MSc/Dip in
Human Cognitive Neuropsychology
PROGRAMME HANDBOOK
2011/2012
Psychology
School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences
University of Edinburgh
MSc/Dip in Human Cognitive Neuropsychology 2011-12
This booklet is a guide to the MSc/Dip programme in Human Cognitive Neuropsychology. It complements and augments the information in (a) the University Regulations, (b) the Code of Practice, and (c) the Taught Masters Handbook for the School of Philosophy, Psychology and
Language Sciences (PPLS). In cases where the information in this document and others might appear to be in conflict, the Regulations and Code of Practice (available via
http://www.hss.ed.ac.uk/Postgraduate/) serve as the final legal authority. We consider it each student’s responsibility to make themselves familiar with the contents of this handbook as well as with the Taught Masters Handbook and the Code of Practice. Please do not hesitate to contact the
Programme Director or the Programme Secretary if you have questions about anything in this handbook, or about the Programme in general.
Every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this handbook is correct at the time of going to press, but the handbook does not form part of any contract between University and student.
1. Arrival and Orientation
Welcome to the University of Edinburgh and to the MSc/Dip in Human Cognitive Neuropsychology. This handbook is designed to introduce you to the programme and to provide you with the information that you need to understand how the programme works. Sometimes it will provide you directly with information, and at other times it will point you to the relevant external source. You should by now have called in at the PPLS PG office (1.06 Dugald Stewart Building) to meet Toni Noble (Postgraduate Secretary), Katie Keltie (Postgraduate Administrative Assistant) and Lynsey Buchanan (Postgraduate Assistant). Throughout your time on the MSc you will find they are your most useful contacts – treat them well!
1.1. Course Selection
At the meeting with the Programme Director during freshers’ week, the procedure for course selection will have been explained. It will be necessary for you to submit your course preferences by the end of freshers’ week directly to your Programme Director. She will arrange to see you individually on the Thursday and Friday of that week to discuss and finalise your choices.
1.2. Matriculation
To become a student of the University, you need to matriculate (register). You should have been sent instructions by the University on where and when to do this. More information about matriculation is available on the registry website (http://www.registry.ed.ac.uk/matriculation/student/).
When you matriculate you will be given a student card which acts as your identification card, library card, and door-entry card. Once you have received your student card, contact Mr David Wilkinson, (d.wilkinson; tel 503434), for your 4-digit pin number, which allows you to enter the Psychology building using your student card outside of working hours and at weekends. Please note that if you do not attend the building induction tour, your 24 hour access will be revoked.
1.3. Administrative Structure
Academic responsibility for the MSc/Dip in Human Cognitive Neuropsychology lies with Psychology
which is part of the School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences (PPLS) within the College of Humanities and Social Science (CHSS).
The administration of the MSc Programme is mainly handled by the Programme Director and the Programme Secretary. The ProgrammeDirector and the Programme Secretary will be your primary
contacts during your period of study.
The Programme Director is responsible for the smooth running of the MSc/Dip in Human Cognitive Neuropsychology, including responsibility for admission, and coordination of teaching inputs, examinations, programme evaluation, and curriculum development.
The Programme Director is also there to facilitate your orientation and smooth progression through the degree, from initial induction to subsequent course choice, and the transition into the dissertation stage to successful completion. They are also available as a first line of pastoral support if you encounter any problems.
The Programme Director is usually initially designated as the supervisor for all students on the Programme; when you progress to the dissertation stage, a new supervisor suitable for your chosen dissertation topic will be allocated.
The Programme also has an External Examiner who, in conjunction with the Board of Examiners,
oversees the academic standards of the programme.
Issues relating to the curriculum and general academic environment are discussed and developed by the PPLS Postgraduate committee. Your views can be represented at this meeting via the Psychology Postgraduate Advisors or the PPLS Student representative (who will be elected early in Semester 1).
Ultimately responsibility for the MSc/Dip in Human Cognitive Neuropsychology are the Head of Psychology and the Head of PPLS. You should not normally need to contact them directly.
Table 2 lists the current holders of each of the posts mentioned above. More details concerning the academic structure of the School can be found in the PPLS Taught Masters Handbook.
Table 2. MSc/Dip in Human Cognitive Neuropsychology: Administration 2007-2008
Name Tel. Ext Room Email
Programme Director
Dr Sharon Abrahams 50 3339 S11, 7 George Square [email protected]
Programme Secretary
Ms Toni Noble 51 3188 1.06 Dugald Stewart Building
Postgraduate Administrative Assistant
Ms. Katie Keltie 50 3594 1.06 Dugald Stewart Building
Postgraduate Assistant
Ms. Lynsey Buchanan 51 5002 1.06 Dugald Stewart Building
External Examiner
Professor Jane Riddoch School of Psychology, University of Birmingham
Postgraduate Advisors
Dr Martin Corley 50 6682 7 George Square [email protected]
Chair of PPLS Postgraduate Committee
Prof Duncan Pritchard (Sem 1)
51 1784 6.13 Dugald Stewart Building
[email protected] Prof Simon Kirby (Sem
2)
50 3494 1.09 Dugald Stewart Building
Head of Psychology
Professor Sergio Della Sala
513234 F6, 7 George Square [email protected]
Head of School
Prof Andrew McKinlay 51 30831 7.05 Dugald Stewart Building
1.4. Help and Advice
If you have any questions or concerns about any aspects of your academic life on the MSc programme, you should feel free to consult members of staff. The Programme Director is available as a first line of support and advice for any academic or personal issues which may arise while you are on the programme. To arrange an appointment or for a quick query it is best to e-mail them.
It is your responsibility to inform the Programme Director immediately of any problems that are interfering with your coursework or progress, including any religious or medical problems that might affect your participation in any aspect of the course. It is most important that you let us know of any concerns you have, whether these affect the course generally or yourself personally. Do not `bottle up' any problems or anxieties that may interfere with your progress on the course. Share them with us at an early stage, and we will do our best to help and advise you.
If you cannot or do not want to discuss an issue with the Programme Director, you could contact the PPLS Postgraduate Office. The Postgraduate Secretary will be able to direct you to the most
appropriate person to advise you. Alternatively, the Psychology Postgraduate Advisor is available to
all postgraduate students in Psychology as an alternative source of support. The Postgraduate Advisor can help with matters not directly related to the MSc, such as the process of application for further postgraduate study.
For certain matters, the Programme Director may direct you to the Head of Psychology or the Head of School. If you have complaints about the Programme Director, you should contact the Head of Psychology in the first instance.
1.5. Communication
Much of the communication for the programme is done by e-mail. You will get a university account when you matriculate, normally of the form [email protected]. This account is accessible via any web browser. By default, we assume that your university account is the one which you will be using for communications related to the MSc programme. If you decide to use another account (such as hotmail) for this purpose, please make sure that you re-route any messages so that you don’t miss out on any important information.
It is important that you keep the Programme Secretary informed of any changes in your accommodation address and telephone number, so that we know how to contact you at all times throughout the programme. Please also let us know of any changes in your permanent (home) address, so that the University’s records can be amended.
1.6. Feedback
Student feedback and evaluation is a valued input to curriculum and programme review at the University of Edinburgh. Formally, students may be asked to complete evaluation forms on each course they take. Students are also requested to complete the annual University questionnaire for taught postgraduate students, details of which will be made available during May/June. Representatives are also welcome to participate in the Edinburgh University Students’ Association (EUSA). Informal feedback on the course is welcome at any time.
At the beginning of Semester 1, the MSc student group will be asked to elect one or more representatives to liaise with staff at programme and subject area level and to raise any matters of importance at the departmental Staff-Student Liaison Committee meetings. The representatives will also communicate with the student representatives on the School Postgraduate Committee. You should talk to these representatives about any matters you wish them to raise regarding the course.
1.7. Facilities
Offices and computer facilities
Students on the MSc programmes will be given access to G26, a hot-desk multi-user room so that you can access email and internet services. This will be shared by all new postgraduates and so may be crowded. Please use the computers and desk space with this in mind and try not to monopolise facilities unnecessarily.
The Admirals lab, 7 George Square, is a research computer suite where computer based experimentation equipment is housed in booths. Booking such equipment can be done via the Department webpage.
The Dugald Stewart Building also houses a computing lab on the 1st floor that you have access to. Out of hours and weekend access to the Dugald Stewart Building can be gained by completing the building Induction Tour.
There are several other, special purpose labs that are used by the HCN Research Group: the Active Vision Lab; the Visuomotor Lab; the Eye Tracking Analysis Lab; the Scanner Simulator Lab. Details of these facilities are at the HCN website: http://www.psy.ed.ac.uk/research/hcn/hcnfacilities.html. The College of Humanities and Social Science have various suites of computer labs for use by Postgraduates. Information about these ‘Open Access’ labs can be found on the Computing Services website: http://www.ucs.ed.ac.uk/fmd/central_labs.html. Some of these have restricted usage, but the HSS Support team recommend the use of the Computer Labs in the Main University Library, George Square. They can be contacted on tel. 50 3000.
Library
The School maintains a library (the Psychology and Haldane Philosophy Library) which holds a good
selection of Psychology Journals and Books. This is situated in G3, 7 George Sq. and is open to MSc students. The School Librarian, Karen Fleet ([email protected]) is a valuable source of help for all library issues.
The University Main Library is in George Square and, as well as holding books and journals, has
public access computer facilities and additional computer support. Access to the on-line catalogue is via. http://www.lib.ed.ac.uk. You can access many on-line bibliographic search engines via this website.
Outside the University
Both the National Library of Scotland and the Central Library of Edinburgh City are located on George IV Bridge, just a few minutes from the University. The National Library is a ‘copyright’ library, like the British Library. No borrowing is allowed, but consultation is available to those with a Reader’s Ticket (apply at the service desk upstairs).
Any mail for you will be put in the post room (G20) by the servitor on duty. The Psychology Servitor is Mr Ian Morrison (tel 50 8388).
Other facilities
You are strongly encouraged to make use of the postgraduate and staff common room on the ground floor in 7 George Square (and 7th floor of the Dugald Stewart Building). The room is always open and
contains a fridge, fresh drinking water, coffee-making facilities and a microwave.
1.8. Residence and Leave of Absence
You are expected to remain in Edinburgh throughout the two semesters and summer. If you need to be absent you must get prior permission from the Programme Director. You should also be in residence during the time of the External Examiners visit at which your full list of course marks will be assessed. Do not make plans to be away from Edinburgh until the date of the visit has been confirmed.
You should also be in or near Edinburgh for the period of your dissertation work during the summer months. With the prior agreement of your supervisor you may arrange to carry out your research or write-up elsewhere. If so, you should ensure that you remain in contact during this period: we must know where you are and how to contact you, and you must have the means to be in touch with us (ideally e-mail access).
If you are on the full-time programme, you are strongly recommended not to take on any outside employment. If you feel that you must, you should try to keep it to a minimum, and ensure that it does not interfere with your academic work, or jeopardise your grades. If you must work, you should consult the Programme Director or another member of the teaching staff.
1.9. Attendance
You are required to attend all lectures and tutorials for all courses that you take. If you need to
be absent from a lecture or tutorial for any reason then you must notify the course organiser and Programme Director in advance, and provide documentary evidence if necessary.
There are also a number of other HCN events which you may which to attend. You will receive notice of these through your university e-mail. There is a weekly HCN academic research meeting open to staff and students working in HCN. The meeting takes place on Friday afternoons from 4.00 to 5.00 and includes research talks by staff, research students and visiting speakers. The meeting is primarily aimed at researchers, but MSc students are welcome to attend. There is also a monthly Cognitive Neuroimaging seminar organised by Dr Alexa Morcom. This meeting is aimed at all students and staff with an interest in brain imaging, and includes internal and external guest speakers. More up to date information can be found on: http://www.psy.ed.ac.uk/psy_research/index.php.
2. Programme Specification
The MSc in Human Cognitive Neuropsychology is a one-year taught MSc programme, which
provides intensive, advanced graduate-level study in the field of cognitive neuropsychology and psychological research skills. The programme is intended for graduate psychologists, or those who have studied or worked in related disciplines, who wish to pursue a research-oriented career within Cognitive Neuropsychology (providing the foundations for later application to a doctoral training
programme) or a clinically-oriented career in neuropsychology. Candidates must complete an assessed programme of training and submit a dissertation on an approved topic.
The programme aims:
• To provide specialist knowledge within human cognitive neuropsychology and associated fields of study
• To integrate relevant knowledge in the fields of clinical neuropsychology (assessment and rehabilitation of patients with neurological disorder), brain imaging, cognitive psychology, and cognitive neuropsychology
• To evaluate cognitive and neuropsychological research and its application to clinical practice
• To establish a foundation for advanced research within human cognitive neuropsychology
• To provide a comprehensive understanding of the basic principles of research design and application
• To enhance competency in understanding and applying a range of methods and research tools, skills in research management including managing data and conducting, disseminating research in ways consistent with both professional practice and the normal principles of research ethics The Diploma in Human Cognitive Neuropsychology is made up of courses totalling 120 credits,
comprising the coursework, but not the dissertation, that make up the MSc. A Diploma may also be awarded if the coursework or dissertation submitted for the MSc is considered to be below the standard normally required for an MSc.
2.1. Programme Structure
The MSc in Human Cognitive Neuropsychology is made up of total of 180 credits. 120 credits are
gained through coursework from taught courses over the two semesters; the remaining 60 credits are awarded for the dissertation, reporting research which is normally carried out after the second semester. The dissertation must be within the field of Human Cognitive Neuropsychology and will be supervised by a member or associate of the Department of Psychology. Please visit
http://www.psy.ed.ac.uk/research/hcn for information on the research interests of staff within the HCN group.
Teaching in Human Cognitive Neuropsychology can be taken from a number of optional courses and provides the opportunity to specialise. The student must select their preferred combination of courses to produce a total of 60 credits. Students may select a minimum of 50 credits and maximum of 60 credits from the following (Option A) courses. There are two 20 credit courses in Clinical Neuropsychology and Brain Imaging in Neuropsychology. The remaining courses are all 10 credits each: Working Memory in the Healthy and Damaged Brain; Eye Movements and Visual Cognition; Neuropsychology of Perception and Action; Multisensory Integration; Disorders of Language Functions; Human Cognitive Neuroscience. Students may wish to select all of their options from these specialist HCN courses in Option A. A description of each course can be found on the Degree Regulations and Programmes of Study (DRPS) website http://www.drps.ed.ac.uk/
Students can take any of the following combinations to make up the 60 credits a) Two 20 credit courses and two 10 credit courses b) One 20 credit course and four 10 credit courses or c) Six 10 credit courses. A maximum of one option can be taken from a range of courses in associated disciplines (Options B). You can consult the Degree Regulations and Programmes of Study (DRPS) website for an exhaustive list of available courses. http://www.drps.ed.ac.uk/. On this website it may be easier for you to browse by Subject. The student must ensure that the course they select is worth 10 credits, is at a level 11 (postgraduate level) and that the timetable of the optional course does not clash with the core timetable. The Programme Director will then need to approve your selection. In addition the student in combination with the Programme Director should ensure that the courses are relatively evenly distributed across the two semesters.
Teaching in Psychological Research Methods consists of five core courses: Psychological Research Skills, Working with Specialist Psychological Data, Univariate Statistics using R, Multivariate Statistics using R and Current Topics in Psychological Research.
2.2. Programme Courses
Table 3. Courses in Human Cognitive Neuropsychology (60 Credits)
Course Title Course
code
Credits Level
OPTIONS A Clinical Neuropsychology PSYL11058 20 11 Brain Imaging in Neuropsychology PSYL11059 20 11 Disorders of Language Functions PSYL11029 10 11 Neuropsychology of Perception and
Action
PSYL11052 10 11 Eye Movements and Visual Cognition PSYL11068 10 11 Human Cognitive Neuroscience PSYL11024 10 11
Multisensory Integration PSYL11066 10 11 Working Memory in the Healthy and
Damaged Brain
PSYL11025 10 11 OPTIONS B Cognitive Aging and Cognitive
Epidemiology (Individual Differences)
PSYL11048 10 11 Psychometrics (Individual Differences) PSYL11014 10 11 Personality Coping and Health
(Individual Differences)
PSYL11013 10 11 Cognitive Neuroscience of Language
(Informatics)
INFR11006 10 11 Computational Cognitive Neuroscience
(Cognitive Science)
INFR11036 10 11 Computational Neuroscience of Vision
(Cognitive Science)
INFR11037 10 11 Neural Computation (Artificial
Intelligence)
INFR11008 10 11
Please visit the Degree Regulations and Programmes of Study (DRPS) website
http://www.drps.ed.ac.uk/ for a detailed description of each course. The Options B list is intended to suggest appropriate courses, and is not exhaustive. You may select another approved course with the permission of the Programme Director. The student must ensure that the course they select is worth 10 credits, is at a level 11 (postgraduate level) and does not clash with the core timetable
Table 4. Core courses in Psychological Research (60 credits)
Semester 1 Course Title Course code Credits Level
Working with Specialist Psychological Data
PSYL11055 10 11 Psychological Research Skills PSYL11065 20 11 Univariate Statistics using R PSYL11053 10 11
Semester 2
Multivariate Statistics using R PSYL11054 10 11 Current Topics in Psychological
Research
PSYL11023 10 11
Exceptions to Course Requirements
In exceptional cases, students able to display expected levels of training or research skills in particular areas may, with the agreement of the Programme Director, claim exemption from particular core parts of the training programme. Any such exemptions should be substituted with courses of equivalent course credit.
2.3. Dissertation
The dissertation will report a piece of empirical research, and should normally be closely modelled on a journal article from the relevant area.
The recommended word limit for the dissertation is between 8,000 and 10,000 words. For certain
projects, it may be necessary for students to write a slightly longer dissertation, and you should consult your supervisor if you feel that this may apply to you. Dissertations longer that 15,000 words will not be considered.
By the middle of the second semester, at the latest, students should have agreed on a dissertation
supervisor, with whom they are expected to keep in close contact throughout their research.
The submission deadline for the dissertation is 17th August 2012. For details of how to format the
dissertation, and binding and submission instructions, please see the PPLS Taught Masters Handbook.
Dissertation topic
In the first few weeks of Semester 1 a document will be circulated listing topics on which members of the department wish to supervise projects. In some cases, specific projects may be described; in others, a more broad description of a research area may be given. It is quite possible for you to suggest your own topic to a potential supervisor. Your final dissertation topic will be negotiated with your supervisor and must be agreed by both parties and the Programme Director. It is up to you to approach potential supervisors to discuss topics. You should look on the HCN website (http://www.psy.ed.ac.uk/research/hcn) to learn more about the research interests of the HCN team.
Dissertation structure and aims
The dissertation will be between 8,000 and 10,000 words, and will report a piece of empirical research. It will normally be closely modelled on a journal article from the relevant area. It will standardly comprise: a statement of aims of the research; a critical review of the relevant literature with reference both to theory and to issues of methodology and research design; a piece of empirical research including methods and results; a discussion; a reference list; and appendices as appropriate. Candidates are encouraged to see publication in a refereed journal as an achievable additional goal of the dissertation process.
The dissertation is worth 60 credits, and thus constitutes ⅓ of the work which makes up the MSc. The dissertation should demonstrate that the author is able to take primary responsibility for the planning, completion, and presentation of a research project, or in other words it should indicate that the student is capable of PhD-level work.
Dissertations involving clinical populations
The HCN team cannot guarantee that students who are interested in working with clinical populations will be able to do so. However, students that are especially keen to conduct research work with clinical populations should take account of the following guidelines.
Due to the lengthy and burdensome process of seeking National Health Service (NHS) ethical approval, it is generally impractical, within the timescale of an MSc, to consider embarking on an entirely novel project involving patients recruited through NHS sources.
However, some members of the HCN team may offer topics within ongoing research projects for which NHS ethical approval already exists. In these cases, you should approach the potential supervisor early. In order to work within NHS settings, you will still be required to obtain an NHS Honorary Research Contract, and to obtain membership of the Protecting Vulnerable Groups Scheme (PVG Scheme) which involves a police check. Therefore, you would need to have agreed your research dissertation from relatively early in the first semester in order to have all the necessary arrangements in place prior to undertaking the research.
International students should be aware that if they wish to work with clinical populations they should arrive with an existing authorised police check document to submit to the NHS in order to obtain PVG Scheme membership.
An alternative path is to consider recruiting clinical patients from non-NHS sources, such as local groups and societies, as this circumvents the need for NHS ethical approval. Your dissertation supervisor may be able to assist you in identifying relevant organisations.
It may often be possible to conduct a clinically-relevant project in normal individuals, which may prove more practical within the timescale of the MSc dissertation.
Dissertation supervision
Although your dissertation supervisor will guide you through the research process, you will find yourself having to learn a number of skills (depending on your research interests) throughout the course of the dissertation. Your supervisor is there to help you but will not be able to do the work for you. You should also bear in mind that he or she may not be available at all times throughout the summer due to conferences, international collaborations and holidays. The following summarises what you can expect from your dissertation supervisor:
1. It is not normal for there to be more than 10 hours of supervision. Arrangements are made by individual students and supervisors.
2. You may wish to give drafts of your dissertation to your supervisor for comments prior to submission. If you do wish to do this then please note that: supervisors must be given a minimum of one week to provide comments; supervisors are only expected to provide general feedback on structure and major flaws, not detailed input; supervisors are only allowed to comment on one draft of your dissertation; supervisors are not allowed to comment on your Discussion section or Abstract (these must be entirely your own work).
3. Some aspects of preparation for your dissertation are assessed within the Psychological Research Skills course. Dissertation supervisors may here give general comments on one draft of your poster presentation, and should be allowed a minimum of one week to do so.
4. Dissertation supervisors can offer advice, but they cannot be expected to guarantee anything; they
English, but they will not proof-read your dissertation. Note that supervisors’ and student’s rights and responsibilities during the dissertation stage are described in the Code of Practice.
2.4. Assessment
Assessment differs between courses. Students will normally be required to submit some coursework, attend an examination, or some combination of the two. In addition to the formal assessments above, students may additionally be expected to carry out other assignments (for example, presentations to the class).
Assessment requirements, where known, are given in the details of courses in Section 3. For courses not listed in this handbook, it is up to the student to ensure that they know what is expected of them, and to submit coursework or attend exams as appropriate.
There will be times during the course when more than one piece of coursework will be due on the same day. It is your responsibility to organise your time so that the various pieces of coursework can be submitted by the deadline. Please see below for details of how to submit written work.
Submitting written work
All written work for Psychology-taught courses, and the dissertation, should be in APA format and should be submitted to the Postgraduate Office, 1.06 Dugald Stewart Building. One hard copy and one electronic copy of each piece of coursework must be submitted. Please use either Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat (pdf) formats for electronic submissions. For each copy, candidates must fill out a submission cover sheet and ensure that it is securely attached to the document. An example of the cover sheet can be found in the PPLS Taught Masters Handbook. To ensure that work can be
marked anonymously, candidates should not write their names on the cover sheet of any essay—
instead, they should use their examination number, which is printed on each matriculation card.
For non-PPLS courses, please seek submission information from the organiser of each course attended.
Deadlines and Extensions
All written work should be submitted by 4.00pm on the deadline date (This means that the printed
version of the work must be handed in to the PPLS Postgraduate Office by this time). Submission dates for all work must be strictly adhered to. If you have a good reason to request an extension, you should do this before the deadline in question where possible. There are penalties for work submitted
late without prior permission.
Please note that computer / printer problems will not be accepted as grounds for granting extensions— it is up to you to master the technology in good time and to make back-up copies of your work.
Penalties
Detailed in the PPLS Handbook.
Word Limits on written work
Detailed in the PPLS Handbook.
Word limits are important for two primary reasons. First, academic and professional writing will typically require you to produce pieces of a specified length, and so it is a necessary part of your training to be able to do so. Second, a standard word length for each assessment ensures fairness between students.
No specific penalty will be applied for submissions with fewer than the recommended number of words. It is expected that short essays will tend to incur their own cost naturally, since there will be a lack of material to be marked.
cannot therefore be used to include extra material, and the use of footnotes is discouraged. The word counts will be routinely checked against the electronic submission of the work by the HCN secretary.
This policy applies to all courses. Please note that the policy does not necessarily apply in other Schools, you should therefore consult the appropriate Course Organiser for clarification of the policy in other courses.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is a very serious offence and will be dealt with severely.
Plagiarism is the act of copying or including in one’s own work, without adequate acknowledgement, the work of another for one’s own benefit. Plagiarism is academically fraudulent, and is viewed by the University as a serious disciplinary offence. It may be intentional or unintentional: the innocent misuse of material without proper acknowledgement can still constitute plagiarism whether or not deliberate intent to cheat is involved.
All work submitted as part of the MSc in Human Cognitive Neuropsychology should comply with the University of Edinburgh Plagiarism regulations, available at
http://www.aaps.ed.ac.uk/regulations/Plagiarism/Intro.htm. The PPLS policy for plagiarism is set
out in section 6 of the PPLS Taught Masters Handbook.
If you do not understand the details of the plagiarism rules you must ask in advance of submission. Ignorance of our regulations will not be seen as defence.
Note also that we will routinely check all assignments using the plagiarism detection software
TurnItIn.
Marking
Assessed work will normally be marked by two members of staff teaching on the programme, at least one of whom will have taught at least part of the relevant course.
Marking scheme
The University Postgraduate Common Marking Scheme is used in marking all assessable components of the course, including the dissertation. This marking scheme is briefly summarised in Table 4. A more detailed version of the Common Marking Scheme can be found in the PPLS Taught Masters Handbook.
Table 5. University of Edinburgh Postgraduate Common Marking Scheme
Mark Grade Description
70%-100% A1-A3 An excellent performance, satisfactory for a distinction
60%-69% B A very good performance
50%-59% C A good performance, satisfactory for a masters degree
40%–49% a D A satisfactory performance for the diploma,
but inadequate for the masters degree 0%–39% b E-H Fail for the diploma
Feedback
For Psychology-taught courses, students are given an agreed mark on their course work as it is marked, normally within about three weeks of the submission deadline. Similar arrangements generally apply to other courses. and have no status until they are
approved or modified by the Board of Examiners. They are intended purely as an early guide to the level you are achieving. The Programme Secretary will let you know when marks are available for collection, usually from the Programme Secretary (PPLS Office, 1.06 Dugald Stewart Building).
Formal assessment
The external examiner will sample submitted work, as appropriate.
The interim meeting of the Board of Examiners (in June) will determine whether candidates have completed Coursework appropriately and will assess whether the work constitutes an overall “pass”. Candidates who pass are eligible to proceed to write a dissertation.
The final meeting of the Board of Examiners (usually in October) will assess the overall performance in the degree and will assign a grade of “Distinction”, “Pass”, "Diploma" (i.e. you receive the diploma and not the MSc) or “Fail”.
The examination procedure adheres to the Code of Practice.
2.5. Implications for further study
Students wishing
to be considered for higher degree registration PhD), should normally achieve an overall average of 65% or above. This will ensure that an application is considered seriously but it will not guarantee acceptance.Transcripts of marks
The candidate will receive a final Academic Transcript after the graduation ceremony. This will contain:
• All individual course marks
• Dissertation mark (Percentage mark based on dissertation only)
• Final result (Pass, Award of Diploma, Fail, or Pass with distinction
Appeals
Procedures for academic appeals are described in the Code of Practice.
3. Programme Details
Teaching Arrangements
Teaching on the programme takes a number of different forms. Most core courses consist of lectures, some courses having associated tutorials. Some of the option courses follow a similar lecture/tutorial format but others take the form of seminars and workshops. The following descriptions may be of use to those unfamiliar with the terminology often used in MSc courses:
Lecture Traditional plenary session. The lecturer presents to the class.
Tutorial Small group session typically discussing prepared reading or a set of exercises. Workshop Typically a task-based session with the staff acting in an advisory capacity. Seminar Usually involves short presentations by students.
A description of each course can be found on the Degree Regulations and Programmes of Study (DRPS) website http://www.drps.ed.ac.uk/. A timetable of the core and option A courses can be found below. Up to date times and locations can be found at the following website so please check this regularly for any changes:
http://www.ppls.ed.ac.uk/postgraduate/taughtresearchmasters.html#Timetable
Reading lists will be assigned during the lectures and material will be made available through the library and/or through WebCT.
4. Timetables
Timetables in this section show core courses, and all courses in the Options A list. Timetabling information for courses
in the Options B list can be found in the DRPS course details at
http://www.drps.ed.ac.uk/. This information was accurate at the time of print. More up to date
information can be found on:
http://www.ppls.ed.ac.uk/postgraduate/taughtresearchmasters.html#Timetable.
MSC IN HUMANCOGNITIVENEUROPSYCHOLOGY
TIMETABLE 2010-11,SEMESTER 1
Semester 1 Block 1 Week 1 – 5 (Weeks commencing 19/9, 26/9, 3/10, 10/10, 17/10)
Mon Tues Weds Thurs Fri
9-10 Univariate Statistics Labs (Weeks 2, 4, 6, 8, 10) (PSYL11053) Professional and Generic Research Skills (PSYL11020) 10-11 Univariate Statistics Lectures (PSYL11053) Professional and Generic Research Skills (PSYL11020) Univariate Statistics Labs (Weeks 2, 4, 6, 8, 10) (PSYL11053) Working Memory and the Healthy and Damaged Brain (PSYL11025) 11-12 12-1 Psychological Research Skills (PSYL11065) 1-2 Univariate Statistics Labs (Weeks 2, 4, 6, 8, 10) (PSYL11053) Univariate Statistics Labs (Weeks 2, 4, 6, 8, 10) (PSYL11053) 2-3 3-4 Clinical Neuropsychology B (PSYL11058) 4-5 5-6
Semester 1 Block 2 Week 7– 11 (Weeks commencing 31/10, 7/11, 14/11, 21/11, 28/11)
Mon Tues Weds Thurs Fri
9-10 Univariate Statistics Labs (Weeks 2, 4, 6, 8, 10) (PSYL11053) 10-11
Eye Movements & Visual
Cognition (PSYL11068) Univariate Statistics Lectures (PSYL11053) Univariate Statistics Labs (Weeks 2, 4, 6, 8, 10) (PSYL11053) 11-12 12-1 Working with Specialist Psychological Data (PSYL11055) 1-2 Univariate Statistics Labs (Weeks 2, 4, 6, 8, 10) (PSYL11053) Univariate Statistics Labs (Weeks 2, 4, 6, 8, 10) (PSYL11053) 2-3 3-4 Brain Imaging in Neuropsychology A (PSYL11059) Neuropsychology of Perception and Action (PSYL11052) 4-5 5-6
Note for Univariate Statistics: Labs Weeks 2, 4, 6, 8, 10. Students to choose from one of the following 1-hour time slots: Friday 11-12, Friday 12-1 OR Thursday 12-1 All labs held in room 3.02 Appleton Tower. Lecture Weeks 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 Wednesdays 9-11.
MSC IN HUMANCOGNITIVENEUROPSYCHOLOGY
TIMETABLE 2010-11,SEMESTER 2
Semester 2 Block 3 Week 1 –5
(Weeks commencing 16/1, 23/1, 30/1, 6/2, 13/2 )
Mon Tues Weds Thurs Fri
9-10 10-11 Human Cognitive Neuroscience (PSYL11024) Current Topics in Psychological Research (PSYL11023) 11-12 12-1 1-2 Multivariate Statistics using R (PSYL11054) 2-3 3-4 Clinical Neuropsychology B (PSYL11058) 4-5 5-6
Semester 2 Block 4 Week 7 – 11
(Weeks commencing 27/2, 5/3, 12/3, 19/3, 26/3)
Mon Tues Weds Thurs Fri
9-10 10-11 Current Topics in Psychological Research (PSYL11023) Multisensory Integration (PSYL11066) 11-12 12-1 1-2 Multivariate Statistics using R (PSYL11054) 2-3 3-4 Brain Imaging in Neuropsychology A (PSYL11059) Disorders of Language Functions (PSYL11029) 4-5 5-6
