MSc Systems and Synthetic Biology Handbook

On behalf of the School of Biological Sciences, I’d like to welcome you to Edinburgh and to this Taught Masters Programme. These pages provide you with all the information you need, but I would like to emphasise a few points.

You will see that the MSc comprises two components: taught courses in Semesters 1 and 2 and then a research project and dissertation, due in August.

Our aim is that this mixture of taught courses and research project work should both prepare you for doing a PhD well above the standard typically reached from a first degree and give you useful laboratory and research experience for a career outside academia. The transferable skills components on presentation, writing and planning should be particularly helpful.

I especially want to emphasise that you are not in competition with one another: there is, for example, no limit on the number of distinctions available. You are therefore encouraged to get to know and enjoy working with the other members of the programme, and so build up your own network of colleagues for the future.

I appreciate that, for some of you, this is your first opportunity to work in a UK University and our methods of teaching and assessment may be different from what you are used to. In all your assignments, the mark of a good student is that there is evidence of integration of not only the taught material, but also their own reading, and that useful, integrated scientific arguments are constructed within their coursework. One of our aims is to ensure that you appreciate what are the international standards for scientific research and to realise that the essence of becoming a scientist is to learn to take the initiative and be responsible for your own learning and work – which must be your own work (plagiarism is an offence the University takes very seriously).

One or two of you may have challenges throughout the course of the year. If these are academic in nature relating to the work, content or assessments associated with a particular course or module, you should first discuss them with the Course Organiser. You can always contact your Student Adviser, or me (and they/we will discuss the issues raised with the Course Organiser). If you have personal or domestic difficulties the first point of contact should be your Student Adviser (but you can always contact myself or the Programme Administrator and we will do what we can to help). The University has a comprehensive student welfare system to which you will have access. If you do have problems, please notify someone as soon as possible, so that we can try and direct you to those individuals or services that can help, and so that we can record these issues for consideration by the exam board. When confronted with problems, it is never a good idea just to ignore them and hope they will disappear.

Finally, let me, on behalf of everyone associated with the programme, wish you every success and an enjoyable time here, and I look forward to meeting you.

Professor Peter Swain

The Degree Programme Table (DPT) lists the compulsory and optional courses for your programme. 

Systems and Synthetic Biology DPT

Students are not allowed to take more than a total of 30 credits below level 11. 

An alternative appropriate course may be substituted with the permission of the Programme Director. 

Information relating to assessments and their deadlines are detailed in the associated Course Learn Ultra page. Note that access to our Learn Ultra Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) is restricted to current students only.

Personalised Timetables 

Information on your timetable can be accessed via MyEd.  

• This includes a personalised timetable service called MyTimetable. 
• Your personalised timetable also appears on Office 365 calendars, which you can view on your smartphone or other device. 

 Access your timetable on MyEd

Timetable information for students

As a member of the School of Biological Sciences, you are warmly welcome to visit the office or contact staff if you have a query. The exam board for the MSc in Systems and Synthetic Biology is held jointly with that for the MSc in Synthetic Biology & Biotechnology.