Overview

This is a four-year, full-time undergraduate programme, leading to the award of a BSc (Hons) Medical and Health Sciences. The programme includes a research project in the Fourth Year.

First Year - Medical and Health Sciences

To be admitted to the First University Examination in Medical and Health Sciences, a student must have satisfactorily attended modules amounting to 60 credits.

Second Year - Medical and Health Sciences

To be admitted to the Second University Examination in Medical and Health Sciences, a student must have satisfactorily attended modules amounting to 60 credits.

Third Year - Medical and Health Sciences

To be admitted to the Third University Examination in Medical and Health Sciences, a student must have satisfactorily attended modules to the value of 60 credits comprising core modules to the value of 55 credits, and elective modules to the value of 5 credits.

Fourth Year - Medical and Health Sciences

To be admitted to the Fourth University Examination in Medical and Health Sciences, a student must have satisfactorily attended modules to the value of 60 credits comprising core modules to the value of 20 credits, and elective modules to the value of 40 credits.

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
EH1011	Foundations in Epidemiology	10
MH1010	Introductory Human Biology	15
MH1020	Cardiovascular Biology	5
MH1030	Respiratory Biology	10
MH1040	Gastrointestinal, Nutritional and Metabolic Biology	10
MH1050	Introduction to Translational Medicine	5
PT1020	Introduction to Pharmacology	5
Year 2
Students take 60 credits as follows:
Core Modules
BC2024	Molecular Biology and Gene Regulation in Health and Disease	5
EH2010	Applied Epidemiology	5
MH2010	Research Skills and Ethics	5
MH2020	Research Methods in Medical Sciences	5
MH2101	Biology of the Nervous System	10
MH2102	Bone, Renal and Reproductive Biology	10
PM2004	Mechanisms of Disease	10
PT2020	Introduction to Toxicology	5
PT2021	Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology	5
Year 3
Students take 60 credits as follows – all listed core modules (55 credits) and 5 credits of elective modules:
Core Modules
AN3013	Neurobiology of Disease	5
BC3021	Cell Signalling in Health and Disease	5
EH3013	Population Health	5
MB3001	Medical Microbiology	5
MH3010	Structured Literature Project in Medical and Health Sciences	10
MH3050	Advances in Translational Medicine	5
PL3001	Pathophysiology	5
PM3017	Systems Pathology	5
PT3020	Pharmacology of Disease	10
Elective Modules
Students take 5 credits from the following:		5
AN3003	Neurobiology of Regulatory Systems (5)
AN3009	Human Embryology and Developmental Anatomy (5)
BC3007	Principles of Medical Genetics (5)
MB3008	Immunology: Host Response to Pathogens. (5)
MB3022	Virology (5)
MX1009	History of Medicine (5)
PL3005	Cell and Epithelial Physiology (5)
Year 4
Students take 60 credits as follows – all listed core modules (20 credits) and 40 credits of elective modules:
Core Modules
MH4010	Research Project in Medical and Health Sciences	20
Elective Modules
Students take modules to the value of 40 credits from the following:		40
MH4021	Introduction to Clinical Development	5
AN4009	Behavioural and Cognitive Neuroscience (5)
AN4012	Medical Imaging and Biomedical Devices in the Neurosciences (5)
AN4013	Advanced Topics in Neuroscience (5)
AN4016	Neurodevelopmental Biology Approaches to Brain Repair. (5)
AN4017	Prenatal and Perinatal Exposures and the Developing Brain. (5)
BC4001	Advanced Cell Biology (5)
BC4009	Cancer Biology (5)
BC4011	Cell and Molecular Basis of Neurodegenerative disease (5)
BC4022	Immunobiology of Health and Disease (5)
EH4000	Advanced Applied Epidemiology (5)
EH4009	Contemporary Global Health Issues (5)
MB4030	Advanced Medical Microbiology and Immunology (5)
MB4031	Advanced Virology and Antiviral Immunity (5)
MH4020	Work Placement (5)
PL4006	Regulation of Epithelial Transport (5)
PL4009	Applied Cardiovascular and Respiratory Physiology (5)
PL4010	Control of Breathing in Health and Disease (5)
PL4011	Learning and Memory (5)
PL4012	Physiology of Calcium Signalling (5)
PL4015	Microbiome and Physiology (5)
PL4016	Dynamic Physiology in Biological Systems	5
PL4014	Endocrine and Gastrointestinal Physiology	5
PT4021	Immunopharmacology and Chemotherapy (10)
PT4022	Drug Discovery and Development (5)
PT4023	Endocrine, Metabolic and Reproductive Pharmacology (5)
PT4024	Current Topics in Pharmacology (5)
Total Credits		255

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 (Hons) (Medical and Health Sciences) (NFQ Level 8, Major Award)

On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to:

1
1-1
Explain the basic principles of medical science, i.e. anatomy, biochemistry and physiology, at whole body, organ, tissue, cellular and sub-cellular levels;
1-2
2
Describe clinicopathological features of common human diseases and explain in detail their underlying mechanisms, with reference to current literature;
1-3
3
Describe the major classes of drugs and pharmacological approaches to the management of common medical conditions, with reference to current literature;
1-4
4
Explain the current research technologies and methods in the biomedical sciences, and outline how they are applied in preclinical and clinical medicine and/or in industrial laboratories;
1-5
5
Demonstrate the ability to use appropriate strategies for literature searching, to critically evaluate research publications and to formulate research ideas and hypotheses;
1-6
6
Design, execute and analyse an experiment or a study to test a hypothesis or theory in medical and health sciences;
1-7
7
Interpret and discuss laboratory findings, perform appropriate statistical analyses and clearly communicate research findings and appropriate conclusions, both orally and in writing;
1-8
8
Demonstrate appropriate scientific proficiency for entry into a variety of further postgraduate education/research or for employment in government, academic or industrial positions;
1-9
9
Communicate effectively with the scientific community and appreciate the importance of contributing to the public understanding of science and medicine;
1-10
10
Work effectively as an individual, in teams and in multidisciplinary settings, having developed the capacity to undertake lifelong learning and critical thinking.

*** 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.

Award of Honours in the Degree Award

An honours classification is awarded for the final degree using the final year examination results and marks carried forward from the penultimate year. The aggregate of 33.33% of the penultimate year marks plus 66.67% of the final year marks will be used to calculate the final degree award.

Honours will be awarded as follows:

1. First Class Honours: ≥ 70%
2. Second Class Honours, Grade I: ≥ 60% and <70%
3. Second Class Honours, Grade II: ≥ 50% and <60%
4. Pass: ≥ 40% and <50%

Award of Honours when a student undertakes Study Abroad
When students study abroad as part of his/her/their degree programme, the calculation of the final degree award is based on modules in the Book of Modules only.

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.