Welcome to Seychelles Polytechnic

Manchester Twinning Programme

Course Structure

Since September 2001, the Polytechnic has been providing the first year of a degree programme in partnership with the University of Manchester (UK). Students spend their first year at the Polytechnic undertaking a broad-based programme of study and then move to Manchester to pursue specialist study in their second and third years.

The Manchester Twinning Programme offers two main streams of degree choice. The first is the BA Economic and Social Studies, BA (Econ) for short, that allows students to follow a specialisation in the second and third years in a range of degrees choosing from a vast range of modules. These specialist degrees include Accounting, Business Studies, Development Studies, Economics, Finance, Politics, Social Anthropology, Social Policy and Sociology. Students are also able to combine appropriate specialist areas to qualify for a joint degree, e.g. Accounting & Finance or Development Studies & Economics, and so on. The second stream is the BA in International Business, Finance and Economics (IBFE). This is a specialist degree that provides candidates with an understanding of business and management in a broader social and economic context.

The first year spent at the Polytechnic is common to both degrees. Students must select 120 credits from the following modules.

• Financial Decision Making (10 credits)

• Financial Reporting (10 credits)

• Introduction to International Politics (20 credits)

• Introductory Computer Applications (10 credits)

• Introductory OR Advanced Mathematics and Statistics (20 credits)

• Management Accounting (10 credits)

• Economic Principles (20 credits)

• Studying the Media (20 credits)

• Study Skills (10 credits)

• Work, Organisation and Society (20 credits)

When students successfully pass 120 credits of these modules, they are eligible to complete their studies at the University of Manchester. The University of Manchester provides access to programmes and departments of international quality and reputation and with the merger with UMIST (University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology), it offers an even greater variety of choice to the successful students of the Seychelles Polytechnic’s Manchester Twinning Programme. It should be noted that, in its five years of existence, the Manchester Twinning Programme has had a 100 percent success rate.

Entry Requirements

A number of entry requirements are in place to qualify for admittance to the Manchester Twinning Programme. At a minimum, students will have three A Level subjects at grade C or above or an equivalent level of achievement. Students can apply from any subject base in A-Level, whether it is Science, Arts, Social Science, Business or any combination of these. According to University of Manchester regulations, all students are required to have a C or above in both English Language and Mathematics O-Level/IGCSE. Mature students with significant professional work experience may also be considered. In addition, those students with an A-Level in Mathematics will qualify to study the Advanced Mathematics and Statistics module (all other students will take Introductory Mathematics and Statistics). Finally, all students coming from the Polytechnic must also, as per government criteria, have the required points in terms of both Extra Curricular Activities (ECA) and general behaviour to qualify for the programme.

Examinations and assessments taken by students on the programme are set and marked in Manchester, which itself is subject to independent quality assessments by the British government. An academic quality inspector from the University of Manchester visits the Manchester Twinning Programme at least once a year, which is supplemented by visits by high-level administrative personnel involved in the BA (Econ) and IBFE programmes.

Staffing

Lecturers teaching modules on the Programme are mainly Polytechnic staff. Some of these are staff teaching on existing programmes, whilst others are staff recruited specifically to deliver the modules. Visiting lecturers from Manchester will also conduct special classes during the academic year.

Resources

An up-to-date computer lab with Internet access is provided for the students on the Programme. The required books and other research materials are available in an area of the Polytechnic library dedicated to Manchester Twinning Programme students as well as in the short-loan section.

Academic Calendar

The Programme follows the same academic year of the University of Manchester. The year consists of two semesters, from September to January and February to June. Exams are held in January and June, although most modules have an ongoing programme of assessed and non-assessed work. Breaks in teaching occur from mid-December to the beginning of February and for two weeks over the Easter period.

For further information please contact the Head of Programme (Manchester Twinning) or visit the dedicated section of the Polytechnic website.