Contact hours and workload
Overall workload
You should expect to spend approximately 35 to 40 hours a week studying on your course. These hours consist of structured activities and independent learning. You will experience a mix of in person teaching, that will take place on campus, and structured online learning delivered through the University’s virtual learning environment.
Structured learning activities
Typically, you can expect to spend between 10 to 15 hours on structured learning activities per week, of which approximately 60 to 70% will be in timetabled sessions on campus, and the remainder online.
In-person teaching and online activities
Timetabled sessions delivered in person on campus will be a mix of lectures, seminars, tutorials, workshops and practical laboratories. Online activities may include following a recorded lecture, or other learning materials, or joining a timetabled live interactive session through Teams or Zoom.
Independent learning
The remainder of your time outside these structured activities will be spent in independent learning which includes individual research, reading journal articles and books, working on individual and group projects, preparing coursework assignments, presentations, or revising for exams.
To support you in your studies you will be able to access, outside of timetabled learning, facilities on campus and in Bath such as study spaces, computers, and the Library.
IT requirements
To take full advantage of the online resources available to you, and to ensure you are prepared for learning fully online, should that become necessary, you will need regular access to a computer with a microphone and camera, along with a reliable internet connection. The University will make available to you the key software you need for your course, including access to Microsoft Teams and Zoom through your University account.
Python programming will be an integral part of the course. Therefore, you will need a laptop computer with the Windows, Mac or Linux operating system and an up-to-date Python installation; iPads, tablets and Chrome OS are not sufficient. Python is free software. We strongly encourage you to get up to speed with Python before starting the MSc.