Programme And Module Handbook
 
Programme Specification


Date Specification Approved 15/10/2020
College College Eng and Physical Sci
School Chemistry
Department Chemistry
Partner College and School Birmingham Business School
Collaborative Organisation and Form of Collaboration
Qualification and Programme Title B.Sc. Chemistry with Business Management Full-time
Programme Code 5637
Delivery Location Campus
Language of Study English
Length of Programme 3 Year(s)
Accreditations This programme has no outside accreditations
Aims of the Programme The Programme develops chemical, intellectual and transferable skills, along with business management skills, preparing students for employment in chemical and related fields, and business/management. There is an option of acquiring enhanced chemical skills at Level 4 (Masters Level) relevant to full professional status - enabling qualification for Chartered Chemist (CChem) status (RSC).

In more detail, the programme aims to:

Provide a sound knowledge base in the field of chemistry (to an enhanced level in the case of the MSci programme), to additionally provide a grounding in related disciplines studied (e.g. optional material), and to develop wider transferable and transformation skills (within the Major component of the programme);
Provide students with a coherent and significant development of business management topics (within the Minor component of the programme);
Provide a rational, structured and coherent programme of study that is relevant to the needs of employers;
Facilitate the professional development of the student and provide training in appropriate skills (e.g. chemical safety);
Develop a logical and enquiring attitude, with appropriate critical analysis and scientific discipline to encourage lifelong learning;
Provide experience of originality in the application of knowledge and understanding of how research techniques are used to create and interpret knowledge in Chemistry;
Develop an enthusiasm for Chemistry in a Business context, and expose students to the frontiers of the discipline.
Programme Outcomes
Students are expected to have Knowledge and Understanding of: Which will be gained through the following Teaching and Learning methods: and assessed using the following methods:
Structure, Reactivity and Bonding, Determination of Structure, Analytical Chemistry
Chemistry of the Elements, s-, p-, and d- block elements, Transition Metal Chemistry, Solid-State Chemistry, Organometallic Chemistry, Homogeneous Catalysis, f- block elements.
Synthesis and Mechanism in Organic Chemistry, Conformational Analysis and Alicyclic Chemistry, FMO Methods and Stereoelectronic effects, Medicinally Active Compounds, Synthetic Strategy and Planning, Functional Group Transformations.
Thermodynamics, Kinetics, Quantum Mechanics and Intramolecular Forces, Properties of Solutions, Electrolyte Solutions and Electrochemistry, Optical Spectroscopy, Electronic Terms and States, Electronic Spectroscopy and Level Populations, Surface Science and Heterogeneous Catalysis, Photochemistry and Kinetics, Properties of Solids and their Surfaces.
Commercial and economic context of engineering processes; the need for a high level of professional and ethical conduct in engineering; technical literature and other information sources; the nature of intellectual property and contractual issues.

The fundamental principles of marketing; the importance of the customer in the marketplace; the trends that are changing the marketing landscape; the global environmental issues that affect the marketplace; the customer decision making process and how the digital age is affecting the customer and the organization; the product life cycle.
Evaluation of investment decisions using discounted cash flow methods under the assumption of certainty; application of traditional and portfolio approaches to incorporate risk in investment decisions; calculation of the appropriate costs of capital for all equity-financed and geared companies.

Evaluation of commercial risks through some understanding of the basis of such risks; management and business practices, and their limitations, and how these may be applied appropriately to strategic and tactical issues.

The issues relating to the management of people.

Management and business practices, and their limitations, and how these may be applied appropriately to strategic and tactical issues. The framework of relevant legal requirements governing engineering activities, including personnel, health, safety, and risk (including environmental risk) issues.
Identification and management of cost drivers; the framework of relevant legal requirements governing engineering activities, including personnel, health, safety, and risk (including environmental risk) issues; the need for a high level of professional and ethical conduct in engineering;

The use of technical literature and other information sources; the nature of intellectual property and contractual issues; codes of practice and industry standards.

Key theoretical ideas about innovation and how innovation generates value, competitiveness, wealth, and wider social benefits; the academic research and theories on innovation and how these compare and contrast with management practice; the effectiveness of innovation strategies for a variety of organisations.

Strategic management concepts and principles and their application across a range of companies and sectors; strategic issues in complex organisations and the design and evaluation of appropriate solutions to address them; the sources of competitive advantage or disadvantage for particular businesses and how to propose initiatives to strengthen or develop a firm’s competitive advantage.

The commercial and economic context of engineering processes; the need for a high level of professional and ethical conduct in engineering; the contexts in which engineering knowledge can be applied (e.g. operations and management, technology, development, etc); the nature of intellectual property and contractual issues.
Depending on module choice: advanced materials chemistry, advanced supramolecular chemistry, bio-inorganic chemistry, total synthesis of natural products, chemical biology, advanced synthetic methods, chemical dynamics, spectroscopy and symmetry, clusters, surfaces and interfaces, soft matter
Advanced Techniques, Research Methodology, and Major Research Project
The acquisition of knowledge is achieved mainly through lectures, laboratory classes (which supplement and complement the core chemistry material) and directed student-centred learning.Student-centred learning is employed where there is appropriate source material, and will vary during the levels of the programme.Support of lecture-based learning is provided by workshops and tutorials, through set work (e.g. problem sheets, worksheets etc). Additionally, many lecture courses are supplemented with 'in-class' problem solving sessions.
Assessment methods as specified in each module guide.All learning outcomes in a module are assessed, and the mode of assessment specified for each outcome.In general, each module is assessed by a combination of continuous assessment during the year (e.g. tutorials and workshops, laboratory based assessment, and essays and course work) and written unseen examinations, normally at the end of each level.At level 3 (BSc) and level 4 (MSci), the Research Project is assessed by dissertation, oral presentation and oral examination.
Students are expected to have attained the following Skills and other Attributes: Which will be gained through the following Teaching and Learning methods: and assessed using the following methods:
Intellectual skills - on completion of the programme the student should be able to:Integrate theoretical concepts and practice;Synthesise information and data from a variety of sources;Put forward and test hypotheses; Apply fundamental principles to the solution of complex chemical and business management problems; Analyse, evaluate and interpret the results of controlled experiments; Demonstrate the skills necessary to plan, conduct and report a substantial research project; Evaluate critically current research in chemistry and evaluate methodologies.
Subject-Specific Skills (practical) - on completion of the programme the student should be able to: Conduct laboratory and project work in a safe and effective manner; Propose sensible schemes for chemical synthesis and design appropriate experimental protocols; Conduct experimental work to the necessary professional standards of accuracy and precision; Investigate complex chemical and business management issues in a systematic manner and make judgments in the absence of complete data; Demonstrate the ability to act autonomously in planning and implementing tasks at a professional level in chemistry; Continue to advance their knowledge and understanding of chemistry and to develop new skills.
Key/Transferable Skills - on completion of the programme students will be able to:

Communicate effectively by written and verbal means; Solve numerical problems in a chemical context; Use information Technology to obtain information, analyze data and to present reports;

To design methods for the solution of problems; To demonstrate an open-minded and critical attitude to the evaluation of information; Demonstrate enquiring and scientific attitudes to problems;

Demonstrate the ability to make decisions in complex chemical situations; Undertake group work in an effective manner; Demonstrate the capacity for the independent learning required for continuing professional development in chemistry.
Intellectual skills are developed through the integration of theoretical material and laboratory work, and assignments. Open-ended project work is designed to allow students to demonstrate achievement of the overall learning outcomes in a synoptic fashion.

Coordinated laboratory and laboratory-related work integrated into each appropriate module. The focus is on the acquisition of the key chemical skills relevant to the study of chemistry at each level. The final year research project provides experience in the planning and implementation of experimental work.

Formal instruction will be provided in key communication skills and Information Technology at the appropriate points during the programme. These will be reinforced in the project element at the final level of the programme. The programme also includes elements on team working centred around problem based learning activities.
Partly through written unseen examinations, but the main vehicle for assessment of intellectual skills is in the continuous assessment associated with each module and the written report associated with the substantial final year research projects

A variety of continuous assessments, including inspection of laboratory record-books, certification of skills, formal written reports, assessment of accuracy of work, and, where appropriate, presentations. Written report, oral presentation and oral defence of final year research project.

A number of elements of continuous assessment at each level will assess key skills. In addition, assessment of the major research project is through written formal reports (dissertation), informal reports, formal presentations and oral defence, which will assess a number of key transferable skills.