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University of Helsinki
Faculty of Medicine
Study guide for the Master’s Degree Programme in Translational Medicine
Standing regulations and degree requirements
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UNIVERSITY ADMINISTRATION
www.helsinki.fi/inbrief/organisation.htm
The University of Helsinki has a three-level organisation structure. The university level includes the University Collegium, the Board, the Rector, the Chancellor and the central administration. The second level consists of the faculties and independent institutes, whereas the third level covers the departments and units under the faculties and independent institutes.
The University Collegium
The Helsinki University Collegium has 50 members: professors have 20 members, the staff have a total of 15 members, and students have 15 members. The term of the University Collegium is 4 years; however, the student members are chosen for a two-year term.
The Board
The Board is the supreme decision-making body of the University of Helsinki. The Rector is responsible for the preparation, presentation and implementation of matters processed by the Board. The existing Board of the University of Helsinki consists of 13 members: seven from the academic community and six from outside the University. The Board’s term of office will continue until the end of 2013.
The Rector
The Rector manages the University activities and is responsible for the profitable, cost-effective, and efficient running of the University's duties. The Rector represents the University both in matters pertaining to his/her duties pursuant to the Universities Act and in other matters
pertaining to the University. He/she belongs to the university's group management, together with the board.
The Rector: Thomas Wilhelmsson, Professor of Civil and Commercial Law The Vice-Rectors:
Ulla-Maija Forsberg, Professor of Finno-Ugric linguistics, a deputy to the Rector. Johanna Björkroth, Professor of Food Hygiene
Jukka Kola, Professor of Agricultural Policy Kimmo Kontula, Professor of Internal Medicine
The Chancellor
The Chancellor of the University of Helsinki is in charge of promoting the sciences and the university's social interaction, as well as supervising the interests and activities of the university. The Chancellor is responsible for the organisation of the internal audit of the University and leads investigations into matters infringing upon good scientific practices. The Chancellor gives the permission for organizing conferment ceremonies. The Chancellor of the University of Helsinki has the right to be present whenever the Government considers matters that have a bearing on the University.
The Chancellor: Ilkka Niiniluoto, Professor of Theoretical Philosophy Chancellor's Office
P.O. Box 33 (Yliopistonkatu 4) FI-00014 University of Helsinki
The central administration
The university’s central administration comprises the Rector’s Office and University Services. The central administration is headed by the Head of Administration Kari Suokko.
Faculties
For providing research and teaching, the university is divided into faculties and departments. The faculties award degrees to the students. The University of Helsinki has eleven faculties. These are
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the faculties of Theology, Law, Medicine, Arts, Science, Pharmacy, Biological and Environmental Sciences, Behavioural Sciences, Social Sciences, Agriculture and Forestry, and Veterinary Medicine.
THE FACULTY OF MEDICINE
www.med.helsinki.fi/english/Administration
Faculties are managed by deans. The faculty council is a multi-member administrative body responsible for developing the activities of the faculty as a whole, under the supervision of the dean.
Faculty Council and Dean
The faculty council is chaired by the Dean. Apart from the Dean, the council comprises on eight professors, five other staff members, and five students.
Dean: prof. Risto Renkonen Vice Dean: prof. Eija Kalso
Dean of Education: prof. Anne Pitkäranta Dean of Research: prof. Hannu Sariola
Steering committee of the Master’s Degree Programme
Issues concerning the Master’s Degree Programme in Translational Medicine (TRANSMED) are prepared by the TRANSMED Steering Committee for handling in the Faculty Council.
prof. Olli Jänne (chair) prof. Dan Lindholm prof. Tomi Mäkelä prof. Esa Korpi prof. Mikael Skurnik doc. Marjukka Myllärniemi doc. Heikki Koistinen prof. Timo Otonkoski prof. Antti Sajantila
student Mikko Myllynen (Kaisa Manninen) MSc Jussi Sane
PhD Tiina Immonen, coordinator
Secretary: Petra Wickholm, Head of Academic Affairs, tel. 191 26621
Faculty Office
Open Monday-Thursday 9 am – 3pm (closed on Fridays) Tukholmankatu 8 B, 5th and 6th floors
P.O.Box 20
00014 UNIVERSITY OF HELSINKI med-studentaffairs @helsinki.fi
Institutes and units responsible for education
In the Faculty of Medicine there are five institutes: Institute of Biomedicine, Haartman Institute, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Hjelt Institute and Institute of Dentistry. In addition, the Research Program Unit is responsible for selected parts of the of the Master’s Degree Programme
4 Research and Development Unit for Medical Education (TUKE) is a multi-professional unit that serves the entire Faculty. TUKE offers support in study skills and self-directed learning methods such as problem-based learning for students. TUKE also takes part in the quality assurance of the Faculty and organizes personnel training.
Meilahti Campus Library Terkko is part of the Helsinki University Library. Terkko has an extensive collection of textbooks and journals related to medicine and health sciences. Terkko also offers a wide range of digital services and collections and arranges education for the users.
STANDING REGULATIONS AND DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
Master of Science in Translational Medicine Degree
The scheduled directive time for graduation is two (2) years. Upon graduation, students receive a Master of Science degree awarded by the Faculty of Medicine. The major of the MSc degree is Translational Medicine. Graduates with MSc (Translational medicine) degree are eligible for PhD studies.
The Diploma of the Master of Science Degree in Translational Medicine contains the studies that are included in the degree and divided into general, major subject and optional studies. These studies are defined by the programme structure as described in the standing regulations of the Master's Degree Programme in Translational Medicine. In addition, the topic and the grade of the Master’s thesis will be written in the Diploma.
Based on the decisions by the Faculty Council on 15th September, 2009 and on 11th May, 2010 the
structure of the Master of Science (Translational Medicine) degree is as follows: THE STRUCTURE AND SCOPE OF STUDIES:
The scope of the Master’s Degree Programme is 120 credits, which consists of -GENERAL STUDIES (3 ECTS)
-OBLIGATORY MAJOR SUBJECT STUDIES (100 ECTS) and -OPTIONAL STUDIES (17 ECTS).
The general studies include a personal study plan (1 ECTS) and Academic writing (2 ECTS). The obligatory major subject studies include following subjects:
ECTS
Human organ systems and tissues 10
Mechanisms of human disease: principles and practice 12-14
Basic pharmacology 2
Basics in medical statistics 2
Bioinformatics 2
Proteomics 2
Medical genetics 2
Genetic approaches 2
Imaging in medicine and research 2
Ethics in medical research 2
Introduction to clinical investigation 2
Advanced research methods 4-6 cr
Diagnostic tools and molecular medicine 2 Case studies in translational medicine 3
Clinical rotations 2
Final exam 5
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Master's thesis 40
Maturity test
The study language of the Master's Degree Programme in Translational Medicine is English. The Steering Committee/ Faculty Council can decide upon the completion of the maturity test. While working on the Master's thesis, the student is expected to participate in the Master's thesis seminar on a regular basis and give two presentations, one on the research plan and the other on the (nearly) completed thesis in the seminar. Additionally, the student must take a course in Academic writing in English before completing the Master's thesis.
Based on the decision by the Faculty Council, the Maturity test is taken as part of the Master's thesis writing process in the form of thesis abstract.
Crediting of previous studies
The responsible teachers have the right to decide whether previous studies can be used to credit the obligatory TRANSMED courses. The decision must be based on careful comparison of the scopes and contents of the courses.
The student has to submit a request for crediting to the TRANSMED coordinator and provide sufficient information for comparison. The final decision (accepted, accepted with partial
compensation, or rejected) will be made by the responsible teacher of the respective TRANSMED course upon a request from the coordinator.
The crediting is based on the Universities Act 558/2009.
Completion of courses: evaluation and grading
Requirements for completion of individual courses are described in TRANSMED study guide www.helsinki.fi/weboodi course catalogues Faculty of Medicine Transmed 2010-11. Courses are evaluated either on Pass/Fail scale or with passing grades 1-5 depending on the course contents and structure.
Evaluation of courses and curriculum by student feedback
An integral part of the curriculum development and quality assurance is the feedback from TRANSMED students. The Faculty of Medicine has a long tradition in the use of the electronic feedback system WebOodi, and evaluation of the course in is part of the completion of all TRANSMED courses. The course evaluation system is coordinated by the Research and Development Unit for Medical Education (TUKE).
THE MASTER’S THESIS GUIDE FOR THE MASTER’S DEGREE
PROGRAMME IN TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE
THE MASTER’S THESIS
A Master’s thesis consists of both research and written work completed as part of studies in the Master’s Degree Programme in Translational Medicine (TRANSMED). The aim is to train the student in independent research work, information retrieval skills, the critical assessment of sources and research results, and academic writing. An independently produced Master’s thesis demonstrates the student’s ability to think scientifically and use the necessary research methods to properly treat the topic of the thesis by applying the knowledge and skills acquired in previous studies. The student also proves that he or she is adequately conversant with the thesis topic and expresses ability to scientific writing in the field of translational medicine.
6 The scope of a Master’s thesis is 40 ECTS-compatible credits, which corresponds to a workload of at least 1,070 hours, including both research and written work. Students must complete a Master’s thesis independently, not in pairs or groups. Each student is assigned a personal supervisor. The research required for a thesis must be completed as uninterrupted full-time work. Its share of the Master’s thesis is 20-25 ECTS-compatible credits. The research is usually part of a wider research project that aims to produce new scientific knowledge. Students must follow good laboratory practices, ethical guidelines of animal handling and use of patient material as well as other laws and guidelines for scientific research so that the results they produce can later be published in a scholarly article, for instance. Students must also carefully document all results and keep a diary of the work process.
Master’s theses are public documents. Master’s theses and their abstracts will be available at the National Library of Health Sciences (Terkko). The master’s thesis may be published also in electronic form.
The Master’s thesis plan
Before starting to write the Master’s thesis, the student is to write a separate Master’s thesis plan on the appropriate form. This plan must state the following
1. Title of the thesis
2. Name(s), position(s) and unit(s) of the supervisor(s) 3. Unit(s) where the experimental work will be conducted 4. Background and objectives
5. Materials and methods
6. Availability of required special equipment and materials 7. Ethical considerations (necessary licenses etc.)
8. Timetable
The Master’s thesis plan must be signed by the student, the supervisor(s) and the head of the department/institute/unit where the research will take place. After this, the plan and the supervisor must be approved by the steering committee of the TRANSMED program. The supervisor must hold at least a doctoral degree.
A copy of the Master’s thesis plan is stored at the Faculty Office. The copies of the thesis plans also function as a record that may be consulted to see which topics have been chosen for theses. According to the Act on the Openness of Government Activities (Act No. 621/199, Section 24), thesis plans shall be secret, unless it is obvious that access to them will not impede the completion of the thesis, study or development project, or its exploitation and appropriate assessment, or cause inconvenience to the person carrying out the research, or the person commissioning the research or development project.
Duties and obligations of the supervisor and the student
The supervisor and the student must agree on a clearly defined project in which the research work can be conducted and which may also involve the study of relevant literature. The student must be provided with the opportunity to stop research, if the time limit set has elapsed and the acquired results are adequate for the writing of the Master’s thesis.
The supervisor and his or her unit or research group must provide the student with the necessary material, tools and equipment.
The supervisor must allocate time for scientific supervision as well as for evaluation of the Master’s thesis manuscript. The supervisor must correct factual errors and provide feedback and advice on academic writing. However, the supervisor should not rewrite the thesis or parts of it. The
supervisor’s duties do not include carrying out analyses or determinations on behalf of the student. The student is committed to working with the supervisor and completing the work within the agreed timetable. Responsibility for the progress of the work rests primarily with the student. If for
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any reason the supervisor is unable to carry out his or her supervisory duties and this to a significant extent extends the agreed schedule, a new supervisor may be appointed.
The student is responsible for providing printed versions of the accepted Master’s thesis to the National Library of Health Sciences (Terkko) and the supervisor and for the submission of the thesis in electronic form for publication.
Abstract
The Master’s thesis must include a separate abstract written in English. An abstract must be a short and clear description of the content of a thesis. It must be understandable to the reader independently of the thesis.
The abstract should cover the following areas: · Topic
· Subject, area and purpose · Methods
· Main results
· Conclusions based on the results and recommendations, if any, for future research The abstract must be written in full sentences, not as a list of subheadings. Established
terminology must be used. References and quotations should not be included in the abstract, nor should it contain information or claims not included in the thesis itself. The abstract must be written on an appropriate form and follow the guidelines therein.
When the thesis has been submitted for assessment, a spare copy of the abstract must be submitted to the Faculty Office.
EXAMINATION OF THE MASTER’S THESIS
The completed Master’s thesis together with an application for approval must be submitted in two copies to the steering committee of the TRANSMED program. The committee will appoint two examiners for the thesis. The examiners must hold a doctoral degree. At least one of the
examiners must be a docent or a professor. The supervisor of the thesis may serve as an examiner only for special reasons at the discretion of the Dean.
The examiners are expected to submit a written statement on the thesis with an unequivocal proposal for a grade. The statement is to be written using the Master’s thesis assessment form. The examiners may submit a joint statement or separate statements. The statements should be written in English and signed. It is recommended that the examiners submit their statements within a month of having received the assignment.
Assessment and grades
Assessing and grading a Master’s thesis requires the comparison and analysis of its strengths and weaknesses. Examiners can use a Master’s thesis grading matrix designed for this purpose. Assessment
The following matters are taken into account when a thesis is assessed:
1. Examination of the research topic and formulation of the research question · The approach and the definition of the topic
· The definition of the research task and objectives · Ethical perspectives of the research
2. Knowledge of the research field
8 · Source criticism and the use of source material
· Critical attitude and the courage to comment on other researchers’ claims 3. Research
· The application of theory to practical research · The use of research methods
· The critical and evaluative use of methods, and the demands of the chosen methodology · Results and their reliability
· Independence, initiative and responsibility for one’s own research 4. Research results and their presentation
· The comprehensive reporting of methods · The analysis of experimental data and results · The ability to focus on central information · The assessment of the reliability of results
· Clear and illustrative reporting, and the relationship between graphs, drawings and tables and the body of the text
5. Discussion and conclusions
· The thoroughness, plausibility and innovativeness of conclusions
· The comparison of research results with previous research and literature
· The assessment of the importance of results and the proposal of future research topics · The critical assessment of results and their reliability
6. Scholarly presentation and final polishing
· The use of a clear and appropriate structure; style may help to capture the reader’s attention · The ability to write in an academic style
· Correct language use
· Appropriate and consistent citation, and a clear, accurate list of references
· The appropriate and smooth integration of results and conclusions with previously published literature presented in the thesis
· Appropriate layout
7. Independence and maturity of the author
· The ability to establish an overview of the field and further develop it independently · The ability to produce results
· The ability to find and present research literature · Creativity and open-mindedness (within reason) · A sense of responsibility and purpose
Grades
When assessing a Master’s thesis, it is important to ensure that the assessment and the proposed grade are commensurate. The merits of the thesis must be noted, but its faults and shortcomings must also be identified.
The most important factor in assessment is the author’s theoretical and methodological knowledge of a delimited topic, but poor writing and language skills and inadequate finalization of the layout always lower the grade.
Approved Master’s theses are assessed on a scale of seven Latin grades, which may be grouped into satisfactory, good and excellent grades. Good grades are non sine laude approbatur, cum laude approbatur and magna cum laude approbatur. If a thesis is clearly deficient, it receives the grade lubenter approbatur. A barely adequate thesis is given the grade approbatur. Excellent grades are eximia cum laude approbatur and laudatur: the former is given to particularly good theses, while the latter requires distinct scholarly merits.
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Laudatur
The grade laudatur is given to theses that meet all the requirements set for a thesis and deserve special distinction. The theoretical background of the thesis is well-established, and the premise is skilfully set and critically validated. The author formulates the research problem and develops solutions and methods independently and innovatively. The research work and data handling demonstrate an exceptional ability to produce results creatively. The reliability of the results is thoroughly assessed, and the results are extensively and critically discussed. The language use and scholarly presentation are impeccable. The content and presentation correspond to the requirements of scholarly journals in the field.
Eximia cum laude approbatur
The grade eximia cum laude approbatur is given to theses that demonstrate profound familiarity with the theory and literature in the field and show an excellent grasp of research methods. The author has a good grasp of broad issues and problems, and can make conclusions and provide recapitulations that open new perspectives. The research topic and objectives are comprehensively validated. In contrast to a thesis receiving a laudatur grade, the conclusions may not be quite as creative or innovative, or the arguments may not be quite as convincing. A thesis receiving an excellent grade must be written in flawless language, and information must be presented logically, accurately and clearly. No significant shortcomings are allowed in the presentation.
Magna cum laude approbatur
The grade magna cum laude approbatur requires familiarity with the theory and literature in the field and a good grasp of experimental methods. The author has carefully studied the literature in the field and summarizes it comprehensively. His or her research methods and results are
described accurately and contrasted skillfully with the theoretical background and previous research. The interpretation of results, the examination of their reliability and the drawing of conclusions are validated consistently and critically. The presentation is well-organized throughout the thesis and complies with the practices of the discipline. The layout and language are polished. The thesis is a logical entity which shows the author’s ability to examine the topic
comprehensively. Cum laude approbatur
A thesis that receives the grade cum laude approbatur is a successful, well-functioning text. The author has a grasp of the theoretical background and discusses key publications. The research methods are used skillfully. The results and conclusions are presented logically, and their reliability is appropriately assessed. In contrast to a thesis receiving a magna cum laude approbatur grade, the author may show slight uncertainty in the way the main issues are stressed and the wider entities structured, or the discussion may not be quite as broad. Terminological errors or clear deficiencies in presentation may also separate a cum laude approbatur thesis from theses receiving the higher grade.
Non sine laude approbatur
A thesis that receives the grade non sine laude approbatur is a well-functioning thesis approved with merit. The author has studied the theoretical or practical background of the topic and has produced a broadly comprehensive literature review. The results are presented appropriately, and their importance and opportunities for further development are also assessed. In contrast to a thesis receiving the higher grade, the presentation may be mechanical or list-like and superficial. The author may also show uncertainty in the way issues are stressed and wider entities structured, or he or she may not discuss issues sufficiently critically and comparatively. Many theses receiving this grade have clear deficiencies in terminology, language use or presentation.
Lubenter approbatur
A thesis that receives the grade lubenter approbatur is approved under the requirements set by the Faculty although there are considerable deficiencies in the research methods, data or presentation. The essential results may not be clearly separated from inessential ones, or the recapitulations and conclusions may be uncertain. The results are presented intelligibly but
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Approbatur
An approved thesis must be a coherent text that follows the presentation practices used in the field. A thesis that receives the grade approbatur barely fulfils this requirement but has no noteworthy merits in any of the areas assessed. The objectives, methods and results should always be presented clearly, but a thesis receiving the grade approbatur, the lowest possible grade, may have severe shortcomings in methodology, the handling of data and written
presentation which clearly jeopardize the reliability of the results. Moreover, the literature review may be lacking essential elements, or the structure of the thesis may be illogical. Other important factors that lower the grade include the unreliability of experimental work, scant results and a deficient assessment of their reliability, and deficient or unjustified conclusions.
PROCESSING OF THE MASTER’S THESIS BY THE FACULTY COUNCIL
The steering committee will make a proposal for a grade on the basis of the examiners’
statements. The proposal, the examiners’ statements, and the abstract of the Master’s thesis must be submitted to the Faculty Office in time for the processing in the Faculty council meeting. The student may obtain information about the proposed grade and receive copies of the statements free of charge from the Faculty Office. The thesis will not be approved until the student has passed the maturity test and before all the documents listed above have been submitted to the Faculty Office.
The Faculty Council will decide on the approval of the Master’s thesis and its grade.
According to the Regulations concerning examinations, grading of completed studies and the Board of Examination Appeals at the University of Helsinki:
The student may object to the proposed grade in writing to the Faculty Council before the grade is discussed by the Faculty Council. In such cases, the Faculty Council may appoint one new
examiner for the thesis, who will be independent of the previous examination.
The student may also request that the grading of the Master’s thesis be interrupted before it is to be discussed by the Faculty Council. In such cases, the grading procedure will be suspended. However, it should be noted that the rectification of errors proposed by the examiners will not necessarily result in a higher grade.
Once the Faculty Council has approved the Master’s thesis and has made a decision on its grade, a student who wishes to dispute this grade may appeal in writing to the Faculty Council. The appeal must be filed within 14 days of the date the student received the grade and had access to the application of grading principles. The Faculty Council will discuss the appeal and make a decision on it. Students wishing to appeal the Faculty Council’s decision on their appeal may do so by submitting an appeal to the Board of Examination Appeals within 14 days of receiving the Faculty Council’s decision.
BEGINNING AND END OF ACADEMIC YEAR
Teaching starts after the general orientation period of international students of the University of Helsinki in 6th September, 2010. The spring term will last until the end of May 2011.
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CURRICULUM AND COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
The TRANSMED curriculum has been published inwww.helsinki.fi/transmed/structure/structure.html and www.helsinki.fi/transmed/structure/content.html.
The course descriptions are in Oodi: www.helsinki.fi/weboodi course catalogues Faculty of Medicine Transmed 2010-11 and can be accessed also from the TRANSMED website
www.helsinki.fi/transmed/structure/content.html.
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