PROGRAMME SPECIFICATION

PROGRAMME SPECIFICATION Awarding body/institution: Queen Mary, University of London Teaching institution (if different from above): Centre for Infectious Disease, Institute of Cell and Molecular Science, Barts and the London, Queen Mary s School of Medicine and Dentistry Name of the final award: Programme title: Master of Science in Clinical Microbiology Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Microbiology MSc and Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Microbiology Criteria for admission to the programme: Students should have a recognised first degree in medicine or relevant subject (e.g. microbiology, biomedical sciences). Candidates with degrees in dentistry, veterinary science or nursing with relevant experience in clinical microbiology, may also be accepted on the course. At the discretion of the course organiser a candidate for the course with alternative qualifications (such as Fellowship of the IBMS) and relevant experience in clinical microbiology, can be accepted on the Diploma course and can register for the MSc if progress during the course is satisfactory. Part-time students must hold a full-time appointment or attachment to a medical microbiology department of a medical school, hospital or the Health Protection Agency for the duration of their studies. Full-time students will be attached to the Centre for Infectious Disease at Barts and the London, Queen Mary s School of Medicine and Dentistry. This is not a clinical attachment. Evidence of English proficiency is required of students for whom English is not their first language. A minimum overall score of 7.0 IELTS (or equivalent) is required. Aims of the programme The course aims to: provide full-time and part-time opportunities for those wishing to develop their skills and understanding in clinical microbiology, and provide a thorough knowledge of associated subjects (e.g. molecular biology and immunology). develop the research and service careers of clinicians, clinical scientists, biomedical scientists and other professionals interested in working in clinical microbiology. enable students to develop a network of contacts with their peers and with the internal and specialist external lecturers, to enable them to seek appropriate specialist clinical and laboratory advice during their future practice in clinical microbiology prepare students with appropriate qualifications for the membership examinations (theory and practical) of the Royal College of Pathologists (MRCPath). equip students with the skills to conduct literature searches, and evaluate original published research, to enable the student to continue their learning after completion of the degree. 1

provide the student with a comprehensive knowledge of practical methods used in clinical microbiology and the skills (through extensive hands-on practicals) to work in and/or manage a routine clinical laboratory. enable students to use this knowledge to evaluate critically current and new techniques in a routine laboratory. In addition to a solid theoretical and practical knowledge of clinical microbiology, students will also develop a range of transferable and specialised skills appropriate to a Masters-level course. These skills include the ability to: structure and communicate ideas effectively both orally and in writing manage time and work to deadlines participate constructively in groups and work independently reason critically and assess the relevance and importance of the ideas of others. identify problems, formulate objectives, develop solutions and review possible outcomes. develop skills in clinical audit evaluate epidemiological or research data using a range of relevant techniques, including the appropriate use statistical methods. present data using oral and written techniques (including the use of computer software). Course Structure and Learning Outcomes The formal taught course is taught on two days a week. The course can be completed in one year (full-time students) or in two years by day-release (part-time students). Part I is taught on Tuesdays (and is followed by first year part-time students and full-time students). Part I is designed to enable students to develop sound background knowledge of basic and clinical microbiology. This knowledge is used as the foundation for the Part II clinical microbiology component. Part II is taught on Thursdays (and is followed by second year part-time students and all full-time students). Full-time students are given additional teaching to link Parts I and II in their one year of study (see Teaching and Learning Strategies). The course is taught over three terms. Terms are usually 10 weeks long (although this is arranged to fit with Easter). All new students attend an induction day. Autumn term: October to December Spring term: January to March Summer term: April to June. The course is divided into topic groups, each topic has a convener. The convener is responsible for arranging internal assessments (if relevant). The topic groups are not of equal length (see below) and are not weighted equally in the final examination. October Morning Sessions (9.30-13.00) Bacteriology Mycology Part One: Tuesdays Biology of Bacteria Afternoon Sessions (14.00-17.30) 2

January Bacteriology Parasitology Biology of Bacteria Bacterial Pathogenesis and the Host Response April Virology Bacterial Pathogenesis and the Host Response Morning Sessions (9.30-13.00) Part Two: Thursdays October Antimicrobials Hospital Infection Afternoon Sessions (14.00-17.30) January Clinical Microbiology Communicable Disease Control April Clinical Microbiology Communicable Disease Control Part I topic groups are: Bacteriology and pathogenicity All the clinically important bacteria are introduced to the students, with additional emphasis on newer developments in identification, pathogenicity and classification of the organisms. Parasitology This is a thorough introduction to the most important parasitic infections (both UK and worldwide). Mycology An introduction to the identification of fungi, with an emphasis on the clinically important species. Virology Students develop a thorough understanding of the basic groups of viruses and are introduced to newer techniques of practical virology. The biology of bacteria This topic covers basic bacterial metabolism, gene expression and molecular methods. Towards the end of this topic students will study areas of current interest such as quorum sensing and microbial evolution. Bacterial pathogenesis and the host response This topic is designed to examine mechanisms of bacterial pathogenesis and the host immune response. Part II topics are: Anti-microbials and chemotherapy Students are introduced to the major groups of anti-microbials their use and how resistance can develop. Students are encouraged to consider appropriate use of anti-microbials in clinical situations and to prevent the development of resistance. Students evaluate in vitro antimicrobial test results to use appropriate therapy in the clinical setting. Microbial diseases: diagnosis, treatment and prevention Using the knowledge and skills acquired during the first year students study in depth microbiological infections of the different body systems. Communicable disease control 3

This topic provides a broad introduction to practical epidemiology with special reference to clinical microbiology and infectious disease in the community. Students are also introduced to the agencies involved in communicable disease control in the community. A workshop examining all aspects of food and water microbiology is included. Hospital infection This topic explores methods of detecting, controlling and preventing hospital infection. Teaching and learning strategies: The course aims to promote teaching and learning enriched by original scholarship and scientific research, in order to encourage students to become independent learners. Formal teaching comprises lectures, workshops, practicals and demonstrations. The lecturers are specialists in their field and are invited from many institutions in the UK. The practical classes are an important component of the course and are designed to give the student maximum hands-on experience, particularly in basic clinical microbiology. Students are encouraged to relate current practices in their sponsoring institution to their studies, and to discuss and critically evaluate these techniques with their colleagues in the light of their formal teaching. The practical classes are taught in the purpose-built teaching laboratory, which is well equipped with all necessary materials. Self-directed learning, by reading and reviewing literature to supplement the lectures, is essential and students are encouraged to use the library facilities of the department and the University. All students have access to the library and computing facilities of the University. To enable the full-time students to participate fully in discussions about laboratory techniques and clinical cases with their part-time colleagues who are attending by day-release, additional tuition is provided during the attachment to the Centre for Infectious Disease. The additional tuition provides further hands-on practical experience using material designed to reflect the clinical samples and laboratory procedures in a routine hospital laboratory. The students are encouraged to complete the practical work as individuals to gain maximum experience, but discussion within the group and with the tutor is encouraged. Additional theoretical tutorials are also used throughout the year to broaden the students experience of clinical microbiology. These tutorials include case presentations to and by the students, workshops, discussion sessions, question-and-answer sessions, and oral presentations by the students. Full-time students receive additional assignments to be completed throughout the year to allow them to monitor their own progress. Full-time students are also encouraged to attend the regular clinical journal club and research meetings within the Centre. The course aims to offer a high teacher/student ratio so that access to advice and ease of communication can be assured. An open-door policy is followed by the teaching staff, and a member of staff is available whenever part-time students are attending for formal tuition. Full-time students can approach staff whenever they are available. Staff can be contacted by e-mail or 'phone anytime. Students are encouraged to provide anonymous feedback on lectures and practicals at the end of each term and to give an annual overview feedback at the end of the academic year. This feedback is collated and returned to topic conveners, and is discussed at meetings of the MSc Clinical Microbiology teachers. Assessment strategies: Throughout the course knowledge and skills are assessed using a variety of assignments, which form an element of the final examination marks (see diagram). The assignments are explained in the course handbook and are designed to assess all elements of the learning outcomes. Students are expected to demonstrate that they have performed additional self-directed learning as well as understand the formal teaching. All assessments are marked by two internal examiners. Feedback about performance 4

is given as soon as possible to the students, usually 2-3 weeks after the assessment has been completed. Part I assignments include timed practical assessments (which can include spot examinations), essays, practical course work report and an assessment of comprehension of a scientific paper. Part II assignments include a practical assessment, a mid-year written examination, poster presentation, essays and an oral presentation. Practical assessments (Parts I and II): As the course places emphasis on laboratory work, the ability to perform, observe, interpret and record the results of laboratory tests is assessed. This assessment can be in the form of bench-work and/or spots. In bench work examinations the test material may be of pure isolates of clinical significance or examples of a clinical specimen. During the bench-work examinations students may refer to course/laboratory notes and reference books. Reference materials may not be used in spot examinations. Essays Essay titles are set not less than 4 weeks before the submission date. Students are asked to write an essay of 2-3,000 words. The essay should include a brief summary, and references should be correctly cited. Evidence of research and understanding will be assessed together with the ability to write a structured essay. Practical course work report Within the Biology of Bacteria teaching the class investigates a possible hospital-acquired infection incidence. Students perform the experiments during practical classes on a number of isolates. The class results are collated and each student writes up the practical work in the style of a scientific paper. Comprehension of scientific papers Students are given a recent scientific paper relating to an aspect of the Bacterial Pathogenesis and Host Response teaching. The abstract will have been removed. Students are asked to read the paper and prepare a summary/abstract. Reference books are not allowed for this assignment. Posters Students are given a poster title not less than 4 weeks before the presentation. Students prepare a scientific poster on the given topic. Evidence of research and understanding of the topic are assessed (based on the content presented and the ability of the student to answer questions about the presentation). The presentation of the data as a poster will also be assessed. Oral presentations Students working in small groups (usually 2 or 3) are given a topic not less than four weeks before the presentation. Students are to thoroughly research the topic and prepare a presentation for the class of 10-15 minutes duration. PowerPoint presentation is acceptable. All members of the group are expected to contribute to the research, preparation of the presentation and all are expected to contribute to the talk on the day of the presentation and to answer any questions from the audience. The presentation is assessed on research and understanding, presentation skills and the ability to answer questions. In addition to the formally assessed assignments, informal/practice assignments in essay writing and practical skills can be taken by the students. Students can also monitor their progress using on-line test- yourself exercises. Final Examinations 5

The final examinations are set in two Parts. Part-time students take Part I examinations at the end of the first year, Part II examinations are taken at the end of the second year of study. Full-time students sit Parts I and II in the year of their study. All written and practical papers are taken in July. Part I examinations These examine the material relevant to the Part I topics. Part I Paper 1: This is a three-hour written paper, divided into two sections. Section A covers bacteriology and pathogenicity, mycology, parasitology and virology. Section B covers biology of bacteria and bacterial pathogenesis and the host response. Students must answer a total of 6 questions, at least one question must be attempted from each section. (Previous papers are available to students to provide an idea of the types of questions, which can include essay-style questions and short notes). Part I practical examination: This is a three-hour examination. Part A is a 90-minute spot examination and data-handling exercise. Reference material is not allowed during this element of the examination. Part B is a 90-minute practical bench-work examination (in the same style as the in course assessment). Part A will be approximately 40% of the final practical exam mark and Part B is approximately 60% of the final exam mark. Part I in-course assessment: As outlined above and in the course handbook. Part II examinations These examine the material relevant to the topics of Part II and a broader understanding of clinical microbiology. Part II Paper 1: This is a three-hour written paper, divided into three sections. Section A covers anti-microbial agents, Section B microbial diseases, and Section C communicable disease control and hospital infection. Students must answer a total of 6 questions, and at least one question must be answered in each section. (Previous papers are available to students to provide an idea of the types of questions, which can include essay-style questions and short notes). Part II Paper 2: This is a three-hour written paper. Students must answer 4 questions. These questions require a broad understanding of aspects of clinical microbiology and require longer answers than those in Paper 1. The questions will require more critical analysis of knowledge and a discussion/ compare-and-contrast style of answer. Part II in-course assessment As outlined above and in the course handbook. Part II project Students must conduct a piece of original practical research or epidemiological study. This research is supervised in the home laboratory (for part-time students) or within the research teams of the Centre for Infectious Disease (for full-time students). Some full-time students may undertake a project at an external laboratory at the discretion of the course organiser. Students are assessed on the basis of their project report. The final report should be in the style of a thesis or scientific paper and should be 6

6,000-8,000 words long. The report is submitted by September 1 st of the academic year of completing the course. When examining the project the following criteria are considered: ~ aim of the investigation and scientific content, ~ literature survey ~ methodology and experimental design ~ reporting and interpretation of results ~ written presentation. In exceptional circumstances a project can be deferred for a year if deferral is requested in writing to the course organiser before the candidate sits their Part II written papers. A candidate who defers a project cannot obtain a Distinction for the MSc. Part II viva In late September of the academic year of completing the course, every student will attend a 15-minute viva. There are two examiners, one will be an external examiner, the other an internal examiner; one will usually be a clinician, the other may be a scientist. The viva can cover any aspect of clinical microbiology and the student project. Marking Scheme for the MSc Clinical Microbiology All elements are initially marked out of 100 and then weighted as follows: Year 1: Part 1 Paper 1 (written) 35% Part 1 practical 35% Continuous assessment 30% Year 2: Part 2 Paper 1 (written) 25% Part 2 Paper 2 (written) 25% Continuous assessment 25% Project 15% Viva 10% Distinction To be eligible for a Distinction a student must: achieve an average >60% in Part 1 elements. obtain a minimum grade C in all Part 1 elements. To obtain a Distinction the student must: achieve an average 70% in the Part 2 elements Fail and Redeemable Fail If a student achieves <45% in an element (before weighting), this is a fail. The University Regulations allow one resit of failed elements. If a student achieves 45-49.5% in an element but achieves an overall average of 50% for all elements in the year, this is a redeemable fail. Examiners 7

Internal examiners and the Chair of the examiners are drawn from the Medical School and from the clinical staff at Barts and the London NHS Trust. There are three external examiners appointed by Queen Mary, based on the recommendation of the Chair of the examiners. One of the external examiners is from another institution within the University of London. The final examination board is convened after the vivas to discuss results and ratify the results to be sent to the SMD Graduate School Committee for final ratification. The examination board is led by a Chair and Deputy Chair (both internal staff), and includes the external examiners, the course organiser, topic organisers and other teachers on the course. The external examiners are appointed by Queen Mary for a term of three (or four) years. Every year the external examiners send an examiner's report to the QA unit of Queen Mary. Setting and marking final assessments All topic conveners submit potential examination questions for the paper relevant to their area of teaching and for Part II Paper 2. The course organiser compiles the exam papers, which are sent to the Chair of the examination board and the three external examiners for ratification. Part I and II written papers These are marked by two internal examiners. They are normally marked double-blind. Model answer/guide points are included. Part I practical This is marked by two internal examiners. After the written exam marks and internal assessment marks have been calculated, selected scripts are sent to the external examiners. Scripts selected include: All possible Distinction scripts (from Part II) All borderline pass/redeemable fail/fail scripts (Part I and Part II) Examples of good candidate scripts (Part I and Part II) Examples of average candidate scripts (Part I and Part II) Examples of weak candidate scripts (Part I and Part II) Part II project report All project reports are double-blind marked by two internal examiners. Every project report is seen by one of the external examiners. Part II viva All MSc candidates attend a viva at the end of the Part II academic year. The viva is with one internal and one external examiner. Part I and Part II in-course assessment All in-course assessments are stored and are available to the external examiners at the examination board meeting (or at any other time if requested). Criteria for the award of Postgraduate Diploma, MSc and MSc with Distinction in Clinical Microbiology To pass the Postgraduate Diploma A student must pass the following with no mark less than 45%: 8

Part I in-course assessment Part I Paper I Part I Practical Part II in-course assessment Part II Paper 1 Part II Paper 2 Postgraduate diploma students do not submit a project or attend a viva. To pass the MSc in Clinical Microbiology A student must pass the following: Part I In-course assessment, Paper 1 and practical exam with an average of at least 50% and no mark lower than 45%. Any element with less than 45% must be retaken the following examination session. Part II In-course assessment, Papers 1 and 2, and project with an average of at least 50%. No mark in these elements can be less than 45%. Any element where the candidate achieves less than 45% (except the viva if all other elements have been passed) must be retaken the following examination session. To be awarded a Distinction with the MSc A candidate must achieve the following: Part I Achieve an average of at least 60% for the Part I elements, and obtain a minimum grade C in all Part I elements. And Part II Achieve an average of at least 70% for the Part II elements. Date of completion of programme specification: Date of approval by Faculty Board/EB: Approved by M. Carroll 24.08.04 Date of update/amendment: 9