:: TASMAC LONDON :: University of Wales, UK

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	University of Wales Information
	Awarding of the Degree

University of Wales Information

Founded by Royal Charter in 1893, the University of Wales is the degree-awarding body for the majority of higher education students in Wales, as well as for many at other higher education institutions in the United Kingdom and overseas.

It currently accredits nine university institutions in Wales to award its degrees; these are:

University of Wales

	Aberystwyth University

	Bangor University

	North East Wales Institute of Higher Education

	Swansea Institute of Higher Education

	Trinity College, Carmarthen

	Swansea University

	University of Wales Institute, Cardiff

	University of Wales, Lampeter

	University of Wales, Newport

Cardiff University is also closely linked with the University of Wales, as an Affiliated Institution, and the University continues to be the awarding body for the prestigious degrees in medicine, dentistry and allied subjects.

The University is the degree-awarding authority not only for these Accredited and Affiliated Institutions, but also for over 100 other higher education institutions both within the United Kingdom and overseas, with which it also enjoys close links.Annually, it awards around 15,000 initial degrees and more than 4,000 higher degrees, making it the second largest degree-awarding body in the United Kingdom. The number of students, from all over the world, pursuing University of Wales degrees is more than 80,000, and their studies cover almost the full range of subjects.

In addition, the University provides services to the higher education sector in Wales, such as the Gregynog study and conference centre and the University of Wales Press, and runs a highly-respected research centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies.

The University is a major national institution in Wales. While it is, of course, committed to helping to fulfil the educational and economic needs of Wales and to supporting its linguistic, cultural, and national heritage, the University is also committed to its international role and to enhancing its standing across the UK and overseas.

Validation
Validation is the process by which an awarding institution judges that a programme developed and delivered by another institution is of an appropriate quality and standard to lead to its award.

While the majority of the University's students study in Wales, there is also an important international dimension to its work. It has in place a very successful and highly regarded international validation operation, which enables overseas institutions to offer the University of Wales degree at an equivalent standard to the degree offered in Wales itself. Validation is important in fostering links between Wales and other countries and many of the University's graduates are now in positions of influence overseas. In 2007, more than 15,000 students were registered on validated courses of the University of Wales in 27 countries, covering a wide variety of academic disciplines.

The maintenance of academic standards is of paramount importance for validated courses, as it is for courses offered within Wales. The University is rightly regarded as a role model in this respect. Its processes compare very favourably with those of other institutions in the UK and the recent favourable audit report from the Quality Assurance Agency, together with the University's reputation overseas, attests clearly to the high esteem in which its validation work is held.

Additional information on the University of Wales can be obtained from http://www.wales.ac.uk