Plant Biology  (PBS1)

The BSc Plant Biology programme is aimed at graduates who wish to equip themselves with knowledge and skills in advanced plant biology, crop science, genetics, genomics, cell biology, physiology, ecology, and studies on climate change, in order to pursue future careers in plant biology-based industries, environmental agencies, careers that value their training in scientific thinking and analysis, or postgraduate research. The staff associated with the Plant Biology programme aim to help each student to learn and grow to the best of their ability and to offer students the best possible learning experience in a caring and supportive environment. We aim to provide an educational environment that nurtures and expands students’ curiosity, encourages our students to be active, motivated, and autonomous learners, and to engage in innovation and entrepreneurship. Lectures, tutorials, small group discussions are key elements in the programme’s design and are delivered by internationally recognised experts in the field. Our students are also given the opportunity to develop a business plan as part of our programme in innovation and entrepreneurship, and to also engage in a 3-month research project to gain advanced experimental skills. A wide range of assessment procedures are used to evaluate students understanding of the subject and as an integral part of the learning process. Student learning is assessed by final exam, continuous assessment of oral and written presentations, papers and practical class reports, along with assessment of individual or group projects and the final year research thesis.

1 - demonstrate advanced knowledge of the variety of disciplines encompassed within Plant Biology in its broadest sense, embracing everything from molecular biology/biotechnology, through whole organism biology to ecology, evolution and the environment.
2 - use the acquired knowledge and skill to identify plants in the field, to understand the diversity of plants and their evolution.
3 - critically appraise the role of plants as a vital component of the biosphere and how they are responsible for the environmental conditions essential for all life on earth
4 - demonstrate an advanced understanding of the importance of plants in addressing the major global challenges of climate change and food security
5 - apply their knowledge to formulate hypotheses and test them using appropriate tools
6 - interpret a variety of different datasets generated in Plant Biology research
7 - appreciate the importance of plants to national wealth and have a clear understanding how scientific research can be taken to the marketplace
8 - demonstrate mastery of writing and oral presentation skills resulting in the ability to communicate to a specialist and non-specialist audience, in a clear and unambiguous way, the results of their investigations and/or rationale underlying them.
9 - demonstrate the maturity to continue studying and the ability to critically appraise the scientific literature in a largely autonomous manner
10 - undertake a major laboratory or field study, to formulate hypothesis, plan and execute experiments to test the hypothesis, generate data and compile a final research thesis
11 - master skills in experimental biology including design and analysis of experiments, use of current and advanced research techniques
12 - master skills in advanced teamwork, critical thinking and problem solving

Students’ performance will be reviewed at the end of the academic year. Students who fail 50% or more of their registered modules, and who fail to progress to the next stage of their programme, will be identified under the UCD Continuation – Academic progress policy. Students’ performance will continue to be reviewed in subsequent trimesters and students will be invited to meetings with the College of Science office for support and guidance.

Where the rate of progression and performance over two academic years is deemed unacceptable, a case will be submitted to the Governing Board for review. A recommendation for discontinuation may be the outcome of this review.

As Stages 3 and 4 have the most dynamic components of the programme, and the material studied previously may no longer be relevant, a student who has been away from the programme for a significant period should be required to register again to Stage 3. The upper limit for completion of Stages 3 and 4 should be six years if they choose to do 120 credits with 20 in each year.

Stage 3

Students take eight core modules and two options. Students may not choose both STAT20070 and FOR20100. Students may choose 10 credits from Elective modules or alternatively, choose additional option modules to complete Stage 3. If you are interested in doing an Internship as part of Stage 4, you must indicate your interest now (in Stage 3). See full details www.ucd.ie/science /careers/internships/students/

Stage 4

Students take one core module and eight option modules. The 20 credit research project module is spread over two trimesters with about 10 credits of work expected in Autumn. Students should bear this workload in mind when selecting option modules and balance their workload across both trimesters.

See the UCD Assessment website for further details

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Module Weighting Info