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Programme code | 1PHIL010U |
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Programme type | Joint Honours (UG) |
Programme director(s) |
Karim Thebault
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Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
School/department | Department of Philosophy |
Second School/department | Department of Hispanic, Portuguese and Latin American Studies |
Teaching institution | University of Bristol |
Awarding institution | University of Bristol |
Relevant QAA subject benchmark groups |
Languages, Cultures and Societies (2023) (benchmark statement)
Philosophy (2019) (benchmark statement) |
Mode of study | Full Time |
Programme length | 4 years (full time) |
Philosophy:
This programme is designed to offer students a thorough understanding of Philosophy as it is practised in the analytic tradition. The wide ranging and flexible curriculum provides a programme of study which has progressive intellectual challenges and consolidates previous experience at each new level.
The mandatory units at level C provide all students with (a) a basic knowledge of some fundamental problems of metaphysics, epistemology, ethics and political philosophy (b) a basic competence in logic and the analysis of arguments and (c) the skills of reading and writing required in analytic philosophy. At levels I and H students choose from a wide range of options, taught by specialists in the areas of their own research, some text-based and others topic-based, ranging from ethics and political philosophy to philosophy of physics. Students are also expected to write a number of final essays which give them the opportunity both to explore areas in more depth and detail and to develop their own research skills.
Students successfully completing the programme will be fully competent to continue with postgraduate study, but the programme also provides training in a wide range of transferable skills which serve as the foundation for many types of career.
Portuguese:
The programme provides the opportunity to study the language, literature society, culture, politics and history of Portuguese and another subject.
To develop a good knowledge of the Portuguese language and the ability to understand it in its written and spoken forms and to speak and write it well.
To provide students with a grounding in the language, literature, society, culture, politics and history of Portuguese-speaking countries, with an emphasis on the modern period.
To enable students to acquire an in-depth specialist knowledge of specific aspects and periods of the language, literature, society, culture, politics and/or history of the countries where Portuguese is spoken.
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning and Teaching Methods |
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Acquisition of knowledge and understanding through lectures, seminars and tutorials (1,2,3,4,5). Directed reading with a strong emphasis on primary materials (1,3,4,5). Regular problem classes (2). Tutorials and seminars to encourage student participation and advance understanding of difficult materials (1,3,4,5). Formative feedback on assessment is given through individual tutorials (for most units) and written comments. (1,2,3,4,5). |
Methods of Assessment | |
Coursework essays, testing understanding of a single topic in detail (1,3,4,5). Exams, testing breadth of knowledge of different subjects (1,2,4,5). Class tests and exercises in logic (2). An extended essay, testing the ability of students to research a subject of their own choice in detail (3,4,5). Coursework essays, logic exercises, and level C exams are formative; Level I and H exams and Extended essays are summative. |
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning and Teaching Methods |
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Lectures provide knowledge, enhance understanding, and serve to exemplify the characteristic virtues of analytic philosophy. Seminars and group tutorials aid understanding, and provide forums in which students can discuss philosophical issues with each other and with tutors. Problem classes in logic help students develop their analytical and argumentative skills. Coursework essays give students the opportunity to read widely and reflect carefully on the material covered in lectures and seminars. The extended essay gives level H students the opportunity for more intensive and independent research into chosen topics in Philosophy. |
Methods of Assessment | |
Essay writing tests the students' ability to read widely, analyse information and present reasoned arguments (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,13). Examinations test the students' ability to assimilate information, assess and present arguments, and criticise difficult material in a concise and lucid manner (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,12,13). Essay tutorials assist the students' ability to respond appropriately to criticism, to articulate and modify positions and arguments, and to develop a number of intellectual virtues (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13). The presentation and group discussion of seminar papers develop the students' skills in communication and virtues in intellectual debate (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13). Problem classes test the students' ability in logic (3,5,6,7). The extended Essay tests the students' ability to pursue an independent line of research, and to present the fruits of that research in a professional manner (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,13). |
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning and Teaching Methods |
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Seminars and tutorials are used to develop oral communication by requiring students to engage in class discussions and to give short presentations to initiate discussion, including defending their interpretations and arguments in debate with other students and staff (1,2, 4, 5, 8, 10) Research and written communication skills are developed through feedback on essays (2,3, 6, 8, 10). Students are given guidance in the use of electronic resources, and are informed of opportunities for C&IT training (6,7). Writing essays (especially Extended essays) for set deadlines encourages self-motivation and self-reliance, as well as independence of thought (1,6, 8, 10). |
Methods of Assessment | |
Examinations test the ability of the students to provide crisp and lucid presentations of difficult ideas and arguments. (3.9.10) Essays (especially Extended essays) test the ability of students to research their materials and to present ideas and arguments in a lucid and professional manner (1,2,3,6,7,8,10). |
Embedded within the curriculum |
To follow |
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Co-curricular opportunities |
To follow |
Statement of expectations from the students at each level of the programme as it/they develop year on year.
Level C/4 - Certificate |
Year 1 of the programme has been designed to lay the foundations, both in terms of subject-specific knowledge and skills and in terms of more general abilities, which will allow students to fulfil the programme's aims and objectives. By the end of the year, students should have a basic knowledge of some central areas of the subject (metaphysics, epistemology, ethics and political philosophy) and some crucial philosophical skills, including competence in formal logic and familiarity with the aims and methods of analytic philosophy. They should also be developing their skills in essay-writing and in discussing philosophical issues in tutorials. |
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Level I/5 - Intermediate |
Students further develop their skills and knowledge by choosing from a menu of options. These options are more demanding than level C units both in terms of the difficulty of the materials studied and of the amount of independent critical thinking required of the students. By the end of the year they should be capable of reading difficult and technical material (eg modern journal articles), grasping their arguments, and debating them in seminars with their peers. The two mandatory units, 'Realism' and 'Normativity', provide all level I students with basic knowledge and skills for more advanced level H units. |
Level H/6 - Honours |
Students further develop their skills and knowledge by choosing from a range of advanced options, taught by specialists in the areas of their own research. By the end of the year they should be capable of thinking critically and working independently. Students' capacity for intensive and independent research is further tested by the system of Extended essays. |
Level M/7 - Masters |
For the MSci Mathematics and Philosophy programme - all students take the 'History and Philosophy of Mathematics' unit from the PHS M.A. programme. Two finals essays (or a 20-credit project) further test their capacity for independent study. |
The intended learning outcome mapping document shows which mandatory units contribute towards each programme intended learning outcome.
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning and Teaching Methods |
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Knowledge and understanding are acquired through: lectures, seminars, tutorials, intensive language classes, directed reading, regular written coursework and practical language work (supported by the facilities of the Multimedia Centre), and a compulsory period of residence in the country or countries where the language is spoken. |
Methods of Assessment | |
A range of essay writing skills (short and extended essays). Project work. Seminar presentations. |
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning and Teaching Methods |
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Intellectual skills are developed through seminars, tutorials, oral presentations and essay writing. |
Methods of Assessment | |
Essay writing and examinations test the students' ability to analyse information and present reasoned arguments. |
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning and Teaching Methods |
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Seminars and tutorials are used to develop oral communication by requiring students to engage in class discussions and to give short introductory talks/presentations to initiate discussion. These oral skills are further developed in the language classes. |
Methods of Assessment | |
All units are assessed through written coursework in the form of essays of varying lengths and requirements. These require a detailed and expansive handling of literature and extensive reading in support of their conclusions. |
Statement of expectations from the students at each level of the programme as it/they develop year on year.
Level C/4 - Certificate |
Year 1 of the course has been expressly designed to lay the foundations which will allow students to fulfil the course's aims and objectives. Core units in language are geared to lead the student in the development of their language skills. Foundation units introduce students to the literature, society, culture, politics and history of Portuguese-speaking countries, with an emphasis on the modern period. The expectation is that their work may require considerable direction from members of staff at this stage. |
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Level I/5 - Intermediate |
In Year 2 students are expected to be able to demonstrate that they have expanded the range and depth of their knowledge in various areas of the discipline and their capacity to evaluate their work. The themes and language readings will be of greater depth and substance. Students will develop their analytical skills, their ability to structure their work and present it fluently. They will be encouraged in group work skills through active participation in seminars and oral language classes. They will be developing a capacity for self-directed learning (for example, through the researching and writing of essays and projects). The grammatical and lexical knowledge of the Portuguese language will be tested, as will their specialist knowledge of specific periods/topics within the language, literature, society, culture, politics, history of the Portuguese-speaking world. In Year 3, students will develop their command of spoken and written Portuguese during the mandatory period of residence abroad when they either follow a formal programme of instruction at an academic institution in a Portuguese-speaking country or take up an approved placement in a business or administrative organisation in a Portuguese-speaking country. Their linguistic, critical, research and presentational skills will also be enhanced through the writing of a dissertation in Portuguese during the year. |
Level H/6 - Honours |
Students are expected to have expanded the breadth of their knowledge through the study of optional units, which are more closely linked to staff research interests and which aim to develop conceptual and methodological approaches in more complexity.Students will be expected to develop further their ability to gather and assimilate information, to synthesise these in an appropriate way, to engage in sophisticated evaluation of texts. The students' ability to assimilate and synthesise material, organise their ideas, weigh conflicting interpretations, marshal arguments, form judgements and present their thoughts in written and verbal forms with precision and clarity will be further developed. There will be an emphasis on independent learning, self-directed study and research skills. The grammatical and lexical knowledge of the Portuguese language will be tested, as will their specialist knowledge of specific periods/topics within the language, literature, society, culture, politics and history of the Portuguese- speaking world. |
The intended learning outcome mapping document shows which mandatory units contribute towards each programme intended learning outcome.
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.
UG Workload Statement
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. 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 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.
Professional Programmes
Many undergraduates in the Faculty of Health Sciences will be following the professional programmes of:
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-curriculum activities. This may not be available in later years of professional programmes as when a student progresses through the curricula 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. 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 regulations. Another important point to note is that many of the assessments sit outside of the standard University examination timetable and are likely to be more frequent meaning that students will more oftentimes be engaged in revision activities and self-directed learning.
Faculty of Health Sciences
Faculty Assessment and Feedback Statement for Undergraduate Students. University of Bristol access only.
Philosophy:
An exchange scheme exists with the university of Maryland, allowing one or two Bristol students to spend the whole of their second year in Maryland. This is primarily designed for Single Honours Philosophers, but is sometimes possible for J.S. students after proper consultation & negotiation with J.S. partner departments.
Portuguese:
The Department also offers single honours programmes in Spanish and Hispanic Studies (Spanish with Portuguese or Catalan) and through the School of Modern Languages, joint programmes in Portuguese with one of the following: Czech, French, German, Italian, Russian, Spanish, and in Spanish with one of the following: Czech, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Drama; History of Art, Philosophy and Politics.
The Department has SOCRATES links/exchanges with universities in Evora and Oporto. The University has an agreement with the Federal University of Santa Catarina in Brazil to take students during their year abroad. Further links with Brazilian universities are being established.
The Philosophy department webpage and the undergraduate handbook.
Mandatory Unit Portuguese Language is must pass. For the definition of must pass units please see the Glossary of Terms from Annex 1 to the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
Unit Name | Unit Code | Credit Points | Status | ||
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List A - Take PHIL10032 Logic and Critical Thinking and one of the Portuguese language units | |||||
Portuguese Language | HISP10302 | 40 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Portuguese Language - Post A Level | HISP10307 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Logic and Critical Thinking | PHIL10032 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-1 | |
List B - Take 40 CP | |||||
Introduction to Philosophy A | PHIL10005 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-1 | |
Key Moments in Lusophone History and Culture | HISP10015 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-4 | |
List E - Take PHIL10006; if you are studying post-A level Portuguese HISP10307 in list A, also take MODL10011 | |||||
Introduction to Philosophy B | PHIL10006 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-2 | |
Certificate of Higher Education | 120 |
Mandatory Unit HISP20302 is must pass. For the definition of must pass units please see the Glossary of Terms from Annex 1 to the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
Unit Name | Unit Code | Credit Points | Status | ||
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You must take at least 40 CP of PHIL-coded units and at least 40 CP of HISP-coded units | |||||
List A - Take 40 CP | |||||
Portuguese Lang for Joints/ML | HISP20302 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-4 | |
Realism and Normativity | PHIL20046 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-1 | |
List B - Choose 20 CP from either list B or list D | |||||
Latin America in the Twentieth Century: A People's History | HISP20119 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
World Cinemas: from national to transnational | MODL23016 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
General Linguistics | MODL20016 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Woman and Nation | MODL23017 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Philosophy of Language | PHIL20017 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Texts in Modern European Philosophy 1 | PHIL20050 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
List C - Choose 20 CP from this list | |||||
Catalan Language (Elementary) | MODL23014 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Czech Language (Elementary) | MODL23015 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Woman and Nation | MODL23017 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Introduction to teaching Modern Languages as Foreign Languages | MODL20021 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Beginners Portuguese | MODL20022 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Migrations of Culture | MODL20024 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Philosophy of Mind | PHIL20010 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Philosophy of Mathematics | PHIL20039 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
List D - Choose 20 CP from either list D or list B | |||||
Languages of the Iberian Peninsula | HISP20088 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Introduction to Latin American Cinema | HISP20114 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Philosophy of Mathematics | PHIL20039 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Death, dying and disease | PHIL20049 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
List E - Choose 20 CP from this list | |||||
World Cinemas: from national to transnational | MODL23016 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Ethics | PHIL20011 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Political Philosophy | PHIL20012 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Ancient Philosophy | PHIL20040 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Themes in Modern European Philosophy 1 | PHIL20051 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Space, Time and Matter | PHIL20053 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
List F | |||||
Take 20 CP From Bristol Futures, UWLP or Faculty Wide Units – OR choose an additional 20 CP from lists B-E above | OPEN | 20 | Optional | ||
Diploma of Higher Education | 120 |
Mandatory Year Abroad units MODL20014 and MODL20015 are must pass. For the definition of must pass units please see the Glossary of Terms from Annex 1 to the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
Unit Name | Unit Code | Credit Points | Status | ||
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Year Abroad TB-1 | MODL20014 | 60 | Mandatory | AYEAR | |
Year Abroad TB-2 | MODL20015 | 60 | Mandatory | AYEAR | |
120 |
Mandatory Unit HISP30302 is must pass. For the definition of must pass units please see the Glossary of Terms from Annex 1 to the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
Unit Name | Unit Code | Credit Points | Status | ||
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You must take at least 40 CP of PHIL-coded units and at least 40 CP of HISP-coded units | |||||
List A - List A - Take 20 CP Language and one 20 CP Philosophy option | |||||
Philosophical Issues of Physical Sciences | PHIL30052 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Philosophy and the Environment | PHIL30112 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Philosophy of Biology | PHIL30063 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Evil, Deviance, and Crime | PHIL30127 | 20 | Optional | A,B | TB-1 |
Virtue and Well-Being | PHIL30126 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
The Philosophy and History of Medicine | PHIL30082 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
The Ethics of Migration and Citizenship | PHIL30118 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Portuguese Language for School of Modern Languages and Joint degrees | HISP30302 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
List B - Choose 20 CP from this list | |||||
Dictatorships, prisons, and writing(s) in the Portuguese and Spanish-speaking worlds | HISP30070 | 20 | Optional | B | TB-1 |
Ethics and Literature | PHIL30094 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
The Ethics of Migration and Citizenship | PHIL30118 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Evil, Deviance, and Crime | PHIL30127 | 20 | Optional | A,B | TB-1 |
Communism in Europe | MODL30001 | 20 | Optional | E | TB-2 |
List C - Choose 20 CP from list C or from list F | |||||
Images and Text: Hybrid Media and Power in Latin America | HISP30086 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Philosophy of Psychology | PHIL30077 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Philosophy of Mathematics | PHIL30090 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Philosophy of Biology | PHIL30063 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Philosophy and the Environment | PHIL30112 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
The Philosophy and History of Medicine | PHIL30082 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Beyond Humanity | PHIL30139 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Themes in Ethics | PHIL30137 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Feminist Philosophy | PHIL30123 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Translating in a Professional Context | MODL30010 | 20 | Optional | C | TB-1 |
Catalan Language (follow-on) | MODL30011 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Czech Language (follow-on) | MODL30012 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Follow-on Portuguese | MODL30037 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Liaison Interpreting | MODL30006 | 20 | Optional | TB-1,TB-2 | |
List D - Choose 20 CP from this list | |||||
Philosophy of Psychology | PHIL30077 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Death, dying and disease | PHIL30115 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Themes in Ethics | PHIL30137 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Feminist Philosophy | PHIL30123 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Studying and Making Early Printed Books | MODL30040 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Transnational Narrative in pre-modern cultures | MODL30041 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
List E - Choose 20 CP from this list | |||||
MODL30005 is mandatory for Single Honours Students | |||||
Independent Study 1 | MODL30005 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Gender, Sexuality and Cinema | MODL30018 | 20 | Optional | E | TB-2 |
Theoretical Approaches to Language Teaching | MODL30036 | 20 | Optional | D | TB-2 |
List F - Choose 20 CP from list C or from list F | |||||
Take 20 CP From Bristol Futures, UWLP or Faculty Wide Units – OR choose an additional 20 CP from lists A-D above | OPEN | 20 | Optional | ||
Philosophy and Portuguese (BA) | 120 |
Unit Pass Mark for Undergraduate Programmes:
For details on the weightings for classifying undergraduate degrees, please see the Agreed Weightings, by Faculty, to be applied for the Purposes of Calculating the Final Programme Mark and Degree Classification in Undergraduate Programmes.
For detailed rules on progression please see the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes and the relevant faculty handbook.
Please refer to the specific progression/award requirements for programmes with a preliminary year of study, the Gateway programmes and International Foundation programmes.
All undergraduate degree programmes allow the opportunity for a student to exit from a programme with a Diploma or Certificate of Higher Education.
Integrated Master's degrees may also allow the opportunity for a student to exit from the programme with an equivalent Bachelor's degree where a student has achieved 360 credit points, of which 90 must be at level 6, and has successfully met any additional criteria as described in the programme specification.
The opportunities for a student to exit from one of the professional programmes in Veterinary Science, Medicine, and Dentistry with an Award is outlined in the relevant Programme Regulations (which are available as an annex in the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes).
An Ordinary degree can be awarded if a student has successfully completed at least 300 credits with a minimum of 60 credits at Level 6.
The pass mark for the professional programmes in Veterinary Science, Medicine and Dentistry is 50 out of 100. The classification of a degree in the professional programmes in Veterinary Science, Medicine, and Dentistry is provided in the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
An oral distinction may be awarded.
The alternative classified honours degree of Arts (Modern Language Studies) may be awarded on this programme. For further details please see the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes
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.
University of Bristol,
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Tel: +44 (0)117 928 9000