MSc in Clinical Biochemistry
Information for Trainees & Supervisors 2009/10
Taught Component
The MSc consists of nine taught modules.
There will usually be nine teaching days per term.
The nine taught modules will be spread over two years, with 4.5 modules taught in each year.
Summer exams for 1st year trainees
Trainees will sit one essay paper and one short answer question paper comprising a choice of one from two essay questions and five short answer questions (three clinical/analytical and two calculations) from each of the four completed modules (1,4,5,6) covered in the year. Both papers will contribute to the final MSc mark.
Summer exams for 2nd year trainees
Trainees will sit two essay papers and one short answer question paper comprising a choice of one from two essay questions and five short answer questions (three clinical/analytical and two calculations) from the following five modules (1,2,4,5,6) covered in the year. The essay paper for modules 1,4,5,6 will be in the morning and the SAQ paper followed by essay paper for module 2 will be in the afternoon. All papers will contribute to the final MSc mark.
End of term assessments
Assessments will be set at the end of the Autumn and Spring Terms. They will consist of an essay paper and a short answer question paper. The essay paper consists of a choice of two from four questions on topics covered during that term. The short answer paper consists of ten short answer questions (both calculations and clinical/analytical questions). The calculation won’t necessarily relate to topics covered during the term. These assessments will not contribute to the overall MSc mark but they will be used in the overall assessment of the trainee.
Past examination papers
May be found at http://www.wmtc.org.uk/category/past-exam-papers/
Project and Specialist Training
A project and dissertation(s) are requirements of the MSc and represent 50% of the final mark. These must be approved by the University of Birmingham and External Examiner before any practical work commences. Failure to get prior approval may lead to them being deemed unsuitable and subsequently being rejected by the Examinations Board of The University of Birmingham.
Dissertation & Project Proposals
A project proposal form for both the project and dissertation(s) should be submitted by ALL 1st year trainees and must be received by Dr David Vallance (david.vallance@dgoh.nhs.uk), by the beginning of May 2010. The project proposal forms may be found on the course website
Dissertation (Module 10)
Trainees may do either one large (10,000 words) or two smaller dissertations (5,000 words each). It is expected that no more than two months should be spent on this part of the training. The dissertation may be a literature review, clinical audit or a research project.
Deadline Year 1 – 1st day 2010/11 academic term.
Project (Module 11)
The project should be executable within 3 months, with 3 months for write up (Project report 12,000 -20,000 words).
The project will be conducted at the base laboratory.
Deadlines Year 2 – 11/6/2010 Year 1 – early June 2011
Penalty for Late Submission
The University of Birmingham applies a penalty of a 5% per day reduction in marks for late submission of the project and / or dissertation.
More information on projects and dissertation requirements may be found in the ‘Guidance for Projects and Dissertations’ document
Plagiarism
The University of Birmingham has a strict anti-plagiarism policy, details of which may be found at www.as.bham.ac.uk/study/assess/sca/plagiarism.shtml
Ethics Approval
It is the supervisor’s responsibility to ensure that ethics committee approval is sought, where required, for any research projects undertaken by the trainee.
Mitigation
Under achievement in examinations and late submission of project and / or dissertation work owing to genuine mitigating circumstances will be viewed sympathetically. It is essential that trainees submit their mitigation in writing, as soon as possible to Dr Glenn Matthews, University lead for the course (g.m.matthews@bham.ac.uk). Sufficient detail and supporting information to fully inform the exam board must be included.
Website
Course website www.wmtc.org.uk
Course dates
Autumn Term 2009: Dates on website
Spring Term 2010: 15/1, 22/1, 29/1, 5/2, 12/2, 19/2, 26/2, 5/3, 12/3, exam 26/3
Summer Term 2010: 23/4, 30/4, 5/5, 7/5, 21/5, 28/5, 11/6, 18/6 (8 days), exam 2/7
