BIOS4500 – General Toxicology
Course description
Course content
The course provides a comprehensive introduction to toxicology and ecotoxicology, including how toxic substances are taken up in the organisms, distributed, biotransformed and excreted, how toxic substances react with biomolecules and possible health-related consequences for the organism, how effects are used in environmental monitoring and risk assessment, as well as the most important groups of toxic substances, e.g. toxic metals, endocrine disruptors, organic contaminants and pesticides. The course aims to provide a holistic view of the topic by bridging human toxicology and ecotoxicology.
BIOS4500 can be taken in the same semester as BIOS5411 – Toxicants in ecosystems and humans: Effects and BIOS5412 – Toxicants in Ecosystems and Humans: Exposure and Accumulation.
Learning outcome
After completing this course you should have the following skills:
- Knowledge of sources, levels and mechanisms of action for toxic substances.
- Understanding of exposure, uptake, metabolism, distribution and excretion of toxicants.
- Knowledge of effects of toxic substances on molecular and cellular levels, on individual health and on natural populations and communities, including the use of biomarkers.
- Knowledge of different categories of toxic substances.
- Upon completion of the course, the student should have an understanding of basic principles in ecotoxicology and toxicology, and of regulatory toxicology.
Admission to the course
Students admitted at UiO must?apply for courses?in Studentweb. Students enrolled in other Master's Degree Programmes can, on application, be admitted to the course if this is cleared by their own study programme.
Nordic citizens and applicants residing in the Nordic countries may?apply to take this course as a single course student.
If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about?admission requirements and procedures for international applicants.
Applicants are ranked by the following criteria:?
1. Master?s students at the Department of Biosciences and master?s programme students at the MN Faculty who have the course approved in their study plan. Students belonging to the Toxicology and Environmental science program option are prioritized first
2. Other program students.
3. Single course students and exchange students.
Applicants are ranked by number of credits within each group; all applicants within the 1st group are ranked before applicants in the 2nd group etc. For students who have equal number of credits within one group, admission is determined by random selection.
Recommended previous knowledge
Necessary knowledge in organic chemistry, cell biology and biochemistry, for example, the courses?BIOS1110 – Celle- og molekyl?rbiologi, BIOS1130 – Biokjemi I and?BIOS2900 – Molecular Biology (continued) and BIOS3900 – Biochemistry 2.
Overlapping courses
- 10 credits overlap with BIO4500 – General Toxicology (continued).
Teaching
- Lectures?
- Discussion groups
The teaching takes place in week 34-39 with lectures and group exercises.
Mandatory course work must be approved before the student can attend the exam.
Approved mandatory assignments are valid for 5?years.?
Attendance is mandatory for the first lecture. This also applies to those on the waiting list. You will lose your seat on the course if documentation for absence is not provided to the student administration studieinfo@ibv.uio.no prior to the first lecture.
A student who has completed compulsory instruction and coursework and has had these approved is not entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework. A student who has been admitted to a course, but who has not completed compulsory instruction and coursework or had these approved, is entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework, depending on available capacity.
Examination
Final written exam which counts 100% towards the final?grade.?
Mandatory course work must be approved before the student can attend the exam.
It will also be counted as one of the three attempts to sit the exam for this course, if you sit the exam for BIO4500 – General Toxicology (continued)
Examination support material
No examination support material is allowed.?
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.
Resit an examination
This course offers both postponed and resit of examination. Read more:
More about examinations at UiO
- Use of sources and citations
- Special exam arrangements due to individual needs
- Withdrawal from an exam
- Illness at exams / postponed exams
- Explanation of grades and appeals
- Resitting an exam
- Cheating/attempted cheating
You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.