Courses and credits

 

ECTS credits

The Faculty of Life Sciences uses the ECTS credit point system. ECTS credits are numerical values allocated to course units to describe the student workload required to complete them in the form of lectures, practical work, seminars, individual work and examinations or other assessment activities.

 

In the ECTS system, 60 ECTS credits represent the workload of a full academic year of study, and 15 ECTS credits equal the workload of one block.

 

All students are expected to complete a full time study while studying at the faculty. This means that students must complete courses equivalent to 15 ECTS for each block.

 

Credits are awarded only when all required examinations have been passed. You will find the credit value for individual courses in the course description on the Internet. 

 

Types of courses

The study programmes at the Faculty of Life Sciences consist of courses and various types of project work.

 

Courses equivalate 7.5 or 15 ECTS credits depending on whether they fill half a block or a whole block. A limited number of 15 ECTS courses cover two blocks though. Courses comprise a variety of teaching forms: lectures, presentations, group work, individual projects, student presentations and practical and theoretical exercises such as laboratory work, math practicals etc.

 

Theme courses are integrated in all degrees. These courses allow students to work in-depth on a single topic through lectures, group work, laboratory work and excursions.

  

A written thesis is included in both the BSc and MSc programmes. The BSc project is largely literature-based but can include a limited amount of experimental work. The MSc thesis includes a significant scientific component and is often prepared in cooperation with a commercial company or a government research institute. The subject for the thesis is optional but must be approved by the supervisor.

 

Examination and assessment

Courses may be assessed in a variety of ways such as written or oral exams, written reports, oral presentations, or portfolios compiled during the course. The form of examination is noted in the course description. This means that some courses are assessed during the course, while others end with a written or oral exam which takes place in the final week of the teaching block.