Alternative academic entry routes

In order to be eligible to apply via the RPP route, applicants must satisfy 3 criteria:

• Have formally applied to study at BIMM University Berlin
• Be 19 years of age or older by the course start date
• Have received a degree level recommendation following a successful interview

Once evidence of all 3 of these has been received, then the admissions team will contact you directly with details regarding how to submit your RPP portfolio.

An RPP submission needs to demonstrate that an applicant is able to present a satisfactory level of academic ability and aptitude, in lieu of a certified Level 3 qualification. For this reason, the main component of the portfolio is a reflective essay, however a RPP Portfolio will consist of a statement of claim, a reflective essay (2000 words max) and appendices containing evidence relevant to the RPP claim:

Statement of claim (approx. 100 words)

This should be an introductory statement (approx. 100 words) which outlines the basis of your claim for RPP. This should be a brief overview of the experiences that you intend to reflect on in your essay, and why these are relevant to the course for which you are applying.

Reflective essay (2000 words)

The reflective essay should provide an account of key previous learning and personal experiences that are relevant to your intended area of study. You should reflect and evaluate how these experiences have influenced your professional and personal development as well as enabling you to develop new ideas and approaches. Your essay should refer to the evidence that you choose to include in your appendices, to support any claims and any supplementary academic resources that you have utilised and/or referred to throughout (e.g. books, websites, media sources)

Appendices

Appendices should include any additional, relevant evidence to support anything claimed throughout your reflective essay, to ratify any claims made of previous learning and/or personal experiences. These should include, but are not limited to:

• An up-to-date CV– this should include; any relevant formal or informal work experience; education and training; relevant learning experiences/prior practice (e.g. live performance, event management); List of competencies and skills; and any other professional information that you deem relevant to demonstrate your knowledge and experience within your subject area.
• Supporting Evidence– Evidence of any skills, activities, employment, work experience or claim made throughout your reflective essay and CV. This can be direct or indirect evidence and examples of what this may include are:

1. Articles/Reports/Essays/Poems etc as relevant to subject area
2. A/V materials or artefacts demonstrating areas of practice
3. Further analysis and description of training and practice activities
4. Certificates / Awards etc
5. Statements from people that know you and have worked with and/or who can give feedback about your prior practice e.g. Employers; Colleagues; Clients; Business/Creative project partners; Teachers/Educators etc.

If you are eligible to apply via RPP, the Admissions team will send you a full set of guidelines to outline what needs to be submitted as part of your portfolio, as well as information about formatting and submission. You will also be provided with an example of a previously successful RPP submission, which demonstrates a high standard and meets all requirements.

RPP submissions are marked throughout the year by a panel of specialist markers. Once you have been identified as eligible and requiring RPP for entry onto a course, a member of the Admissions team will contact you with information regarding submission dates, the timeframe in which you are required to submit your portfolio and the date that you can expect a decision.

The RPP Panel dates for 2024 entry applications is as follows:

There will be 3 panel outcomes for RPP Portfolios. These will either be pass, re-submission or fail. Feedback is provided and sent to every applicant in the case of all outcomes.

In order to be eligible to apply via the RPL route, applicants must satisfy the following criteria:

• Have formally applied to study at BIMM University Berlin
• Have previously studied or are currently studying on Year 1 of a relevant undergraduate course- this must be supported by the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS)
• Have received a degree level recommendation for Year 2/ Level 5, following a successful interview

If all 3 of these criteria have been met, then the admissions team will contact you directly with details regarding how to submit your RPL portfolio.

Applications for RPL need to consist of 3 elements. This includes a written request, stating the BIMM University Berlin course that you are seeking to apply to using RPL; details of the modules studied at L4 at another institute, which they wish to be considered for Year 2 entry; and evidence that the correct 120 credits have been achieved at L4 to allow for L5 progression. These 3 elements can be evidenced as follows:

• A certified copy of an academic transcript and award certificate displaying that 120-credits have been achieved. If you are still studying at L4 then this will need to be provided once you have received your results.
• A Course Specification for the previously or currently studied course
• Module documentation for all modules completed (including details of Learning Outcomes and Assessment Diet).

The information relating to the last 2 points can typically be found in your course handbook. If you do not have a copy of this then the institution in which you studied/are studying can provide you with this.

RPL submissions are marked throughout the year by a panel of specialist markers. Once you have been identified as eligible to proceed with an RPL application, a member of the Admissions team will contact you with information regarding submission dates, the timeframe in which you are required to submit your portfolio and the date that you can expect a decision.

The RPL Panel dates for 2024 entry applications is as follows:

If you do not meet the required academic entry requirements for Postgraduate study, RPCEL is available as an alternative. If you are successful at interview and it is deemed appropriate for you to proceed with an application via the RPCEL route, then this decision will be passed to the Admissions Team who will then send full guidance and deadlines for your RPCEL submission.

There are 2 possible routes for an RPCEL claim and what will be required will depend on which of these is identified as being required. If you intend to apply for Postgraduate study in lieu of a degree qualification, or if your degree award was below a 2:2, then it is most likely that you will be required to follow the Experiential Learning route, but it may be decided that the Certified Learning route is appropriate.

This will be discussed with you at your interview and a decision on the best route to follow will then be communicated to Admissions, who will then send you the relevant guidance.

In terms of what you will need to provide for either route, this would include:

For Certified Learning:

• • A statement of claim (150 words): a brief statement outlining the basis of an applicant’s RPCEL claim, which should provide a summary of the written work being submitted.
  • A certified copy of a transcript and award certificate;
  • A Course Specification, curriculum or syllabus with module descriptions (including Learning Outcomes), where appropriate.
  • Examples of written academic work (up to 15,000 words; no less than 3500 words): These can include dissertations, essays, research reports and examples of reflective writing. The pieces need to make use of a recognised referencing system, and applicants are advised to submit at least two pieces.

For Experiential Learning:

This route allows applicants to be recognised for prior learning gained through experience in the workplace or through private study outside of formally accredited school, college or university courses. Experiential credits are not awarded simply on the basis of experience, but also on an applicant’s ability to reflect on and write about this experience. The assignment allows applicants to demonstrate informal experiential learning in more academic terms.

A Portfolio should contain the following sections:

• Statement of claim (150 words): a brief statement outlining the basis of an applicant’s RPCEL claim. It should provide a summary of the experience on which the application will be based and why it is relevant.
• CV: This should include details of the applicant’s educational and professional history, along with a list of competencies.
• Reflective Essay (2500-3000 words): In this essay, applicants are required to reflect on past experiences and accomplishments, concentrating on what they have learnt through these experiences and how they have prepared them for postgraduate study. Applicants should choose relevant examples that showcase their professional practice and experience in the creative arts/industries and are invited to include audio-visual elements in the submission if this supports the reflection. Reflective writing needs to demonstrate that additional reading has been carried out and these sources should be referenced using the Harvard Referencing System (please see Appendix 1 for further details).

RPCEL submissions are marked throughout the year by a panel of specialist markers and the Head of Postgraduate School. Once you have been identified as eligible and requiring RPCEL for entry onto a course, a member of the Admissions team will contact you with information regarding submission dates, the timeframe in which you are required to submit your portfolio and the date that you can expect a decision. The marking and decision process typically takes 14 days, and you will be informed of the outcome via email once this has been completed.