Biological Sciences

Assessment Methods

Students are assessed by any combination of three assessment methods:

• coursework such as essays and reports completed throughout the course;
• practical assessments of the skills and competencies learnt on the course; and
• written examinations at the end of each course.

The exact mix of these methods differs between subject areas, year of study and individual courses.

Honours projects are typically assessed on the basis of a written dissertation.

A score of 75-91% (GPA of 3.0/4.0 or 3.5/5.0) from a well ranked institution is considered comparable to a UK 2.1, while a score of 63-74% is considered comparable to a UK 2.2.

Careers

WearecommittedtothecareerprogressionofourstudentsandwecollaboratewiththeUniversity'sCareersandEmployabilityServicetoensurethatyouhavenumerousopportunitiestoexplorecareeroptions,developyouremployabilityandconnectwithemployers.

• TheexpertiseandsupportofadedicatedcareersprofessionalwhoisaspecialistinthetypesofcareersandfurtherstudyundertakenbyBiologicalSciencestudents.
• AmentoringschemerunbytheCareersandEmployabilityServicelinkingcurrentstudentswithprofessionalmentors.
• Anannualvolunteeringfairtoconnectstudentswithappropriateorganisationsinconservationandtheenvironment.
• Theexplorationofpossiblecareersandthedevelopmentofemployabilityfromweek1,viathemandatory“FrontiersofScience”andPD1002careerscourse.
• Onetooneappointmentstodiscussstudents'options,providepracticalsupportaroundinternships,placementsandparttimeworkandprovidesupportforeffectiveapplicationsandinterviews.
• Regularopportunitiesthroughthe“speedcareering”programmeforcurrentstudentstomeetandlearnfromBiologicalSciencesgraduates.
• Employerinputtothedesignofthecurriculumandintalkstostudentsaboutcareeropportunities.
• Auniversity-wideco-curriculumprogrammeaimedatdevelopingkeyemployabilityskillssoughtbyemployers.

Formoreinformationvisitwww.abdn.ac.uk/[email protected].

Graduatesfindemploymentinawiderangeofcareersincludinguniversities,researchinstitutes,governmentagencies(egSEPA,SNH),environmentalconsultancies,charities(includingWWFandRSPB),theNHS,librariesandcommercialenterprisesinaquaculture,animalnutrition,andanimalhealth.

Recentgraduateemployersinclude:

• EnvironmentalConsultancy
• EnvironmentalProtectionAgency
• NaturalEngland
• NationalTrustforScotland
• RoyalSocietyfortheProtectionofBirds
• ScienceCommunication
• ScottishNaturalHeritage
• ScottishSeabirdCentre

IndustryLinks

Wehavestronglocal,nationalandinternationallinkstoindustry,governmentbodies,charitiesandotherresearchinstitutions.Youwillbenefitfromtheselinksinseveralways:

• Exposuretopolicy-makers,practitioners,regulatoryprofessionalsandexperts.
• Ourcurriculumisinformedbyanemployeradvisoryboardthatprovidesinsightintochangingrequirementsofemployers.
• Youcantakeadvantageofourcollaborators'facilitiesandexpertiseforyourresearchprojectsorplacement.