Part II courses

Part II courses

Part II courses are those taken by third-year students. Medical students, veterinary students and natural science students can choose from the same options. Our department, PDN, contributes to Part II Physiology, Development & Neuroscience (PDN) and Part II Biological & Biomedical Sciences (BBS) courses.

Unlike first- and second-year supervisions which are arranged by the Colleges, part II supervisions are typically arranged by the students themselves, who approach the lecturers directly. The Department of PDN anticipates that each student would receive eight hours of supervisions in total (usually from eight different supervisors). Supervisors can claim payment from Colleges in the normal way:

http://www.seniortutors.admin.cam.ac.uk/university-guidance-and-procedures/supervisions

Undergraduate supervisions | Supervision norms

Part II PDN project supervisions

Students are assigned a part II project supervisor by the Course Organiser at the beginning of the year. The departmental expectation is that there will be 16 hours of supervision associated with the two-term project, although these are of course not formal supervisions in the normal sense, likely being dominated by hands-on help and guidance in the laboratory. Guidelines and time expectations are mentioned here:

http://www.seniortutors.admin.cam.ac.uk/university-guidance-and-procedures/supervisions

Undergraduate supervisions | Supervision norms

As the above document shows, it is expected that a part II PDN student would receive 16 hours of project supervision (8 per term). We are allowed to claim payment for our supervision, up to this maximum, from the Colleges of the students concerned.

N.B. The above guidance was confirmed by the Chair of the Senior Tutors' Standing Committee on Education (July 2018) and was agreed by the PDN Academic Staff (see minutes of the Academic Staff Meeting of 11.1.19). It supersedes the apparently contradictory advice about supervision payment claims on the Faculty website below:

http://www.biology.cam.ac.uk/colleges/supervisors/supervising-dissertations

Part II BBS dissertation supervisions

Students are assigned a part II BBS dissertation supervisor by the Course Organiser at the beginning of the year. The departmental expectation is that there will be 4 hours of supervision associated with the dissertation. Guidelines and time expectations are mentioned here:

http://www.seniortutors.admin.cam.ac.uk/university-guidance-and-procedures/supervisions

Undergraduate supervisions | Supervision norms

These four hours of supervision (but no more) may be claimed for payment from Colleges in the normal way:

http://www.biology.cam.ac.uk/colleges/supervisors/supervising-dissertations