2020-21 MSc Green Chemistry and Sustainable Industrial Technology Programme Design Document

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1	1. Admissions/ Management Information
2	Title of the programme – including any lower awards Please provide the titles used for all awards relating to this programme. Note: all programmes are required to have at least a Postgraduate Certificate exit award. See guidance on programme titles in:
3	https://www.york.ac.uk/media/staffhome/learningandteaching/documents/programmedevelopment/Framework%20for%20Programme%20Design%20-%20PG.pdf
4	Masters			MSc in Green Chemistry and Sustainable Industrial Technology
5	Postgraduate Diploma			PG Dip Green Chemistry and Sustainable Industrial Technology						Please indicate if the Postgraduate Diploma is available as an entry point, ie. is a programme on which a student can register, is an exit award, ie. is only available to students exiting the masters programme early, or both.					Both
6	Postgraduate Certificate			PG Cert Green Chemistry and Sustainable Industrial Technology						Please indicate if the Postgraduate Certificate is available as an entry points, ie. is a programme on which a student can register, is an exit award, ie. is only available to students exiting the masters programme early, or both.					Both
7	Level of qualification			Level 7
8	This document applies to students who commenced the programme(s) in:							2020
9	Awarding institution								Teaching institution
10	University of York								University of York
11	Department(s): Where more than one department is involved, indicate the lead department								Board of Studies
12	Lead Department		Chemistry						Chemistry
13	Other contributing Departments:		n/a						Chemistry
14	Route code (existing programmes only)							PMGCHSSIT1
15	Admissions criteria
16	Students should normally have a good honours degree (2:2) or the overseas equivalent in Chemistry or a related subject. It is possible for candidates without an honours degree but with sufficient, relevant industrial and educational experience to enter the courses.
17	Length and status of the programme(s) and mode(s) of study
18	Programme				Length (years/ months)	Status (full-time/ part-time) Please select	Start dates/months (if applicable – for programmes that have multiple intakes or start dates that differ from the usual academic year)		Mode
19
20									Face-to-face, campus-based			Distance learning		Other
21	MSc				12 months	Full-time	September - standard academic year		Please select Y/N		Yes	Please select Y/N	No
22	PG Certificate				6 months	Full-time	September		Please select Y/N		Yes	Please select Y/N	No
23	PG Diploma				9 months	Full-time	September		Please select Y/N		Yes	Please select Y/N	No
24	Language(s) of study
25	English
26	Language(s) of assessment
27	English
28	2. Programme accreditation by Professional, Statutory or Regulatory Bodies (PSRB)
29	2.a. Is the programme recognised or accredited by a PSRB
30	Please Select Y/N:		Yes	if No move to section 3 if Yes complete the following questions
31	2.b. Name of PSRB
32	Royal Society of Chemistry
33	2.c. Please provide details of any approval/ accrediation event needed, including: timecales, the nature of the event, central support / information required:
34	n/a
35	2.d. Are there any conditions on the approval/ accreditation of the programme(s)/ graduates (for example accreditation only for the full award and not any interim award)
36	Accreditation only applies to the to the full MSc programme. Students entering the course should have an acceptable first cycle degree - this is monitored at the admissions stage.
37	3. Additional Professional or Vocational Standards
38	Are there any additional requirements of accrediting bodies or PSRB or pre-requisite professional experience needed to study this programme?
39	Please Select Y/N:		No	if Yes, provide details
40	n/a
41	4. Programme leadership and programme team
42	4.a. Please name the programme leader for the year to which the programme design applies and any key members of staff responsible for designing, maintaining and overseeing the programme.
43	Dr Avtar S Matharu is programme leader with assistance from Drs Tom Dugmore and Thomas Farmer.
44	5. Purpose and learning outcomes of the programme
45	5.a. Statement of purpose for applicants to the Masters programme Please express succinctly the overall aims of the programme as an applicant facing statement for a prospectus or website. This should clarify to a prospective masters student why they should choose this programme, what it will provide to them and what benefits they will gain from completing it.
46	Green Chemistry is an innovative field which focuses on developing sustainable chemical products and processes with the aim of minimising the generation and use of hazardous substances. Its application is transforming the world of chemical manufacturing and allied industries, bringing about significant environmental and economic benefits. This expertise will allow you to solve complex problems in implementing clean technologies that both industry and society need. You will benefit from the state-of-the-art research facilities at York’s Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence, a world-leading academic community for the promotion of green chemistry. Our programme is the first of its kind to be accredited by the Royal Society of Chemistry and is further strengthened by the active involvement of both industrialists and external collaborators. The programme is both global in outlook and truly multidisciplinary, focusing as much on commercial principles and technical development as on chemical knowledge. An extended independent research project with industrial relevance is the capstone of the programme. Our applied focus towards the practical application of skills and knowledge means that our graduates are well-prepared both for future employment in the chemical industry, academia and related sectors.
47	5.a.i Statement of purpose for applicants registering for the Postgraduate Diploma programme Please express succinctly the overall aims of the programme as an applicant facing statement for a prospectus or website. This should clarify to a prospective diploma student why they should choose this programme, what it will provide to them and what benefits they will gain from completing it.
48	Green Chemistry is an innovative field which focuses on developing sustainable chemical products and processes with the aim of minimising the generation and use of hazardous substances. Its application is transforming the world of chemical manufacturing and allied industries, bringing about significant environmental and economic benefits. You will benefit from the state-of-the-art research facilities at York’s Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence, a world-leading academic community for the promotion of green chemistry. Our programme is prestigious in its sector and is further strengthened by the active involvement of both industrialists and external collaborators. The programme is both global in outlook and truly multidisciplinary, focusing as much on commercial principles and technical development as on chemical knowledge. An independent research project with industrial relevance is the capstone of the programme. Our applied focus towards the practical application of skills and knowledge means that our graduates are well-prepared both for future employment in the chemical industry, academia and related sectors.
49	5.a.ii Statement of purpose for applicants registering for the Postgraduate Certificate programme Please express succinctly the overall aims of the programme as an applicant facing statement for a prospectus or website. This should clarify to a prospective certificate student why they should choose this programme, what it will provide to them and what benefits they will gain from completing it.
50	Green Chemistry is an innovative field which focuses on developing sustainable chemical products and processes with the aim of minimising the generation and use of hazardous substances. Its application is transforming the world of chemical manufacturing and allied industries, bringing about significant environmental and economic benefits. You will benefit from a world-leading academic community for the promotion of green chemistry at York’s Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence. The programme is both global in outlook and truly multidisciplinary, focusing as much on commercial principles and technical development as on chemical knowledge. Our applied focus towards the practical application of skills and knowledge means that our graduates are well-prepared both for future employment in the chemical industry, academia and related sectors.
51	5.b.i. Programme Learning Outcomes - Masters Please provide six to eight statements of what a graduate of the Masters programme will be able to do. If the document only covers a Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma please specify four to six PLO statements in the sections 5.b.ii and 5.b.iii as appropriate. Taken together, these outcomes should capture the distinctive features of the programme. They should also be outcomes for which progressive achievement through the course of the programme can be articulated, and which will therefore be reflected in the design of the whole programme.
52	PLO	On successful completion of the programme, graduates will be able to:
53	1	Apply multidisciplinary approaches to the creative problem solving of complex scientific green chemistry and sustainable industrial technology related challenges.
54	2	Undertake cutting-edge research in the area of Green Chemistry and confidently apply a range of advanced research principles, methodologies and approaches.
55	3	Present detailed research data and complex scientific concepts through a range of media and to a variety of audiences including experts, business people in industry and the general public.
56	4	Critically evaluate and debate research literature and explain its relevance to the bio- and circular economies.
57	5	Critically evaluate the impact of potential economic and technological drivers for change which may affect chemical manufacturing or chemical user sectors.
58	6	Apply environment related metrics to chemical processes and products enabling a critical assessment of their environmental impact and sustainability.
59	7	Work within a multidisciplinary team to apply knowledge of green chemistry principles to technical and non-technical aspects of processes or works.
60	8	Gain a deep and systematic understanding of intellectual property protection and apply to the commercialisation of new inventions to the development of sustainable chemical products or processes.
61	5.b.ii. Programme Learning Outcomes - Postgraduate Diploma Please provide four to six statements outlining what a graduate of the Postgraduate Diploma programme will be able to do. Taken together, these outcomes should capture the distinctive features of the programme. They should also be outcomes for which progressive achievement through the course of the programme can be articulated, and which will therefore be reflected in the design of the whole programme.
62	PLO	On successful completion of the programme, graduates will be able to:
63	1	Apply multidisciplinary approaches to the creative problem solving of complex scientific green chemistry and sustainable industrial technology related challenges.
64	2	Critically evaluate and debate research literature and explain its relevance to the bio- and circular economies.
65	3	Critically evaluate the impact of potential economic and technological drivers for change which may affect chemical manufacturing or chemical user sectors.
66	4	Apply environment related metrics to chemical processes and products enabling a critical assessment of their environmental impact and sustainability.
67	5	Gain a deep and systematic understanding of intellectual property protection and apply to the commercialisation of new inventions to the development of sustainable chemical products or processes.
68	6	Undertake research in the area of Green Chemistry and apply a range of research principles, methodologies and approaches.
69	5.b.iii. Programme Learning Outcomes - Postgraduate Certificate Please provide four to six statements outlining what a graduate of the Postgraduate Certificate programme will be able to do. Taken together, these outcomes should capture the distinctive features of the programme. They should also be outcomes for which progressive achievement through the course of the programme can be articulated, and which will therefore be reflected in the design of the whole programme.
70	PLO	On successful completion of the programme, graduates will be able to:
71	1	Apply multidisciplinary approaches to the creative problem solving of complex scientific green chemistry and sustainable industrial technology related challenges.
72	2	Critically evaluate and debate research literature and explain its relevance to the bio- and circular economies.
73	3	Critically evaluate the impact of potential economic and technological drivers for change which may affect chemical manufacturing or chemical user sectors.
74	4	Apply environment related metrics to chemical processes and products enabling a critical assessment of their environmental impact and sustainability.
75	5.c. Explanation of the choice of Programme Learning Outcomes Please explain your rationale for choosing these PLOs in a statement that can be used for students (such as in a student handbook). Please include brief reference to:
76	i) ... in what way will these PLOs result in an ambitious, challenging programme which stretches the students?
77	The PLOs will aid development of a deep knowledge of this field and skills in communication, team-working, creativity and also independence. Students will gain detailed knowledge and skills through lectures, thus providing a strong foundation on which to build. The work within the course challenges the students to expand and reinforce their knowledge through workshops where students work both independently or as part of a team. Such activities have independent studies and assignments associated with them which push the students to apply the knowledge they have gained to real examples or problems. The course is unique as some of the course materials (lectures, workshops and outreach activities) are delivered in collaboration with external academics or industrialists. This ensures that the progression of knowledge and skills to the level required by the chemical industry. Outreach activities as part of the transferable skills module provide a great opportunity for students to pass on their knowledge to others, thus building on or reinforcing their own knowledge whilst gaining further transferable skills.
78	ii) ... in what way will these PLOs produce a programme which is distinctive and advantageous to the student?
79	As well as building on a solid chemistry foundation within the first term, the course enables students to develop skills beyond the chemistry lab and consider solutions to real-life problems. The modules on Principles and Applications are Chemistry focussed, but the Commercialisation module requires students to think beyond this and consider aspects of intellectual property, patents, environmental legislation and business plan development all of which are highly relevant to their employability and provide valuable context for earlier parts of the course. The Transferable Skills module includes public engagement and outreach events requiring students to develop communication skills to a wide variety of audiences. The majority of the course is delivered by leading academics in the world renowned Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence. In addition to this, we have a number of external contributors from other academic institutions as well as leading industrialists. This ensures students have access to the latest information from experts in the relevant fields, as well as providing diversity in delivery styles and methods. The MSc programme has a large research component compared to other similar programmes. 100 of the 180 credits of the programme are assigned to the Independent Study Module (ISM). The opportunity to carry out a substantial research project provides students with valuable skills in independent research and provides a strong foundation for further research and PhD study. The MSc in Green Chemistry was the first course of its kind to receive accreditation from the Royal Society of Chemistry and retained the accreditation in the most recent RSC review making it the only course of its kind with this status. This programme equips students with the tools, techniques and “culture” to ensure that they can rapidly make a positive impact on industry’s and society’s increasing needs for green chemistry and clean technology. Students gain an awareness and understanding of industrial and commercial problems and drivers through a series of presentations and other activities led by industrialists, and through external collaboration in the research project. The importance of a multidisciplinary approach to solving green chemistry related problems will be addressed and students will be provided with the opportunity to develop a range of key skills of relevance to both chemical and non-chemical employment, including presentations, IT skills and engaging with the public.
80	iii) ... how the design of the programme enables students from diverse entry routes to transition successfully into the programme? For example, how does the organisation of the programme ensure solid foundations in disciplinary knowledge and understanding of conventions, language skills, mathematics and statistics skills, writing skills, lab skills, academic integrity
81	The MSc programme attracts students from a range of non-pure chemistry backgrounds including Environmental Science, Biochemistry and Chemical Engineering. As long as students have solid organic chemistry knowledge and experience they can do the course, but we offer support to ensure that students have the opportunity to improve their knowledge where necessary. This includes suggested reading lists prior to arrival and four 2 h problem solving workshops which take place in the first term. These sessions are not assessed, but students are asked to submit their answers for discussion at the workshops. There is a laboratory practical session in the second week of the course which gives students early experience of how the labs work and the procedures they should be following. This is useful not only for students with little chemistry experience, but also for overseas students whose experience of labs may be different to those who have studied at UK institutions. All students are required to complete the departmental health and safety induction programme to ensure safe activity in the labs. Many students on the MSc have English as their second language and we encourage students to take advantage of support offered by the Writing Language and Skills Centre. There are regular cohort meetings which address other issues of variation in entry points – these cover topics such as keeping a good lab book, academic integrity, the use of particular scientific techniques that will be used in the course. Later in the course, there are also sessions on experimental design, data pre-processing and error analysis to ensure all students have access to these skills. Lectures on how to write a thesis, in addition to literature searching sessions aid to provide the students with the required knowledge to write a scientific report or paper.
82	iv) ... how the programme is designed to enable students to progress successfully - in a limited time frame - through to the end of the award? For example, the development of higher level research skills; enabling students to complete an independent study module; developing competence and confidence in practical skills/ professional skills. See QAA masters characteristics doument http://www.qaa.ac.uk/en/Publications/Documents/Masters-Degree-Characteristics-15.pdf
83	The course is designed to build the students' knowledge from fundamental principles to solving complex problems. The "Principles of Green Chemistry" provides a foundation for the course through lectures, tutorials, workshops and practical courses throughout the masters programme. Such activities encourage students to think creatively to solve green chemistry problems and, through the use of focussed practicals, develop the higher level research skills required to complete an independent study module or research project. Students are supported in the writing of the research project through guidance on how to write a thesis which impart the required skills and knowledge to produce a detailed scientific report. In addition, lectures within the autumn term as part of literature seminars, group meetings and cohort meetings provide the student with the knowledge to search the scientific literature and conduct a detailed literature review. During the research project, regular meetings with students provide an opportunity to discuss results and learn how to present such data in a materials section of a thesis. It should be noted that although the PG Diploma and PG Certificate have 6 and 4 PLOs respectively, compared to 8 for the MSc, the students on the Diploma and Certificate will still make some progress towards those MSc PLOs. The PG Diploma and PG Certificate options have fewer PLOs due to the shorter nature of the respective programmes. However, many of the skills acquired (e.g. teamwork) will still be developed and as such students on the PG Diploma and PG Certificate will still enhance and develop skills similar to the MSc students where relevant, but just not to the same extent.
84	v) ... how this programme (as outlined in these PLOs) will develop students’ digital literacy skills and how technology-enhanced learning will be used to support active student learning through peer/tutor interaction, collaboration and formative (self) assessment opportunities (reference could be made to such as blogging, flipped classroooms, response 'clickers' in lectures, simulations, etc).
85	The Transferable Skills module includes three IT skills workshops and digital literacy skills will be developed through the PLOs in a variety of ways including the requirement for students to present in a variety of media and to a diverse audience. Students will have access to the MSc Green Chemistry and Sustainable Industrial Technology Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) site which holds lecture hand-outs, handbooks as well as audio recordings of most lectures. In the transferable skills module, students use response clickers in a workshop setting to give real time feedback, and evaluations to poll opinions from the class. Within the course students will take part in workshops and lectures on how to develop and then present a poster, including a specific IT workshop.
86	vi) ... how this programme (as outlined in these PLOs) will support and enhance the students’ employability (for example, opportunities for students to apply their learning in a real world setting)? The programme's employablity objectives should be informed by the University's Employability Strategy:
87	http://www.york.ac.uk/about/departments/support-and-admin/careers/staff/
88	In addition to the specific skills related to green chemistry, you will have the opportunity to develop a wide range of other skills during your time on the course which will serve you well, whatever career path you choose to take. Included is a module to help you develop your transferable skills. This includes Green Chemistry Poster Presentations, Literature Seminars, Advanced IT skills, CV and Interview Techniques plus Public Awareness of Science and Sustainability which involves outreach work with a range of groups. Research projects serve as a foundation for graduates to enhance their potential employability and secure a career in scientific research or industry, enabling the application of appropriate principles, methodologies and approaches. The Commercialisation of Green Chemistry module provides further relevant skills that are not directly chemistry related. This module covers Intellectual Property, Patents, Environmental Legislation and Business Plan Development. This is the last taught module of the course and provides students with an opportunity to develop additional relevant non-chemistry skills that are still extremely valuable in the employment market and support careers in government, law, publishing and consultancy, for example.
89	vii) Consultation with Careers The progamme proposal should be discussed with Careers (tom.banham@york.ac.uk, ext. 2686) Please provide details of Careers' comments and your response.
90	The Transferable Skills modules includes a session dedicated to CV and interview techniques. We hold a careers information session with our Employability and Diversity officer which also includes talks from former students of the course.
91	viii) ... how learning and teaching on the programme are informed and led by research in the department/ Centre/ University?
92	Learning and teaching are informed by research developments within the Green Chemistry Centre and certain courses have strong links to areas of research expertise. These are updated on an annual basis and keep this course at the cutting edge of the discipline.
93	5.d. Progression For masters programmes where students do not incrementally 'progress' on the completion of a discrete Postgraduate Certificate and Postgraduate Diploma, please summarise students’ progressive development towards the achievement of the PLOs, in terms of the characteristics that you expect students to demonstrate at the end of the set of modules or part thereof. This summary may be particularly helpful to students and the programme team where there is a high proportion of option modules and in circumstances where students registered on a higher award will exit early with a lower one. Note: it is not expected that a position statement is written for each masters PLO, but this can be done if preferred.
94	On completion of modules sufficient to obtain a Postgraduate Certificate students will be able to: If the PG Cert is an exit award only please provide information about how students will have progressed towards the diploma/masters PLOs. Please include detail of the module diet that students will have to have completed to gain this qualification as an exit award.
95	Students wishing to obtain a PG Certificate will need to complete the following modules: Principles of Green Chemistry (20 credits); Applications of Green Chemistry (20 credits); Transferable Skills (20 credits). The total number of credits is 60.
96	On completion of modules sufficient to obtain a Postgraduate Diploma students will be able to: If the PG Diploma is an exit award only please provide information about how students will have progressed towards the masters PLOs. Please include detail of the module diet that students will have to have completed to gain this qualification as an exit award.
97	Students wishing to obtain a PG Diploma will need to complete the following modules: Principles of Green Chemistry (20 credits); Applications of Green Chemistry (20 credits); Transferable Skills (20 credits); Commercialisation of Green Chemistry (20 credits); Diploma Research project (40 credits). The total number of credits is 120. The taught modules are the same as for the MSc, but the Diploma project is shorter.
98	6. Reference points and programme regulations
99	6.a. Relevant Quality Assurance Agency benchmark statement(s) and other relevant external reference points Please state relevant reference points consulted (e.g. Framework for Higher Education Qualifications, National Occupational Standards, Subject Benchmark Statements or the requirements of PSRBs): See also Taught Postgraduate Modular Scheme: Framework for Programme Design:
100	https://www.york.ac.uk/media/staffhome/learningandteaching/documents/programmedevelopment/Framework%20for%20Programme%20Design%20-%20PG.pdf