Degree Conferral Issue

SnowWhiteBlue

My situation is slightly complicated and I honestly have no idea how to sort this out.

I was a BCL student who was due to graduate in September 2013. However, due to unforseen circumstances, I wasn't able to complete my degree on time and I had to finish it in September 2014.

I finally passed Stage 4 in September and I therefore thought I'd be able to be conferred my degree in December (that's what the School of Law initially told me).

Today, I contacted the School of Law office to ask about the degree conferring and I was told I wouldn't be able to graduate before September 2015 because the board will have to process my grades in January 2015 along with all the other students' exams. They can't process my grades in a sort of ad hoc way. This is unacceptable in my opinion.

I have a bunch of applications which require a copy of my diploma and I am now told I won't be able to graduate until September 2015. Am I supposed to put my life on hold for this?

I tried contacting the student adviser but they're away. I don't know who to contact regarding this serious issue. Any advice?

Thanks!

sunshine and showers

SnowWhiteBlue wrote: »

My situation is slightly complicated and I honestly have no idea how to sort this out.

I was a BCL student who was due to graduate in September 2013. However, due to unforseen circumstances, I wasn't able to complete my degree on time and I had to finish it in September 2014.

I finally passed Stage 4 in September and I therefore thought I'd be able to be conferred my degree in December (that's what the School of Law initially told me).

Today, I contacted the School of Law office to ask about the degree conferring and I was told I wouldn't be able to graduate before September 2015 because the board will have to process my grades in January 2015 along with all the other students' exams. They can't process my grades in a sort of ad hoc way. This is unacceptable in my opinion.

I have a bunch of applications which require a copy of my diploma and I am now told I won't be able to graduate until September 2015. Am I supposed to put my life on hold for this?

I tried contacting the student adviser but they're away. I don't know who to contact regarding this serious issue. Any advice?

Thanks!

The only people you can really contact in the law school are the student adviser and the BCL coordinator.

Have you tried contacting the conferring unit or the assessment unit in Registry?

SnowWhiteBlue

I did contact both the student adviser and the BCL coordinator.

The student advisor is out of the office until mid-October and therefore can't assess my query.

The BCL coordinator is the on who told me I'd have to wait until September 2015.

I haven't tried contacting the conferring unit or the assessment unity, yet. I'll try although I'm not totally sure they can fix the situation.

sunshine and showers

SnowWhiteBlue wrote: »

I did contact both the student adviser and the BCL coordinator.

The student advisor is out of the office until mid-October and therefore can't assess my query.

The BCL coordinator is the on who told me I'd have to wait until September 2015.

I haven't tried contacting the conferring unit or the assessment unity, yet. I'll try although I'm not totally sure they can fix the situation.

To be honest, there probably isn't much the student adviser can do. Grades have to be approved by both the law school and registry before they are valid. Once your grades are approved there'll be a letter downloadable from your SIS saying that your degree is going to be conferred.

Perhaps your best option is to talk to the Dean of Law about it?

SnowWhiteBlue

Yeah, I figured the student adviser would only look into it and suggest I contact another service.

Thanks for the idea! I could potentially talk to the Dean, yes. I mean, I might as well try but I'm not sure if he's allowed to look into individual queries. As the board has to approve the grades and there's no ad hoc session, that's probably my only chance at getting my degree before September 2015.

ironclaw

If you passed your exams, then you have you degree. No questions. Its just not been technically 'awarded' Its a minor difference and a trivial one, one which most other institutions if you are getting a job or applying for another course would understand.

Its also not unheard of for academics to take their sweet time. A friend of mine waited a full year for a minor thesis review in the other large Dublin university. It was literally a case of we won't read it until March next year. Nonsense carry on.