Staff Contacts | Diary Dates | Induction Day
Course Structures | Module Codes | Choosing Modules | Practicals | Assessment
MChem students: progression | BSc students: careers or further study | FAQs
What to do if you have to miss classes or an exam | ... you are having difficulties
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.liverpool.ac.uk/Chemistry/). Don't forget that you are also always welcome to contact your Academic Advisor (aka Personal Tutor) or the Chemistry Student Support Office (chemso@liverpool.ac.uk).
Dr David L. Cooper (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 Andrew Carnell (A.J.Carnell@liverpool.ac.uk, Room 176 Robert Robinson Labs) coordinates the placements of Year 3 FZ61 and FZ11 students who are out in industry.
Dr Christophe Aïssa (chemexam@liverpool.ac.uk, Room 117 Donnan Labs) deals with Examinations. You should consult him if you want further information about the examination procedures.
Dr Kathy Johnson (K.A.Johnson@liverpool.ac.uk, Room 175 Donnan Labs) is the Director of Teaching for 2018/19.
Dr Gita Sedghi (G.Sedghi@liverpool.ac.uk, Room G37 Donnan Labs) coordinates Study Abroad opportunities, including Year in China.
Iwan Williams (iwangw@liverpool.ac.uk, Careers Resource Centre) is the Careers Adviser in the Careers Service with responsibility for Chemistry students.
Claire Sharpe (csharpe@liverpool.ac.uk, Harold Cohen Library) is the Liaison Librarian with responsibility for Chemistry.
Your Academic Advisor ('Personal Tutor'). It is important to make contact with your Academic Advisor from time to time, especially if you are planning to ask them in due course to write a reference for you! Remember that the name of your Academic Advisor is listed in Liverpool Life.
Term & Semester dates are listed here.
Friday, 21 September 2018: Induction Day.
Monday, 24 September 2018 to Friday, 14 December 2018: Weeks 1-12 of First Semester.
December 2018: SAS expected to publish Semester 1 exam timetable.
Monday, 7 January 2019 to Friday, 25 January 2019: First Semester examinations.
Monday, 28 January 2019 to Friday, 5 April 2019: Weeks 1-10 of Second Semester.
March 2019: SAS expected to release provisional Semester 1 marks.
April 2019: SAS expected to publish Semester 2 exam timetable.
Monday, 29 April 2019 to Friday, 10 May 2019: Weeks 11-12 of Second Semester.
Monday, 13 May 2019 to Friday, 31 May 2019: Second Semester examinations.
July 2019: SAS expected to release results.
Monday, 15 July 2019 to Friday, 19 July 2019: Graduation ceremonies.
The teaching laboratories (CTL-7 and CTL-8) will be open in the 1st Semester for CHEM3x5 (x=5,6,7,9) on Wednesday afternoon (2pm-5pm), Thursday (10am-1pm and 2pm-5pm), and Friday (10am-1pm and 2pm-5pm). You should normally have sufficient time to complete the course without having to give up playing sports on Wednesday afternoons.
The choice of 2nd Semester 'project' 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 (CHEM366) are likely to be offered a placement with a research group. Final year BSc students (CHEM356) pick one branch of practical Chemistry and then usually work in CTL-7 or CTL-8; 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 Academic Integrity 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 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 Christophe Aïssa (chemexam@liverpool.ac.uk).
The pass mark for each module is 40% (except in the case of level 7 FHEQ (aka 'level M') modules). There is no "35% rule". The pass mark for the 'level M' module CHEM452 is 50%.
THERE ARE NORMALLY NO AUGUST/SEPTEMBER RESIT EXAMINATIONS FOR YEAR 3 AND YEAR 4 STUDENTS
[exceptions for 'first attempt' status]
The Year 3 MChem programmes are meant to be more challenging than the corresponding BSc programmes, especially in Semester 2, and they are aimed primarily at students who expect to perform at the 2.1 level (and above). 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. The main requirements for progression into Year 4 are to achieve an overall average of 55% (at the first attempt) and to pass modules worth at least 90 credits.
The CHEM385 module (taken by all Year 3 students at UoL) includes various important employability skills, such as producing a good CV, making job applications and preparing for interviews. 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 (mostly MSc) that are offered at many Universities. More detailed information about such postgraduate opportunities at UoL 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 all of the relevant set work on time, 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 "Policy on Extenuating 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. If, for just cause, you miss a deadline for submitting some of your work then you should talk to the relevant module leader about the possibility of late submission.
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 Christophe Aïssa (0151-795-2170, chemexam@liverpool.ac.uk). The University's "Policy on Extenuating 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. You could also seek guidance from your Academic Advisor ('Personal Tutor') or the Chemistry Student Support Office (chemso@liverpool.ac.uk). There is also useful information, including various contact details, in the 'Support Services' area of the 'Chemistry Department' module.