External summary

Infectious disease is a major challenge to society in the developed and developing world. The programme brings together the study of bacteriology, virology, immunology and parasitology to determine how humans and animals respond to infection and how infectious diseases can be prevented and treated.

At the end of their second year medical student can apply to take an intercalated degree in one of nineteen different programmes. The structure of the Infectious Diseases programme provides the opportunities for students to gain the knowledge, skills and personal and professional development to aid and enhance future career. Infectious Diseases is founded on developing skills in academic research and scientific enquiry thereby encouraging awareness and understanding of the research that is needed to continue to advance clinical practice. Alongside a depth of knowledge in Infectious Diseases, graduates will have developed a breadth of skills and experience, including interpersonal skills, critical judgement and computer literacy.

Educational aims of programme

The programme aims to equip its graduates with attributes that will prepare them for future study and employment being capable of independent thinking and analysis and able to communicate clearly with both fellow medical practitioners, scientists and the wider community. These include:

• discipline-specific knowledge and understanding, including awareness of emerging issues and unsolved questions in Infectious Diseases and Biomedical Sciences.
• research skills, both experimental and literature-based, including understanding of good laboratory practice and health and safety policies.
• research-based practice including the design and execution of experimental investigation.
• an awareness of key issues and developments in the field of Infectious Diseases.
• a range of generic skills including communication, critical analysis, management and IT.
• personal and intellectual skills that give an adaptable and effective approach to study, work and social activities.

The development of each student as a scientist and as an individual is fostered through:

• the provision of courses that deliver specific biomedical sciences knowledge and its underlying scientific principles
• opportunities to develop learning skills that encourage an analytical and interpretative approach to problem solving
• skills related to the design and execution of laboratory-based experimental investigation
• understanding of the research methodologies that govern the quantification, analysis and interpretation of scientific data.

On graduation the student will have acquired a level of understanding that will enable them to contribute to, and guide, public debate on issues that affect scientific and medical enhancement for present and future generations.

Programme outcomes: Knowledge and understanding

The MBChB programme provides, in the early years, a broad-based knowledge and understanding of the range of Biomedical subjects, thereby, establishing a solid foundation for progressive discipline specialisation in an intercalating year. In the Honours year students study a core course in Infectious Diseases. This course develops an indepth understanding of both classical and cutting edge approaches to the study of Infectious Disease. Electives in specialised areas allow students to study topics indepth and to interact with staff engaged in research at the forefront of their field. The wide range of courses offered in the Honours years allows students to specialise in particular areas within a discipline or cover a broad curriculum. Literature research, paper analysis, problem solving, tutorial group and individual presentations also enhance knowledge and understanding

Programme outcomes: Graduate attributes - Skills and abilities in research and enquiry

The Infectious Diseases programme has at its core the importance of research to the advancement of scientific and medical practice.  Students will engage in developing research skills from the earliest stages of their studies by embarking on group and individual work that requires investigation of the scientific literature and acquisition of practical skills and methodologies. These will be obtained through tutorial, laboratory and project-based sessions. Students will be provided with guidance on the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches and the design of scientifically valid experiments that form the basis of programmes of research.  Students will be instructed in the skills required to acquire, analyse and interpret scientific data, including the importance of accurate observation and an appropriate level of numerical and statistical competence.  Students will be enabled to develop insight into the evaluation of scientific evidence and its use in the testing of hypotheses and the construction of alternative arguments that might support or contradict particular points of view. Students will also have experience in the written and presentational skills required to communicate and exchange research-based ideas with scientific colleagues and with the wider public.

Programme outcomes: Graduate attributes - Skills and abilities in personal and intellectual autonomy

Individual students are encouraged to develop skills in critical thinking that lie at the core of personal and intellectual autonomy. The Infectious Diseases programme allows students to build on their existing knowledge and use it to plan their future study opportunities and ultimately focus towards career pathways for professional development.

Students are instructed in the skills that allow the work of others to be accurately and concisely summarised and abstracted.

Independent thinking and the ability to draw together novel but relevant information from a wide range of sources and synthesise coherent conclusions is encouraged through a variety of formats including essay writing, peer and tutor-led discussion groups.

Intellectual and scientific curiosity is fostered through interactions with research active academic staff. Students are encouraged to use initiative, to solve problems for themselves and to overcome setbacks. They are offered opportunities for feedback on their work but it is up to the student to use and act on the advice and comments.

Students are encouraged to reflect on their own learning and development of skills.  Ultimately, Infectious Diseases graduates should have the skills to reflect on and apply scientific knowledge in order to improve the quality of life and to create wealth.

Programme outcomes: Graduate attributes - Skills and abilities in communication

The ability to communicate freely and understandably with a range of audiences is essential for the modern medical practitioner. The degree programme allows development in the different forms of communication at all stages and academic levels of the programme.

Students are practised in the creation of coherent written, electronic and oral communications based on independently accumulated information. The acquisition of these skills is spread over a range of different courses and is, therefore, not discipline-specific making them widely transferable.

Students are provided with opportunities to develop discursive/argument-based skills by using previous knowledge and applying it to unfamiliar scenarios in tutor and peer-led discussions.

Group discussions develop skills in listening and arguing specific points. Collaborative skills are also encouraged in group work contexts. Time-management on an individual and a collaborative scale is dictated by balancing workloads across courses in relation to submission deadlines.   

Programme outcomes: Graduate attributes - Skills and abilities in personal effectiveness

Personal development arises as a consequence of interactions with other students, staff and the students’ academic advisors.

Through engaging with the programme of work within the degree programme students adapt to organising their own learning, managing their workload to fit to a defined academic timetable.

From an early stage, the concurrent demands of different components of the programme encourage the development of effective planning.

Personal confidence and its development are fostered through the presentation of academic and research studies and the formative feedback provided on these activities. Self-confidence is also engendered through interactions with academic advisors (Director of Studies, Course Organisers and Honours Programme organiser) that might review academic progress

The ability to work in large or small groups and the collaborative skills required when working with unfamiliar colleagues is a feature of group work in some of the larger courses in earlier years.

Programme outcomes: Technical/practical skills

Some technical/practical skills are acquired in the MBChB programme through laboratory practicals and simulations within individual courses.  Specific microbiological, immunological and biochemical laboratory skills relevant to biomedical research are discussed within the programme within the programme. The 12 week Honours project delivers research specific technical skills alongside the development of analytical and intellectual skills essential for effective research.

Students have will have been exposed, in the first two year of the MBChB curriculum, to an understanding of the scientific approach to investigation, how scientific questions can be tackled, the planning and the analysis of experiments. Quantitative and statistical skills are taught at all levels and all courses include evaluation and problem solving components related to biomedical techniques.  Many of the communication and analytical skills learnt from such technical work are integral to the graduate attributes listed in the sections on intellectual autonomy, communication and personal effectiveness.  Work in laboratories is usually in pairs or larger groups requiring cooperation and joint input. Work in Honours projects involves both individual responsibilities and responsibilities related to working as part of a larger group.  Over the degree programme, as part of the core components of study, students gain the following skills/experience:

• design and rationale of scientific experiments.
• use of bioinformatic and other software tools.
• use of graphics and data analysis software.
• competence in generic laboratory skills (pipetting/weighing/solution preparation, handling of biological materials, safety procedures).
• measurement of biological parameters e.g. DNA, proteins, enzyme activity.
• preparation of laboratory reports.

Programme structure and features

The programme fits within the general structure of the University’s Curriculum Framework.

Courses and Progression

Students take courses totalling 120 credit points. The classification of the degree is based on the Honours year performance.

Year 1 and 2  

Details of the first two years of the MBChB curriculum is at

Year 3 (Honours), Starting month: September

1. Students must take at least 80 credit points from Biological and Biomedical Science SCQFlevel10 courses, Schedule K and T.

2. A booklet, “Honours Guide”, giving details of course options, including recommendations and restrictions, will be available for students on the degree programme to facilitate advance planning.

3. Course options in List 1 in the Honours Guide are STRONGLY recommended for this programme. Course options in List 2 in the Honours Guide are recommended for this programme.

Compulsory Courses

Recommended Courses (List 1)

Exit Qualifications

Teaching and learning methods and strategies

Teaching and Learning strategies employed at the University of Edinburgh consist of a variety of different methods appropriate to the programme aims.  The graduate attributes listed above are met through a teaching and learning framework (detailed below) which is appropriate to the level and content of the course.

Teaching and Learning Activities

In Year 1and 2:

• As MBChB Curriculum

In Year 3 (Honours Year)

• Lectures
• Seminars
• Tutorials
• Presentations
• Problem based learning activities
• Original Research Project under the supervision of a staff member that encompasses (1) laboratory-based experimental work OR (2) analysis and interpretation of new or previously generated/collected data OR (3) library based investigative research addressing a specific question/topic. This also involves reviewing relevant published scientific papers, writing a review essay on subject matter relating to the research topic, analysing data, writing a report and presenting findings.
• One to one and group meetings with Personal Tutor

Assessment methods and strategies

Courses are assessed by a diverse range of summative methods. These are widely supported by formative work which provides the student with on-going feedback.

In Year 3 (Honours Year)

• Research Project Reports and Presentations; feedback is provided by staff
• Written work; essays, précis, synopses. Students are provided with written feedback
• Oral and Poster Presentations; feedback is provided by staff
• Written Degree Examinations; students can request feedback sessions with course organisers to view their examination scripts.

Career opportunities

Graduates with a Bachelor of Medical Sciences degree from the University of Edinburgh will have gained attributes that are highly valuable for all medical disciplines. The ability to think critically about the scientific basis of biomedical science in relation to clinical practice and the research training with its emphasis on analytical and scientific skills can have a positive influence on career development.

Other items

Each student is assigned a Personal Tutor who provides both academic and pastoral guidance.  Throughout a student’s time at the university the Personal Tutor guides the student in choice of courses and provides general pastoral support.

The programme is administered and run through the Biomedical Teaching Organisation. 

Detailed course guides are provided for new students and for continuing students.  These guides provide details of courses and also advise students on assessment and general university policy and regulations.

Degree Programme Tables (DPTs) for Bachelor of Medical Sciences with Honours in Infectious Diseases can be found at:

http://www.drps.ed.ac.uk/index.php