degree classification as part of the shortlisting and selection process when recruiting. The absence of degree classifications could diminish QUB students’ job opportunities.”
“To minimise this risk, RSUA has written to its 870 chartered members calling on those architects who are recruiting for graduates to avoid discounting students from the shortlisting process due to the absence of a degree classification. Practices have been encouraged to widen the pool of candidates who are invited to interview this year.”
“For those QUB graduates already in employment, RSUA is calling on employers to treat the unclassified degrees from QUB as fully valid, particularly if pay grades are connected to the level of qualification held by staff.”
“However, we are particularly concerned for those students who are seeking work outside Northern Ireland or the UK, where there will be little to no understanding of the dispute that has led to the award of these ‘ghost degrees’.”
