University home > Unit and programme catalogues in 2021/22 > Programme catalogue > Faculty of Life Sciences > School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine > Cellular and Molecular Medicine (MSci) > Specification
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Programme code | 7PANM027U |
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Programme type | Single Honours |
Programme director(s) |
Darryl Hill
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Faculty | Faculty of Life Sciences |
School/department | School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine |
Teaching institution | University of Bristol |
Awarding institution | University of Bristol |
Relevant QAA subject benchmark groups | Biomedical science (2023) (benchmark statement) |
Mode of study | Full Time |
Programme length | 4 years (full time) |
The aim of these integrated advanced study Masters programmes is to produce graduates of high calibre who will know their subject in depth and have well-developed critical skills, and who will be well placed to meet the recruitment needs of employers.
In their first year, students gain a broad training in biomedical science and will begin to study the cellular and molecular basis of human diseases, as well as basic biochemistry, cell biology, pathology and microbiology.
In the second year, students will study molecular genetics and learn skills in recombinant DNA technology, which underpins research in many cutting-edge laboratories. In addition, students will be taught biomedical research, employability and enterprise skills.
In the third year, students will choose four level H topics from across the breadth of those offered by the School, areas include cancer biology, immunology, virology, microbiology and regenerative medicine. Students will also undertake a research project (laboratory or literature) working in a research group in the School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine or in one of the surrounding hospitals.
In the fourth year, students will take an extended hypothesis driven research project developing enhanced research skills. Students will also develop critical literature review skill, use software to manage a research project and raise awareness of how research is translated into medical application, and commercialised.
Throughout the programme, students are supported by a personal academic tutor with whom they are able to seek advice on all academic and non-academic matters. Personal academic tutoring is available throughout the programme and throughout the extensive research projects in the final year.
Overall, It is intended that our graduates will have a range of transferable skills appropriate to the changing needs of the employment market in the future. Students will learn how to assimilate knowledge, to manage their time effectively, and to communicate scientific material in both oral and written modes by presentation of a dissertation, oral reports, and essay-type examination answers. They will learn good scientific method and laboratory skills, and how to analyse and interpret scientific data correctly. The wide range of transferable skills acquired is highly valued by employers and provides an excellent preparation for a number of careers and further postgraduate study.
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning and Teaching Methods |
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Plenary lectures are the principal mode of imparting information in years 1-3. These are complemented by laboratory classes in which students learn experimental skills and how to handle materials safely. In Years 1 and 2 most laboratory classes are didactic: students gain experience of techniques of relevance to the advanced work in their third year. In Year 3 and year 4 students undertake a research project on which they write a dissertation. Students also learn through tutorials, small group student-centred teaching allowing ready interaction between the teacher and the individual student. Students are encouraged to undertake independent reading throughout, mainly basic texts in the early stages and research papers later on. |
Methods of Assessment | |
Students are formatively assessed by tests within individual units, marked work in laboratory classes, and the preparation of handouts, essays and problem-solving exercises in tutorials. Students are assessed summatively by unit assessments and conventional end-of-year examinations. The year 3 and year 4 research projects both assessed by two examiners. Students are also assessed by group and individual oral and poster presentations. |
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning and Teaching Methods |
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Intellectual skills are developed through the teaching and learning programme outlined above. 1 is acquired principally through discussion in tutorials and interaction with teachers in these and in laboratory classes; 2 & 3 in laboratory classes; 4 in essay writing; 5 & 6 particularly in level H/M project work and in spoken presentations. These are centred at level H/M on cellular and molecular medicine programmes although in the earlier years we offer a more broadly-based curriculum. |
Methods of Assessment | |
All our assessment methods seek to test the acquisition of these skills wherever possible. End-of-year examinations address 1 in particular; 2 & 3 are addressed in laboratory class assessments and dedicated papers in level H/M are specifically concerned with 2. A mature display of skills 4, 5 and 6 is important for the award of class 1 and 2.1 Honours. |
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning and Teaching Methods |
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Some of these skills are acquired as a result of critical appraisal by staff and learning/teaching strategies are hence closely tied to assessment (below). More specifically, there is essay-writing guidance (1) and students have to organise themselves and their time in laboratory work and in meeting deadlines (3,4,5); oral presentations increase confidence in 2. Laboratory work and tutorial guidance instils 7 and university services supply 6 & 8. 9 & 10 are central to project work for all students, at level H and Level M |
Methods of Assessment | |
Assessed essays, end-of-year examinations, laboratory records and project write-ups (1); practice in essay writing is given from Year 1 and develops in the later years, with the additional constraint of time in 3-hour examinations. Final examinations interviews and oral presentations test (2); essays, laboratory records and projects test (3,4,5,6,7). Most laboratory work calls for collaboration with one or more fellow-students and, in the later years, with technical/ research staff. Level H projects and Level M project crucially test (9,10). Essays can involve experience of word processing, IT data retrieval and image scanning (8). |
Statement of expectations from the students at each level of the programme as it/they develop year on year.
Level C/4 - Certificate |
By the end of their studies at level C, students are expected to be able to use information acquired from textbooks and in lectures, practical classes and tutorials to demonstrate a sound knowledge of the fundamental principles of some of the core aspects of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Pathology, Microbiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and a level of competence in the relevant skills. It is expected that students should be able to relate this basic knowledge to a more detailed or advanced understanding of the subject later in the programme. |
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Level I/5 - Intermediate |
At level I students are expected to be able to demonstrate that they have expanded the range and depth of their knowledge of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Pathology, Microbiology and Molecular Genetics in selected areas. They should also have developed a higher and broader level of competence in the relevant skills and practical techniques. They are expected to be developing a capacity for self-directed learning. They should have reached a comparable level of competence in their other (usually biochemical) optional units. |
Level H/6 - Honours |
At level H students are expected to expand the breadth and depth of their knowledge of Cellular and Molecular Medicine through their study of four specialist Topics in Cancer Biology, Immunology, Virology and Microbiology, and through their practical or literary research projects. At this level students are expected to be able to demonstrate their capacity for self-directed study using the skills acquired and developed at levels C and I, applying knowledge gained through formal teaching to new and as yet unexplored systems. They should also be able to keep abreast of new and forthcoming developments in Cellular and Molecular Medicine and in related areas of biomedical science. |
Level M/7 - Masters |
At level M students are expected to be able to direct their own work, coming to independent decisions based on their own judgement. They are expected to initiate, design, conduct, and report an empirically based project under appropriate supervision by an individual member of academic staff, including appropriate statistical analysis. They need to be able to critically appraise the quality of their own work and that of others. They need to be able to work collaboratively and creatively on long-term projects, setting their own goals and monitoring their own progress. |
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.
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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Fundamentals of Molecular Microbiology | PANM10003 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-1 |
Normal and Tumour Cells | PANM12051 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-1 |
Biochemistry: Cellular Composition | BIOC10003 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-1 |
Biochemistry: Cellular Processes | BIOC10004 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-2 |
Disease and Defence | PANM10002 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-2 |
Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases | PANM10001 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-2 |
Certificate of Higher Education | 120 |
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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Recombinant DNA Technology | MOLG22100 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-1 |
Infection and Immunity | PANM22041 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-1 |
Gene expression and rearrangement | MOLG22200 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-2 |
Cellular and Molecular Pathology | PANM22042 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-2 |
Biomedical Research, Employability and Enterprise Skills | MVSF20001 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-4 |
It is strongly recommended that students take one of the following 20 credit point units: | ||||
Bench to Bedside and Beyond | PANM20005 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 |
Molecular Cell Biology | BIOC20001 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 |
Alternatively, students can choose 20 Credit points of Open or Optional units including: | ||||
Introduction to Social and Developmental Psychology | PSYC10012 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 |
Introduction to Cognitive and Biological Psychology | PSYC10013 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 |
World in Crisis? | GEOG16001 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 |
Big Ideas in Science | CHEM10001 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 |
Choose open units | OPEN | 20 | Optional | |
The availability of Languages units are subject to timetabling constraints | ||||
Diploma of Higher Education | 120 |
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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Research Skills | PANM33011 | 40 | Mandatory | TB-4 |
Students must take 80 credit points from the following (excluding combinations that lead to other programmes): | ||||
Medical Microbiology | PANM33008 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 |
Medical Virology | PANM33009 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 |
Developmental Genetics and Embryonal Cancers | PANM33003 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 |
Cancer Mechanisms and Therapeutics | PANM33004 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 |
Advanced Immunology | PANM33001 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 |
Immunopathology and Applied Immunology | PANM33002 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 |
Regenerative Medicine | PANM33005 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 |
Frontiers in Infectious Diseases | PANM30001 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 |
Clinical Pathology in Action | PANM30002 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 |
Cellular and Molecular Medicine BSc | 120 |
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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Extended Research Project | PANMM0022 | 60 | Mandatory | TB-4 |
Literature Review | PANMM0024 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-1 |
Research Skills and Project Planning | PANMM0025 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-4 |
Impact, Translation and Commercialisation | PANMM0026 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-2 |
Cellular and Molecular Medicine (MSci) | 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.
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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