University home > Unit and programme catalogues in 2023/24 > Programme catalogue > Faculty of Life Sciences > School of Biological Sciences > Zoology with a Professional Placement (MSci) > Specification
Programme code | 7BISC009U |
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Programme type | Single Honours |
Programme director(s) |
Jane Memmott
|
Faculty | Faculty of Life Sciences |
School/department | School of Biological Sciences |
Teaching institution | University of Bristol |
Awarding institution | University of Bristol |
Relevant QAA subject benchmark groups | Biosciences (2023) (benchmark statement) |
Mode of study | Full Time |
Programme length | 5 years (full time) |
This section sets out why studying this programme is important, both in terms of inspiring you as an individual and in considering the challenges we face. It describes how this degree programme contributes to:
Our primary aim is to equip our students with the broadest range of intellectual and practical skills, to fit them to confront the diverse biological questions they will meet in their future careers. We aim:
1. To offer a stimulating environment that will encourage our students to attain their full academic potential, with teachers who undertake research at the cutting edge of their fields, and who focus their teaching on the latest developments in many disciplines of zoology;
2. To foster in our students an enthusiastic and lifelong interest in zoology, through a developing understanding of the diversity of life and of its processes and mechanisms;
3. To provide the foundations essential for further training and for development of skills and knowledge in our students' future careers, whether in specific areas of zoology or in any other discipline or vocation;
4. To train our students to analyse complex problems of diverse kinds, so that they can reach considered and appropriate conclusions on the basis of the widest range of evidence, and can communicate their conclusions to others;
5. To offer an undergraduate degree programme which covers diverse topics of organismal, environmental and functional biology
6. To make available to our students clear and accurate information on our teaching programmes, on what is expected of them, and on how successfully they are achieving the goals we demand of them. The zoology programme is deliberately drawn broadly. Graduates will have developed subject-specific skills from a variety of areas within the field.
A zoologist will gain knowledge in depth of the diversity, evolution and function of animals, with specialised knowledge of some taxonomic groups, and of the latest developments cutting-edge research on animal biology.
Students transferring from the BSc Zoology programme into the MSci Zoology programme having taken unit BIOL30202 Practical Project rather than BIOL30006 Advanced Practical Skills will also be deemed to have satisfied the intended learning outcomes for this programme at the MSci level of study.
The learning outcome statements shown below for your programme have been developed with reference to relevant national subject benchmarks (where they exist), national qualification descriptors (see the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications) and professional body requirements.
Teaching, learning and assessment strategies are listed to show how you will be able to achieve and demonstrate the learning outcomes.
This programme provides opportunities for you to develop and demonstrate knowledge and understanding, qualities, skills and other attributes in the following areas:
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning/teaching methods and strategies |
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|
Lectures Asynchronous online learning resources Workshops Seminars Practical classes Drop in sessions Padlet boards for discussions Training in quantitative and computational methods including how to use the programming software ‘R’ |
Methods of assessment (formative and summative) | |
Exams Timed multiple choice question (MCQ) exams for year 1 and for numeracy assessments, to test breadth of scientific knowledge acquisition and competency in data skills respectively. Essay based exams in years 2-3 to test your higher order skills including synthesis and critical evaluation. Continuous assessments in all years of various formats with formative opportunities for each mode – essays, practical reports, posters, mock interviews, oral presentations, graphical abstracts, podcasts, debates, literature reviews and dissertations. |
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning/teaching methods and strategies |
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|
Practical classes Practical research projects Asynchronous online learning resources Workshops Seminars Drop in sessions Padlet boards for discussions |
Methods of assessment (formative and summative) | |
Exams Essay based exams in years 2-3 to test higher order skills including synthesis and critical evaluation. Continuous assessments in all years of various formats with formative opportunities for each mode – essays, practical reports, experimental design tasks, posters, mock interviews, oral presentations, graphical abstracts, podcasts, debates, literature reviews and practical project reports. |
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning/teaching methods and strategies |
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|
Interactive Assessment and Feedback Portfolio – contains interactive online assessment maps for students to manage their time for working on and completing assignments. Communication and science writing workshops Excel and ‘R’ workshops Working in pairs and teams on specific tasks |
Methods of assessment (formative and summative) | |
Oral communication – presentations, debates, and podcasts Written communication - Essays and science communication assignments (e.g., abstracts) Digital literacy - Infographics, posters, graphical abstracts, competent use of excel and ‘R’. |
Embedded within the curriculum |
Opportunities to enhance employability and careers thinking are embedded throughout all years of the programme, including opportunities to network with professionals and alumni (Year 1 Key Concepts unit, Year 2 Science and Success unit and Year 4 Bridging Week). Students are also given opportunities within the taught curriculum to work in small groups to explore and share opportunities (volunteering, placements and/or work experience) in their own areas of scientific interests and supported to use social media to identify opportunities for professional development and create a personal academic network. Careers and employability are also heavily embedded in our tutorial system, providing personalised support for professional development, including CVs and applications. In Year 5 (for students on the MSci) our students undertake a Professional Development Unit which includes a careers talk on interviews and CVs, applying for PhDs and Masters and how science is funded, and students also attend research seminars to interact with professional researchers. Students who undertake a professional placement year gain 9-12 months of experience working within an external professional organisation. The development of skills that are desired by employers are regularly mapped during the placement and feedback is given to the students in skills gap analysis and action planning for ongoing professional development |
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Co-curricular opportunities |
Co-curricular opportunities to enhance employability and careers thinking include a careers café which is hosted every other week during term time in our building. We have a strong relationship with the careers service and the life science careers adviser and all our students are actively encouraged to register and engage with ‘mycareer’, undertake the Bristol Plus award and attend relevant events to interact with potential employers. |
This section describes what is expected from you at each level of your programme. This illustrates increasing intellectual standards as you progress through the programme. These levels are mapped against the national level descriptors published by the Quality Assurance Agency.
Level C/4 - Certificate |
Students are expected to have a sound and broad-based knowledge and understanding of biological principles, have learnt to analyse scientific problems and to draw objective conclusions, and have gained self confidence in written, verbal and organisational skills, including communication, teamwork, and computer literacy. |
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Level I/5 - Intermediate |
At level 5, students build on the foundation that they established in level 4, and are expected to develop subject-specific skills such as data handling, statistics, molecular methods and experimental design (depending on unit choice). Students should be able to apply these skills widely and to undertake more in-depth analysis of scientific problems and be able to review their own progress. |
Level H/6 - Honours |
Graduates will have developed subject-specific skills from a variety of aspects of the subject, including those specific to zoology and plant sciences; they will have expanded their breadth and depth of knowledge and understanding of biological systems and will have become confident in their ability to design experimental protocols, collect and evaluate data, analyse complex scientific problems and communicate their findings both verbally and in writing. |
Level M/7 - Masters |
Students graduating at level 7 will be able to demonstrate a systematic understanding and critical awareness of the forefront of their field of study, and are expected to develop a comprehensive and practical understanding of techniques and the application of knowledge to a focused research project; they will show self-direction, autonomy and initiative in decision-making, and demonstrate personal responsibility and an awareness of how to develop their continuing professional skills independently. |
For information on the admissions requirements for this programme please see details in the undergraduate prospectus at http://www.bristol.ac.uk/prospectus/undergraduate/ or contact the relevant academic department.
Undergraduate Students
Success as an undergraduate student depends on you being able to make the transition to self-motivated, independent learning. Programmes are designed to assist you in this development, in many cases by starting with units in which timetabled teaching, such as lectures and practical classes, provides the foundations of knowledge and skills in a subject, moving on to individual research-based work. Over time you will be expected to take increasing responsibility for your own learning, guided by the feedback on your work that you will receive.
Postgraduate Students
Taught postgraduate students are generally studying for one academic year. This is a longer year than for undergraduates, normally culminating in a research project. In a one-year full-time programme your workload will be distributed as evenly as possible, but this will depend on the precise arrangements for your programme. You will be expected to take responsibility for your own learning, guided by the feedback on your work that you will receive.
All students
At the heart of your studies at every level there must be regular and disciplined individual reading, reflection and writing and it is this skill of independent studies, above all others, that will serve you best when you leave the University.
Most programmes use credits and a 20-credit unit broadly equates to about 200 hours of student input. This includes all activities related to the teaching, learning and assessment of taught units.
A component of this is the time that you spend in class, in contact with the teaching staff, which includes activities such as lectures, laboratories, tutorials, problem-solving classes and fieldwork. Some of this activity may be online and could consist of activity that is synchronous (using real-time environments such as Blackboard Collaborate) or asynchronous (using tools such as tutor moderated discussion forums, blogs or wikis).
In some programmes there are field courses and/or placements that will take place in concentrated periods of time.
Outside scheduled activities you are expected to pursue your own independent learning to build your knowledge and understanding of the subjects you are studying. Such independent activities include, reviewing lecture material, reading textbooks, working on examples sheets, completing coursework, writing up laboratory notes, preparing for in-class progress tests and revising for examinations.
We recognise that many students undertake paid employment. To achieve a sensible balance between work and study, you are advised to undertake paid work for no more than 15 hours per week in term-time.
UG Professional Programmes in the Faculty of Health Sciences
For these professional programmes, full time attendance is compulsory unless absence is formally approved. Academic activities are timetabled throughout the 5-day week and student workload is around 40 hours per week on average. Where possible, students in the early years are permitted Wednesday afternoons for sport and extra-curricula activities. This is usually not available in later years of professional programmes as when a student progresses through their curriculum there is an increasing exposure to clinical and professional activities. Students in clinic or on placements may need to stay later than core times of 08.00 – 18.00 or even overnight to observe out-of-hours activities. There may also be an occasional need to work or travel to clinical placements at the weekend. This increasing exposure to clinical activities means that students on these professional programmes often have longer term dates than the University standard. Individual years within programmes are likely to vary in length (for example because of the timings of placements) and further information on this will be found in individual programme information. Another important point to note is that many of the assessments sit outside the standard University examination timetable and are likely to be more frequent, meaning that students will need to engage in revision activities and self-directed learning (including when on clinical placements).
Health Sciences Assessment Statement
Please select the following link for a statement about assessment in the Faculty of Health Sciences. This is University of Bristol access only.
https://www.bristol.ac.uk/media-library/sites/health-sciences/chse/documents/FHS%20Assessment%20and%20Feedback%20statement%202021.pdf
The School of Biological Sciences maintains a series of world-class research specializations across a broad base and is particularly strong in studies at the whole organism level; modern molecular techniques are also applied across diverse fields from microbiology, molecular and cell biology, plant biology to animal behaviour and ecology. Much of its teaching is research oriented, and it offers a wide, diverse range of units which delivers a broad biological education, although the opportunity also exists to focus on particular areas of interest. The School has extensive links with local organisations such as the Veterinary School at Langford, the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, Avon Wildlife Trust, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, and the BBC. Such collaborations further the research of the School and inform its teaching.
Additional Costs
In addition to the fees for the programme, a student may encounter the following costs:
All students on this programme take a mandatory field course. Costs depend on the field course students select and are subsequently allocated to.
This integrated Masters programme has been designated as type II: Specialised or Advanced Masters in accordance with the QAA Degree Characteristics Statement. Please see the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes for further information on this type of programme.
Unit Name | Unit Code | Credit Points | Status | |
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Professional Placement Year | BIOL20027 | 120 | Mandatory | AYEAR |
120 |
Please note: This specification provides a concise summary of the main features of the programme and the learning outcomes that a typical student might reasonably be expected to achieve and demonstrate if he/she takes full advantage of the learning opportunities that are provided.
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