- how the oxford MBioch should be changed -- 3 year BA; option to continue to 1-year MRes (or a range of normal MPhil/MSc courses) -- foundation: good A-levels/entry exam, poss vac work, poss foundation year -- first year: the basics, inc basic lab course w/ pipettes, micropipettes, spec, making solutions, etc -- 2+3 yrs: three parts of course (biochemistry, molecular biology, cell biology = proteins, genes, cells) + labs _in real labs_, doing real techniques -- assess with: --- mods/prelims at end of 1st yr --- short-answer exams at end of each term -> counts for 1 paper in finals --- assessment of practical work and data handling -> 1 paper --- 1 paper on each of three parts -> 3 papers --- (5 papers total) -- encourage + facilitate vac projects in 2nd summer -- yes, no extended project and no coursework, and no options -- MRes would have 3 x 3 month projects, plus specialised courses; as well as after BA, this would be required for DPhil and offered as a standalone course - lots of mixing of people - how this fits into things generally -- all BAs 3 years, all PhDs 3 years, everyone has to do MRes before PhD - http://www.hhmi.org/BeyondBio101/ To be more concrete, ALetterToTheBiochemistryExaminers. Ze latest thinkeeing: | Stage | Qualification | Duration (yrs) | Description | Foundation | C__Sc/C__A | 1 | Optional; can be taken if you have crap A-levels, to get you into university proper. Alternatively, just let people spend a year repeating A-levels at an FE college | Degree | B__Sc/B__A | 3 | More or less what we have now; a first year with basic material, followed by preliminary exams, followed by two years of more advanced material, followed by final exams. | Advanced Degree | M__Sc/M__A | 1 | A continuation of the batchelor's degree. This would be very optional, and really aimed at people requiring deep technical knowledge of their field (eg scientists, teachers, lawyers, stuff like that, although even then it's a bit of a luxury). This could be funded via some scheme where government support is contingent on the student going into a suitable profession for some period of time. | Research Qualification | M__Res/M__St | 1 | A qualification to do research; the canonical structure would be three one-term projects. | Research Degree | Ph__D | 3 | As now. There would be an absolute requirement that the student had several months prior experience with the supervisor, whether as an undergraduate, M__Res student, vac student or even a technician. In the Oxford biochem context, this would basically mean chopping the fourth year off and making it into the M__Sc; people passing the B__Sc with honours could be offered automatic places on the course, but lots of people would come from outside as well. The M__Sc might have to have a different structure, though: probably choose N (2-4) options and do exams _and_ an essay on them, but no practical work (really? but how could it fit into a modular structure?). Otherwise, the initial comments stand. CategoryBiology(ish)