Overview

Students entering Second Genetics from First Genetics (CK405) can proceed to a BSc (Hons) Degree in Genetics.

In exceptional cases only, and with the approval of College, students may transfer into degree programmes in Biochemistry or Microbiology - subject to the quota regulations outlined in the Biological Sciences section and subject to having the necessary points for Admission to Biological and Chemical Sciences.

Selection of Modules

Students are encouraged to consider module balance by Semester when choosing electives, and those running concurrently with the Fourth Year Project in Semester 1.

Notes

1. Students who, for special reasons, wish to take modules not specifically allowed by the regulations, must make an application to the College.
2. Individual elective modules may occasionally not be offered in some calendar years.

BSc Ordinary Degree - NFQ Level 7, Major Award

Students who pass Third Year may choose not to proceed to Fourth Year and may opt instead to be conferred with a BSc Ordinary Degree.

Programme Requirements

For information about modules, module choice, options and credit weightings, please go to Programme Requirements. 

Programme Requirements

Module List

Code	Title	Credits
Year 1
Students take 60 credits as follows:
Core Modules
BC1001	Introduction to Biochemistry and the Biological Basis of Disease	5
BL1002	Cells, Biomolecules, Genetics and Evolution	5
BT1001	Introduction to Biotechnology	5
CM1200	Fundamentals of Modern Chemistry Part 1	10
GN1001	Principles and Methods in Genetics	10
MB1003	Microbiology in Society	5
MA1001	Calculus for Science Part 1	5
MA1002	Calculus for Science Part 2	5
PY1010	Physics for Biological and Chemical Sciences	10
Year 2
Students take 60 credits as follows - all listed core modules (55 credits) and 5 credits of elective modules:
Core Modules
Biochemistry
BC2001	Biomolecules	5
BC2002	Principles of Metabolic Pathways	5
Chemistry
CM2201	Fundamentals of Modern Chemistry Part 2b	10
Genetics
GN2001	Current Perspectives in Genetics	5
Microbiology
MB2005	Fundamentals of Microbiology	5
MB2006	Principles of Microbiology	5
Molecular Biology
ML2001	Introductory Molecular Biology	5
Plant Science
PS2001	Introduction to Plant Biotechnology	5
Statistics
ST2001	Introduction to Biostatistics	5
Zoology
ZY2000	Vertebrate Diversity	5
Elective Modules
Students take modules to the value of 5 credits from the following:		5
Anatomy/Neuroscience
AN2020	Introduction to Neuroscience, the Brain and Behaviour (5)
Plant Science
PS2002	Ecological Plant Physiology (5)
Year 3
Students take 60 credits as follows:
Core Modules
Biochemistry
BC3001	Structural and Experimental Biochemistry	5
BC3004	Cell Signalling	5
BC3006	Molecular Biology	5
BC3007	Principles of Medical Genetics	5
BC3010	Bioinformatics	5
Plant Science
PS4006	Genetic Manipulation of Plants	5
Genetics
GN3002	Literature Project on Genetics	5
GN3003	Population and Evolutionary Genetics	5
Microbiology
MB3006	Genetic Engineering and Molecular Biotechnology	5
MB3007	Molecular Genetics and Genomics	5
MB3008	Immunology: Host Response to Pathogens.	5
Statistics
ST3001	Biostatistics I	5
Year 4 1
Students take 60 credits as follows - all listed core modules (35 credits), a Research Project (15 credits) and 10 credits of elective modules:
Core Modules
Biochemistry
BC4009	Cancer Biology	5
Genetics
GN4001	Developmental Genetics	5
GN4003	Genomics and Applications	5
GN4004	Genetics and Society	5
Microbiology
MB4019	Computational Biology	5
MB4025	Eukaryotic Molecular Genetics	5
Statistics
ST4001	Biostatistics II	5
Research Project
GN4002	Research Project	15
Elective Modules
Students take modules to the value of 10 credits from the following:		10
Molecular Microbiology
MB3001	Medical Microbiology (5)
MB4030	Advanced Medical Microbiology and Immunology (5)
MB4031	Advanced Virology and Antiviral Immunity (5)
Molecular Oncology
BC4001	Advanced Cell Biology (5)
Total Credits		240

¹

Note: Specialisation in specific areas is possible.

Examinations

Full details and regulations governing Examinations for each programme will be contained in the Marks and Standards Book and for each module in the Book of Modules.

Programme Learning Outcomes

Programme Learning Outcomes for BSc in Genetics (NFQ Level 8, Major Award)
On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to:

1
15-1
Apply the principals of Mendelian and non-Mendelian inheritance patterns to rationalize the patterns of gene flow and gene expression in microbes, plants and animals;
15-2
2
Explain the phenotype conferred by a given gene in the context of cell and organismal biology, and gene-environment interaction;
15-3
3
Apply knowledge of cellular and molecular genetics to develop concepts and solutions to problems and processes in biotechnology;
15-4
4
Analyze and predict patterns of gene distribution in populations, and identify factors which affect the frequency of alleles;
15-5
5
Explain how genes may be located, identified and characterized by genetic mapping and functional genomics, and identify appropriate practical and bioinformatic approaches;
15-6
6
Analyze and summarize primary data and literature reports in biology and genetics, and communicate findings effectively verbally and in writing;
15-7
7
Develop an hypothesis to answer a practical question in genetics, and apply theoretical and practical approaches to test the hypothesis.

*** Only for Incoming First Years and Repeat First Years 2024/2025 ***
*** Click here for Marks and Standards for all other years ***

Marks and Standards

These Marks and Standards should be read in conjunction with the Programme Requirements and the Book of Modules.

Fitness to Practise

All students on programmes subject to Fitness to Practise in UCC will be required to comply with the Fitness to Practise Policy and meet the relevant Fitness to Practise standards, in order to progress to the next year of his/her/their programme. Click here for a list of programmes subject to the Fitness to Practise Policy.

Marks and Credits

Students are required to take modules to the value of 60 credits.
Total Marks for year: 1200.

First Year - Pass and Progression Criteria

To pass first year and progress to second year, students must achieve:

1. An aggregate mark of 40% across all modules,
2. A pass mark in modules to the value of at least 50 credits, and
3. A module mark of at least 30% in any remaining modules.

Pass by Compensation: Students who satisfy each of the above criteria are allowed to compensate in modules to the value of 10 credits and pass the year overall.

Examination Boards

• Provisional marks for Semester 1 examinations are released in January/February of each year. These marks are subject to approval at the University Examination Board.
• Marks for all modules taken in Semester 1 and 2, including those wholly assessed by Continuous Assessment, will be presented to the University Examination Board at the end of Semester 2.

Supplemental Examinations and Assessment

• Students who fail to achieve the progression standard for the year at the Summer Examination Board must complete Supplemental Examinations and/or Continuous Assessment for those specific module(s), where there is provision to do so.
• Please refer to the Book of Modules for requirements governing the Supplemental Examination and Assessment for individual modules. Note: For some modules there is no Supplemental Examination and Assessment.
• The marks achieved in the Supplemental Examinations and/or Continuous Assessment of a repeat module are considered at the Autumn Examination Board.
• The actual mark achieved by the candidate in the Supplemental or Repeat Year Examination will be recorded on the student record (Academic Transcript).
• The maximum mark that will be taken into account for aggregation and progression purposes is a pass level, unless the student has been granted a cap waiver or deferral by the University Mitigation Committee, or a University Examination Board, or has been approved to defer the previous attempt by the University Mitigation Committee.
• At the Autumn Examination Board, marks from all passed modules approved at the Summer Examination Board are carried forward and are combined with the marks achieved in Supplemental Examinations and/or Assessments. The pass and progression criteria are applied to the aggregate mark achieved.

Note: The mark achieved at the last examination/assessment attempt is the mark that is included in the calculation of the aggregate mark for pass and progression purposes.

Study Abroad

• When students study abroad as part of his/her/their degree programme, they will be assessed by his/her/their host university.
• To pass the study abroad period and progress to the subsequent year, a student must achieve a pass standard as applied by the host institution.
• A Pass/Fail judgement will be presented to the UCC Examination Boards:
  • At the Summer Examination Board for students spending Semester 1 abroad.
  • At the Autumn/Winter Examination Board for students spending the full academic year abroad or Semester 2 only.
• For students failing to achieve a pass mark, Supplemental Assessment will be prescribed by the School in UCC, and these results will be presented at a Winter Examination Board.

Exemptions

All passed modules carry an exemption, which is limited to a period of five academic years (or two in the case of Computer Science modules) subsequent to the award of the exemption.

Repeat Year Examinations

Students repeating the year may do so choosing one of the following mechanisms:

1. Students retain module exemptions, if any, and must repeat all failed/absent modules, including those modules where the failing mark previously achieved was greater than the level of compensation (≥ 30%) but who failed to achieve the progression standard for the year (see above). The pass and progression criteria are then applied to the combination of full marks achieved in modules passed at the first attempt, plus capped marks achieved in modules in the Repeat Year Examinations.​

Note: For students selecting different modules not previously taken, there are no restrictions on the marks awarded for those modules at the first attempt in a repeat year. The selection of different modules by the student means that the student foregoes any previous marks achieved in the original modules (including previously passed modules).

2. Students may forego all module exemptions achieved and repeat the year choosing modules to the value of the full 60 credits. In determining pass and progression, there is no restriction on the marks awarded for modules taken at the first attempt of the Repeat Year. Modules taken at the subsequent Supplemental Examination and Assessment are capped at the pass mark.

Subject to capacity, all students - whether they have failed or passed - are allowed to choose this second option, in an attempt to improve his/her/their grade.

Students repeating the final year are eligible for the award of Honours in the first Repeat Year only. Final year students wishing to repeat the year with a view to improving his/her/their degree result may do so only if they have not been conferred.

Three Year Rule

Students must pass/progress within three academic years of the date of first registration for a year, otherwise they cannot continue in the programme.

Terms and Definitions

Programme Description

• The programme description is outlined in the Programme Requirements tab.

Module Descriptions/Assessment

• Module descriptions, including the pass standard for a module, special requirements to pass a module, and assessment elements and their weightings, are contained in the Book of Modules.

Marks and Credits

• A maximum of 100 marks may be awarded for every five credits of a programme.
• Some modules are assessed on a Pass/Fail basis only, i.e. marks are not awarded.

Pass and Progression

• Progression is defined as the permission granted to a student to register in the subsequent academic year for the next set of modules within his/her/their programme of study.
• Compensation is defined as the process by which a student, who fails to satisfy some of the regulations for credit in a specific module, is nevertheless recommended for credit to be awarded on the grounds that the failure is offset by his/her/their performance in the other modules on his/her/their programme of study.