BS708-7-AP-CO:
Postgraduate Professional Skills
2025/26
Life Sciences (School of)
Colchester Campus
Autumn & Spring
Postgraduate: Level 7
Current
Thursday 02 October 2025
Friday 20 March 2026
15
12 March 2025
Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
MSC C16112 Tropical Marine Biology,
MSC F71012 Marine Science and Sustainable Development,
MPHDC10K48 Biological Sciences,
PHD C10K48 Biological Sciences,
MPHDC16148 Tropical Marine Biology,
MPHDC16184 Tropical Marine Biology,
PHD C16148 Tropical Marine Biology,
PHD C16184 Tropical Marine Biology,
MSCIB097 Tropical Marine Biology,
MSCIBA97 Tropical Marine Biology (Including Placement Year),
MSCIBB97 Tropical Marine Biology (Including Year Abroad)
Transferrable professional skills are the most valuable assets of your postgraduate education. The ability to secure employment, and to plan, integrate and communicate in a multidisciplinary research environment is the key to your professional success. In the future funding landscape it will be important that you are able to work inter-disciplinarily across natural and social sciences and the ability to explain your science to policy makers and funding agencies holds the key to a successful career as a future researcher.
The aim of this module is:
- To equip you with an array of professional skills from utilising modern learning environments to building a portfolio of professional skills that assist with finding employment along various career paths after postgraduate education.
By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to:
- Evaluate the issues involved in designing and executing a research programme, within the specific context of field-based, laboratory-based and desk-based research.
- Build reference databases to support their own research.
- Articulate and communicate research findings in various formats to varying audiences.
- Take a critical approach to personal development planning for their career in the context of the graduate labour market.
- Recognise personal and professional skills that will enhance employability, and research opportunities for skills development available to them during their university career.
- Demonstrate competence in job application skills, including CV and cover letter writing and the interview process.
Skills for your Professional Life (Transferable Skills)
- To meet alumni of the MSc Tropical Marine Biology or MSc Marine Science and Sustainable Development courses and start building a professional network.
Students will build a portfolio of professional skills that assists with finding employment along various career paths after postgraduate education. A combination of seminars and workshops is provided to include CV and application clinics, facilitate research planning, introduce health-and-safety aspects of research work, and increase communication skills.
The School has a policy which ensures all lecturers opt-in to making lectures available via Listen Again. Therefore, in teaching rooms where the facility is available, lectures will be recorded via this service.
This module will be delivered via:
A combination of seminars and workshops is provided to include CV and application clinics, facilitate research planning, introduce health-and safety aspects of research work and increase communication skills.
This module does not appear to have a published bibliography for this year.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
| Coursework |
Poster |
|
30% |
| Coursework |
Reflection on mock application and interview |
|
10% |
| Coursework |
Vodcast or Narrated Powerpoint |
|
60% |
Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr Michael Steinke, email: msteinke@essex.ac.uk.
Dr Michael Steinke
School Graduate Office, email: bsgradtaught (Non essex users should add @essex.ac.uk to create a full email address)
Yes
No
No
Dr Sebastian Hennige
Available via Moodle
Of 51 hours, 39 (76.5%) hours available to students:
2 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
10 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s), module, or event type.
* Please note: due to differing publication schedules, items marked with an asterisk (*) base their information upon the previous academic year.
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The University will endeavour to keep such changes to a minimum, and will also keep students informed appropriately by updating our programme specifications and module directory.
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