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Teaching
The course combines taught lectures (October-April), followed by a summer internship project (May-August). There are typically three or four taught modules per term, and each module consists of 16 hours of lectures. Each module is assessed by coursework, and there is one general written examination in May.
| One to one supervision | The Course Directors are available throughout the year for individual meetings and briefly meet termly with each student to check on progress. Each lecturer is also encouraged to arrange an office hour whereby students can talk about their progress. The University of Cambridge publishes an annual Code of Practice which sets out the University’s expectations regarding supervision. |
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| Seminars & classes | A weekly seminar is held during the first two terms on topics across Computational Biology. These seminars help students to select an appropriate project. |
| Lectures | Typically 16 hours per module, with students taking eight modules. |
| Practicals | Typically two hours per module, but this varies from module to module. |
| Journal clubs | These are arranged on an ad-hoc basis if extra support for a particular module is required. |
| Posters and Presentations | Students give a 25-minute presentation on their internship project as part of the formal assessment. Some assessed coursework may also require students to present their work. |
Placements
Students undertake a mandatory internship (May to August) in either a university or industrial laboratory. The Department will compile a list of possible opportunities which students can discuss directly with the host laboratory. Alternatively, students may organise their own internship, subject to the approval of the Course Directors.
Feedback
The Course Directors submit a termly report on each student's progress following a short one-on-one meeting held towards the end of each term. Students are also provided with provisional coursework marks as an indication of progress, usually within four weeks of submitting a piece of work. Students will also receive a short written feedback report from the assessors of their internship project. This will be released with the final marks.
Assessment
Thesis / Dissertation
A 15,000-word (maximum) report must be written to summarise the student's internship. An oral presentation on this report must also be given.
Essays
Each module is assessed typically by two written assignments. These assignments involve significant computational elements.
Written examination
A compulsory two-hour general examination is taken in May on the material taught within the modules.