Degree Regulations
The degree regulations for students registered on an undergraduate programme since 1 September 2012 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 at: http://documents.manchester.ac.uk/DocuInfo.aspx?DocID=7324.
| 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 year.
Final Year
1. BSc degrees
For students who registered in September 2013 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: For students who first registered in September 2011 or earlier, the split of assessment will be 25% of the total for second year units and 75% of the total for final year units. This will give a split of 12.5% for special programme problem/essay papers, 37.5% for lecture/practical units, and 25% for the research project and literature review.
Note: For students who first registered in September 2012, 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) who commenced their studies on or after September 2012, their psychology or language units are combined with their biological sciences units.
Master of Neuroscience degree
Master of Neuroscience students must gain an overall average of no less than 50% and marks of at least 40% in 2/3 of total credits including all non-compensated units and at least 35% in the remaining 1/3 credits. A student who fails to progress to the final year of the programme will not be reassessed but instead will be considered forthwith for the award of the Degree of Bachelor of Science.
| First year | 6% |
| Second year: | 19% |
| Final year: | |
| Special Programme Problem/Essay papers | 6.25% (2 units = 20 credits) |
| Lecture/Practical units | 21.875% (7 units = 70 credits) |
| BIOL30822 & BIOL31661 | 9.375% (3 units = 30 credits) |
| Fourth Year | 37.5% |
Note: For students who first registered on the 1 September 2012, the split of assessment will be 20% of the total for second year units, 40% of the total for third year units and 40% of the total for the fourth-year project. This will give a split of 6.67% for special programme problem/essay papers, 23.33% for lecture/practical units, and 10% for BIOL30822 & BIOL31661.
Note: For students who first registered on the 1 September 2011 or earlier, the split of assessment will be 10% of the total for second year units, 30% of the total for third year units and 60% of the total for the fourth-year project. This will give a split of 5% for special programme problem/essay papers, 17.5% for lecture/practical units, and 7.5% for BIOL30822 & BIOL31661.
Progression rules for students on Integrated Masters (MSci) Degrees (including MNeuro)
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 in both the January and May/June examination and obtain an overall mean mark of at least 60% (including a mark of at least 70% obtained in a tutorial assignment for Writing and Referencing skills (BIOL10742) that is attached to the tutorial unit (BIOL10000).
Year 2
- pass all year 2 units at the first attempt in both the January and May/June examination and obtain an overall mean mark of at least 60% (excluding marks obtained for tutorial assignments). This includes the Writing and Referencing skills unit (BIOL21701) that is attached to the tutorial unit (BIOL20000).
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 viva range (58.0 – 59.9%) and following a successful viva you were raised to a final degree classification of a 2i.
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 Personal Advisor. 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.
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) (Optometry), 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 have adversely affected a student's performance OR where a student is within 2% below a boundary, cases will be considered individually to determine whether the higher degree classification should be awarded. In deciding these cases the examiners will take into account such relevant evidence as exists to the student’s advantage and may be influenced by factors such as: the spread of the marks; the performance in core components of the programme; advisors' reports; performance in earlier years; performance in elements of assessment that have either particularly low or particularly high class averages; medical or personal circumstances. External examiners will participate in this process and may include in the discussion their judgement of the academic aspects having reviewed examination papers and looked at students' assessed work. External examiners may seek additional information derived, for example, from a viva voce examination (see paragraph vii below).
- The External Examiner plays an important role. He/she moderates examination question papers and reads student examination scripts and placement/project reports. Prior to the meeting of the Board of Examiners, the External Examiner may hold an Oral Examination (viva voce) for some or all candidates in a particular Degree Programme.
- To decide degree classifications for candidates whose average overall mark falls within 2% below the borders between degree classifications and who have accrued the necessary credits, and those who have an overall mark within a degree class but have failed to obtain the correct number of credits, mark review will be carried out. This is a two stage process. 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 mark review by viva voce will occur, as set out in “Regulations for Undergraduate Awards”Appendix A. You will be invited to attend a viva voce Some External Examiners also request to viva benchmark candidates for each degree classification and some other students (e.g. those with mitigating circumstances) may also be invited to attend a viva. It is your responsibility to find out if you are required to attend an oral examination and to be available on the appropriate dates, normally during the 2 weeks AFTER the end of the examination period, i.e. mid to late June. Performance in all examinations will be included in the deliberations of the Board of Examiners. A document explaining the viva voce can be found at https://www.intranet.ls.manchester.ac.uk/public/downloads.aspx?DocId=16218
- 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..
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.
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 in the SSLC pages on the intranet.
The External Examiners for each programme are as follows:
| Programme | External Examiner | Institution |
| Anatomical Sciences | Dr Tomasz Cecot | University of Southampton |
| Biochemistry | Dr John Rafferty | University of Sheffield |
| Biology | Dr Richard Bevan | University of Newcastle |
| Biology with Science & Society | Dr Sally Sheard | University of Liverpool |
| Biomedical Sciences | Dr Christopher Torrens | University of Southampton |
| Biomedical Sciences | Prof. Craig Roberts | Strathclyde University |
| Biotechnology | Prof. Jeff Green | University of Sheffield |
| Cell Biology | Prof. David Stephens | University of Bristol |
| Cognitive Neuroscience & Psychology | Prof. Frank Sengpiel | University of Cardiff |
| Developmental Biology | Dr Andrew Fleming | University of Sheffield |
| Genetics | Dr Eran Tauber | University of Leicester |
| Medical Biochemistry | Dr John Rafferty | University of Sheffield |
| Microbiology | Prof. Jeff Green | University of Sheffield |
| MNeuro | Prof. Frank Sengpiel | University of Cardiff |
| Molecular Biology | Dr Eran Tauber | University of Leicester |
| Neuroscience | Prof. Frank Sengpiel | University of Cardiff |
| Pharmacology | Dr Lucia Sivilotti | University College London |
| Pharmacology & Physiology | Dr Lucia Sivilotti | University College London |
| Physiology | Dr Lucia Sivilotti | University College London |
| Plant Sciences | Dr Andrew Fleming | University of Sheffield |
| Zoology | Dr James Usherwood | The Royal Veterinary College |
| MRes Biological Sciences & Integrative Biology, MSc Neuroscience | Prof. Jonathan Jarvis | University of Liverpool |
| MSc Biotechnology & Enterprise, MSc Biochemistry, MSc Plant Sciences | Prof Andy Greenland | NIAB |
| MSc Cancer Research and Molecular Biomedicine, MSc Developmental Biology, MSc Cell Biology | Dr Liz Patton | University of Edinburgh |
| MSc Bioinformatics and Systems Biology, Distance Learning | Dr Andrew Jones | University of Liverpool |
| MSc History of Science, Technology & Medicine | Dr Sally Sheard | University of Liverpool |
| MSc Applications in Environmental Sciences | Prof. Richard Handy | University of Plymouth |