Loughborough University
Leicestershire, UK
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Loughborough University

Programme Specifications

Programme Specification

BSc/MSci Natural Sciences (2018 Entry)

Academic Year: 2020/21

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 full advantage is taken of the learning opportunities that are provided.

This specification applies to delivery of the programme in the Academic Year indicated above. Prospective students reviewing this information for a later year of study should be aware that these details are subject to change as outlined in our Terms and Conditions of Study.

This specification should be read in conjunction with:

  • Summary
  • Aims
  • Learning outcomes
  • Structure
  • Progression & weighting

Programme summary

Awarding body/institution Loughborough University
Teaching institution (if different)
Owning school/department Department of Natural Sciences
Details of accreditation by a professional/statutory body
Final award BSc (Hons)/BSc (Hons) + DPS or DIS or DIntS; MSci (Hons)/MSci (Hons) + DPS or DIS or DIntS;
Programme title Natural Sciences
Programme code CMUB09; CMUM19
Length of programme BSc 3 years; BSc with DPS/DIntS/DIS 4 years; MSci 4 years; MSci with DPS/DIntS/DIS 5 years
UCAS code BSc GFC0; BSc with DPS/DIntS/DIS CFG0; MSci CGF0; MSci with DPS/DIntS/DIS FCG0
Admissions criteria

MSci DIS/DPS/DIntS - http://www.lboro.ac.uk/fcg0

MSci - http://www.lboro.ac.uk/cgf0

BSc DIntS/DPS/DIS - http://www.lboro.ac.uk/cfg0

BSc - http://www.lboro.ac.uk/gfc0

Date at which the programme specification was published Tue, 04 Aug 2020 21:16:41 BST

1. Programme Aims

 Natural Sciences is a broad based degree introducing students to multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary working to tackle problems in the physical sciences. The programme has option pathways which develop fundamental knowledge and applied skills within Chemistry, Bioscience, Mathematics, Physics and Materials Science, with increasing specialisation occurring throughout the duration of the programme.

Programme aims are:

  • To develop students’ understanding of natural sciences and their capability to work in a multidisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary environment. 
  • Provide students with a core knowledge, understanding and skills relevant to a range of physical and theoretical sciences. 
  • To provide students with the necessary educational tools to work across the physical sciences in an interdisciplinary/ multidisciplinary manner. 
  • To cultivate students’ interest in interdisciplinary science, within a caring and intellectually stimulating environment. 
  • To develop students’ scientific knowledge and understanding of scientific processes. 
  • To develop students’ pathway relevant practical skills, application of these skills to address a problem, and their critical awareness of practical techniques. 
  • To develop students’ intellectual skills to research and synthesise scientific information, to apply their knowledge to develop arguments and to critically evaluate material, to equip graduates with the skills necessary to update their knowledge and understanding over a future career. 
  • To develop research skills to enable students to design and test hypotheses and to interpret and present data. 
  • To provide students with the opportunity to apply intellectual, research, and practical skills to design and conduct an independent piece of research. 
  • To facilitate students’ engagement with emerging research in selected specialised areas to further their depth of understanding of scientific processes and develop their appreciation of the provisional nature of scientific knowledge. 
  • To enable students to demonstrate an understanding of the importance of science in an industrial, economic, environmental, social and ethical context. 
  • To equip students with transferable and independent learning skills for relevant employment. 
  • Through providing the above skills, to advance students’ understanding of the breadth of Natural Sciences to support a variety of potential careers in both academia and industry through study, research and the opportunity to specialise via a dedicated research project in a chosen scientific area. 
  • To provide students with support for knowledge and skills acquisition in relevant areas of Chemistry, Bioscience, Mathematics, Physics and/or Materials Science. 

Additional Aims in the final year of MSci: 

  • To foster in students a systematic understanding of knowledge, a critical awareness of current problems and/or new insights and a critical thinking capability at the forefront of interdisciplinary research. 
  • To enable students to be independently creative in an interdisciplinary and/or multidisciplinary manner to tackle problems within the natural sciences. 
  • To equip students with a comprehensive understanding of techniques applicable to their own research or advanced scholarship. 
  • To develop students’ ability to show originality in the application of knowledge, together with a practical understanding of how established techniques of research and enquiry are used to create and interpret knowledge. 
  • To provide students with an understanding and ability to work between disciplines, including an awareness of techniques, methods and protocols used across the scope of the Natural Sciences.

2. Relevant subject benchmark statements and other external reference points used to inform programme outcomes:

The Framework for Higher Education Qualifications

University Learning and Teaching Strategy

The research interests and specialisms of the teaching staff and their professional involvement in the discipline

School and/or Departmental teaching and learning policies, as applicable (with a focus on AACME, Science and Sports, Exercise and Health Sciences)

Society of Natural Sciences Benchmarking (being established and currently under development)

3. Programme Learning Outcomes

3.1 Knowledge and Understanding

On successful completion of this programme, students will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding in the following areas: 

K1        Key subject-specific terminology, nomenclature, conventions and units;

K2        The fundamental experimental techniques and theoretical methodologies which inform the discipline;

K3        Interdisciplinary perspectives on world/societal issues and the role that Natural Scientists play in the resolution of these challenges;

K4        An awareness of collaborative working across and between Natural Science disciplines;

K5        Safety, risk, hazard and ethics assessment as relevant to the discipline;

K6        The key factors and benefits of an interdisciplinary approach to science;

K7        The key principles of science used to interrogate the world around us;

K8        The methods for assessing the interactions of life on earth within the natural world;

Specific to the Chemistry Pathway

K9        Inorganic and organic molecular species in chemistry;

K10      The origin and characteristic properties of the principal attractive forces that exist between molecules and their dependence on molecular structure;

K11      Periodic trends and irregularities in selected properties of the elements;

Specific to the Bioscience Pathway

K12      The complexity of biological structures, their organization, metabolism and division of cells, and how these can be interrogated to assess function;

K13     The link between cellular and molecular changes and physiological adaptation in health and disease;

Specific to the Mathematics Pathway

K14     Sets and functions, real and complex numbers, factorisation and divisibility, modular arithmetic and vector and matrix algebra; 

K15     Logical mathematical arguments and deductive reasoning, including the process of mathematical proof; 

K16     Mathematical methods and techniques in calculus and algebra, ordinary differential equations, vector calculus and complex variable; 

Specific to the Physics Pathway

K17      Basic concepts in classical physics and their application to relevance to physical phenomena;

K18     The importance and mathematical description of basic wave concepts and their role in quantum mechanics; 

K19     The basic principles and laws governing the classical behaviour of electromagnetic fields. 

Specific to the Materials Pathway

K23      The concepts involved in material development and characterisation with respect to properties and function;

K24      Key principles utilised for the processing of materials; 

Additional knowledge and understanding at Part D:

K25      A systematic and comprehensive understanding of knowledge, and a critical awareness of current problems and/or new insights, much of which is at the forefront of scientific research;

K26      Knowledge and awareness of the accepted norms and professional expectations associated with the generation and publication of scientific results;

3.2 Skills and other attributes

a. Subject-specific cognitive skills:

On successful completion of this programme, students will be able to:

C1      Apply discipline-specific knowledge to other areas within the Natural Sciences to tackle multidisciplinary issues;

C2      Identify the benefits and capitalise on cross-discipline collaboration, making use of other discipline contributions to solve problems in a collaborative manner;

C3      Apply their knowledge and understanding of essential facts, key concepts, principles and theories to solve problems and debate critical issues within the subject area;

C4      Identify and analyse novel scientific problems and plan strategies for their solution, and apply acquired knowledge and understanding to inform individual research;

C5      Solve quantitative and qualitative problems and collate, evaluate and interpret scientific information and data;

C6      Research, evaluate, justify and critically evaluate scientific material and arguments in a coherent and organised way appropriately adapted to the audience;

Additional subject specific cognitive skills at Part D:

C7       Select appropriate research and enquiry strategies to solve complex problems or problems with incomplete data;

C8       Demonstrate advanced analytical thinking skills and be able to handle complex information in a structured and systematic way;

C9       Critically evaluate current research, appropriate to the speciality;

b. Subject-specific practical skills:

On successful completion of this programme, students will be able to:

P1        Apply a broad range of practical investigative techniques including data collection, data analysis, statistical evaluation, hypotheses formulating and testing, current contextualisation and external referencing and validation;

P2        Record, describe and critically evaluate data sets;

P3        Extract, manipulate and interpret data from scientific databases;

P4        Handle materials safely by taking into account their physical and inherent material properties, e.g. chemical hazards or biological activity;

P5        Conduct standard laboratory (and/ or field) procedures including the operation of standard instrumentation for the analysis of materials and recording of results;

P6        Appropriately, monitor, record and document events and changes by observation and measurement;

P7        Plan, design and execute practical investigations from the problem recognition stage, to the selection of appropriate techniques and procedures, through to the evaluation and appraisal of the results and findings;

P8        Conduct thorough hazard/risk assessments associated with scientific investigations covering the materials, equipment and laboratory/field environment and comply with relevant ethical approval procedures;

Additional subject specific practical skills at Part D

P9        Apply appropriate research techniques to develop new insights and investigate and solve problems;

P10      Explain experimental results in terms of a broad range of theoretical mechanisms and concepts;

c. Key transferable skills:

On successful completion of this programme, students will be able to:

T1        Communicate effectively across disciplines to disseminate scientific knowledge and collaborate to tackle problems;

T2        Communicate in a variety of formats, both written and oral, to a range of audiences;

T3        Effectively generate ideas and solutions to problems in a collaborative manner across the Natural Science disciplines; 

T4        Apply numeracy and computational skills including error analysis, order of magnitude estimations, correct use of units and modes of data presentation;

T5        Generate, organise, analyse and interpret quantitative, numerical, statistical and other forms of data effectively;

T6        Select and apply appropriate technology from the range available to collate, present and evaluate results and ideas to a professional standard;

T7        Work independently to solve problems, find alternative solutions, reach end goals and evaluate outcomes;

T8        Deploy critical judgements and evaluations to arrive at supported conclusions;

T9       Effectively manage time and effort in the organisation of work to ensure independent and pragmatic learning;

T10      Work effectively in a team by co-operating and negotiating with peers, making decisions and resolving issues, difficulties and conflicts, as applicable;

Additional transferable skills at Part D

T11      Exercise initiative and demonstrate personal responsibility including in the making of decisions;

T12      Demonstrate an advanced ability to handle and interpret complex information in a structured and systematic way;

T13      Develop the independent learning skills required for continued professional development and lifelong learning;

T14      Interrogate and apply a variety of theoretical and interpretive positions and be able to weigh up the importance of alternative perspectives.

The full range of intended learning outcomes that will be achieved by students taking the Natural Sciences programme will be highly dependent upon which combination of routes they choose to study; in Parts B-D students have a wide selection of module choice enabling them to tailor their course around core subjects. Individual module specifications should be consulted for details on specific knowledge and understanding and skills obtained from optional modules within the programme.

4. Programme structure

Each year must equate to 120 credit weighting. From Part A all modules are core; students choose 3 of the 6 pathways.  Students wishing to choose the Physics pathway must also choose the Mathematics pathway. From Part B students undertake the Interdisciplinary Science module (20 credits) along with the core modules from 2 pathways (60 credits from Major pathway + 40 credits from Minor pathway). From Part B onwards there are excluded pathway combinations, students may not choose both Mathematics and Materials, however students choosing the Physics pathway may do so without choosing Mathematics. From Part C students undertake an Interdisciplinary Research Project (40 credits) along with the core modules from either 1 pathway or remain with 2 main pathways of study (80 credits in Major if specialising in 1 pathway or 40 credits in two pathways). Part D has a 60 credit interdisciplinary research project, with 60 credits of optional modules from 1 pathway. Options should be chosen such that there is a balanced weighting of study across the two semesters. Students' optional module choices will be approved by the Programme Director.


BSc(Hons) and MSci Natural Sciences

Key:

C - Module is Compulsory for all students on the pathway

O - Module is Optional for all students on the pathway

M - Module is Compulsory for students taking the pathway as their Major and is not available if pathway taken as Minor

+ - (Materials Part D) Paired Modules, students should select 1 maximum.  Students should choose either MPP555 or MPP503.

 

Part A - All students must select three pathways.

Module Code

Module Title

Module Weight

Semester

Pathway

 

 

 

 

Chemistry

Bioscience

Maths

Physics

Materials

CMA112

Fundamental Chemistry

20

1

C

 

 

 

 

CMA106

Structure and Reactivity 1

20

2

C

 

 

 

 

PSA603

Genetics and Molecular Biology

20

2

 

C

 

 

 

PSA602

Biochemistry and Cell Biology

20

1

 

C

 

 

 

MAA150

Mathematical Methods 1

10

1

 

 

C

 

 

MAA250

Mathematical Methods 2

10

2

 

 

C

 

 

MAA142

Linear Algebra

10

1

 

 

C

 

 

MAA270

Introduction to Probability and Statistics

10

2

 

 

C

 

 

PHA107

Fields and Forces

20

1

 

 

 

C

 

PHA007

Matter and Waves

20

2

 

 

 

C

 

MPA201

Introductory Materials Science

10

1

 

 

 

 

C

MPA205

Thermodynamics and Phase Equilbria

10

1

 

 

 

 

C

MPA321

Introduction to Materials Processing

10

2

 

 

 

 

C

MPA207

Mechanics of Materials

10

2

 

 

 

 

C

 

  

Part B

Students must take the interdisciplinary science module, plus modules selected from two pathways studied at Part A (60 credits from the major discipline and 40 credits from the minor subject). 

Module Code

Module Title

Module Weight

Semester

Pathway

 

 

 

 

Chemistry

Bioscience

Maths

Physics

Materials

CMB111

Interdisciplinary Science

20

1+2

C

C

C

C

C

CMB112

Laboratory Skills for NS

20

1+2

C

 

 

 

 

CMB106

Structure and Reactivity 2

20

1

C

 

 

 

 

CMB104

Spectroscopy and Analysis 2

20

2

M

 

 

 

 

PSB613

Cellular signalling and transport

20

2

 

C

 

 

 

PSA606

Anatomy and Physiology

20

1+2

 

C

 

 

 

PSB612

Functional Genomics

20

1

 

M

 

 

 

MAB150

Vector Calculus

10

1

 

 

C

 

 

MAB151

Mathematical Methods III

10

1

 

 

C

 

 

MAB250

ODEs & Calculus of Variations

10

2

 

 

C

 

 

MAB255

Analytical Dynamics

10

2

 

 

C

 

 

MAB170

Probability Theory

10

1

 

 

M

 

 

MAB280

Introduction to Stochastic Processing

10

2

 

 

M

 

 

PHB104

Quantum Mechanics

10

1

 

 

 

C

 

PHA285

Joint Physics Labs I

10

1

 

 

 

C

 

PHB110

Solid State Physics

10

2

     

C

 

PHB285

Joint Physics Labs II

10

2

 

 

 

C

 

PHB101

Waves

10

1

 

 

 

M

 

PHB201

Fields

10

2

 

 

 

M

 

MPB312

Materials Processing

30

1+2

 

 

 

 

C

MPB313

Materials in Service

10

1

 

 

 

 

C

MPB209

Materials Characterisation

10

2

 

 

 

 

M

MPB231

Biomaterials 1 (Biomaterials for Tissue Engineering)

10

2

 

 

 

 

M

 

Part I

Students on degree programmes with professional training take a placement between Parts B and C or alternatively for MSci students with permission of the Programme Director, between Parts C and D.  This year leads to the award of a Diploma of Industrial Studies, Professional Studies or International Studies dependent on the nature of the placement.

Part C

Students must take the interdisciplinary research project in addition to 80 credits of optional modules from either one or two pathways studied at part B.

Module Code

Module Title

Module Weight

Semester

Pathway

 

 

 

 

Chemistry

Bioscience

Maths

Physics

Materials

NTC001

Interdisciplinary Research Project

40

1+2

C

C

C

C

C

CMC001

Modern Aspects of Organic Chemistry

20

1

C

 

 

 

 

CMC002

Advanced Inorganic Chemistry

20

2

C

 

 

 

 

CMC004

Pharmaceutical Biomedical Analysis

20

1

M

 

 

 

 

CMC007

Pharmacokinetics and Drug Metabolism

20

1

M

 

 

 

 

PSC621

Cell Adaption and Degeneration

20

1

 

C

 

 

 

PSC622

Regenerative Medicine

20

1

 

C

 

 

 

PSC505

Forensic Genomics

20

1

 

M

 

 

 

PSC624

Virology and Oncology

20

2

 

M

 

 

 

MAB171

Applied Statistics

10

1

 

 

C

 

 

MAC148

Introduction to Dynamical Systems

10

1

 

 

C

 

 

MAC175

Operational Research

10

1

 

 

M

 

 

MAC147

Number Theory

10

1

 

 

M

 

 

MAC249

Linear Differential Equations

10

2

 

 

C

 

 

MAC251

Vibrations and Waves

10

2

 

 

C

 

 

MAB241

Complex Analysis

10

2

 

 

M

 

 

MAC297

Mathematical Biology

10

2

 

 

M

 

 

PHC012

Quantum Physics

20

1+2

 

 

 

C

 

PHC014

Condensed Matter Physics

20

1+2

 

 

 

C

 

PHC013

Statistical Physics

10

1

 

 

 

M

 

PHC108

Modern Optics

10

2

 

 

 

M

 

PHC120

Surfaces, Thin Films and High Vacuum

10

1

 

 

 

M

 

PHC205

Elementary Particle Physics

10

2

 

 

 

M

 

MPC312

Nano Materials

10

1

 

 

 

 

C

MPC311

Advanced Materials Processing

10

1

       

C

MPC111

Advanced Principles of Materials

10

1

 

 

 

 

M

MPC108

Surface Engineering

10

1

 

 

 

 

M

MPC114

Composite Materials

10

2

 

 

 

 

C

MPC231

Biomaterials 2

10

2

 

 

 

 

C

MPC321

Functional Materials

10

2

       

M

MPC103

Industrial Case Studies

10

2

       

M

  

Part D (CMUM19 MSci only)

Students must take the interdisciplinary research project in addition to 60 credits of optional modules from one pathway studied in Part C. 

Module Code

Module Title

Module Weight

Semester

Pathway

 

 

 

 

Chemistry

Bioscience

Maths

Physics

Materials

CMDXXX

Interdisciplinary Research Project

60

1+2

C

C

C

C

C

CMD213

Biological Organic Chem

20

1

C

 

 

 

 

CMD302

Advanced Analytical Chem option

20

1

C

 

 

 

 

CMD402

Drugs: Synthesis and Properties

20

2

C

 

 

 

 

PSD632

Advanced Laboratory and Research Methods in Biology

20

1+2

 

C

 

 

 

PSD631

Contemporary Health Issues

20

1+2

 

C

 

 

 

PSDXXX

 

20

1+2

 

C

     

MAD102

Regular and Chaotic Dynamics

15

1

 

 

O

 O

 

MAP111

Mathematical Modelling I

15

1

 

 

O

 O

 

MAD202

Nonlinear Waves

15

2

 

 

O

 

 

MAP211

Mathematical Modelling II

15

2

 

 

O

 O

 

MAP213

Fluid Mechanics

15

2

 

 

O

 O

 

PHP100

Mathematical Methods for Interdisciplinary Sciences

15

1

 

 

 

O

 

PHD130

Quantum Information

15

1

 

 

 

O

 

PHD109

Characterisation Techniques in Solid State Physics

15

1

 

 

 

O

 

PHD201

Physics of Complex Systems

15

2

 

 

 

O

 

PHD230

Quantum Computing

15

2

 

 

 

O

 

PHD202

Superconductivity and Nanoscience

15

2

 

 

 

O

 

MPP552

Design with Engineering Materials

15

1

 

 

 

 

O

MPP551

Advanced Characterisation Techniques

15

1

 

 

 

 

O

MPP509

Advances in Biomaterials

15

2

 

 

 

 

O

MPP555

Metals Processing and Properties

15

2

 

 

 

 

O+

MPP503

Polymeristation and Polymer Blends

15

2

 

 

 

 

O+

 

5. Criteria for Progression and Degree Award

In order to progress from Part A to Part B, from Part B to C, from C to D (if applicable) and to be eligible for the award of an Honours degree, candidates must satisfy the minimum credit requirements set out in Regulation XX and Regulation XI for programmes with DPS, DIntS or DIS (if applicable).

5.1 MSci Only

In order to progress from Part C to Part D, and to be eligible for the award of an MSci degree in Natural Sciences, candidates must achieve a Part C average mark of 50% or greater. Candidates who, after reassessment, fail to achieve this mark at Part C will not progress to Part D, but may, at the discretion of the Programme Board, be eligible for consideration for the award of BSc with a classification based on the candidate’s performance in Parts B and C and determined on the basis of the Part weightings for the BSc programme (40:60).

Candidates who, having successfully completed Part C, are unable to commence or complete Part D or fail to achieve the criteria necessary for the award of MSci degree in Part D may, at the discretion of the Programme Board, be awarded a BSc with a classification based on the candidate’s performance in Parts B and C and determined on the basis of the Part weightings for the BSc programme (40:60).

6. Relative Weighting of Parts of the Programme for the Purposes of Final Degree Classification

Candidates' final degree classification will be determined on the basis of their performance in degree level Module Assessments in Parts B and C (and D if applicable). For BSc degrees, the percentage mark for each Part will be combined in the ratio Part C 60%: Part B 40% to determine the final percentage mark. For MSci degrees, the percentage mark for each Part will be combined in the ratio Part D 40%: Part C 40%: Part B 20% to determine the final percentage mark.

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