Welcome to your Molecular Biology course

Welcome to University of Staffordshire

We know you're already passionate about your subject, which is why we're excited you've chosen University of Staffordshire as the place to turn possibility into reality.

To give you an insight into what life as a Molecular Biology student is like, your course leaders have prepared introductions to the course and further activities.

Welcome to your MSc- Molecular Biology and Health course!

We are looking forward to meeting you and hope you are excited about the things to come.

Starting a postgraduate course can be a little overwhelming, and we want to help you prepare in advance and know what to expect. We have put together this information to help you get ready for your exciting new course at Staffordshire University.

First activity

Your first learning activity will be on Tuesday, 1^st October 2024 starts at 3:00 pm, (Room- G027), Cadman Building, College Road.

In this lecture, we will discuss the DNA structure and Functions. We will be focusing on the physical and chemical structures of the DNA and RNA molecules.

Course delivery

In MSc Molecular Biology and Health course, the academic year is composed of 3- blocks of learning. Each block is 12-weeks long and the on-campus cohort is expected to be scheduled for 9-hours face to face contact through the week for semester-1 and 6-hours face to face contact through the week in semester-2 and the semester-3 contact hours will be varied depends on the nature of your research project. If your research project involves laboratory work, you are expected to work independently on your research project for 6- consecutive weeks, 3-4 days per week. Apart from the research project module, you are scheduled for 2 hours face to face lecture for the Current Advance in Molecular Biology module as well.

For the Blended Learning cohort, the teaching and learning activities are flexible. All learning materials will be available on blackboard, and you have the freedom to engage with the course in your own time. However, your Blended Learning course will provide you with opportunities to attend a series of laboratory sessions on campus at the Science Centre. The practical sessions are scheduled during the end term of January exam- 2025- for one week and 2-weeks practical sessions scheduled during the end term of May exam 2025. These practical activities enable you to develop your laboratory skills and you could meet peers from MSc Molecular Biology on-campus cohort. On semester 3, if you are interested to undertake laboratory-based research project, you need to work in the lab for 6 consecutive weeks.

Both, the on-campus and the BL-cohorts will be provided with opportunities to engage with formative tasks through the course to help us to assess your progression before you complete the final summative assessments.

You will often be given independent learning activities which are designed to consolidate your learning and give you the opportunities to go through the sense making part of learning process.

The final summative assessment includes a wide range of coursework assessments, practical portfolio work, development practical logbooks, presentation, end point exam and independent supervised projects.

Semester one activities

In the first few weeks at university, you will be engaging on the following modules:

Principles of Molecular Biology- BIOL70661/2

This module is intended to provide the foundation upon which the rest of the course is built and is designed to cover the fundamental principles of molecular biology across a wide range of topics. You will investigate: the structure of DNA, how DNA replicates in eukaryotes and prokaryotes, gene and genome structure in eukaryotes and prokaryotes, transcription, RNA processing, RNA structures, the genetic code, translation, posttranslational modification, the levels of protein organisation, DNA binding proteins, structural motifs, outline of gene regulation/control, structure and genetics of immunoglobulins, enzymes/overview of pathway interactions in metabolism.

Molecular Biology of the disease- BIOL70663/4

Throughout this module you will consider the molecular basis of both non-infectious and infectious disease in humans. You will investigate the molecular components of chronic diseases that arise because of one or more contributory factors i.e. inherited, environmental or behavioural factors. How each of these factors can give rise to a diseased state will be studied and then the consequences of these factors working together will be investigated allowing you to critically evaluate the molecular contribution to these diseases.

Research Project Proposal- BIOL70673/4

This module will provide you with the necessary skills to design a research project to answer a research question, potentially reflecting your area of interest or relevant to your workplace. Projects will be designed in consultation with a university-based supervisor and can be conducted either at your place of work or at Staffordshire University.
You will develop your own research idea and design a protocol for addressing the question. You will be trained in the understanding of, and preparation of the approvals necessary to carry out your research, including risk assessments and ethical approval and you will communicate your proposal in both a written and a verbal format.

Pre-Learning

It is never too early to start preparing, and we want to ensure you have all the resources you need to succeed. Below is the link to the online text that will be essential for all your level-7 module.

Please click here for further information:

https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/244

Nature education- Scitable:

https://www.nature.com/scitable/

edX- Molecular Biology- free science library:

https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/7-01sc-fundamentals-of-biology-fall-2011/pages/molecular-biology/

Equipment and software

Please use the link below to download Microsoft office, which is free to access and download with your university email and is necessary for your course.

Software link: https://staffsuniversity.sharepoint.com/sites/software/SitePages/Home.aspx

Meet the team

Dr Ahmad Haidery

Senior Lecturer

I am a Senior Lecturer in Biological and Biomedical Sciences, serving as Course Leader for the Postgraduate Programme in Molecular Biology and Health and Director of Studies for PhD and Professional Doctorate programs.

Ahmad's profile

Dr Hans Hennies

Senior Lecturer

I am a biochemist and medical geneticist and a fellow of the IBMS. I have a long-standing experience in teaching and research with a strong interest in biomedical science and especially translational research in genetic skin diseases.

Hans's profile

What to expect on Welcome Week

We're so excited for you to join us on campus and to welcome you to where you matter. During your welcome week you'll be able to meet our friendly student services teams, connect with new friends, join societies, explore on-campus venues attend club nights and much more.

We look forward to welcoming you in September.

If you have any questions, please send them to your Course Leader: Dr Ahmad Haidery, Ahmad.Haidery@staffs.ac.uk