UCA authorised to award research degrees, 2025–2028

Here’s the headline change we think you should know about. From 1 December 2025, the University for the Creative Arts (UCA) will be able to award its own research degrees in England. The Office for Students (OfS) made the Order on 24 October 2025, and it runs until the end of 29 November 2028.

What counts as a research degree? In UK higher education, research awards usually include MPhil and PhD programmes, and some professional doctorates. They differ from taught qualifications such as BA or MA courses, where learning is delivered through modules and timetabled classes. This Order is about research awards only.

Why is the approval time‑limited? Fixed‑term degree‑awarding powers allow the regulator to check that quality and academic standards are being met over time. A term that ends on 29 November 2028 gives UCA nearly three years to deliver and review its doctoral provision under OfS oversight before any renewal decision is considered.

You’ll also see a line that UCA “may authorise other institutions” to grant these research awards on its behalf. In practice, that means UCA can permit a partner organisation to award UCA‑badged research degrees, while UCA remains responsible for academic standards. For a student based at a partner site, the certificate would still name UCA as the awarding body.

The legal footing matters for teachers and students who like to check the small print. The OfS is acting under sections 42 and 43 of the Higher Education and Research Act 2017 and, as the Order notes, it sought advice on quality and standards under section 46. The Order is signed by Nicholas Holland, Head of Quality and Standards at the OfS, and is titled the Power to Award Degrees etc. (University for the Creative Arts) Order 2025.

If you’re applying for a doctorate at UCA, look for clear wording in the prospectus and your offer about who the awarding body is and when the award will be conferred. It’s reasonable to ask admissions to confirm that the degree will be awarded directly by UCA, how external examining will work, and where your thesis will be deposited.

If you’re already on a research pathway linked to UCA or a partner, your programme team can confirm the awarding route for your cohort. The key detail to check is the awarding body named on the final certificate and transcript; that follows the powers in place when the award is made, and your department should set this out in writing.

The Order also includes a practical note on impact. No impact assessment was produced because the change does not alter costs for businesses, civil society organisations or the public sector. In short, this is about who may grant research degrees, not about fees, funding rules or student finance.

For staff and partner institutions, the authorisation to allow partners to award on UCA’s behalf can support collaborative doctoral activity, provided oversight is clear. Ask internally how supervision loads, ethics approvals, and viva arrangements will be managed, and how responsibilities are split between UCA and any partner.

Timeline recap to end on: the Order was made on 24 October 2025, comes into force on 1 December 2025, and expires at the end of 29 November 2028. It is Statutory Instrument 2025 No. 1127, published on legislation.gov.uk, and it applies to higher education in England.