The Royal Pharmaceutical Society has launched an inquiry into the "dumbing down" of standards at De Montfort University after revelations in The Times Higher .
In March, this newspaper reported that De Montfort's School of Pharmacy decided to automatically improve students' exam results by up to 14 per cent because their performance on the MPharm degree was so poor. In effect, it lowered the pass mark on one course to 26 per cent.
Leaked documents showed that the four external examiners for the MPharm complained that the move was "deplorable".
A document seen by The Times Higher shows that one pharmacy school academic warned that the university's reputation could be seriously damaged "if word ever got out about what we have done".
The university denies that standards were compromised, as the upgrades did not effect progression to the following year and did not count towards final results.
But the Royal Pharmaceutical Society said it had placed the university "on probation" as an accredited provider of the MPharm, which attracts about 150 students a year, while it investigates concerns over students' "fitness to practice" as pharmacists.
In a statement, the society says it is concerned that some first-years may have been "passed when they should not have been" and that the school "might be dumbing down standards".
The society says it could suspend accreditation of the MPharm if matters are not resolved.
Last year's MPharm students' end-of-year exam results were approved by four external examiners at the Subject Authority Board in June 2004.
But after the university raised concerns over "some very poor marks", a second emergency SAB meeting was called by Gillian Grant, dean of life and health sciences, without the external examiners' knowledge. This SAB agreed to change marks on six modules, without the examiners' consent.
Two per cent was added to all marks for two second-year exams. The marks for four first-year modules were increased by between 6 per cent and 14 per cent.
In a letter to Philip Tasker, De Montfort's vice-chancellor, the externals, including Michael Threadgill, reader in chemistry at Bath University, said they "deplored" the change.
In June 2004, a module leader for one of the modules concerned, Andrew Twitchell, warned in a memo that the changes were "academically indefensible".
Mr Twitchell, who resigned as module leader in protest and is no longer with the university, added: "If word ever got out about what we have done... it could potentially have serious consequences for recruitment and the academic reputation of... the university."
De Montfort said that "any allegations regarding irregular assessment practices are completely unfounded" and that it "completely rejects the suggestion that any student in pharmacy has progressed who shouldn't have.
"The university maintains the highest academic standards... as was evidenced by the recent routine QAA institutional audit of the department, which confirmed the robustness of the course."