Degree project in translational physiology and pharmacology, 30 credits

At least the grade Pass on all courses in semester 1 and 2 in the Master Programme in Translational Physiology and Pharmacology

The course intends to give the student the possibility to, under supervision and with an independent project plan, carry out a research- or development-focused project in translational physiology and pharmacology.

After completing the course, the student should be able to:

• critically and independently identify and formulate the research questions
• plan and with adequate methods tackle scientific problems and contribute to knowledge development
• with an ethical attitude and based on a community perspective, critically and systematically integrate knowledge with own research results
• communicate scientific results and concepts orally and in writing
• discuss and critically review one's own and others' written work
• demonstrate a professional approach to collegial collaboration, time planning and translation between theoretical and practical knowledge
• handle valuable scientific material in a reassuring manner and in good order
• carry out the project work according to Karolinska Institutet's guidelines for ethically correct research

The degree project can be carried out at the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, at another department at KI, at another university, at a public authority or at a company. The degree project that consists of an individual assignment with research- or development specialisation, is supervised by a researcher with a PhD degree (or equivalent in the industry). Students will be assigned to small groups for collegial feedback throughout the semester and for critical review of the final version.

Learning activities include mainly individual, laboratory work under supervision.
Participation in seminars, scientific meetings, journal clubs or other similar activities where the degree project is carried out is encouraged. Appropriate scientific literature is obtained according to the recommendation of the supervisor from the assessment of the student.

The degree project should result in a scientific report according to the course template. The student also presents the project orally and reviews another student's project.

• Written summary of the work in the form of a scientific report, written and oral feedback on another student's report and an oral presentation. The examiner sets the grade after consultation with the supervisor and the examining teachers based on the student's work performance, research report and presentation. Graded Fail/Pass/Pass with distinction.

Written assignments should be submitted before the end of the course according to the specification in the schedule. To pass the course (the grade Pass or higher), at least Pass on all examinations in the course is required. To pass the course with distinction, the grade Pass with distinction is required on the overall assessment of the written assignment and the oral presentation. If submission of the report occurs later than the set deadline the student loses the opportunity to obtain the grade of pass with distinction for the course.

Limitation of number of project report submissions
Written assignments that are submitted for examination after given deadline are assessed at the following examination occasion. In the case of major deficiencies in the final version of the report, the grade "fail" is given. In the case of smaller shortcomings, the student may be given an opportunity to make minor corrections according to the instructions of the examiner, within a defined time frame, with the possibility of subsequent approval.

The students that have not received the grade Pass after the regular internship and thesis project have the right to revise and submit the written report at five additional occasions. If the student has not passed the exam after four occasions he/she is encouraged to visit the study advisor. If the student has failed six times in total, no further examination or continued course participation is allowed. The number of submissions of the project report is defined by the number of times the student has handed in a revised version to an examining teacher.

Internship
The examiner may immediately suspend a student's internship or the equivalent if the student shows serious deficiencies in knowledge, skills or attitudes so that the trust vis-à-vis the collaborative partner is damaged or broken. When the internship is interrupted in this way, the student fails this part and the project placement opportunity is consumed. In such cases, an individual action plan should be established, where it is apparent which activities and examinations that are required for the student to be able to pass the course.

In the event of special circumstances, or if a student with a disability is in need of certain adjustments, the examiner may decide to depart from the syllabus' regulations on examination form, number of examination opportunities, possibility of completion or exemption from compulsory educational elements, etc. Content and intended learning outcomes as well as the level of expected skills, knowledge and abilities must not be altered, removed or lowered.

After each course there will be at least four opportunities to perform the examination within a two-year period.

The course is given in English, and the examinations are in English
A course evaluation will be carried out in accordance with the guidelines established by the Board of Higher Education.