Degree Regulations
The degree regulations for students can be found on the University website.
If you commenced your studies before September 2012 you should consult the degree regulations for students registered on an undergraduate programme on or after 1 September 2010 (but prior to 1 September 2012) which can be found on the University website here.
| Bachelors Degree classification weighted to 120 credits |
Classification thresholds: weighted average (0 to 100 mark range) |
Boundary zone weighted average |
| First class | 70.0 | 68.0 to 69.9 |
| Upper Second class | 60.0 | 58.0 to 59.9 |
| Lower Second class | 50.0 | 48.0 to 49.9 |
| Third class | 40.0 | 37.0 to 39.9 |
Note, unlike the BSc degrees, it is not possible to attain a 3rd class for an MSci degree. Consequently, MSci students who obtain a final mark of less than 50% will fail the MSci degree. However, you will be able to graduate with BSc(Hons) degree based on your performance during your first three years.
Assessments and examinations
Final Year
1. BSc degrees
The award of an Honours Degree in the School of Biological Sciences involves assessment of first year units (10% of total), second year units (30% of total), and final year lecture/practical units, project/practicals and examinations specific to a particular Degree Programme. For examination purposes, all your final year work is divided into 12 units, each contributing 5% (total 60%) to the final degree marks. The precise allocation of these units to different types of work will vary between Degree Programmes but will fall within specific guidelines. The allocation of marks is as follows:
| First year | 10% |
| Second year: | 30% |
| Final year: | |
| Special Programme Problem/Essay papers | 10% (2 units = 20 credits) |
| Lecture/Practical units | 30% (6 units = 60 credits) |
| Research Project and literature review | 20% (4 units = 40 credits) |
(See Section Degree Programme requirements)
Note: The split of assessment will be 33% of the total for second year units and 67% of the total for final year units. This will give a split of 11.7% for special programme problem/essay papers, 33.50% for lecture/practical units, and 22.33% for the research project and literature review.
a) Students on four-year BSc degrees (with industrial/professional experience or with a language) are assessed on their work in the year away from the University. This contributes an additional 10% to make a total out of 110% i.e. the placement report is calculated as contributing 10 marks out of 110 (10 from yr1 + 30 from yr2 +60 from final yr +10 from placement report); this is then scaled down to 100 to give a percentage.
For example: the calculation for a student who achieved the following marks in each year would be:
Yr1 = overall mark of 67
Yr2 = overall mark of 65
Placement report = overall mark of 71
Final yr = overall mark of 72
(10% of 67) + (30% of 65) + (60% of 72) + (10% of 71) = 76.5/110 * 100 = 69.5%
If the mark for the report is anywhere below 40%, this does not mean that transfer back to the three year degree will occur since all credits for the placement year are awarded for the successful completion of the placement. A referral for a failed report is also not possible since the assessment is at final level. Reversion to the three year honours programme will only occur in the exceptional circumstances where a placement could not be completed to the satisfaction of the examiners, or other reasons such as illness.
b) Combined honours degrees
For all students on a combined honours programme (i.e. Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology and Biological Science degrees with a language) their psychology or language units are combined with their biological sciences units.
Pass marks and degree classification
Degree classification is based on the marks from the four components weighted as outlined in section Assessments and examinations (Level 3), and is determined at a meeting of the Board of Examiners for a particular Degree Programme, with the External Examiner present to act as advisor and arbiter. The following numerical boundaries will be used as guidelines by the Board of Examiners in deciding your degree category:
- First class 70% and above
- Upper Second class 60% and above
- Lower Second class 50% and above
- Third class 40% and above
Please note, that there are additional criteria to be met in order to obtain a degree class commensurate with the final weighted average mark. In addition to obtaining a final mark within boundaries set out above, in order to obtain a lower second degree or above, 80 final year credits must have marks of at least 40%. To obtain a third class degree, 60 final year credits must have marks of at least 40%. Please read carefully the “Regulations for Undergraduate Awards” paragraphs 35-39 which sets out these criteria and those for the award of an ordinary degree. See http://documents.manchester.ac.uk/display.aspx?DocID=13147
N.B. The Board of Examiners will take into account the following points when deciding degree classification
- Where there are factors that may adversely affected a student's performance OR where a student is within 2% boundary, cases will be considered individually to determine whether the higher degree classification should be awarded.
- The External Examiner plays an important role. He/she moderates examination question papers and reads student examination scripts and placement/project reports.
- Degree classifications for candidates whose average overall mark falls within 2% below the borders between degree classifications will be decided as follows. If you have marks in the next higher degree class over 80 final year credits then you will automatically be awarded the next higher classification. If you do not fall into this category, then a process of classification review will be conducted by the Examination Board, where, based on your portfolio of marks you may be recommended for the next higher degree classification. Classification review will not be applied in cases where there is a penalty of one lower degree class due to failure of more than 40 credits.
- In reaching their decision on academic results, Examination Boards may take account of certain circumstances brought to their attention (for the University’s policy on mitigating circumstances please see Section 14.7.
Absence from any final-level examination will normally result in a zero mark being returned for that examination. There are no referrals. A candidate who is ill must follow the procedures indicated under 'Guidelines on Ill Heath' Section. However, students should make every effort to take the paper.
Progression rules for students on Integrated Masters (MSci) Degrees
In addition to the above progression criteria, you must also fulfil the following criteria to progress on the Integrated Masters (MSci) Degrees:
Year 1
- pass all year 1 mandatory units at the first attempt with a mark of at least 40% in both the January and May/June examination and obtain an overall mean mark of at least 60%
- obtain a mark of at least 70% obtained in a tutorial assignment for Writing and Referencing skills (BIOL10741) that is attached to the tutorial unit (BIOL10000).
Year 2
- pass all year 2 units at the first attempt with a mark of at least 40% in both the January and May/June examination and obtain an overall mean mark of at least 60% (excluding marks obtained for tutorial assignments).
Year 3
- obtain an overall mean mark of at least 60% to progress to the final year project and marks of at least 40% in 2/3 of total credits including all non-compensated units and at least 30% in the remaining 1/3 of credits.
If you fail to meet any of these requirements, you will be transferred to the appropriate three-year BSc degree by the Board of Examiners at the next appropriate Exam Board, and you will be unable to continue on the integrated masters programme. If after Year 3 your average is below 60%, then you will be considered for an award of the Degree of Bachelor of Science.
Note: you cannot continue on the integrated masters programmes if your year 3 average was initially below 60% but your final degree mark was within the borderline range (58.0 – 59.9%) and was then raised to a 2i overall at the Exam Board.
If you feel that you no longer wish to continue on an integrated masters programme and would like to transfer to a standard three-year BSc degree, please discuss this with your Programme Director and/or Academic Tutor. A completed Degree Programme Change Form should be submitted to the Student Support Office if you do decide to transfer off the programme but must be submitted by the publicised deadlines.
Publication of examination results and degree classifications
Following the Board of Examiners meetings all degree classifications will be published by the date advertised in the front cover of this handbook and will be communicated through the My Manchester Student Portal; details on how to access them can be found at http://www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/crucial-guide/academic-life/exams/results/.
Results for individual examinations will be published on the date advertised in the front cover of this handbook (for semester 1 examinations). Practical assessment and other coursework marks may be published on an ongoing basis.
Precise publication dates and times for certain groups of degree programmes may occur before this and full details will be published nearer to the examination boards.
Academic Transcripts
The University has implemented a secure online document service called e-Docs. This system allows graduates to access their documents online and allows employers to verify the authenticity of these electronic documents via a secure website hosted at The University of Manchester. This allows you to manage the release of your documents to a third party, e.g. a prospective employer, electronically, effectively allowing them to verify the information via the University's secure website. This removes the need to entrust your original documents to the post and speeds up the communication process considerably. See the Crucial Guide Live at https://my.manchester.ac.uk/d/crucial-guide/academic-life/award-confirmation/transcripts/ for further information.
Turnitin
The University uses electronic systems for the purposes of detecting plagiarism and other forms of academic malpractice and for marking. Such systems include TurnitinUK, the plagiarism detection service used by the University.
As part of the formative and/or summative assessment process, you may be asked to submit electronic versions of your work to TurnitinUK and/or other electronic systems used by the University (this requirement may be in addition to a requirement to submit a paper copy of your work). If you are asked to do this, you must do so within the required timescales.
The School also reserves the right to submit work handed in by you for formative or summative assessment to TurnitinUK and/or other electronic systems used by the University.
Please note that when work is submitted to the relevant electronic systems, it may be copied and then stored in a database to allow appropriate checks to be made.
External Examiners
External Examiners are individuals from another institution or organisation who monitor the assessment processes of the University to ensure fairness and academic standards. They ensure that assessment and examination procedures have been fairly and properly implemented and that decisions have been made after appropriate deliberation. They also ensure that standards of awards and levels of student performance are at least comparable with those in equivalent higher education institutions.
External Examiners’ reports relating to programmes within the School of Biological Sciences will be shared with student representatives at the Student/Staff Liaison Committee (SSLC), where details of any actions carried out by the School in response to the External Examiners’ comments will be discussed. You should contact your student representatives if you require any further information about External Examiners’ reports or the process for considering them. External Examiners’ reports and the School’s responses to them can be found here.
The External Examiners for each programme are as follows:
| Programme | External Examiner | Institution |
| Anatomical Sciences | Dr Clare Lamb | University of Dundee |
| Biochemistry | Dr Stuart Knight | King's College London |
| Biology | TBC | TBD |
| Biology with Science & Society | TBC | TBC |
| Biomedical Sciences | Dr Gordon McEwan | University of Aberdeen |
| Biomedical Sciences | Dr Steve Christmas | University of Liverpool |
| Biotechnology | Dr Karen Robinson | University of Nottingham |
| Cell Biology | Dr Kristin Braun | Barts and London School of Medicine & Dentistry |
| Cognitive Neuroscience & Psychology | Dr Allison Fulford | University of Bristol |
| Developmental Biology | Dr Sinead Drea | University of Leicester |
| Genetics | Dr Henry Roehl | University of Sheffield |
| Immunology | Dr Martin Stacey | University of Leeds |
| Medical Biochemistry | Dr Stuart Knight | King's College London |
| Microbiology | Dr Karen Robinson | University of Nottingham |
| Molecular Biology | Dr Kristin Braun | Barts and London School of Medicine & Dentistry |
| Neuroscience | Dr Allison Fulford | University of Bristol |
| Pharmacology | Dr Lesley MacVinish | University of Cambridge |
| Pharmacology & Physiology | Dr Lesley MacVinish | University of Cambridge |
| Physiology | Dr Lesley MacVinish | University of Cambridge |
| Plant Sciences | Dr Sinead Drea | University of Leicester |
| Zoology | Dr Steve Portugal | Royal Holloway University of London |