University home > Unit and programme catalogues in 2022/23 > Programme catalogue > Faculty of Arts > School of Modern Languages > English and Portuguese (BA) > Specification
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Programme code | 1HILA004U |
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Programme type | Joint Honours (UG) |
Programme director(s) |
Laurence Publicover (English)
James Hawkey (Portuguese) |
Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
School/department | School of Modern Languages |
Second School/department | Department of English |
Teaching institution | University of Bristol |
Awarding institution | University of Bristol |
Relevant QAA subject benchmark groups |
English (2023) (benchmark statement)
Languages, Cultures and Societies (2023) (benchmark statement) |
Mode of study | Full Time |
Programme length | 4 years (full time) |
This section sets out why studying this programme is important, both in terms of inspiring you as an individual and in considering the challenges we face. It describes how this degree programme contributes to:
The joint-honours Portuguese and English degree provides students with the opportunity to study two complementary disciplines, both of which ask them to think carefully about culture and history and to pay close attention to detail while comprehending and analysing language. Students will develop distinct but also complementary skills while taking the degree: for example, while in English they will be asked to write commentaries on (or, on some modules, to translate) passages from literary texts written before 1740 in order to demonstrate their comprehension of earlier forms of English, in their chosen modern language they will, throughout the four-year degree, similarly undertake translation and commentary exercises as part of developing written and spoken language skills; in both disciplines, meanwhile, students will be provided with the opportunity to study literary texts in their social, political, and historical contexts. They will also spend a mandatory year abroad to improve their language skills and their global citizenship. This combination of skills drawn from the two fields will maximize the attractiveness of the proposed degree for the student offer and then their experience at the University.
Portuguese
The programme provides the opportunity to study the language, literature society, culture, politics and history of Portuguese and another subject.
For the Portuguese programme:
The learning outcome statements shown below for your programme have been developed with reference to relevant national subject benchmarks (where they exist), national qualification descriptors (see the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications) and professional body requirements.
Teaching, learning and assessment strategies are listed to show how you will be able to achieve and demonstrate the learning outcomes.
This programme provides opportunities for you to develop and demonstrate knowledge and understanding, qualities, skills and other attributes in the following areas:
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning/teaching methods and strategies |
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Knowledge and understanding are acquired through: lectures, seminars, tutorials, intensive language classes, directed reading, regular written coursework and practical language work (supported by the facilities of the Multimedia Centre), and a compulsory period of residence in the country or countries where the language is spoken. |
Methods of assessment (formative and summative) | |
A range of essay writing skills (short and extended essays). Project work. Seminar presentations. |
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning/teaching methods and strategies |
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Intellectual skills are developed through seminars, tutorials, oral presentations and essay writing. |
Methods of assessment (formative and summative) | |
Essay writing and examinations test the students' ability to analyse information and present reasoned arguments. |
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning/teaching methods and strategies |
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Seminars and tutorials are used to develop oral communication by requiring students to engage in class discussions and to give short introductory talks/presentations to initiate discussion. These oral skills are further developed in the language classes. |
Methods of assessment (formative and summative) | |
All units are assessed through written coursework in the form of essays of varying lengths and requirements. These require a detailed and expansive handling of literature and extensive reading in support of their conclusions. |
This section describes what is expected from you at each level of your programme. This illustrates increasing intellectual standards as you progress through the programme. These levels are mapped against the national level descriptors published by the Quality Assurance Agency.
Level C/4 - Certificate |
Year 1 of the course has been expressly designed to lay the foundations which will allow students to fulfil the course's aims and objectives. Core units in language are geared to lead the student in the development of their language skills. Foundation units introduce students to the literature, society, culture, politics and history of Portuguese-speaking countries, with an emphasis on the modern period. The expectation is that their work may require considerable direction from members of staff at this stage. |
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Level I/5 - Intermediate |
In Year 2 students are expected to be able to demonstrate that they have expanded the range and depth of their knowledge in various areas of the discipline and their capacity to evaluate their work. The themes and language readings will be of greater depth and substance. Students will develop their analytical skills, their ability to structure their work and present it fluently. They will be encouraged in group work skills through active participation in seminars and oral language classes. They will be developing a capacity for self-directed learning (for example, through the researching and writing of essays and projects). The grammatical and lexical knowledge of the Portuguese language will be tested, as will their specialist knowledge of specific periods/topics within the language, literature, society, culture, politics, history of the Portuguese-speaking world. In Year 3, students will develop their command of spoken and written Portuguese during the mandatory period of residence abroad when they either follow a formal programme of instruction at an academic institution in a Portuguese-speaking country or take up an approved placement in a business or administrative organisation in a Portuguese-speaking country. Their linguistic, critical, research and presentational skills will also be enhanced through the writing of a dissertation in Portuguese during the year. |
Level H/6 - Honours |
Students are expected to have expanded the breadth of their knowledge through the study of optional units, which are more closely linked to staff research interests and which aim to develop conceptual and methodological approaches in more complexity.Students will be expected to develop further their ability to gather and assimilate information, to synthesise these in an appropriate way, to engage in sophisticated evaluation of texts. The students' ability to assimilate and synthesise material, organise their ideas, weigh conflicting interpretations, marshal arguments, form judgements and present their thoughts in written and verbal forms with precision and clarity will be further developed. There will be an emphasis on independent learning, self-directed study and research skills. The grammatical and lexical knowledge of the Portuguese language will be tested, as will their specialist knowledge of specific periods/topics within the language, literature, society, culture, politics and history of the Portuguese- speaking world. |
The learning outcome statements shown below for your programme have been developed with reference to relevant national subject benchmarks (where they exist), national qualification descriptors (see the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications) and professional body requirements.
Teaching, learning and assessment strategies are listed to show how you will be able to achieve and demonstrate the learning outcomes.
This programme provides opportunities for you to develop and demonstrate knowledge and understanding, qualities, skills and other attributes in the following areas:
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning/teaching methods and strategies |
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|
Knowledge and understanding of both disciplines is acquired through lectures, seminars, tutorials, directed reading and individual formative feedback. Independent research is fostered at each level of the programme, culminating with the Dissertation at level H. Language skills are developed through language classes and through the year abroad. |
Methods of assessment (formative and summative) | |
Essay writing, formal presentations and examinations test the students' ability to analyse information and present reasoned arguments. Problem solving is assessed on the basis of the ability shown in addressing and responding to direct questions. Research skills are assessed through coursework and dissertations. Language skills are assessed through spoken, written and aural examination. |
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning/teaching methods and strategies |
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|
Intellectual skills are developed through seminars, tutorials, oral presentations, and essay writing. Units are structured in such a way that the skills of analysis, synthesis and evaluation of data are developed. Specific units focus on other intellectual skills: problem solving and research techniques. |
Methods of assessment (formative and summative) | |
Essay writing, formal presentations and examinations test the students' ability to analyse, evaluate and organise information, and to present reasoned arguments based on appropriate selection of evidence. Problem solving is assessed on the basis of the ability shown in addressing and responding to direct questions. Research skills are assessed through coursework and dissertations. |
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning/teaching methods and strategies |
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Written assignments of various kinds in the mandatory and optional units impart skills in research, analysis and communication. Seminars are used to develop oral communication by requiring students to engage in class discussions and to give short presentations. All units make use of Blackboard. Independent learning is required in all units. |
Methods of assessment (formative and summative) | |
Essays and other forms of written assignment test the students' ability to analyse, evaluate and organise information, and to present reasoned arguments based on appropriate selection of evidence; research skills are also assessed through written coursework and the final year dissertation. Oral presentations provide diagnostic and formative assessment of this skills. |
This section describes what is expected from you at each level of your programme. This illustrates increasing intellectual standards as you progress through the programme. These levels are mapped against the national level descriptors published by the Quality Assurance Agency.
Level C/4 - Certificate |
Year 1 has been designed to lay the foundations which will enable the student to fulfil the programme's objectives. Mandatory units provide both knowledge and skills while optional units start students on a pathway and allow the exploration of other subject areas. The student will acquire familiarity with the main themes and concepts of their chosen disciplines and will take the first steps towards independent research. Here the expectation is that their work may require substantial direction and guidance on the development of study skills from tutors. |
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Level I/5 - Intermediate |
Year 2 is intended to complete the foundations of skills and knowledge though the mandatory units, while the optional units expand knowledge and understanding in the students’ chosen. Students will be expected to grasp and apply the underlying concepts, principles and methods appropriate to their area of study, to show a greater degree of independence in the interpretation of evidence and construction of arguments, and to present their work effectively. |
Level H/6 - Honours |
At this level students are expected to make use of the knowledge and skills acquired in the first two years in researching and discussing topics in much greater depth. They will work at a higher level of methodological and conceptual complexity. They will be expected to work more independently in gathering and assimilating information, synthesising it in an appropriate way and engaging in the sophisticated analysis of relevant evidence. There is an emphasis on self-directed study and the development of research skills, especially through the compulsory dissertation. |
For information on the admissions requirements for this programme please see details in the undergraduate prospectus at http://www.bristol.ac.uk/prospectus/undergraduate/ or contact the relevant academic department.
UG Workload Statement
Success as an undergraduate student depends on you being able to make the transition to self-motivated, independent learning. Programmes are designed to assist you in this development, in many cases by starting with units in which timetabled teaching, such as lectures and practical classes, provides the foundations of knowledge and skills in a subject, moving on to individual research-based work. Over time you will be expected to take increasing responsibility for your own learning, guided by the feedback on your work that you will receive. At the heart of your studies at every level there must be regular and disciplined individual reading, reflection and writing and it is this skill of independent studies, above all others, that will serve you best when you leave the University.
Most programmes use credits and a 20 credit unit broadly equates to about 200 hours of student input. This includes all activities related to the teaching, learning and assessment of taught units.
A component of this is the time that you spend in class, in contact with the teaching staff, which includes activities such as lectures, laboratories, tutorials and fieldwork. Some of this activity may be online and could consist of activity that is synchronous (using real-time environments such as Blackboard Collaborate) or asynchronous (using tools such as tutor moderated discussion forums, blogs or wikis).
In some programmes there are field courses and/or placements that will take place in concentrated periods of time.
Outside scheduled activities you are expected to pursue your own independent learning to build your knowledge and understanding of the subjects you are studying. Such independent activities include, reviewing lecture material, reading textbooks, working on examples sheets, completing coursework, writing up laboratory notes, preparing for in-class progress tests and revising for examinations.
We recognise that many students undertake paid employment. To achieve a sensible balance between work and study, you are advised to undertake paid work for no more than 15 hours per week in term-time.
Professional Programmes
Many undergraduates in the Faculty of Health Sciences will be following the professional programmes of:
For these professional programmes, full time attendance is compulsory unless absence is formally approved. Academic activities are timetabled throughout the 5-day week and student workload is around 40 hours per week on average. Where possible, students in the early years are permitted Wednesday afternoons for sport and extra-curriculum activities. This may not be available in later years of professional programmes as when a student progresses through the curricula there is an increasing exposure to clinical and professional activities. Students in clinic or on placements may need to stay later than core times of 08.00 – 18.00 or even overnight to observe out-of-hours activities. This increasing exposure to clinical activities means that students on these professional programmes often have longer term dates than the University standard. Individual years within programmes are likely to vary in length (for example because of the timings of placements) and further information on this will be found in individual programme regulations. Another important point to note is that many of the assessments sit outside of the standard University examination timetable and are likely to be more frequent meaning that students will more oftentimes be engaged in revision activities and self-directed learning.
Faculty of Health Sciences
Faculty Assessment and Feedback Statement for Undergraduate Students. University of Bristol access only.
Portuguese
The Department also offers single honours programmes in Spanish and Hispanic Studies (Spanish with Portuguese or Catalan) and through the School of Modern Languages, joint programmes in Portuguese with one of the following: Czech, French, German, Italian, Russian, Spanish, and in Spanish with one of the following: Czech, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Drama; History of Art, Philosophy and Politics.
The Department has SOCRATES links/exchanges with universities in Evora and Oporto. The University has an agreement with the Federal University of Santa Catarina in Brazil to take students during their year abroad. Further links with Brazilian universities are being established.
Mandatory Unit Portuguese Language is must pass. For the definition of must pass units please see the Glossary of Terms from Annex 1 to the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
Unit Name | Unit Code | Credit Points | Status | ||
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List A - Take ENGL10017 and one of the language units | |||||
Critical Issues | ENGL10017 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-1 | |
Portuguese Language | HISP10302 | 40 | Mandatory | TB-4 | |
List B | |||||
Key Moments in Lusophone History and Culture | HISP10015 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-1 | |
List D | |||||
Approaches to Poetry | ENGL10039 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-2 | |
List E - Take ENGL10043. If you take HISP10307 in list A, also take MODL10011 | |||||
Literature 1550-1740 | ENGL10043 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-2 | |
Certificate of Higher Education | 120 |
Mandatory Unit Portuguese Language is must pass. For the definition of must pass units please see the Glossary of Terms from Annex 1 to the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
Unit Name | Unit Code | Credit Points | Status | ||
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Besides the mandatory units, you must take at least one further 20cp ENGL-coded unit and at least one further HISP or MODL-coded unit | |||||
List A - Take the mandatory language unit. Choose either ENGL20063 in this list or ENGL20064 in list D | |||||
Literature 1740-1900 | ENGL20063 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Portuguese Lang for Joints/ML | HISP20302 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-4 | |
List B - Choose one 20cp unit from list B, list E or list E2 | |||||
World Cinemas: from national to transnational | MODL23016 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
General Linguistics | MODL20016 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Woman and Nation | MODL23017 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
African American Literature | ENGL20111 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
American Literature: 1945 to Present | ENGL29007 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Creative Writing, Prose Fiction: Representing the World | ENGL20113 | 20 | Optional | B | TB-1 |
Eighteenth-Century Women's Writing | ENGL20031 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Poetry of the 1960s | ENGL20032 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Revenge Tragedy | ENGL29008 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
The Fairy Tale in English | ENGL20028 | 20 | Optional | TB-1,TB-2 | |
Literature and Trauma: 1900 to the present | ENGL20129 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Utopian Literature | ENGL20058 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
List C - Choose 20cp from this list | |||||
Catalan Language (Elementary) | MODL23014 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Czech Language (Elementary) | MODL23015 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Introduction to teaching Modern Languages as Foreign Languages | MODL20021 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Beginners Portuguese | MODL20022 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Migrations of Culture | MODL20024 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Writing the City: London 1550-1740 | ENGL20069 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Shakespeare | ENGL20068 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
List D - Choose either ENGL20064 in this list or ENGL20063 in list A, and one further 20cp unit | |||||
Introduction to Latin American Cinema | HISP20114 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Literature 1900-present | ENGL20064 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Historical Linguistics | MODL20017 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Popular Representation and Institutions of Culture | MODL20026 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
List E - Choose 20CP from list E, list E2 or list B | |||||
World Cinemas: from national to transnational | MODL23016 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Arthurian Literature | ENGL20060 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Chaucer and Chaucerians | ENGL20061 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Old English Language and Literature | ENGL20065 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
List E2 - Choose one 20cp unit from list E2, list B or list E | |||||
American Avant Garde | ENGL20114 | 20 | Optional | B | TB-2 |
Black British Literature | ENGL20041 | 20 | Optional | E | TB-2 |
Contemporary Multi-Ethnic Writing of America | ENGL20019 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Creative Writing: Poetry | ENGL20051 | 20 | Optional | E | TB-2 |
Dangerous Books | ENGL20023 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Drinking in the words: The pleasures and pains of alcohol in British fiction and culture | ENGL20127 | 20 | Optional | E | TB-2 |
Gender, Desire and the Renaissance Stage | ENGL20206 | 20 | Optional | E | TB-2 |
Literature and the Sea: The Seafarer to The Shipping News | ENGL20020 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Large, Loose, Baggy Monsters: Victorian Fiction and Novel Form | ENGL20128 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
The Author as Character | ENGL20048 | 20 | Optional | E | TB-2 |
Writing the Margins: Early Modern Race, Gender, and Nation | ENGL20131 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Writing the Working Classes | ENGL20030 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
The Art of Grief | ENGL20116 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
List F | |||||
Take 20 CP From Bristol Futures, UWLP or Faculty Wide Units – OR choose an additional 20 CP as follows: any 20 CP from lists B or C; any Portuguese/Hispanic or Modern Languages unit from list D; any 20 CP from list E | OPEN | 20 | Optional | ||
Diploma of Higher Education | 120 |
Mandatory Year Abroad is must pass. For the definition of must pass units please see the Glossary of Terms from Annex 1 to the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
Unit Name | Unit Code | Credit Points | Status | ||
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Year Abroad TB-1 | MODL20014 | 60 | Mandatory | AYEAR | |
Year Abroad TB-2 | MODL20015 | 60 | Mandatory | AYEAR | |
120 |
Mandatory unit Portuguese Language is Must Pass. For the definition of must pass units please see the Glossary of Terms from Annex 1 to the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
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Unit Name | Unit Code | Credit Points | Status | ||
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Besides the mandatory dissertation, you will normally take 40cp of ENGL-coded units and 40cp of HISP or MODL-coded units, but you may replace one 20cp unit with a choice from list F | |||||
List A - Take the mandatory language unit. Additionally choose a further 20cp unit from list A, list E2 or list F | |||||
Victorian Fiction: Art and Ideas in the Marketplace | ENGL30117 | 20 | Optional | A | TB-1 |
Novel Territories: Eighteenth-century Prose Fiction | ENGL30115 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Portuguese Language for School of Modern Languages and Joint degrees | HISP30302 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-4 | |
List C - Choose 20 CP from this list | |||||
Images and Text: Hybrid Media and Power in Latin America | HISP30086 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Translating in a Professional Context | MODL30010 | 20 | Optional | C | TB-1 |
Catalan Language (follow-on) | MODL30011 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Czech Language (follow-on) | MODL30012 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Follow-on Portuguese | MODL30037 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Liaison Interpreting | MODL30006 | 20 | Optional | TB-1,TB-2 | |
American Revolutions | ENGL30108 | 20 | Optional | A | TB-1 |
Literatures of Decolonisation | ENGL30147 | 20 | Optional | C | TB-1 |
List D - Choose 20 CP from this list | |||||
Theoretical Approaches to Language Teaching | MODL30036 | 20 | Optional | D | TB-2 |
Studying and Making Early Printed Books | MODL30040 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Transnational Narrative in pre-modern cultures | MODL30041 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Celebrity Culture: Icons, Industry and Aesthetics | ENGL30110 | 20 | Optional | D | TB-2 |
Literature - Enslavement - Liberation | ENGL30142 | 20 | Optional | D | TB-2 |
List E | |||||
Intermedia Encounters in Poetry | HISP30104 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Modern Languages and English Dissertation | MODL30029 | 40 | Mandatory | TB-4 | |
List E2 - Choose 20cp from this list or from list F unless you take 40cp in list A | |||||
Literature and Medicine | ENGL39011 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Modernist Writers | ENGL30140 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Victorian Poetry: Belief, Doubt, and Dissent | ENGL30143 | 20 | Optional | E | TB-2 |
Writing the Anthropocene 1945-Present | ENGL30124 | 20 | Optional | B,E | TB-1,TB-2 |
Writing for Art | ENGL39019 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Victorian Materialities | ENGL30079 | 20 | Optional | E | TB-2 |
Medievalism in the Modern Age | ENGL30150 | 20 | Optional | E | TB-2 |
Caribbean Literature | ENGL30148 | 20 | Optional | E | TB-2 |
Modernism and the Movies | ENGL30128 | 20 | Optional | E | TB-2 |
Writing the Self: Literature and Autobiography | ENGL30107 | 20 | Optional | E | TB-2 |
List F - Choose 20cp from this list or list E2 unless you take 40cp in list A | |||||
Take 20 CP From Bristol Futures, UWLP or Faculty Wide Units – OR choose an additional 20 CP from lists A, C or D above | OPEN | 20 | Optional | ||
English and Portuguese (BA) | 120 |
Unit Pass Mark for Undergraduate Programmes:
For details on the weightings for classifying undergraduate degrees, please see the Agreed Weightings, by Faculty, to be applied for the Purposes of Calculating the Final Programme Mark and Degree Classification in Undergraduate Programmes.
For detailed rules on progression please see the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes and the relevant faculty handbook.
Please refer to the specific progression/award requirements for programmes with a preliminary year of study, the Gateway programmes and International Foundation programmes.
All undergraduate degree programmes allow the opportunity for a student to exit from a programme with a Diploma or Certificate of Higher Education.
Integrated Master's degrees may also allow the opportunity for a student to exit from the programme with an equivalent Bachelor's degree where a student has achieved 360 credit points, of which 90 must be at level 6, and has successfully met any additional criteria as described in the programme specification.
The opportunities for a student to exit from one of the professional programmes in Veterinary Science, Medicine, and Dentistry with an Award is outlined in the relevant Programme Regulations (which are available as an annex in the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes).
An Ordinary degree can be awarded if a student has successfully completed at least 300 credits with a minimum of 60 credits at Level 6.
The pass mark for the professional programmes in Veterinary Science, Medicine and Dentistry is 50 out of 100. The classification of a degree in the professional programmes in Veterinary Science, Medicine, and Dentistry is provided in the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
The alternative classified honours degree of Arts (English and Modern Language Studies) may be awarded on this programme. For further details please see the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes
Please note: This specification provides a concise summary of the main features of the programme and the learning outcomes that a typical student might reasonably be expected to achieve and demonstrate if he/she takes full advantage of the learning opportunities that are provided.
University of Bristol,
Senate House,
Tyndall Avenue,
Bristol, BS8 1TH, UK
Tel: +44 (0)117 928 9000