THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2010/2011
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Home : Regulations : Undergraduate Degree Programme Requirements

These degree programme requirements relate to undergraduate programmes in the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, i.e. the degrees of MBChB, Bachelor of Medical Sciences, BVM&S, BSc in Veterinary Science, BSc in Oral Health Sciences, BSc in Medical Sciences and BSc in Biological Sciences. They are additional to, and should be read in conjunction with, the General Undergraduate Degree Regulations, in Section B, which apply to all undergraduate programmes, unless otherwise stated.

Throughout these regulations, the Head of College is referred to as having the authority to grant permissions, concessions and exemptions. This authority is in practice often delegated by the Head of College to appropriate nominees in the College or Schools. It is vital that students consult their Director of Studies as to the appropriate point of contact, and do not approach the Head of College in the first instance.
Every undergraduate student in the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine must comply with the regulations pertaining to their programme. In exceptional circumstances a concession to allow relaxation of a specific regulation may be granted by the Head of College, or his/her nominee.
Students are also directed to:
  • The appropriate Degree Programme Table for details of the structure of their programme.
  • The Courses Catalogue for further information on individual courses.

The Degrees of MBChB

Admission
Applications for admission to the programme will be considered by the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine in accordance with the criteria determined by the College as published in the Undergraduate Prospectus.

Each student is assigned to a Director of Studies, who may be consulted on personal or academic matters. A list of the Directors of Studies is available from the College Office.

Clinical Sub-Deans and Academic Clinical Advisers are appointed with special responsibility for overseeing the provision of all clinical teaching and the maintenance of its quality in the teaching hospitals in Edinburgh and outside Edinburgh where students are attached. They act as a link between the College, the Medical Teaching Organisation and clinical teachers and may be consulted by students and staff in the hospitals on academic matters. A list of the Clinical Sub-Deans and Academic Clinical Advisers is available from the College Office.

Residence
Students in Years 3, 4 and 5 are required to undertake periods of residence in designated hospital or university accommodation. Guidelines from the Scottish Office Department of Health (NHS Circular 1990 (GEN)15 advises that medical students on clinical attachments who are resident in hospital should receive free lodgings but should pay for meals as taken.

Assessments
There are regular assessments through each year including in-course assessment. Students should refer to the appropriate Year Study Guide for detailed information. Permission to sit Professional Examinations is normally valid for two opportunities of entering for Professional Examinations.

For further information on examination procedures please refer to the University of Edinburgh Assessment Regulations 2010/11, which may be consulted in the College Office or at: http://www.acaffairs.ed.ac.uk/regulations/assessment/home.htm

Distinction in Professional Examinations and Honours at Graduation

Passes with Distinction
Students who have attained a sufficiently high standard in any of the Professional Examinations will be recorded as having passed that examination ‘with distinction’.

Honours at graduation
Students who have displayed special merit in the Professional Examinations over the whole degree programme will be awarded MBChB with Honours at the time of graduation.

Absence
Absence from classes for whatever reason must be accounted for to the appropriate Year Director. Students who are unable to attend classes because they are ill should inform the College Office as soon as possible by either telephone or letter. If the absence due to illness is longer than one week, or occurs at the time of any assessment which counts towards a Professional Examination, the student must send a medical certificate to the College Office for any period of absence. In these circumstances, students should normally submit a medical certificate immediately on their return.

Fitness to Practise
The College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine Fitness to Practise Committee assesses whether any student for the degrees of MBChB referred to it does, or does not, constitute a risk to patients and is, or is not, a suitable person to become a registered medical practitioner, in respect of health, conduct and other like matters (see Regulations 1.3.1 and 1.3.2 below).

A student may appeal against the decision of the College Fitness to Practise Committee on procedural grounds (i.e. substantial information directly relevant to the decision of the College Committee which, for good reason, was not available to the Committee when its decision was taken, and alleged improper conduct of the College Fitness to Practise Committee) to the University’s Appeals Committee.

Semester Dates
Students enrolled for Years 3, 4 and 5 of the degrees of MBChB during the Academic Year 2010-2011 are required to attend for compulsory periods outwith the normal University academic year. Students should consult the Edinburgh Electronic Medical Curriculum (EEMeC) on http://www.eemec.med.ed.ac.uk and relevant Year Study Guides for detailed information.

Medical Curriculum
On satisfactory completion of the full five years of study students will qualify for the award of the degrees of MBChB. Students may intercalate an additional year of study to enable them to qualify for the award of the degree of Bachelor of Medical Sciences with Honours. Full details are given elsewhere in this programme.

The order of attendance at classes shown in the timetables must be followed except in special cases authorised by the Head of College or his/her nominee, after application to the appropriate Director of Studies and if supported by the Director for Student Affairs. The earliest dates at which students may appear for the Professional Examinations are indicated in the timetables.

Professional Examinations are held as follows:

 

First Year

:

December, May and August

 

Second Year

:

December, May and August

 

Third Year

:

November, January, March and May

 

Fourth Year

:

October, February, May and June

 

Fifth Year

:

August, October, January, March, May and June

The MBChB curriculum is a fully integrated programme which begins with an emphasis on health progressing to an understanding of illness and its consequences, culminating in the development of the understanding of the management of illness in primary, secondary and tertiary care. The programme covers the range of medical activities from molecular biology and its impact on modern medicine to social and population based medicine with increased elements of clinical practice running through each year.

Assessment of the courses will follow the integrated and co-ordinated modules, with students achieving set milestones by competence-based assessments. These will take place regularly throughout the programme culminating in the final professional examination which will be an assessment of the student’s competence to practise as a Foundation Year 1 doctor.

Students should refer to the appropriate Year Study Guide for detailed information.

Timetables of Curriculum
Detailed timetable information for years 1 to 5 is available in the relevant Year Study Guide or via the Edinburgh Electronic Medical Curriculum (EEMeC) on
http://www.eemec.med.ed.ac.uk

Degree of Bachelor of Medical Sciences with Honours
The Degree of Bachelor of Medical Sciences with Honours provides students with the opportunity to study one subject in depth, chosen from a number of selected subjects. Students accepted for an Honours programme will normally take the Honours year after Year 2.

Degree of BVM&S

Veterinary Curriculum
On satisfactory completion of the full four or five years of study (as appropriate) students will qualify for the award of the degree of BVM&S. Students may intercalate an additional year of study to enable them to qualify for the award of the degree of BSc (Veterinary Science) with Honours. Full details are given elsewhere in this programme.

Each student is assigned to a Director of Studies, who may be consulted on personal or academic matters.

Assessments
There are regular assessments through each year including in-course assessment. Students should refer to the appropriate Course Book for detailed information. For further information on examination procedures please refer to the University of Edinburgh Assessment Regulations 2010/11, which may be consulted in the College Office or at: http://www.acaffairs.ed.ac.uk/regulations/assessment/home.htm

Appeals Against Exclusion
Decisions on students who have failed to meet the requirements of the BVM&S Examination Boards, and therefore fall due to be excluded from further study in the College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine, are made by the Veterinary Student Progression & Development Committee. Students who have failed examinations on more than one occasion are advised in writing by the Head of School and given details of the timescale and procedure for submission of an appeal against exclusion

Absence
Absence from classes for whatever reason must be accounted for to the Veterinary Teaching Organisation (VTO). Students who are unable to attend classes because they are ill should inform the VTO as soon as possible by either telephone or letter. Records of attendance at practical classes go weekly to the VTO who pass the names of students with two or more absences to the student's Director of Studies for action. If the absence due to illness is longer than one week, or occurs at the time of a Professional Examination or of a class examination which counts towards a Professional Examination, the student must send a medical certificate to the Veterinary Teaching Organisation for any period of absence. In these circumstances, students should normally submit a medical certificate immediately on their return

Distinction in Professional Examinations and Distinction at Graduation

Passes with Distinction
Students who have attained a sufficiently high standard in any of the Professional Examinations will be recorded as having passed that examination 'with distinction'.

Distinction at graduation
Students who have displayed special merit in the Professional Examinations over the whole degree programme will be awarded BVM&S with Distinction at the time of graduation.

1. Degree Programme Requirements of the MBChB

The Curriculum
1.1 The curriculum for the degrees of MBChB consists of a five-year programme.

1.2 Subject to such exemptions as may be granted in terms of these Requirements, the curriculum for the degrees of MBChB shall normally extend over a period of five academic years. A student who has duly satisfied the conditions prescribed for the degrees and who has passed all the required degree assessments shall be entitled to receive the degrees of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery. Details of the curriculum are contained in the Degree Programme Table.

General Requirements
1.3.1 Each student for the degrees must comply with the detailed requirements of the curriculum, and must pass all the requisite assessments or Professional Examinations. In addition, the College’s Fitness to Practise Committee, acting on behalf of the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, must be satisfied at all times throughout the programme that in respect of health, conduct and any other matters which the Committee may reasonably deem relevant, whether such matters relate to the student’s University programme or are unrelated to it, the student would not constitute a risk to patients and is a suitable person to become a registered medical practitioner. Students are subject to the Fitness to Practise regulations both while matriculated and while temporarily withdrawn.

1.3.2 Any student who, at any stage of the programme, fails to satisfy the College’s Fitness to Practise Committee, as set out in Requirement 1.3.1 (above), irrespective of his/her performance in the relevant assessments, may be reported to the Head of College who has power to recommend to the Senatus exclusion from further studies and assessments or Professional Examinations for the degrees of MBChB, or to recommend the award of the degrees of MBChB be withheld.

An appeal against such exclusion, or the withholding of the degrees of MBChB on the grounds of not being fit to practise may be submitted in writing to the Secretary to the University for referral to the University’s Appeal Committee within three weeks of the receipt of notification of the decision to exclude or to withhold the degrees of MBChB.

In the event of a student being excluded or having the degrees of MBChB withheld, that student may, at the discretion of the University, be given the opportunity to transfer to an alternative programme of studies.

1.3.3 Students entering the first year MBChB programme are subject to a criminal conviction check, carried out by Disclosure Scotland. Admission to the medical profession is excepted from the provisions of Section 4 (2) of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 by virtue of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) (Amendments) Order 1986. Entrants to the MBChB programme are therefore not entitled to withhold information about a previous conviction on the grounds that it is, for other purposes, spent under the Act. Subject to the provisions of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, failure to disclose a relevant conviction may result in the withdrawal of an offer of admission or termination of a programme of studies.

1.3.4 Students are subject to blood borne virus checks as they are admitted to the MBChB programme. Failure to comply with this regulation may result in the termination of studies or withdrawal from the programme.

1.3.5 Except as may be permitted under these Requirements, no student may present himself/herself for assessment or be awarded a pass in any course of instruction in any subject of study unless they have regularly attended the course.

1.3.6 Where the courses of instruction and the assessments in a subject include practical, laboratory or clinical work, it shall be in the power of the Examiners to accept, in lieu of such assessment, evidence that the student has carried out work of a sufficient standard during his/her programme.

1.3.7 No student may proceed to the next year of study for the MBChB programme until he/she has passed all components of the previous year of the programme.

1.3.8 All students for the MBChB programme must gain a pass in all entries for the Portfolio in the current year of study, before proceeding to the next year of the programme.

1.3.9 A student who fails the Professional Examination in Year 4 may be required by the Boards of Examiners to use part or all of the free elective period to undertake one or more guided electives before being permitted to re-sit. A student whose progress in Year 5 is unsatisfactory may be required to undertake one or more guided electives before being permitted to re-sit.

If a student fails part of the Year 5 Professional Examination during the year, the Board of Examiners will recommend a course of action but normally the student will continue her/his studies and present her/himself at a subsequent diet for re-examination in the component which she/he has failed.

1.3.10 Any student who fails to pass or to appear for any of the assessments within the prescribed period – normally at the first or second opportunities of appearance – will be liable to exclusion from further studies. An appeal against any such proposed exclusion may be submitted to the Head of College in writing, or may be presented on the student’s behalf by the Director of Studies, or by another member of the academic staff who is not himself/herself a member of the College Committee which considers such appeals. The first opportunity of appearance at an assessment refers to the first occasion of the assessment following the course of study laid down in the curriculum.

1.3.11 The College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine has a Medical and Dental Appeals Committee which considers appeals against exclusion from medical students who have failed to meet the requirement of MBChB Examination Boards and therefore fall due to be excluded from further study in the MBChB programme. The Committee normally meets as required following Professional Examinations. Students who have failed assessments on more than one occasion are advised in writing and given details of the timescale and procedure for submission of an appeal against exclusion.

1.3.12 To appeal against an assessment result or an exclusion decision students should refer to General Undergraduate Degree Regulation 34 and 37 respectively.

1.3.13 Where a student, by reasons of illness, accident, or other circumstances beyond his/her control, has been unable to sit or complete an assessment and produces satisfactory evidence that his/her failure to complete the assessment was for reasons beyond his/her control, the relevant Special Circumstances Committee shall consider the evidence and make a recommendation to the appropriate Board of Examiners. The Board of Examiners must be satisfied on the basis of the student’s performance that his/her competence is not in doubt.

1.3.14 Except in exceptional circumstances, the maximum period of enrolment on the MBChB course may not exceed seven years, including any period of leave of absence, but excluding the Pre-medical Year, the intercalated honours year and any PhD or other research programme.

Exemption
1.4.1 A student who has attended courses of instruction and obtained passes in assessments in the University in one or more of the subjects of study specified in the Degree Programme Table for a degree other than the degrees of MBChB may, on the recommendation of the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, be exempted by the Senatus from attendance on but not from assessment in, or from both attendance on and assessment in, the same or similar courses prescribed under these Requirements.

1.4.2 If a student produces evidence that, during not less than one academic year, he/she has in another University or institution of University standing approved for this purpose by the Senatus attended courses of instruction and passed assessments in one or more of the subjects of study specified in the Degree Programme Table he/she may, on the recommendation of the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, be exempted by the Senatus either from attendance on but not from assessment in, or from both attendance on and assessment in, these subjects, provided that the period of study spent in the University of Edinburgh is at least three academic years.

2. Degree Programme Requirements of the Bachelor of Medical Sciences

A Degree with Honours
Preliminary Requirement
2.1 Every student admitted as a student for the degree must also be a student for the degrees of MBChB. A student for a comparable degree in another University or institution of University standing may be admitted as a student for the degree of Bachelor of Medical Sciences with Honours, subject to the approval of the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine.

Attendance
2.2.1 In addition to undertaking the year of intercalated study required in Requirement 2.2.2, every student for the degree must normally attend in the University of Edinburgh, during not less than two academic years, the courses of instruction in the years of study for the MBChB degrees specified below and must pass the assessments prescribed for Years 1 and 2 of the MBChB Five-year programme.

2.2.2 In addition to fulfilling the requirements set out in Requirement 2.2.1, every student must pursue advanced studies for at least one academic year in the University of Edinburgh in one of the following Honours Degree Programmes:

Biochemistry
Cell Biology
Developmental and Cell Biology
Epidemiology
Evolutionary Biology
Genetics
Immunology
Infectious Diseases
International Public Health Policy
Medical Biology
Molecular Biology
Molecular Genetics
Neuroscience
Pharmacology
Pharmacology with Industrial Experience
Physiology
Psychology
Reproductive Biology
Sports Science Medicine
Zoology,

or any other Honours programme offered from Biological Sciences, or such Honours programmes in the University of Edinburgh as may be approved by the Senatus on the recommendation of the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine. Not all programmes may be offered in the same year.

2.2.3 The year of study in one of the Honours programmes is intercalated normally after Year 2.

General Requirements
2.3.1 Limitation on Courses Taken in Honours Years: Students in all Honours years may take Honours curriculum courses to a maximum value of 120 credit points, all of which count in the final Honours assessment. Students may attend additional Honours courses on a class-only basis (i.e. not for credit), with the agreement of the Course Organiser and the approval of the Director of Studies..

2.3.2 Where the courses of instruction and the assessments in a subject include practical laboratory or clinical work, it shall be in the power of the Examiners to accept, in lieu of such assessment, evidence that the student has carried out work of a sufficient standard during his/her programme.

B Ordinary Degree
Admission
2.4 No student shall be admitted as a student to the degree, except on transfer from candidature for the degrees of MBChB and if, in the opinion of the examiners, they have shown sufficient attainment in the Third Year MBChB assessments. This would normally amount to obtaining not less than 80 credit points from the third year of the curriculum. The Ordinary Degree of Bachelor of Medical Sciences may not be conferred on any student who already holds or is eligible to receive the Degree of Bachelor of Medical Sciences with Honours.

Curriculum
2.5 The curriculum comprises the first three years of the curriculum for the Five-year MBChB programme, or the Pre-medical Year and the subsequent three years of the curriculum for the Six-year MBChB programme.

General Requirements
2.6 The general Requirements for the degrees of MBChB apply (see ‘1. Degree Programme Requirements of the MBChB’ above).

Attendance and Exemption
2.7 Unless granted an exemption under Requirements 1.4.1 to 1.4.2 for the degrees of MBChB, a student for the Ordinary Degree of Bachelor of Medical Sciences must have regularly attended the Pre-medical Year, if applicable, and Years 1, 2 and 3 of the MBChB curriculum. Students for the Ordinary Degree of Bachelor of Medical Sciences must have spent at least two academic years in study in the University of Edinburgh.

Assessments
2.8 Every student must pass or must under these Regulations have received exemption from the assessments prescribed for all the courses of instruction comprising the Pre-medical Year, if applicable, and Years 1, 2 and 3 of the MBChB curriculum before transferring to candidature for the Ordinary Degree of Bachelor of Medical Sciences.

Note: Such students as have duly satisfied these Regulations are eligible for the award of the Ordinary Degree of Bachelor of Medical Sciences without further assessment.

3. Degree Programme Regulations of the BVM&S

The Degree of Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery is recognised as a registrable qualification carrying the right to membership of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.

The Curriculum
3.1.1 The curriculum for the degree of BVM&S consists of two programmes of study, the Five –year programme and the Four-year Graduate Entry Programme. Students admitted to the Four-year programme must have a relevant degree in biological science or related discipline.

3.1.2 Every student for the degree, unless granted concessions or exemptions under these Requirements, must attend, during not less than five academic years for the Five-year programme, or during not less than four academic years for the Four-year programme in the University of Edinburgh, or in an institution or farm approved for this purpose by the University Court under Section III of the Resolution governing the Degree of Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery, a course or courses of instruction in each subject of study as may be prescribed in or under the Degree Programme Table (see also Requirements 3.2.2 and 3.4.5 below).

Professional Examinations
3.2.1 The BVM&S degree programme is dependent on successive related courses of instruction throughout the period of study. The Professional Examinations shall cover the subjects listed in the Degree Programme Table and other appropriate subjects which may from time to time be approved by the Board of Studies.

3.2.2 Students for the Final Professional Examination must produce satisfactory evidence that they have, subsequent to commencing studies in the Third Year of the degree curriculum, received extra-mural clinical instruction for a total period of not less than 26 weeks, in accordance with arrangements approved by the College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine. Students shall be required to produce records of extra-mural clinical teaching received, which have been attested by the extra mural teacher or teachers concerned.

Exemptions
3.3.1 Students who produce evidence that, during not less than one academic year, they have in this University or any other University or institution of University standing, approved for these purposes by the Senatus, attended courses of instruction and passed assessments in one or more of the subjects of study specified in the Degree Programme Table, may, on the recommendation of the College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine, be exempted by the Senatus either from attendance on but not from examination in, or from both attendance on and examination in, the same or similar courses of instruction prescribed under these Regulations.

3.3.2 In respect of a student so exempted, the period of study at the University of Edinburgh prescribed under Section II of the Resolution governing the Degree of Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery may be reduced by the Senatus on the recommendation of the College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine, normally the period of study for the degree at the University of Edinburgh shall not be less than the last two years of the prescribed curriculum for the degree.

Admission to Professional Examinations: Academic Progress
3.4.1 Criteria to permit presentation for Professional Examination
In order to present themselves for Professional Examinations, students shall normally be required to attend not less than 75% of practical classes for any given course. Reference should be made to course specific regulations for further details. Exceptions may be admitted in the case of those students who are absent through sickness or other unavoidable causes, the terms of which must be stated to the College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine in writing, accompanied where appropriate by certificates. In such cases, reasons for non-attendance must be submitted immediately the student returns to classes.

3.4.2 Where a student fails to demonstrate the required attendance under Requirement 3.4.1, in any course of instruction in any subject of study, the College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine will normally recommend to the Senatus that they be excluded from further attendance at courses of instruction and examinations in the College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine.

3.4.3 Students who satisfy the criteria set out in Requirement 3.4.1 will normally be permitted two opportunities of sitting the relevant Professional Examination, and extension of such permission to a subsequent examination shall only be on the express and written authority of the Head of School, who will take account of the recommendations of the relevant examiners. Such extension will normally be granted only once to any one student for the degree. Extension of permission beyond the fourth opportunity of appearance in any one Professional Examination will not normally be granted to any student.

3.4.4 Where a student fails to pass a Professional Examination after two opportunities of sitting the examination, and the student has not been granted a further opportunity under Requirement 3.4.3, the College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine will normally recommend to Senatus that they be excluded from further attendance at courses of instruction and examinations in the College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine.

3.4.5 Before proceeding to the Third Year of the curriculum for the degree a student must normally present satisfactory evidence of having had at least 12 weeks extra-mural experience of livestock husbandry, in accordance with arrangements approved by the College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine. This should normally be obtained during vacations subsequent to the commencement of the First Year of study, and be completed prior to sitting the Second Professional Examination.

Where a student fails to meet this requirement by the end of the session in which they pass the Second Professional Examination, the College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine will normally recommend to Senatus that they be excluded from further attendance at courses of instruction and examinations in the College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine.

3.4.6 A student reported by the College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine to the Senatus under these Regulations for exclusion from further attendance at courses of instruction and assessment in the College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine may submit an appeal in writing to the Head of School stating the reasons for such appeal and submitting certificated evidence where appropriate. All appeals will be considered by the College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine before any recommendation for exclusion is made to the Senatus.

3.4.7 To qualify for a pass in a Professional Examination a student must pass in all the assessments included in that Professional Examination, and unless granted a concession or exemption under these Regulations must, on the first occasion, enter for each Professional Examination as a whole.

3.4.8 A student who fails to complete a Professional Examination will not normally be permitted to proceed to the next year of the curriculum, and under no circumstances shall a student be permitted to sit assessments in any Professional Examination except the First Professional Examination until they have passed, or been granted exemption in, all the assessments in the preceding Professional Examination.

3.4.9 Where a student fails to complete a Professional Examination the Head of School or College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine may prescribe that, before readmission to examinations, they shall be required to repeat attendance at all or part of the courses of instruction in the subject or subjects in which they have failed and be required to satisfy any other conditions which the Head of School or College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine may prescribe. Account will be taken of the recommendations of the relevant Examiners.

3.4.10 Where a student, by reasons of illness, accident, or other circumstances beyond his/her control, has been unable to sit or complete an assessment and produces satisfactory evidence that his/her failure to complete the assessment was for reasons beyond his/her control, the relevant Special Circumstances Committee shall consider the evidence and make a recommendation to the appropriate Board of Examiners. The Board of Examiners must be satisfied on the basis of the student’s performance that his/her competence is not in doubt.

Distinction or Credit in Professional Examinations
3.5 A Pass with Distinction in a Professional Examination shall normally be awarded to students achieving a mark or grade equivalent to 70 per cent or over. A Pass with Credit shall be awarded for a mark or grade in the range 60-69 per cent. These marks or grades must have been obtained at first attempt in a Professional Examination.

Award of the Degree
3.6.1 Every student for the degree must, unless granted a concession or exemption under these Requirements, pass all the assessments included in the Professional Examinations prescribed under these Requirements.

3.6.2 A student who has duly satisfied the conditions prescribed for the degree by or under the Resolution shall be entitled to receive the Degree of Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery.

3.6.3 Distinction at Graduation
Students who have displayed special merit in the Professional Examinations over the whole programme of study will normally be awarded BVM&S with Distinction. Recommendations for award of BVM&S with Distinction will be verified by the Head of School.

4. Degree Programme Requirements of the BSc in Veterinary Science

A Degree with Honours
Preliminary Requirement
4.1 Every student admitted as a student for the degree must also be a student for the degree of BVM&S, or have obtained the BVM&S degree not more than five years before the date of admission as a student for the Honours Degree. A student for a comparable degree in another University or institution of University standing may be admitted as a student for the degree of B Sc (Veterinary Science), subject to the approval of the College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine.

Attendance
4.2.1 Every student for the degree must normally attend in the University of Edinburgh during not less than two academic years the courses of instruction in the classes of the first two years of the curriculum for the BVM&S degree and pass the assessments prescribed for these courses.

4.2.2 In addition to fulfilling the requirements set out in Requirement 4.2.1, every student must pursue advanced studies for at least one year in the University of Edinburgh in one of the following Honours Degree Programmes:

Biochemistry
Immunology
Infectious Diseases
Neuroscience
Physiology
Preclinical Sciences
Reproductive Biology
Zoology,

or in such Honours Degree Programmes in the University of Edinburgh as may be approved by the Senatus on the recommendation of the College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine.

4.2.3 The year of study in the Honours Degree Programme may be intercalated not earlier than the end of the second year of study, provided that a student has successfully completed the appropriate assessments and satisfied such conditions as the Head of the School concerned may require, subject to the approval of the College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine.

General Requirements
4.3.1 Limitation on Courses Taken in Honours Years: Students in all Honours years may take Honours curriculum courses to a maximum value of 120 credit points, all of which count in the final Honours assessment. Students may attend additional Honours courses on a class-only basis (i.e. not for credit), with the agreement of the Course Organiser and the approval of the Director of Studies.

4.3.2 Where the courses of instruction and the assessments in a subject include practical laboratory or clinical work, it shall be in the power of the Examiners to accept, in lieu of such assessment, evidence that the student has carried out work of a sufficient standard during his/her course.

4.3.3 In no case shall the period of study for the Honours degree be less than three academic years.

Award of Honours
4.4 A student who has duly satisfied the conditions prescribed for the degree shall be entitled to receive the degree of Bachelor of Science in Veterinary Science with Honours, and shall receive a transcript setting forth the discipline in which he or she was examined and the class of Honours awarded. A student for Honours in one discipline who has already received the degree with Honours in another discipline shall on passing the Honours examination receive a special Certificate of Honours after graduation recording the School in which he or she was examined and the class of Honours awarded.

B Ordinary Degree
Admission
4.5 No student shall be admitted as a student for the degree, except on transfer from candidature for the degree of BVM&S and after successfully completing the Third year BVM&S Professional Examinations. The Ordinary Degree of BSc (Veterinary Science) may not be conferred on any student who already holds, or is eligible to receive, the Degree of BSc (Veterinary Science) with Honours.

Curriculum
4.6 The curriculum comprises the first three years of the curriculum for the five-year BVM&S programme of study.

General Requirements
4.7 The general requirements for the first three years of the BVM&S degree apply.

Attendance and Exemption
4.8 Unless granted an exemption under Requirement 3.3 ‘Exemptions’, of the requirements for the degree of BVM&S, a student for the Ordinary Degree of BSc (Veterinary Science) must have regularly attended the work of the first three years of the BVM&S curriculum. Students for the Ordinary Degree of BSc (Veterinary Science) must have spent at least two academic years in study in the University of Edinburgh.

Examinations
4.9 Every student must pass or must under these Regulations have received exemption from the assessments prescribed for the courses of instruction in the subjects referred to in Requirement 3.2.1 of the BVM&S curriculum (the First, Second and Third Professional Examinations) before transferring to candidature for the Ordinary Degree of B Sc (Veterinary Science).

Note: Such students as have duly satisfied these regulations are eligible for the award of the Ordinary Degree of BSc (Veterinary Science) without further assessment.

5. Degree Programme Requirements of the BSc in Oral Health Science

The Curriculum
5.1 Study in Oral Health Sciences consists of a curriculum extending over four years to which there is normally one point of entry at the start of Year 1. A student who has duly satisfied the conditions prescribed for the degree and who has passed all the required degree assessments shall be entitled to receive the degree of Bachelor of Science in Oral Health Sciences. Details of the curriculum are contained in the Degree Programme Table.

General Requirements
5.2.1 Each student for the degree must comply with the detailed requirements of the curriculum, and must pass all the requisite assessments or Professional Examinations. In addition, the College’s Fitness to Practise Committee, acting on behalf of the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, must be satisfied at all times throughout the programme that in respect of health, conduct and any other matters which the Committee may reasonably deem relevant, whether such matters relate to the student’s University programme or are unrelated to it, the student would not constitute a risk to patients and is a suitable person to become a registered oral health practitioner. Students are subject to the Fitness to Practise regulations both while matriculated and while temporarily withdrawn.

5.2.2 Any student who, at any stage of the programme, fails to satisfy the College’s Fitness to Practise Committee, as set out in Requirement 2.1 (above), irrespective of his/her performance in the relevant assessments, may be reported to the Head of College who has power to recommend to the Senatus exclusion from further studies and assessments or Professional Examinations for the degree of BSc in Oral Health Sciences, or to recommend the award of the degree of BSc in Oral Health Sciences be withheld.

An appeal against such exclusion, or the withholding of the degree of BSc in Oral Health Sciences on the grounds of not being fit to practise may be submitted in writing to the Secretary to the University for referral to the University’s Fitness to Practise Appeal Committee within three weeks of the receipt of notification of the decision to exclude or to withhold the degree of BSc in Oral Health Sciences.

In the event of a student being excluded or having the degree of BSc in Oral Health Sciences withheld, that student may, at the discretion of the University, be given the opportunity to transfer to an alternative programme of studies.

5.2.3 Students entering the first year of the BSc in Oral Health Sciences are subject to a criminal conviction check, carried out by Disclosure Scotland. Admission to the profession is excepted from the provisions of Section 4 (2) of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 by virtue of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) (Amendments) Order 1986. Entrants to the BSc in Oral Health Sciences programme are therefore not entitled to withhold information about a previous conviction on the grounds that it is, for other purposes, spent under the Act. Subject to the provisions of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, failure to disclose a relevant conviction may result in the withdrawal of an offer of admission or termination of a programme of studies.

5.2.4 Students are subject to a Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV status check prior to entering the BSc in Oral Health Sciences. Failure to comply with this regulation or a positive result will lead to admission being refused or to termination of studies.

5.2.5 Except as may be permitted under these Requirements, no student may present himself/herself for assessment or be awarded a pass in any course of instruction in any subject of study unless they have regularly attended the course.

5.2.6 Where the courses of instruction and the assessments in a subject include practical, laboratory or clinical work, it shall be in the power of the Examiners to accept, in lieu of such assessment, evidence that the student has carried out work of a sufficient standard during his/her programme.

5.2.7 No student may proceed to the next year of study for the BSc programme in Oral Health Sciences until he/she has passed all components of the previous year of the programme.

5.2.8 A student whose progress in any year is unsatisfactory may be required to undertake one or more guided electives before being permitted to re-sit.

5.2.9 Any student who fails to pass or to appear for any of the assessments within the prescribed period – normally at the first or second opportunities of appearance – will be liable to exclusion from further studies.

5.2.10 The College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine has a Medical and Dental Appeals Committee which considers appeals against exclusion from Oral Health Sciences students who have failed to meet the requirement of BSc in Oral Health Sciences Examination Boards and therefore fall due to be excluded from further study in the BSc programme in Oral Health Sciences. The Committee normally meets as required following Professional Examinations. An appeal against any such proposed exclusion may be submitted to the Head of College in writing, or may be presented on the student’s behalf by the Director of Studies, or by another member of the academic staff who is not himself/herself a member of the College Committee which considers such appeals. The first opportunity of appearance at an assessment refers to the first occasion of the assessment following the course of study laid down in the curriculum. Students who have failed assessments on more than one occasion are advised in writing and given details of the timescale and procedure for submission of an appeal against exclusion.

5.2.11 To appeal against an assessment result or an exclusion decision students should refer to General Undergraduate Degree Regulation 34 and 37 respectively.

5.2.12 Where a student, by reasons of illness, accident, or other circumstances beyond his/her control, has been unable to sit or complete an assessment and produces satisfactory evidence that his/her failure to complete the assessment was for reasons beyond his/her control, the relevant Special Circumstances Committee shall consider the evidence and make a recommendation to the appropriate Board of Examiners. The Board of Examiners must be satisfied on the basis of the student’s performance that his/her competence is not in doubt.

5.2.13 Except in exceptional circumstances, the maximum period of enrolment on the BSc in Oral Health Sciences may not exceed five years, including any period of leave of absence.

Exemption
5.3.1 A student who has attended courses of instruction and obtained passes in assessments in the University in one or more of the subjects of study specified in the Degree Programme Table for a degree other than the degree of BSc in Oral Health Sciences may, on the recommendation of the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, be exempted by the Senatus from attendance on but not from assessment in, or from both attendance on and assessment in, the same or similar courses prescribed under these Requirements.

5.3.2 If a student produces evidence that, during not less than one academic year, he/she has in another University or institution of University standing approved for this purpose by the Senatus attended courses of instruction and passed assessments in one or more of the subjects of study specified in the Degree Programme Table he/she may, on the recommendation of the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, be exempted by the Senatus either from attendance on but not from assessment in, or from both attendance on and assessment in, these subjects, provided that the period of study spent in the University of Edinburgh is at least three academic years.

6. Degree Programme Regulations for the Bachelor of Science in Medical Sciences

Bachelor of Science Honours Degree
Limitation on Courses Taken in Honours Years: Students in all Honours years may take Honours curriculum courses to a maximum value of 120 credit points, all of which count in the final Honours assessment. Students may attend additional Honours courses on a class-only basis (i.e. not for credit), with the agreement of the Programme Organiser and the approval of the Director of Studies.

(i) Where a student takes level 9 courses in year 2, such courses should be regarded as part of the non-Honours curriculum and, if failed, may be repeated as a resit in Junior Honours. These courses will not be included in the degree classification.

(ii) Students intending to graduate with an Ordinary degree may resit a failed level 9 course for the purposes of gaining the required number of credits, as specified in the Undergraduate Assessment Regulations.

(iii) Students in Junior Honours are permitted also to take up to 40 credit points of level 7/8 courses, which do not count towards the Honours assessment, as specified in the Undergraduate Assessment Regulations.

(iv) Students in Junior Honours must take 60 credit points of level 9/10 courses in semester 1 and 60 credit points of level 9/10 courses in semester 2.

Bachelor of Science General Degree
To qualify for the award of the degree of BSc (General) students must have obtained 360 credit points from passes (or accreditation of prior learning, acceptable under General Undergraduate Regulation 11), normally at the rate of 120 credit points per year: 240 credit points in courses listed in Medicine and Veterinary Medicine Schedule T, Science and Engineering Schedules K-Q and from subject areas Language Sciences and Psychology in Schedule I; 200 credit points at SCQF level 8, 9 or 10; 80 credit points at SCQF level 8, 9, 10 in courses listed in Medicine and Veterinary Medicine Schedule T, Science and Engineering Schedules K-Q and from subject areas Language Sciences and Psychology in Schedule I; 60 credit points at SCQF level 9 or 10.

Bachelor of Science Ordinary Degree in Medical Sciences
To qualify for the award of the degree of BSc Ordinary Degree in Medical Science students must have obtained 360 credit points from passes (or accreditation of prior learning, acceptable under General Undergraduate Regulation 11). The overall curriculum must include at least: 240 credit points in courses listed in Medicine and Veterinary Medicine Schedule T, Science and Engineering Schedules K-Q and from subject areas Language Sciences and Psychology in Schedule I; 200 credit points at SCQF level 8, 9 or 10; 80 credit points at SCQF level 9 or 10 in the Schedule T. The courses at SCQF level 9 or 10 are the compulsory or optional courses as indicated in ‘Normal Year Taken’ (NYT) 3 and 4 of the Honours Degree Programme Table, subject to further restrictions and recommendations that may appear in the School Programme Guide.

Study at Another Institution
A student for an Honours degree is not allowed to substitute study at another institution for the final year of his/her Honours programme.

7. Degree of BSc in Biological Sciences

The Degree Programme Requirements of the BSc in Biological Sciences can be found in the College Undergraduate Regulations of the College of Science and Engineering.
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