1. General Information

Welcome to the School of Medical Sciences and the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health

Welcome to your Postgraduate Taught Programme in the School of Medical Sciences within the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health at the University of Manchester. The University has a worldwide reputation based on high quality teaching and research, and I am sure that your programme will provide a solid foundation for your future career success.

Within the School and the wider Faculty, our goal is to create an environment that allows you to excel and reach your full potential. Offering access to first-class facilities and strong links with regional health-service providers, our postgraduate programmes are designed to meet the diverse needs of all our students. The curriculum of our taught programmes provides the knowledge and skills you will need in your subject area and all our Masters programmes include an opportunity to carry out an independent research project on topics spanning all areas of biomedical research from molecular to experimental biology and clinical medicine. While subject areas cover a broad range, all our taught programmes have two common aims:

To develop your skills in your chosen field of study
To enhance your knowledge within the field you have chosen. Whether you are a graduate, professional or have a clinical background, the programmes have been tailored to meet your specific needs.

As a student of the School of Medical Sciences, you will be expected to take responsibility for your degree, within a supportive environment that fosters your development and helps prepare you for your future career. This handbook will be a useful resource as you progress through your programme. It provides programme-specific information that I am sure that you will find helpful throughout your study. If however, you have questions or would like some further advice, please do not hesitate to contact the people listed in this handbook for further information and assistance.

I wish you every success as you embark upon your programme, and in your future career.

Dr Carol Yates
Director of Postgraduate Taught Education
School of Medical Sciences
Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health

Welcome to Manchester and the Medical Microbiology Postgraduate Programme

It is our aim to provide you with the excellent teaching and practical training that you will need to become a successful Medical Microbiologist, whatever your chosen career path when you leave us.

You will find the academic and technical staff committed to helping you to achieve this, but the rest is up to you. The programme is intensive and it is hard work. The Programme is unique because our students spend most of their time actually in the laboratory, learning how to be microbiologists. The fact that you were offered a place, and that you are here, means that you have the ability to succeed. We hope that at the end of this year you will have learnt a lot of microbiology! However, we also hope that during the year you will develop your own personal and transferable skills, as together these elements will give you a flying start for your future career.

This handbook provides details of our taught postgraduate programmes and gives general information that you will find useful during the coming year.

The Microbiology programmes are:

(i) MSc in Medical Microbiology (MSc MM)

(ii) Diploma in Medical Microbiology (PGDip. MM)

(iii) Certificate in Medical Microbiology (PGCert. MM)

All programmes are modularised; they have a strong practical element and run in parallel. Many of the course units are common to all the programmes and students are often able to transfer between them. Full details of the composition of the programmes are given later.

We are very proud of our Microbiology teaching here in Manchester. Indeed the Diploma of Bacteriology (no longer delivered) was established early in the 1920s by Professor W W C Topley and is the oldest taught postgraduate microbiology qualification in the country, and probably in the world! In more recent times the MSc Medical Microbiology programme has become well established consolidating our microbiology teaching. So, rest assured that by choosing to come and study here you are combining the best in traditional microbiology with modern molecular methodology. The programme has been thoroughly updated and its structure revised to produce the current programme in Medical Microbiology.

Points of Contact

This handbook contains information that you will need throughout the year, so please keep it somewhere that you can find it, even after the first week. If you need any further help, advice or clarification on any academic or personal matter, seek help straightaway. Any member of staff will be willing to help, but usually, the first person to contact should be:

Programme Co-Director; Director of Postgraduate Teaching in the School of Medical Sciences, Unit Lead for Clinical Microbiology	Dr Carol Yates Room 1.305, Stopford Building The University of Manchester Oxford Road M13 9PT Tel No: +44 (0)161 275 1906 E-mail: Carol.Yates@manchester.ac.uk
Programme Director, Unit Lead for Molecular Diagnostics, and Vaccination, Antimicrobials & Resistance	Dr Moustafa Alkhalaf Room 1.305, Stopford Building The University of Manchester Oxford Road M13 9PT E-mail: moustafa.alissaakhalaf@manchester.ac.uk
Unit Lead for Understanding Infection, and Unit co-Lead for Clinical Microbiology	Dr Jenny Herbert Room 1.904, Stopford Building The University of Manchester Oxford Road M139 PT E-mail: jenny.herbert@manchester.ac.uk
Unit Lead for Practical Microbiology, and Global Health & Epidemiology	Dr Stavros Panagiotou Room 1.904, Stopford Building The University of Manchester Oxford Road M13 9PT Tel No: +44 (0)161 275 8341 E-mail: stavros.panagiotou@manchester.ac.uk
Unit Lead for Research Methods	Dr Vitalia Kinakh Coupland Building 3-G.122a The University of Manchester Oxford Road M13 9PT
Programme Adminisitration	PGT Office 1.485, Stopford Building The University of Manchester Oxford Road M13 9PT Programme support:programmesupport.smspgt@manchester.ac.uk Assessments:assessments.smspgt@manchester.ac.uk

Staying Safe – Covid-19

Feeling prepared and equipped at the present time inevitably brings thoughts of health and safety. We have followed the advice from Universities UK, Public Health England and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to make sure our campus is a safe and happy environment for you to start your studies.

When arriving on campus, you’ll notice the changes we’ve made to keep everyone safe. For example, our buildings will have clearly marked entry and exit points; we’ll be asking everyone to sanitise or clean their hands immediately on entry; and markings on floors, stairwells and doors will help maintain social distancing.

It’s important for everyone to follow the guidelines on campus to keep themselves and others safe. We have faith that all members of our University community will do the right thing.

Our ‘Staying Safe’ microsite outlines the safety measures that are in place as well as useful information regarding:-

Face Coverings
What to do if you, or someone you live with, has COVID-19 symptoms
How to register with a GP (doctor)
Keeping yourself and your neighbours safe off campus
Health and wellbeing support
Financial Support

Student Frequently Asked Questions is regularly updated online but if you can’t find what you are looking for, please contact your school as soon as possible.

The Student Charter

Our Student Charter, developed jointly by the University and the Student's Union, is an important part of how we establish and maintain clear mutual expectations for the experience of all undergraduate and taught postgraduates. It sets out what we can expect from each other as partners in a learning community.

Online Skills Training Resource

The Faculty has developed a skills training resource to support you through your postgraduate taught programme. This online material should supplement the assessed learning material and activities undertaken in your taught programme.

Accessing the online skills resource
You can access Blackboard through the My Manchester portal (http://my.manchester.ac.uk). The skills training resource is available in an academic community space available to all registered PGT students in the Faculty through Blackboard.

If you cannot see these units in your Blackboard please contact your Programme Administrator.

Content
Full details of all these resources can be found in the introduction to each unit. These resources have been designed to give you formative feedback on your progress through them. If you experience any problems and would like to talk to someone please contact your Programme Director. If you have questions about referencing and how it applies to your own work, please contact your Programme Director or dissertation supervisor/module lead.

Research Methods*	This course is spilt into 2 units that cover introductions to study design, statistics and dissertation skills. It has a number of online quizzes where you can test your knowledge.
Introduction to Statistics*	The course provides a valuable foundation for understanding and interpreting biostatistics. It aims to provide you with the fundamentals of quantitative analysis.
Presentation Skills	This short interactive unit is designed to help you to enhance your presentation skills. Regardless of whether you are presenting in public, preparing for conferences, an oral examination or more informal settings this unit will give you the tops tips to improve your delivery. The course also includes a unit on influencing effectively, alongside the presentation and poster information.
Qualitative Research Methods*	This unit has been designed to give you an introduction to Qualitative Research.
Intellectual Property Awareness Resource	This Intellectual Property (IP) awareness resource has been created in order to improve your understanding of IP. Topics include: Types of intellectual property • Copyright and IP clearance • University policy on IP • IP commercialisation • IP in research or consultancy • IP issues to be aware when dealing with academic materials

* NOTE: the material in this online resource is for reference and formative learning purposes only. In some of your taught programme you may be required to undertake assessed course units for Research Methods, Qualitative Research or Statistics. If your programme involves taught units then you should refer to the Blackboard material relating to that course unit. Please contact your Programme Administrator if you are unsure which material relates to your assessed work. You will still be able to refer to the online skills resource in later years.

Mandatory Introductory Courses

All students are automatically enrolled onto an introductory unit that provides information on Health and Safety and Academic Malpractice. You will find them on Blackboard.

Completion instructions for each of these sections are clearly defined within the course. Completion of the academic malpractice and health and safety sections is mandatory for all students. All assessments must be completed as soon as possible after the programme begins, with the academic malpractice assessment completed before the first piece of coursework is submitted. Completion of these assessments is monitored by the School.

You must achieve 70% in each of the Health and Safety modules and 100% in the Academic Malpractice module in order to pass.

Immunisation

During the practical element of the programme you will sometimes be handling infectious organisms. Please ensure that you are effectively immunised against the following diseases: diphtheria, tetanus and poliomyelitis.

In addition, we strongly recommend that you are vaccinated against Hepatitis B. Although you do not handle clinical specimens during the taught part of the programme, you may need to do so as part of your research project. Any student who intends to have a career within a medical or clinical virology setting will be required by their future employers to be vaccinated for Hepatitis B. Therefore it is sensible to ensure you are vaccinated as soon as possible. We also recommend vaccination against Meningococcus C.

Prior to registration, you will be sent a questionnaire in which you should provide dates of any vaccinations you have already received. If these were when you were a child but you do not know the exact date, please state “as a child” when asked when you received it. If you have not received any of the vaccinations we recommend, these will be administered during your Occupational Health appointment. Please remember that failure to attain a Fitness to Work certificate will mean that you may not be able to work in the laboratory. Incomplete vaccinations may limit your choice of research project to eliminate any risk when handling clinical samples.

(http://www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/occupational-health)

Health and Safety

Before you visit the University campus, please take time to read the University’s Health and Safety Policy.

All students must familiarise themselves with the procedures for dealing with an emergency, including discovery of a fire and fire exit points. During the induction week, you will be given a fire safety lecture explaining these procedures.

Students should also familiarise themselves with Health and Safety at Work practices. Much of your time is spent in the laboratory and it is essential for your own safety, and that of others, that you adhere to the safety policy in place. You will be given instruction in these procedures during the induction week, and you will be given access to a copy of the Departmental Health and Safety Policy Statement on Blackboard. It is important that you read this document and then sign the Control Form, held by Mr David Dennington, the Technical Manager. In addition, the University Health and Safety Policy Statement is available within the Department.

The Stopford Building is a secure site. During normal working hours (9.00 a.m. – 5.00 p.m.) you must use your University swipe card on the barriers in the foyer. In the unlikely event that you will need to be in the building outside of these hours you must obtain permission from your supervisor.

All students must carry/wear a Student ID card at all times.

Graduation

All students who successfully complete the Postgraduate Certificate, Diploma and MSc programme are invited, along with their guests, to attend a graduation ceremony. Further details can be accessed via the Graduation page on the University's website.

The University of Manchester degree ceremonies are broadcast live online, and are also stored on the University website.

2. Overview of the Programme

Course Unit Specifications and Programme Specification

Full course unit outlines and programme specification for this programme are available via the Blackboard programme space available via - https://my.manchester.ac.uk/

3.Teaching, Learning and Assessment

Assessment information for your programme

Please refer to your Blackboard unit spaces for more information regarding coursework and assessment, including submission deadlines: https://my.manchester.ac.uk/

Postgraduate Taught Degree Regulations for Students

Students should familiarise themselves with the degree regulations for Postgraduate Taught Degrees by clicking on this link http://www.regulations.manchester.ac.uk/postgraduate-degree-regulations/ or reading the University document here: Introduction to the Postgraduate Degree Regulations for Students

Programme Exemptions to PGT Regulations

A mark of at least 50% must be achieved in the practical examination for successful completion of the Clinical Microbiology 1 (MEDN68662) unit.

In order to progress to the dissertation/research projects, students are required to complete 120 credits in the taught component.

Guidance for Presentation of Taught Masters Dissertations

The University of Manchester guidance on presentation of taught Masters Dissertations is available at:
Guidance for the presentation of Taught Masters dissertations

The guidance explains the required presentation of the dissertation, and failure to follow the instructions in the guidance may result in the dissertation being rejected by the examiners.

There is more information on taught masters dissertation requirements on Blackboard: https://my.manchester.ac.uk

Turnitin and Plagiarism

Plagiarism and Other Forms of Academic Malpractice
Academic malpractice is any activity - intentional or otherwise - that is likely to undermine the integrity essential to scholarship and research. It includes plagiarism, collusion, fabrication or falsification of results, and anything else that could result in unearned or undeserved credit for those committing it. Academic malpractice can result from a deliberate act of cheating or may be committed unintentionally. Whether intended or not, all incidents of academic malpractice will be treated seriously by the University.

The Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health have designed a learning module to raise your awareness of academic malpractice and how it can occur in general writing during your studies. This resource can be accessed via Blackboard - SMS Introductory Course and must be completed before you submit your first piece of academic writing for assessment.

The University provides workshops and online training via My Learning Essentials

Please refer to the University of Manchester guidance to students on plagiarism and other forms of academic malpractice

The full guidance document can be viewed here: http://documents.manchester.ac.uk/display.aspx?DocID=2870

Academic Malpractice: Procedure for the Handling of Cases can be found at: http://documents.manchester.ac.uk/DocuInfo.aspx?DocID=639

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.

Mitigating Circumstances

Mitigating circumstances are personal or medical circumstances which are unforeseeable and unpreventable that could have a significant adverse effect on your academic performance. You should only submit a mitigating circumstances application if you consider it serious enough, and the timing critical, to have affected your performance in your assessed work and examinations.

Request for mitigation must be submitted via the online form, in advance of your assessment submission deadline or exam. Requests for mitigation submitted after the assessment or exam (except those requests made as a result of circumstances that have arisen during the course of that assessment period) will not be considered without a credible and compelling explanation as to why the circumstances were not known before the beginning of the assessment period or why you were unable to complete or submit an application prior to the assessment or exam. Please note that not informing the University of circumstances due to personal feelings of embarrassment and pride, or having concerns over the confidential treatment of requests for mitigation, are not considered to be credible and compelling explanations

All mitigating circumstances applications must be supported by independent third party evidence. The type of evidence required will vary according to the nature of the circumstances. Examples of evidence include a doctor or other health professional’s letter, counsellor’s letter, self-certification form signed by your GP or GP’s Medical Practice (for illnesses of 7 days and under only). Please note that it is a University policy that the self-certification form must be signed by a GP; we cannot accept forms which have not been signed by a GP. Please note that if evidence has not been received within 2 weeks of the submission of your form, and you have not contacted them to inform them of any delay, your application will be refused and no further action will be taken.

Any requests for mitigation will be considered confidentially by a mitigating circumstances panel or sub-panel. Where a request for mitigation is supported, a recommendation will be made to the exam board for them to decide on the best course of action for the student.

You are advised to consult the following guidance, which directs you to seek advice and support before and whilst submitting a request for mitigation.

Guidance for students is available on the web: A Basic Guide to Mitigating Circumstances

For further information about the process and acceptable grounds for mitigation see: Mitigating Circumstances Policy & Procedures: http://documents.manchester.ac.uk/DocuInfo.aspx?DocID=4271

Mitigating Circumstances Meeting Dates

Please be advised that any requests need to be submitted by midday 7 days before the pre-arranged Mitigating Circumstances meeting to studentsupport.smspgt@manchester.ac.uk . The dates of Mitigating Circumstances meetings for the 2021/22 academic year are as follows:

Wednesday 15th September 2021
Wednesday 13th October 2021
Wednesday 17th November 2021
Wednesday 15th December 2021
Wednesday 19th January 2022
Wednesday 19th February 2022
Wednesday 16th March 2022
Wednesday 13th April 2022
Wednesday 18th May 2022
Wednesday 15th June 2022
Wednesday 20th July 2022
Wednesday 17th August 2022

Late Submission Penalty (Including Dissertation)

Work submitted after the deadline without prior approval will be subject to a late penalty in accordance with the University Policy on Submission of Work for Summative Assessment on Taught Programmes. The penalty applied is 10% of available marks deducted per day/24 hours (from the time of the original or extended deadline), until the assignment is submitted or no marks remain.

Penalties for late submission relate to 24 hours/calendar days, so include weekends and weekdays, as well as bank holidays and University closure days.

The mark awarded for the piece of work will be reduced by:
10% of the available marks deducted if up to 24 hours (1 day) late
20% of the available marks deducted if up to 48 hours (2 days) late
30% of the available marks deducted if up to 72 hours (3 days) late
40% of the available marks deducted if up to 96 hours (4 days) late
50% of the available marks deducted if up to 120 hours (5 days) late
60% of the available marks deducted if up to 144 hours (6 days) late
70% of the available marks deducted if up to 168 hours (7 days) late
80% of the available marks deducted if up to 192 hours (8 days) late
90% of the available marks deducted if up to 216 hours (9 days) late
100% of the available marks deducted if up to 240 hours (10 days) late

If the assessment is submitted within 10 days of the deadline the assessment should be marked and feedback to the student provided. If this mark before the penalty is applied reaches the appropriate pass mark but the applied penalty results in a fail of the assessment, the student should not be required to resit the assessment as the original mark can be taken as the resit mark. Further information and examples can be found in the Policy and associated Guidance documents.

For work submitted more than 10 days late, it is regarded as a non-submission and need not be marked. In this case a mark of zero will be awarded and normal resit regulations will apply.

The sliding scale should only be applied to first-sit submissions. For all referred (resit) assessment, any late submission will automatically receive a mark of zero.

For further information:

Guidance on Late Submission

Policy on the Submission of Work for Summative Assessment on Taught Programmes

Assignment Word Count (Including Dissertation)

In accordance with the University Policy on Marking:

Each written assignment has a word limit which you must state at the top of your first page. It is acceptable, without penalty, for you to submit an assignment within a range that is plus 10% of this limit. If you present an assignment with a word count exceeding the specified limit+10%, the assignment will be marked but 1% will be deducted from this mark for every 100 words over the limit given.

For an original word limit that is 1000 words and an assignment that is marked out of 100. If a submission is made that is 1101 words then it exceeded the 10% leeway, and is more than 100 words over the original limit and should receive a 1 mark deduction.

In accordance with accepted academic practice, when submitting any written assignment for summative assessment, the notion of a word count includes the following without exception:

All titles or headings that form part of the actual text. This does not include the fly page or reference list
All words that form the actual essay
All words forming the titles for figures, tables and boxes, are included but this does not include boxes or tables or figures themselves
All in-text (that is bracketed) references
All directly quoted material

Certain assessments may require different penalties for word limits to be applied. For example, if part of the requirement for the assessment is conciseness of presentation of facts and arguments. In such cases it may be that no 10% leeway is allowed and penalties applied may be stricter than described above. In such cases the rules for word count limits and the penalties to be applied will be clearly stated in the assessment brief and in the submission details for that assessment.

Academic Appeals, Complaints, Conduct and Discipline

Academic Appeals

www.regulations.manchester.ac.uk/academic

Student Complaints

The University’s Student Complaints Procedure (Regulation XVIII) and associated documents, including a complaints form, can be found at www.regulations.manchester.ac.uk/academic
The University has separate procedures to address complaints of bullying, harassment, discrimination and/or victimisation - see https://www.reportandsupport.manchester.ac.uk/
Students thinking of submitting a formal complaint should, in most instances, attempt informal resolution first (see the procedure). Formal complaints should be submitted on the relevant form to Faculty Appeals and Complaints Team, Room 3.21, Simon Building, University of Manchester, M13 9PL (e-mail: FBMHappealsandcomplaints@manchester.ac.uk).

Conduct and Discipline of Students

General University information on the conduct and discipline of students can be found at https://www.staffnet.manchester.ac.uk/tlso/academic-appeals-complaints-and-misconduct/
Faculty policies for students on communication and dress code, social networking. and drugs and alcohol can be found at:
- http://documents.manchester.ac.uk/display.aspx?DocID=29038 (Communication and Dress Code)
- http://documents.manchester.ac.uk/display.aspx?DocID=29039 (Drugs and Alcohol)
- http://documents.manchester.ac.uk/display.aspx?DocID=29040 (Social Networking)
Information on Academic Malpractice and how to avoid it can be found at http://www.regulations.manchester.ac.uk/guidance-to-students-on-plagiarism-and-other-forms-of-academic-malpractice/
In accordance with the Policy on Submission of Work for Summative Assessment on Taught Programmes, ‘All typed summative assessment, including dissertations, should be submitted online and subjected to plagiarism detection software, where appropriate’.

The University Library has produced online resources to help students in avoiding plagiarism and academic malpractice at:

https://www.library.manchester.ac.uk/using-the-library/students/training-and-skills-support/my-learning-essentials/online-resources/

Sharing Information

The University may share appropriate information relating to your health and/or conduct with external organisations such as your professional employer(s) (for example, relevant NHS Trust, Professional and Statutory Regulatory Bodies (PSRB)), placement and training providers and/or regulator. This may occur where concerns in relation to your health and/or conduct arise and the University considers it necessary for them to be disclosed to one or more of the above organisations. The University’s Privacy Notice for Registered Students (which is accessible via this link) includes further information about how the University may use and process your personal data, including the legal basis and conditions which may be relevant to such processing (see section 6 of the Privacy Notice). The University will only disclose special category data (such as data relating to your health) to a third party organisation where one of the additional conditions are satisfied (see section 9 of the Privacy Notice), including where processing is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest.

4. Student Progression

Monitoring Attendance and Wellbeing of Students

The programme director and teaching staff will monitor the work and attendance of students on the programme. This is for your benefit and helps to ensure you are coping with the work. Regular or a pattern of non-attendance and/or engagement will result in you being contacted by the School to meet with your programme director. Following this, further action will be taken if there isn’t a significant improvement in attendance.
For further information see:
Regulation XX Monitoring Attendance and Wellbeing of Students

The University offers a range of advice and support to students experiencing problems with attendance. The A-Z of Services can be found on the MyManchester website. Here you can find a information on a wide range of topics such as library services, disability support and careers advice.

You can also speak to your Programme Director and/or Academic Advisor.

What to do if you are absent
In case of illness you should supply a doctor’s certificate or, if the illness is brief, a self-certification. If you are absent for other reasons then you should write a letter to the Programme Director explaining the circumstances. Medical certificates or letters should be given in person or sent to the Programme Administrator. Whatever your reason for being away, tell your supervisor about it and make any necessary arrangements to catch up with work you have missed.

Special Permissions

Interruptions to programme and extensions to writing up
It is the expectation of the University that postgraduate taught students pursue their studies on a continuous basis for the stipulated duration of their programme. However, it is recognised that students may encounter personal difficulties or situations which may seriously disrupt or delay their studies. In some cases, an interruption or extension to your programme of study may be the most sensible option.
Students who wish to interrupt the programme or extend to write up the dissertation should initially discuss their plans and reasons with the Programme Director and/or their Academic Advisor.
Students should also provide documentary evidence when appropriate, for example, doctor’s letter, sick note etc.
The forms required for formal application are available from your Programme Administrator.

Tier 4 Visa Attendance Monitoring Census

The University operates attendance monitoring census points within the academic year in order to confirm the attendance of students holding a Tier 4 Student Visa. This is to ensure the University meets the UKVI statutory requirements as a sponsor of Tier 4 students and its responsibilities in accordance with its Highly Trusted Sponsor status.
If you are a Tier 4 visa holder, you must attend these attendance monitoring census points, in addition to complying with your programme’s attendance requirements.

When are the census points?
There are usually 4 census points each academic year:

September/October (to coincide with Registration)
January
May
July

Please note:

If you are a new student, registration is your first point to confirm your attendance at the University and you will not be required to attend a separate census point in the Autumn.
You will receive an e-mail from your Programme Administrator to confirm when and where you should go to have your attendance confirmed. You must check your University e-mail account regularly. Failure to check your e-mail account is not a valid reason to be absent from a census point.

What if a Tier 4 student cannot attend a census point?
If you cannot attend in person due to a valid reason which includes: illness; placement; field studies; on year abroad; research work; or any other reason connected to your programme of study, you must email your programme administrator to inform us of your absence and your inability to attend in person. In the case of illness, you must provide a copy of a medical certificate. If you are in this position you should report in person to the School as soon as possible after you return to campus.
Students who are recorded as interrupting their studies are not expected to attend during their period of interruption.

What happens if a student does not attend a census point?
The School must be able to confirm your presence to the UKVI by the end of each census point in the academic year. If you do not attend a census point when required by your School and you do not provide a valid explanation for your absence you will be deemed to be “not in attendance”.
Those students identified as “not in attendance” will be reported to the UKVI and the University will cease to sponsor the student’s Tier 4 visa. The Tier 4 visa will then be curtailed and the student must leave the UK within 60 days.

Further information
For more information on Tier 4 visas: https://www.gov.uk/tier-4-general-visa

If you have any concerns about the attendance monitoring census points, or your Tier 4 visa status, please contact or visit https://www.studentsupport.manchester.ac.uk/immigration-and-visas/ or email visa@manchester.ac.uk

Withdrawal from the Programme

Students who are considering withdrawing from the programme should discuss this in the first instance with the Programme Director.
If arrangements for withdrawal need to be made, this will be handled by the Programme Administrator, who will manage communication with the Fees and Records Departments and other University bodies as appropriate OR Students may liaise directly with the Programme Administrator who will communicate this information directly to the University Student Services Centre.

5. Student Support and Guidance

Student Support and Guidance

Student support and guidance within the programme

Support and advice is available to all students both formally and informally from the Programme Directors, the Programme Administrator and research project supervisors.

If you have any queries or would like to discuss any issues at all – academic, administrative, technical or personal – please do not hesitate to get in touch. All personal issues will be dealt with confidentially.

If we are unable to help you directly, we can put you in touch with many of the support services that are available to students of the University through our Student Services Centre.

You can approach these services independently, without the involvement of programme staff. Please refer to the Blackboard Space on Student Support and Guidance which is available via https://my.manchester.ac.uk

Personal Tutor/Supervisors
Academic staff members act as personal tutor to students during the taught part of the programme. These tutors may be available to see any student without appointment but at busy times an appointment system will operate. If any student wishes to make an appointment at any other time, please do this through the programme administrator, who will also usually be able to reach your tutor in case of an urgent problem.

During the research project, students will have close contact with their individual project supervisor. This will usually be an academic member of teaching staff, or an honorary university staff member such as an NHS or PHE staff member. However, if any problems arise during this time you should let your personal tutor know.

Academic Support
If you have problems understanding lecture material or practical classes, do not hesitate to discuss it with the relevant lecturer or course unit leader who should be delighted to help you. In addition, our excellent technical staff are a great source of information and expertise; each course unit has one or more technical staff assigned to it, so if there is anything you are not sure about, just ask!

Academic Success Programme

You’re studying at the University of Manchester – congratulations! Writing and speaking Academic English can be challenging, even for native speakers. Our team of experienced tutors are here to support you, and will help boost your confidence to work independently in English through a series of interactive workshops - freely available to all University of Manchester students.

To find out more, and to register, please go to www.manchester.ac.uk/academicsuccessprogramme

The Academic Writing workshops are delivered via live synchronous video sessions, and offer faculty-specific support covering both the basics and the finer points of good academic writing. The sessions are interactive and encourage small group work to solve problems and edit texts. Our Academic Grammar workshops are also online and open to students from all faculties. They include the fundamentals of good sentence structure as well as more subtle ways of showing nuance and emphasis.

There are also self-study resources available via our Blackboard community – details, and registration, is via the “Online Resources” link.

Should you have further queries, please email academicsuccess@manchester.ac.uk

Disability Advisory and Support Service (DASS)

The University of Manchester welcomes students with a disability or specific learning difficulties. The University has a Disability Advisory and Support Service, who can supply further information and DASS advisors will be pleased to meet you to discuss you needs. DASS will liaise with your School through the Disability Coordinator to make the necessary arrangements for your support during your time in Manchester.

The DASS office can also provide a copy of the University’s Disability Statement, ‘Opportunities for Students with Additional Support Needs at the University of Manchester’ which sets out the policy and provision for students with a disability.

DASS Contact Details:-
Location: 2nd Floor, University Place

Tel (Disability Service) +44 (0)161 275 7512

Tel (Assessment Centre) +44 (0)161 275 0990

Mobile Number (Text only for d/Deaf students) 07899 658 790

Email (Disability Service) dass@manchester.ac.uk

Email (Assessment Centre) assessments@manchester.ac.uk

School Disability Coordinator Contact Details:-
Email: dc.medicalsciences.pgt@manchester.ac.uk

Religious Observance and Looking after yourself and your patients during Ramadan

Policy on Religious Observance:

University Policy
The Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health has produced guidance for healthcare students on fasting and caring: Fasting and Caring - Looking after yourself and your patients during Ramadan: guidance for health care students.

6. Student Representation and Feedback

Student Representation and Feedback

A Student Representative is a student leader and works in partnership with the University staff and Students’ Union to represent the views and experiences of student peers.

The programme’s Student Rep is expected to:

Complete general SU training & specific school or programme training
Contact your cohort (other students on your course) to introduce yourself & gather feedback
Work with staff, the SU and other reps to act on feedback and enact change
Use existing data to suggest improvements to student experience
Attend regular staff-student meetings to deliver feedback & propose change
Attend Faculty level feedback meetings (i.e. Faculty Forum)

There is a dedicated team in the Students’ Union available to support reps with each aspect of the role, along with staff contacts in each programme who help to facilitate the staff-student meetings.

If you are interested in becoming a voluntary Student Rep, you need to complete a sign-up form, which is available on the Students’ Union website. Do note if more than one person is interested in the role, then each candidate will be asked to write a short proposal, which is circulated to other students on your programme and an election will be held.

You can find more information by visiting the SMS PGT Student Support Hub.

Course Unit Evaluations

The quality of teaching on the programme is monitored in part by student feedback. Thus it is very important that you make your views, good and bad, known. At the end of each course unit, and at the end of the programme, you will be asked to complete an anonymous course unit evaluation form. In addition, please let the course unit leader or the programme director know at any time if you feel there is a problem with a particular area of the programme.

Student Representatives

A few weeks after the beginning of the year you will be asked to elect class representatives. The class reps will be invited to attend the Programme Committee for all parts of the meeting that do not involve discussion of individual students. The class reps should make students’ views known to the programme management. In addition, they should report any staff response back to the students. Minutes of programme committees and any action taken as a result of student feedback will be placed on the student notice board.

The Students’ Union works in partnership with individual schools and departments to provide training and support for student representatives throughout their term. Further details of training will be provided for reps once elected and information about additional support/activities for student representatives can be found on the Students’ Union website http://manchesterstudentsunion.com/reps .

Further information can be found in the following University document:

Feedback to Students’ Policy

http://documents.manchester.ac.uk/list.aspx

7. Programme Management

Programme Management and Committee Structure

Programme Management

The programme is managed and operated in accordance with the policies, principles, regulations and procedures of the University of Manchester.

Programme Directors relate to the School and Faculty Postgraduate Teaching Committees on matters relating to admissions, exams, reviews and approval of new programmes and units, quality assurance etc. and policy issues of broad relevance to the Graduate School.

The Programme Committee will meet each semester and consist of the Programme Director, Programme Administrator, Programme Committee members and the unit co-ordinators.

The remit of the committee will be to:

Oversee the teaching, assessment and examining arrangements;
Monitor cohort progression including failure rate, withdrawal rate;
Evaluate the extent to which the learning outcomes are achieved by students;
Monitor, maintain and enhance standards of all aspects of the programme;
Evaluate the effectiveness of the curriculum and of assessment in relation to programme learning outcomes;
Evaluate the effectiveness and relevance of the teaching and learning methods employed;
Review and revise the programme in the light of any relevant Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) benchmarks, any other relevant external and/or professional requirements and developing knowledge in the subject area;
Receive, consider and respond to feedback from students, employers and external examiners;
Where the need for change is identified, effect the changes quickly and efficiently;
Produce an annual action plan via annual monitoring;
Produce reports for periodic review
Produce relevant information for an Institutional Audit;
Review programme documentation, e.g., programme handbooks, programme specifications, promotional literature and programme website;
Ensure suitable and efficient arrangements are in place for recruitment, admission and induction.

Committee Structure

The Programme Committee acts as a curriculum development team for the Programme. The Programme Committee will report to a School, or Department, or Faculty level committee. The Programme Director is responsible for the management of the programme, and the Programme Committee is established to support the Programme Director in the carrying out of their responsibilities.

The role of the External Examiner

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

External Examiners’ reports relating to this programme will be shared with student representatives and details of any actions carried out by the programme team/School in response to the External Examiners’ comments will be discussed. Students should contact their student representatives if they require any further information about External Examiners’ reports or the process for considering them.

External Examiner Details

The External Examiner for the MSc Medical Microbiology programme is: Dr Chris Parry

Name of Institution: University of Oxford/Alder Hey Hospital

Please note, this is for information only and it is inappropriate for students to make direct contact with external examiners under any circumstances, in particular with regard to a student’s individual performance in assessments.

Other appropriate mechanisms are available for students, including the University’s appeals or complaints procedures and the UMSU Advice Centre. In cases where a student does contact an external examiner directly, external examiners have been requested not to respond to direct queries. Instead, external examiners should report the matter to their School contact who will then contact the student to remind them of the other methods available for students. If students have any queries concerning this, they should contact their programme administrator in the first instance.

Examination Board

A progression meeting is held at the end of the taught component, to assess students’ results and advise progression to the research project. Examinations boards are held on completion of the programme. Each programme’s examination board, including the external examiners, sits prior to a School Exam Board at which all results are ratified.

8. Student Privacy Notice

Student Privacy Notice

The University of Manchester needs to collect, maintain and use personal data relating to you to allow us to process your application for study, register you as a student, to administer your course and to provide facilities during your time as a student. We will also use your data to keep in touch with you after you have graduated, and contact you to complete a graduate outcomes survey.

We share this data within the University in order to deliver a high standard of service to you, so it is important that you regularly check to see that we have up to date information about you in the Student System. We are occasionally required to share your information with external agencies who have need for it, such as the Higher Education Statistics Agency, or Student Loans Company. We may also ask other agencies for the information they have about you, in order to verify the personal details you provide.

Please read the full Privacy Notice - Registered Students here.

9. Learning Resources

Learning Resources

Libraries
All registered students may become members of the University of Manchester Library on the main campus.
Up-to-date news about the library is available here.

IT Services and eLearning

IT Services Support Centre online
Details of what IT support is available and how to access it can be found on the FBMH eLearning Support page.
Login to the Support Centre online to log a request, book an appointment for an IT visit, or search the Knowledge Base.
Telephone: +44 (0)161 306 5544 (or extension 65544). Telephone support is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
In person: Walk-up help and support is available at the Joule Library, Main Library or Alan Gilbert Learning Commons:
Use Support Centre online for support with eLearning, from where you may make a request, or search the Knowledge Base.

For IT and eLearning support visit:
https://elearning.bmh.manchester.ac.uk/student/technical-support/

Blackboard
Blackboard, the University's 'virtual learning environment', will be used for online teaching.

What is Blackboard?
Blackboard is a web-based system that complements and builds upon traditional learning methods used at The University of Manchester. By using Blackboard you can

view course materials and learning resources,
communicate with lectures and other students,
collaborate in groups,
get feedback
submit assignments
monitoring your own progress at a time and place of your own convenience.

Training in the use of software
The Faculty eLearning team have produced a short introduction to Blackboard for new students. The recording is hosted in two places: the Video Portal and on YouTube:

The recording is just over seven minutes long and covers most of the commonly used tools in Blackboard.