| Unit name | Professional Placement Year |
|---|---|
| Unit code | BIOL20027 |
| Credit points | 120 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Academic Year (weeks 1 - 52) |
| Unit director | Dr. Amici-Dargan |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
All Year 1 and 2 units must have been passed, with a Year 1 average of at least 60%. |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one | |
| School/department | School of Biological Sciences |
| Faculty | Faculty of Life Sciences |
Why is this unit important?
The Professional Placement Year is an opportunity for you to undertake a substantial external independent project to develop skills that align with your own career aspirations and acquire professional skills that are highly sought after by employers. Placements must be Biology-focused but may include professions such as wildlife filming-making, journalism, education, policy, conservation, laboratory-based research, agriculture-food business, environmental protection, biotechnology or consultancy, and other possibilities will be considered on a case by case basis. You will develop professional skills that are highly valued by employers, including communication, teamwork, independence and project management, and learn how to apply these skills in a real-world context.
How this unit fits into your programme of study
The Professional Placement Year is an optional 120CP unit undertaken between year 2 and 3 of your BSc or MSci in Zoology, Biology or Plant Sciences, and will contribute 10% of your overall degree mark. Entry is transfer-only during year 2, and the unit is only open to students who have achieved an average of 60% or more in their first-year units. Professional Placements must be approved by the unit director and the student must be successful at interview with the external placement host prior to transfer onto this optional unit.
You will spend c.35 hours a week for 9-12 months working on a combination of your independent professional placement project and other activities. The detailed content of your project will be tailored to the nature of your placement and how it relates to biological sciences.
On completion of the PPY unit, you should be able to:
Demonstrate the ability to work within financial and time constraints
Tasks which will help you learn and prepare for summative tasks
When assessment does not go to plan
How you will be assessed
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. BIOL20027).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
