Find out where course content draws from and how to request updates for our course pages for prospective students.
Important: Email course page updates to digital@sussex.ac.uk.
Using this guide
Our online course pages are among the most viewed areas of our website. They are sometimes referred to as 'the prospectus'. On our undergraduate, Masters and PhD course pages we list all our degrees, organised by subject. When viewing one of our courses, prospective students can get key information about the degree – a general description, when the course starts, which modules they will study and more.
This guide gives you a step-by-step breakdown of the structure and content on each course page. Each heading refers to a specific section of content on the page which you can use for guidance when suggesting edits to a course page.
On this page
Read more about the sections of a course page as they appear in chronological order:
Course header
The header of a course page typically combines an image, a standfirst, the start date and the title and award of the degree.
Image
Course images should help prospective applicants see themselves at Sussex, studying for the degree. The images need to be on brand, showing the authentic student experience on the course.
You can search for an image by looking at Sussex’s existing photography in Asset Bank.
Faculty Marketing Managers can advise on photo shoots and what works for a course; Creative will sign off on brand, and Digital will crop/implement online.
Title and award
This information is drawn from the database and managed by Academic Quality and Partnerships (AQP). It is not editable at the prospectus end.
Standfirst
The standfirst sits at the top of the course page. It gives a quick impression of the course and is also the Google meta description. As defined by Google, the standfirst is capped at 160 characters. The format we follow is, for example, “Develop the … Understand how…”.
Start date
This information is drawn from the database and managed by AQP. It is not editable at the prospectus end.
Key information
On each course page, the key information section lays out an overview, a course description that answers the question 'why study this course at Sussex?' and information about rankings.
Overview
This is an at-a-glance overview of key info for the course.
Course description
The course description consists of three parts that need to work and be edited together to stay in sync:
- Standfirst
The standfirst sits at the top of the course page. It gives a quick impression of the course and is also the Google meta description. As defined by Google, the standfirst is capped at 160 characters. The format we follow is, for example, “Develop the … Understand how…”. - Overview bullet points
The three bullet points give an at-a-glance overview of the course content. They always lead with the employability message and are about 20 words each. - Text
The descriptive text is an elevator pitch about choosing the course at Sussex. It should be up to about 250 words. Course descriptions should include information around these questions: - Why is this course relevant in today’s world?
- Why is Sussex a good place to study this course?
- What will I do on this course?
- What can I do when I graduate?
Rankings
Where available, up to three course-specific rankings can be added. This component is optional.
Planning create rankings briefings, Marketing advise on which rankings are most relevant for a course, and Digital implement.
Accreditation
Course accreditation, where available, is drawn from the database and managed by AQP.
Video/quote
There is an optional space for a quote or video. You can speak to your Faculty Marketing Manager about producing a video.
Events banner
The events banner will usually advertise University events such as Open Days and Visit Days. It can also show course-specific events such as masterclasses or online events.
Please let your faculty Marketing Manager and Digital know about any upcoming events we can advertise.
On campus – in person
This is a new content block about the location of study (for CMA compliance). Text is created by AQP and managed by Digital.
Modules
This section gives prospective students an overview of the modules they can expect to study on each year of the course.
Module lists
Core modules and options are presented by year of study. Modules are drawn from the system where they are managed in the faculties and AQP.
Database-driven module lists can be manually overwritten in case of a significant curriculum change.
Module descriptions
Module descriptions are edited by Digital, in line with house style and formatted for the web. We run monthly reports on changes to module descriptions on the database and base the edits on these.
Donut graphics
Teaching, assessment and contact hours information is presented with each module. It’s drawn from the database, managed by the faculties and AQP. We’re working to move away from granular module content towards broader content at degree/stage level. On some courses, degree-level teaching, assessment and contact hours information is already in place. When all courses have the information, we’ll switch off the detailed module feeds for teaching, assessment and contact hours.
Electives
Relevant UG courses show Customise your course, with Progressive Futures and Languages electives. Each course includes a flag to detail how many electives students can take.
Course disclaimer
The course disclaimer is approved by GCGC. It informs users of the module year shown and when modules will be published.
Video/quote
There is an optional space for a quote or video. You can speak to your Faculty Marketing Manager about producing a video.
Our experts
In this section, prospective students can see key academics who teach on the course, with links to their profiles for more information.
Video/quote
There is an optional space for a quote or video. You can speak to your Faculty Marketing Manager about producing a video.
Faculty list
Faculties are invited to create lists of key people teaching on the course. This can either be course-specific or shared across several courses. We’d advise keeping the list at about 12 people. Note that this is not a full staff list; it’s a list of key people students are most likely to meet.
Faculty profiles are edited by HR and faculty. Digital can attach profiles to courses but not edit the profiles.
The list is currently alphabetical, but in the future, we will be able to identify the key contact for each course to come first in the list.
For joint courses and major/minors, faculty lists can be created for each subject.
Careers
This section gives prospective students an idea of the kind of roles that they may go into after graduating from their course. It also outlines the support that students can access from our Careers and Entrepreneurship team.
Course-specific text
This includes a summary of employability and career skills a student will gain on the course, and how the course sets graduates up for their future careers.
Digital can implement updates and changes as needed.
Graduate outcomes
Where data is available, an optional section for Where do our graduates work now? can be added.
Video/quote
There is an optional space for a quote or video. You can speak to your Faculty Marketing Manager about producing a video.
Design your future at Sussex
This section includes the University employability offer and is managed by the Careers and Entrepreneurship team.
Entry requirements
This section displays the entry requirements for the course in tables for UK and International applicants. This section is systems-driven and managed by Admissions.
Fees and scholarships
These sections display the fees, additional costs and available scholarships for the course, as well as information about living costs. These sections are systems-driven and managed by Finance and the Scholarship team, respectively.