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Programme Specification 2021-
Programme Information
Programme Title Programme Code HECoS Code
Molecular Bioengineering with a Year Abroad H For Registry Use Only
Award Length of Study Mode of Study Entry Point(s)
Total Credits
ECTS CATS
MEng 1 H163 4 Academic years Full-time Annually in October
BEng H161 3 Academic years Full-time Annually in October
(^1) The MEng Molecular Bioengineering with a Year Abroad is a pathway within the MEng Molecular
Bioengineering degree where students undertake their fourth year at a host university outside of the UK. A
placement is subject to performance at upper second-class level in the first two years of the programme, and
acceptance by a suitable host University. The placements are competitive, and the final selection is made by the
department following an interview.
*The DipHE and CertHE exit award is not accredited by any professional body. They may be offered to a student
as an exit award in exceptional circumstances. All students must apply to and join the MEng.
Ownership
Awarding Institution Imperial College London Faculty Faculty of Engineering
Teaching Institution Imperial College London Department^ Bioengineering
Associateship City and Guilds London Institute
Main Location(s) of Study
South Kensington Campus
External Reference
Relevant QAA Benchmark Statement(s) and/or other external reference points Engineering
FHEQ Level
MEng Level 7 BEng Level 6
EHEA Level 2nd Cycle
External Accreditor(s) (if applicable)
External Accreditor 1: Institution of Mechanical Engineers
Accreditation received: 2021 dependent on First Output Review Accreditation renewal: NA
External Accreditor 2: The Institution of Engineering Designers
Accreditation received: 2018 Accreditation renewal: 2023
External Accreditor 3: Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine
Accreditation received: 2021 dependent on First Output Review Accreditation renewal: NA
External Accreditor 4: The Institution of Engineering and Technology
Accreditation received: 2021 dependent on First Output Review Accreditation renewal: NA
External Accreditor 5: The Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining
Accreditation received: 2017 Accreditation renewal: 2023
Collaborative Provision
Collaborative partner Collaboration type Agreement effective date
Agreement expiry date
N/A N/A N/A N/A
Specification Details
Programme Lead Dr Sylvain Ladame
Student cohorts covered by specification 2021-22 entry
Date of introduction of programme October 18
Date of programme specification/revision October 21
Programme Overview
Molecular Bioengineering considers how we might engineer biological systems to solve challenges in health and wellbeing. The programme will take a strong engineering approach to understanding and solving biological and biomedical problems and has been designed with a focus on engineering rather than a clinical perspective. By undertaking this degree programme you will develop the scientific understanding and laboratory expertise of a life-scientist with the technical knowledge and problem-solving skills of an engineer. With this unique combination of skills you will be extremely well placed to contribute to addressing the global challenges of today: health and well-being agenda, personalised medicine, new biomedical technology industries.
Our programme combines lectures, study groups and taught classes where you gain a theoretical understanding with many practical wet and dry labs and activities where you will and work on real world projects in medicine and biology with life-changing potential. You will also have many opportunities to take part in design, test and build activities starting in the first year and continuing through the degree programme.
Our programme will also build your communication and inter-personal skills through a range of teaching activities including a substantial amount of group and team work as collaboration in interdisciplinary teams is a key feature of working as a professional Molecular Bioengineer. This begins in the first week of year 1 where group working is introduced in fresher’s week,
We expect our graduates to have the ability to become leaders in their chosen areas and so our programme is also designed to develop your leadership skills, introduce you to professional standards and to develop your understanding of engineers’ obligations to society, the profession and the environment.
[PT3] Demonstrate advanced leadership, teamwork and communication skills.
[PT4] Exercise judgement in a range of situations and accept accountability for decisions made and the quality of outcomes produced.
[PT5] Employ advanced skills to plan and conduct research, advanced technical and professional activities.
[PT6] Work effectively in an international setting with people who have different biomedical engineering education backgrounds, approaches or perspectives.
CertHE, DipHE and BEng exit awards are available to students via the MEng Molecular Bioengineering programme. Please refer to the MEng Molecular Bioengineering programme specifications for learning outcomes by exit award.
The Imperial Graduate Attributes are a set of core competencies which we expect students to achieve through completion of any Imperial College degree programme. The Graduate Attributes are available at: www.imperial.ac.uk/students/academic-support/graduate-attributes
Entry Requirements
Academic Requirement
A- Level
IB
The minimum requirement is normally A*AA overall at A-level
This usually comprises of: A* in Mathematics A in Chemisty A in any further subject preferably biology, physics or further mathematics (or a comparable qualification recognised by the College).
Minimum 38 points (or a comparable qualification recognised by the College
6 in Mathematics at higher level 6 in Chemistry at higher level 6 in a third subject at higher level (or a comparable qualification recognised by the College).
Non-academic Requirements N/A
English Language Requirement
Standard requirement IELTS score of 6.5 overall (minimum 6.0 in all elements)
Admissions Test/Interview
Applicants can move from the standard Molecular Bioengineering programme during year 3 subject to securing a placement. A placement is subject to performance at upper second-class level in the first two years of the programme, and acceptance by a suitable host University. The placements are competitive, and the final selection is made by the department following an interview.
The programme’s competency standards documents can be found at: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/media/imperial- college/faculty-of-engineering/bioengineering/public/student/Competency-Standards---Bioengineering-UG-PG-- -June-2016-Final.pdf
Learning & Teaching Approach
Scheduled Learning & Teaching
Students are taught through a combination of lectures, study groups and tutorials, laboratories and computing labs, guest lectures and presentations. Study groups and tutorials will enable you to discuss and develop your understanding of topics covered in lectures whilst in smaller groups of around 30 students. Dry laboratories in electronics, mechanics and bioengineering will allow you to develop practical skills and gain experience in the application of the theory discussed in lectures and study groups. Wet laboratories will allow you to develop practical skills and develop an understanding of how to handle biological and chemical materials. You will undergo extensive amounts of wet laboratory work throughout this programme and so become familiar with routine methods and analysis techniques. Computing labs will support the maths and computational content of the course. In laboratories you will work in pairs or trios.
The Virtual learning environment Blackboard will be used as a repository for teaching materials including recordings of all lectures, lecture notes and problem sheets. Learning technologies will be used to support teaching activities including in-class polling with Mentimeter, online self-diagnostic quizzes and online class forums.
The first two years of the programme will be made up of compulsory modules which all students on the programme will study. In years three and four, there will be a number of compulsory modules and you will be able to choose the remainder of modules you study.
Independent Learning Students are expected to spend significant time on independent study outside of face to face contact time. From our experience students that undertake independent learning have improved academic performance, increased motivation and confidence in themselves and their abilities. By undertaking independent learning you are also preparing yourself for professional practice where it is expected that you will manage your own continued professional development. Independent learning activities that you will be expected to undertake will typically include accessing online resources, completing problem sheets, reading journal articles and books, undertaking research in the library, reviewing lecture notes and watching lecture recordings, working on individual and group projects, working on coursework assignments and revising for exams.
Bioengineering uses flipped teaching for some modules, meaning that you need to actively engage with on-line eModules ahead of attending timetabled sessions. This independent learning is followed by sessions lead by the lecturer where all students work in small groups to apply that knowledge to more practical examples. This helps you to further consolidate and enhance your understanding of the topics you study and allows us the time to focus on more challenging concepts in the taught sessions
Design and Research Projects A key part of this programme are the second and third year group projects and the fourth year individual research project. In second and third year you will work in a small group to design, make and test a solution to a bioengineering problem. These projects will allow you to develop professional engineering skills and appreciate the subtleties of working in a team. You will also be given support in managing a team and giving effective feedback to others, which includes training and practice with the process of peer review which will form part of the assessment for these projects. For the process of peer review each member of a team is asked to provide relative effort marks for their team members via an anonymous on-line form. We guide you through this process, including an early practice run to ensure that this is fair and informative. In fourth year you are required to undertake a substantial research project during your placement abroad.
Overall Workload Your overall workload consists of face-to-face sessions and independent learning. While your actual contact hours may vary according to the optional modules you choose to study, the following gives an indication of how much time you will need to allocate to different activities at each level of the programme. At Imperial, each ECTS credit taken equates to an expected total study time of 25 hours. Therefore, the expected total study time is 1500 hours per year.
Typically, in the first two years (levels 4 and 5) you will spend around 25% of your time on lectures, seminars and other scheduled activity (around 400 hours) and around 75% of your time on independent study (around 1100 hours).
In the third year (level 6), you will spend less time in scheduled activity (around 250 hours) with the reminder in independent study, a significant proportion of which will be the 3rd^ year group project. As your 4 th^ year is abroad the ratio of scheduled activity to independent study will vary by institution.
The College’s Policy on Academic Feedback and guidance on issuing provisional marks to students is available at: www.imperial.ac.uk/about/governance/academic-governance/academic-policy/exams-and-assessment/
Re-sit Policy
Eligibility for resits is determined by the Departmental Board of Examiners in line with the College policy. The Department of Bioengineering does not normally offer resits in the same academic year. Students with marginal failure may be offered re-assessment in place of a re-sit opportunity. The College’s Policy on Re-sits is available at: www.imperial.ac.uk/student-records-and-data/for-current-students/undergraduate-and-taught- postgraduate/exams-assessments-and-regulations/
Mitigating Circumstances Policy
The College’s policy on mitigating circumstances makes provision for the Departmental Board of Examiners to use their discretion where extenuating circumstances are independently corroborated and are judged by the Departmental Mitigating Circumstances Board to be of sufficient severity to have substantially affected a student’s performance. The College’s Policy on Mitigating Circumstances is available at: www.imperial.ac.uk/student-records-and-data/for-current-students/undergraduate-and-taught- postgraduate/exams-assessments-and-regulations/
Additional Programme Costs
This section should outline any additional costs relevant to this programme which are not included in students’ tuition fees.
Description Mandatory/Optional Approximate cost
Course materials - Electronics textbook Optional £
Personal Protective Equipment – Bioengineering Overalls Mandatory £
Year abroad costs – return flight, visa costs, health insurance Mandatory
Varies dependent on partner institution
Programme Structure
Year 1 – FHEQ Level 4 Students study all modules.
Code Module Title
Core/ Compulsory Elective
Group* Term Credits
BIOE40008 Molecules and Energetics 1 Compulsory N/A 1,2,3 15
BIOE40007 Medical and Biochemical science 1 Compulsory N/A 1,2,3 15
BIOE40005 Maths and Engineering 1 Compulsory N/A 1,2,3 15
BIOE40002 Programming 1 Compulsory N/A 1,2,3 10
BIOE40003 Design & Professional Practice 1 Compulsory N/A 1,2,3 5
Credit Total 60
Year 2 - FHEQ Level 5 Students study all modules.
Code Module Title
Core/ Compulsory/ Elective
Group Term Credits
BIOE50009 Molecules, Materials and Measurement 2 Compulsory N/A 1,2,3 15
BIOE50007 Medical and Biochemical Science 2 Compulsory N/A 1,2,3 15
BIOE50005 Maths and Engineering 2 Compulsory N/A 1,2,3 15
BIOE50010 Programming 2 Compulsory N/A 1,2,3 5
BIOE50002 Design and Professional Practice 2 Compulsory N/A 1,2,3 10
Credit Total 60
Year 3 - FHEQ Level 6 Students study all compulsory modules. Students on the MEng Programme can then choose 3 elective modules from groups A & B, across FHEQ level 6 & 7 modules – subject to sitting at least 60 ECTS at level 7 modules (including the Individual project) in years 3 and 4. Students on the BEng programme choose 3 elective modules from group A
Code Module Title
Core/ Compulsory/ Elective
Group Term Credits
BIOE60011 Probability and Statistics for Bioengineering Compulsory N/A 1 5
BIOE60005 Bioengineering Group Project Compulsory N/A 1,2,3 20
BIOE96 Biomaterials for Bioengineers Compulsory N/A 1 5
BIOE60012 Foundations of Synthetic Biology compulsory N/A 2 5
I-Explore Compulsory N/A 1 or 2
BIOE60024 Modelling in Biology Compulsory N/A 1 5
Progression and Classification
Progression
Year One A student must:
- Achieve a mark of at least 40% in each module. A student may be condoned in modules up to the value of 15 ECTS with a qualifying mark of at least 30%.
Year Two A student must:
- Achieve a mark of at least 40% in each module. A student may be compensated in modules up to the value of 15 ECTS with a qualifying mark of at least 30%.
- Achieve an overall aggregate mark of at least 60% to remain on the MEng pathway.
- A student achieving between 55% and 60% may at the discretion of the Director of Courses be allowed to remain on the MEng program subject to agreed module choices, provided a case is made by the student.
- A student achieving an overall aggregate mark of less than 55% but satisfying all other requirements will be transferred to the programme (BEng Molecular Bioengineering H161). Module choices in the third year of this course must be agreed with the Director of courses and will not normally include modules outside the department of Bioengineering
Year Three A student must:
- Achieve a mark of at least 40% in each level 6 module and 50% in each level 7 module. A student may be compensated in modules up to the value of 15 ECTS with a qualifying mark of at least 30% for level 6 modules and 40% for level 7 modules.
Year Four
Each partner institution uses a different marking scheme with different views regarding which mark or grade should correspond to the same level of performance. Based on previous experience of working with these partner institutions your year abroad mark will be converted into an equivalent Imperial College mark by the department. This mark will then be recommended to the Board of Examiners and used to determine classification decisions; the Board will take into account the small uncertainty inherent in any such mark conversion procedure and exercises its discretion in favour of the student when making its final decision.
Classification
The marks from modules in each year contribute towards the final degree classification.
In order to be considered for an award, you must have achieved the minimum number of credits at the required levels prescribed for that award and met any programme specific requirements as set out in the Programme Specification.
Your classification will be determined through:
i) Aggregate Module marks for all modules ii) Year Weightings
For the MEng award, Year One is weighted at 7.5%, Year Two at 20% and Years Three and Four at 36.5%. For the BEng award, Year One is weighted at 7.5%, Year Two at 35% and Year Three at 57.5%.
The College sets the class of undergraduate degree that may be awarded as follows:
i) First 70% or above for the average weighted module results
ii) Upper Second 60% or above for the average weighted module results
iii) Lower Second 50% or above for the average weighted module results
iv) Third 40% or above for the average weighted module results
Programme Specific Regulations
You must complete a Business based elective at level 6 to meet the learning outcomes set by the professional engineering bodies for accreditation. If your choice of an iExplore module in year 3 is a BPES module, you are not required to choose such a module in year 4.
To allow you the greatest range of flexibility in technical elective options we also allow you to take some level 7 modules in year 3 and some level 6 modules in year 4 as detailed in the programme structure section of this document. You must complete 60 ECTS at level 7 across years 3 and 4 to achieve the MEng qualification.
