MSC RESEARCH PROJECT - 2025/6

Module Overview

In this module, the students will be able to demonstrate the understanding and knowledge of the basic principles they 've learnt in the modules. The students will work individually on in small groups in projects associated to existing research projects, or in projects proposed by them (subject to the available material and supervisor). In the first case, the students will have to choose a project from a given list of potential projects, and they will have to justify their choice. In the second case, the students will propose a subject and explain and justify the subject and its relevance.
The research plan must be designed by the student, including a time-plan and the costs involved. They will have to perform a literature search on the subject under study, and propose a logical sequence of experiments to solve a scientific problem, making use of the materials, equipment and facilities available to them. The plan will be discussed the supervisors, who will oversee the execution of the project and will provide advise on the different experimental aspects involved. Finally, the students will report the results of their project in a dissertation.
The objective of the module is to stimulate scientific learning and develop the student's ability to design, conduct and evaluate independent research. The project and the report must fulfil the standards required for an MSc degree, demonstrating critical analysis and scientific reasoning, based on the literature and the experimental work.

Module provider

School of Biosciences

Module Leader

LU Bingxin (Biosciences)

Number of Credits: 60

ECTS Credits: 30

Framework: FHEQ Level 7

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Crosses academic years

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None

Module content

Indicative content includes:
As discussed above, the students will be provided a list of available project and supervisors, or will have the opportunity of proposing their own project. The projects will be assigned based on the justification of the choice.
The projects will be supervised by members of the academic and research staff, and will be performed over the summer period. The project will lead to the submission of a dissertation preferably under the form of a scientific article. A critical review of the literature will form part of the assessment.
Students will engage with non-specific subjects:

• Health and Safety.

• Good Manufacturing Practice , Good Laboratory Practice and Good Clinical Practice.

• Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs),

• Equality Act 2010.

• Freedom of Information Act.

• Ethics, Integrity and Responsible Research, Professionalism, Research methods.

• Problem-solving, Critical analysis and scientific reasoning.

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

None

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy will allow students to demonstrate knowledge of their subject and acquisition of practical and transferable skills.
Summative assessment for this module consists of:

• Personal and Professional skills: Literature search and preliminary project design and development, and assessment of skills.

• Practical-based assessment; To evaluate the laboratory skills will be evaluated by observation by supervisor and associated researchers and technical staff. There will be guidelines to evaluate the ability of the students to conduct work following H&S standards,  acquisition of good quality results, and plan and design experiments adequate for the aims and objectives of the investigation.

• Project dissertation; The results of the work will be presented in written form, ideally following the format of a scientific article.

The assessment strategy will allow students to develop, understand, and test their knowledge and their scientific skills beyond the scope of their project, extending towards the wider subject area. This will provide employability tools and transferable skills, helping the students to mature as independent researchers, able to reflect and learn from their own performance.
In terms of Formative assessment, the students will have the opportunity of submitting drafts or preliminary versions of their literature search and their final report, which will be commented on by the supervisors, as an efficient form of feed-back.
Throughout the project, the students will be able to discuss and comment on their experiment, receiving advise and feed-back from the supervisory teams. Verbal and written comments will be provided.
Formative Feedback: As mentioned above, the students will receive verbal feedback during laboratory sessions and during regular supervisory meetings. Written comments and feedback will be provided on formative assignments.

Module aims

• Develop the scientific skills expected of a professional involved in academic or industrial biotechnological work.
• Demonstrate autonomy and independence in the design, conduction and analysis of research projects, with capacity for evaluating outcomes following the strict requirements found in professional environments.
• Provide students with the capability of understanding the high level of demands and regulations in research and in production.
• Acquire essential skills for communication and dissemination of experimental results and outcomes in a variety of environments.
• Develop strong personal and professional skills.

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to:

• Provide the student with subject knowledge and practical skills to deal and conduct a research project as well as and transferable skills useful in professional life.

• Develop in the students the critical thinking skills and tools to evaluate research outputs throughout discussions with peers, senior researchers and supervisors.

A summary description of the project module is as follows:
First semester: During the first semester, the students will be given instructions and guidance to select and start preparing their research plan, literature review and timeline and requirements for materials and equipment.
This will be done in tutorial discussions between students and supervisors and will conclude in a detailed plan for the experimental work.
During both semesters, the students will dedicate time to the experimental work in the laboratory, and the analysis of results and preparation of the report.
The students will be expected to spend their time setting up and conducting the experimental work, liaising with supervisor and performing individual research. A very high level of commitment and engagement is expected, commensurate with a Level 7 activity. The students are expected to show resourcefulness and resilience, and to perform efficiently in the laboratory.
In compliance with COSHH regulations, detailed risk assessments will be performed for all new procedures. These will be checked/validated by the supervisors before practical work is performed.
An MSc project involves critical assessment and reasoning of the work, with clear identification of errors and comprehensive use and appraisal of literature.
Regular communication with the supervisor is expected, and the production of draft / interim reports will be encouraged. Instructions on how to prepare the report will be given. This exercise is part of the formative assessment, as comprehensive feed-back will be provided.

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: BMSM048

Other information

The activities in this module will emphasise in in Employability, Digital Capabilities, Global and Cultural Capabilities, Sustainability, and Resourcefulness and Resilience.
Employability: The students will be submerged in current research in the area of Biotechnology, by familiarizing with state-of-the-art research strategies and subjects, and acquiring trasnferable skills. This will give them an advantage in term of their employability, as they will possess an inventory of tools attractive to employers.
Students will be prepared for independent work, time management, team-work, and communication.
Global and Cultural: We will maintain international standards in research, searching for the latest knowledge at a global scale, and appreciating social and cultural differences, helped by the extensive international community present in our University.
Sustainability: Biotechnology is, almost by definition, the paradigm of sustainability. We will a encourage the choice of projects directly related to bio-based industry, sustainable production, bio-product  recovery, etc. in an effort to focus on environmentally friendly processes.
Digital skills: The analysis of data will certainly require digital tools and standard and specialized software.
Resourcefulness and Resilience: Practical laboratory work in biotechnology is not exempt from errors, variability, contamination , etc. Resilient and resourceful professionals can cope with the frustration and anxiety generated by those hurdles. Our students will certainly acquire the capacity to manage these situations by being mentored and supported by the supervisory team.

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2025/6 academic year.