IMPORTANT INFORMATION CONCERNING YEAR 3 MChem & FINAL YEAR BSc WILL BE POSTED ON THE NOTICE BOARD OUTSIDE THE BRUNNER LECTURE THEATRE.
Staff Contacts | Diary Dates | Induction Day
Course Structures | Module Codes | Choosing Modules | Practicals | Assessment
Transfers between Taught Programmes | BSc Students: Careers or further study
What to do if you have to miss classes or an exam | ... you are having difficulties
Timetables are shown in separate documents in VITAL.
It may be useful to be aware of the members of staff with specific responsibilities for Year 3 MChem students and Final Year BSc students. There is a more complete list of Staff on the Departmental Website (http://www.liv.ac.uk/Chemistry/).
Dr David L. Cooper (extn. 43532, dlc@liverpool.ac.uk, Room M06 Donnan Labs) is Coordinator for all Year 3 and Year 4 students on BSc and MChem programmes. He is responsible for checking on work and progress, and is available for day to day advice if you are having any problems with the course.
Dr Yaroslav Z. Khimyak (extn. 43535, Khimyak@liverpool.ac.uk, Room 187m LCMC) coordinates the placements of Year 3 FZ61 and FZ11 students who are out in industry.
Dr Ian O'Neil (extn. 43485, chemexam@liverpool.ac.uk, Room 240 Robert Robinson Labs) deals with Examinations. You should consult him if you want further information about the examination procedures.
Dr Mike Morris (extn. 52169, M.Morris2@liverpool.ac.uk, Room G37 Donnan Labs) is the Departmental Administrator.
Dr Nick Greeves (extn. 43506, ngreeves@liverpool.ac.uk, Room 402 Robert Robinson Labs) is the Director of Teaching.
Phil Harrison (extn. 44656, phil.harrison@liv.ac.uk, Careers Resource Centre) is the Careers Adviser in the Careers Service with responsibility for Chemistry students.
Term & Semester dates are listed here.
Friday, 25 September 2009: Induction Day. Module and practical choices must be completed.
9 am, Monday, 28 September 2009: Start of First Semester lectures (various locations).
Wednesday, 30 September 2009: Start of CHEM3x5 practical work (afternoon).
Vacation (19 December 2009 - 10 January 2010): Revision for First Semester examinations.
Revision Week (11 January 2010 - 15 January 2010)
18 January 2010: First Semester examinations begin.
29 January 2010: First Semester examinations end.
29 January 2010: End of First Semester.
01 February 2010: Start of Second Semester lectures and CHEM3x6 practical work.
Vacation (27 March 2010 - 18 April 2010): Revision for second Semester examinations.
19 April 2010: Courses continue.
Revision Week (17 May 2010 - 21 May 2010)
24 May 2010: Second Semester examinations begin.
04 June 2010: Second Semester examinations end.
04 June 2010: End of Second Semester.
Graduation ceremonies for the School of Physical Sciences are scheduled for Wednesday 21 July 2010 at 10.30am. For Combined Honours: Thursday 22 July 2010 at 3.00pm.
CHEM326 ('Basic Physics for Nanotechnology') could suit BSc and MChem students who have done some post-GCSE Physics and who were in at least the middle tier of Maths in CHEM280 or CHEM290. Students should talk to the Year 3 Coordinator before selecting this module.
F102 MChem students can pick two level-M options (from CHEM452, CHEM486 and CHEM494) but might like to consider doing level-3 module CHEM326 instead. Note that F102 MChem students choose two level-M options (from a longer list) in Year 4.
F1F3 MChem students can choose between CHEM368 and two level-M options (CHEM452 and CHEM486). Note that all modules for Year 4 F1F3 MChem students are compulsory.
Final Year BSc students need to check with the Year 3 Coordinator before picking 'A' options and/or CHEM227 and/or CHEM326. It might even be possible, subject to timetable restrictions and satisfying prerequisites, to take level-2 or level-3 modules from outside the Department, but students need explicit permission from the Year 3 Coordinator for this. The module CHEM385 [same "database skills" as done by F102 and F1F3 students (and by Combined Honours students taking CHEM395); continually assessed – no exam; useful for Semester 2 practicals] is strongly recommended.
All modules for FZBF MChem students are compulsory in Year 3. There is some choice in Year 4.
Year 3 FZ61 MChem students take CHEM383 and CHEM388 "distance learning" modules.
The 1st Semester practicals are done in four-week blocks. Significant mark deductions are applied for missed deadlines. The various teaching laboratories will be open Wednesday afternoon (2pm-5pm), Thursday (10am-1pm and 2pm-5pm), and Friday (10am-1pm and 2pm-5pm). F102 and F1F3 MChem students (CHEM375) do all of Inorganic, Organic and Physical plus "database skills". FZBF MChem students (CHEM355) must do Organic, but choose between Inorganic and Physical. Final Year BSc students (CHEM365) are invited to choose two from Inorganic, Organic and Physical but, in order to avoid overcrowding in particular labs, those Year 3 BSc students with lower Year 2 marks might not get a free choice. Some Combined Honours students take CHEM395, which consists of one branch of practical Chemistry plus "database skills".
The choice of 2nd Semester practical depends to some extent on the choices made in the 1st Semester. Decisions for the 2nd Semester will be made a few weeks before Christmas. MChem students pick one of Physical, Inorganic, Organic or Computational Chemistry; they are likely to be offered a placement with a research group. Final year BSc students pick one branch of practical Chemistry and then usually work in a teaching laboratory which will normally be open Wednesday afternoon (2pm-5pm), Thursday (10am-1pm and 2pm-5pm), and Friday (10am-5pm); some alternatives are available, including computational and schools-related projects. Note that FZBF and FZB2 students are not necessarily restricted to Organic Chemistry.
[See separate documents in VITAL for full details of Assessment Criteria, including important information on Plagiarism and Collusion and on the Departmental Policy on Feedback to Students.]
Written examinations are held at the end of each Semester. Past exam papers are available. Lecturers may also be able to supply practice questions for you to attempt.
After all the written papers have been marked, the external examiners will come to the Department in early June and, together with the staff, assess the scripts from the examinations in both Semesters. Further information about various aspects of the assessment will be given during the year; you can also consult Dr Ian O'Neil (extn. 43485, chemexam@liverpool.ac.uk).
THERE ARE NO AUGUST/SEPTEMBER RESIT EXAMINATIONS FOR YEAR 3 AND YEAR 4 STUDENTS
The Year 3 MChem programmes are meant to be more challenging than the corresponding BSc programmes. The MChem courses are aimed primarily at students who expect to perform at the 2.1 level (and above). Year 3 MChem students with a carry-forward mark from Year 2 that is less than 60% are encouraged to seek advice from the Year 3 Coordinator as to whether they might be better served by a BSc programme.
Except in the case of students on industrial placements, any Year 3 MChem students who do not continue into Year 4, either by choice or because they do not satisfy the requirements, will automatically be considered for the award of a BSc degree. Students who think that it is likely that they will choose to change from MChem to BSc are strongly advised to consider making that change before the start of the first Semester: they could achieve higher marks on a BSc programme and, potentially, a higher class of final degree. Anyone who changes from MChem to BSc after the first Semester exams is unlikely to be able to follow the same programme in the second Semester as those who started the year as BSc students – this is a further potential disadvantage of delaying such a decision.
Students can switch from MChem to BSc at any time up to a few days before the Final Board of Examiners meets in June, but it might not be possible to replace modules.
The "TRANSFER BETWEEN TAUGHT PROGRAMMES" forms are available from the Undergraduate Office.
The CHEM380 module covers various important employability skills, and includes sessions on producing a good CV, making job applications, and preparing for interviews. You also have access in VITAL to the "Physical Sciences Centre Employability Resource Pack". Even if you do not intend to start looking for employment until after you have graduated, you could do well to seek additional advice now from the Careers Service.
The Department also offers opportunities for a wide range of postgraduate work at both Masters and Doctoral level, but has moved to a system in which only students with a Masters degree are usually admitted to the PhD programme. In order to be in a position to compete with well-qualified applicants (e.g. ones having Masters degrees) from other universities, BSc students may wish to consider various one-year taught masters courses (MSc and MRes) that are offered at the University. More detailed information about such postgraduate opportunities will be provided during the Year.
MAKE PLANS FOR YOUR FUTURE EARLY AND DO NOT IGNORE INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITIES, EVEN IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING STAYING ON FOR POSTGRADUATE WORK
You are expected to attend all lectures in the modules for which you are registered, to do the relevant set work, to attend tutorials and oral presentations, and to attend regularly in the laboratory. If you are unable to do any of these because of illness or for other reasons you must follow official Absence Guidelines. Make sure you obtain a medical certificate from your GP or the hospital, as appropriate. The University's procedures on "Mitigating Circumstances in Relation to Performance in Assessments and Examinations" (and the corresponding Application Form) are available elsewhere. In particular, there should be copies of the forms outside the Undergraduate Office.
Any student who misses an examination or part of an examination due to illness or other exceptional circumstances, or whose performance was impaired by illness or other exceptional circumstances, should make relevant information available immediately to Dr Ian O'Neil (extn. 43485, chemexam@liverpool.ac.uk). The University's procedures on "Mitigating Circumstances in Relation to Performance in Assessments and Examinations" (and the corresponding Application Form) are available elsewhere. Students must report any such circumstances no later than one week before the meeting of the Board of Examiners at which the results of the assessments concerned will be considered.
If you feel that you are not coping with any part of the year's work, you should discuss the matter as soon as possible first with the Module Leader and/or with the Year 3 Coordinator.