Admission requirements
MSc Biology
Description
The study of biology aims to understand life in all its forms and functions. Research on the whole organism level - be it of the fundamental or applied kind- involves study of living organisms. These should at all times be treated and handled with outmost concern and respect. For experimental animals both Dutch and EU legislation have set up strict procedures for reviewing and licensing experiments and to monitor animals’ welfare throughout. The course covers legal and ethical frameworks for the use of laboratory animals and scientists’ responsibilities in the design, and conduct of experiments and with special emphasis on the monitoring of the welfare and health of the animals.
An important feature of this legislation is to ensure that no animal research is conducted without previous review and approval of the research and welfare monitoring plan. This course provides basic knowledge on the use and care of birds as laboratory animals for MSc-students, PhD-students and researchers and is obligatory before starting an internship that involves handling or experimental use of bird species.
The program will broadly cover different research areas involving bird species, and in depth review of the use of zebra finches for neurobiological and behavioural research. In a series of lectures, the course participants will be introduced to bird development, anatomy and physiology, the immune system, recognition of discomfort, stress and pain, disease symptoms and health monitoring, anesthesia/euthanasia methods, behavioral research and experiments with birds in the wild. The course will also entail an introduction to zebra finch facility management and husbandry.
Course objectives
After completion of the course, students can:
Reproduce and discuss the ethical and legal considerations that apply to experiments on birds in the laboratory or in the wild.
Categorize and evaluate the levels of discomfort, stress and pain in experiments involving birds.
Name, explain and discuss scientists’ responsibilities in the design and conduct of experiments and how this entails monitoring of the welfare and health of the animals throughout.
Name and recognise factors that may directly or indirectly impact birds’ behaviour and welfare in the laboratory or during experiments.
Name and compare procedures for analgesia, anesthesia and euthanasia and assess when to apply humane endpoints.
List and explain requirements for husbandry and handling of birds.
Reproduce the basic characteristics of bird development, anatomy, sensory systems and physiology, list avian specific adaptations and explain how these features affect the results of an animal study.
Name the commonly used bird species in animal experimentation and give examples of their use in behavioral, ecological and cognitive research.
Explain experimental procedures.
Timetable
In MyTimetable, you can find all course and programme schedules, allowing you to create your personal timetable. Activities for which you have enrolled via MyStudyMap will automatically appear in your timetable.
Additionally, you can easily link MyTimetable to a calendar app on your phone, and schedule changes will be automatically updated in your calendar. You can also choose to receive email notifications about schedule changes. You can enable notifications in Settings after logging in.
Questions? Watch the video, read the instructions, or contact the ISSC helpdesk.
Note: Joint Degree students from Leiden/Delft need to combine information from both the Leiden and Delft MyTimetables to see a complete schedule. This video explains how to do it.
Mode of instruction
This is a 2 week program with lectures, group assignments and practical assignments.
The course consists of a lecture program given by various teachers, written group assignments and practical assignments in the bird facility.
Assessment method
The final grade consists of the following partial grades:
Written examination 75%
Written assignment 25%
Practical program is pass/fail.
Attendance to all lectures and the practical is compulsory in order to receive the certificate.
Minimum grade:
Courses require a minimum, unrounded 5.5 grade to complete.
If a course has 2 or more written partial exams, the minimum grade only applies to the weighted average of the exams.
For partial grades from components other than exams (e.g. practicals, seminars, writing assignments), the bottom grade does apply to the individual components.
Please refer to the Student Charter for an overview of regulations.
Reading list
General introduction on animal experimentation:
Species-specific bird course: A general reading list and lecture specific literature will be announced via Brightspace.
Registration
As a student, you are responsible for enrolling on time through MyStudyMap.
In this short video, you can see step-by-step how to enrol for courses in MyStudyMap.
Extensive information about the operation of MyStudyMap can be found here.
There are two enrolment periods per year:
Enrolment for the fall opens in July
Enrolment for the spring opens in December
See this page for more information about deadlines and enrolling for courses and exams.
Note:
It is mandatory to enrol for all activities of a course that you are going to follow.
Your enrolment is only complete when you submit your course planning in the ‘Ready for enrolment’ tab by clicking ‘Send’.
Not being enrolled for an exam/resit means that you are not allowed to participate in the exam/resit.
Contact
Daily coordinator for questions and administrative issues: G.C. van der Velden MSc
Email: g.c.van.der.velden@biology.leidenuniv.nl
Course coordinator: Dr. K. Riebel
Email k.riebel@biology.leidenuniv.nl
Remarks
Software
Starting from the 2024/2025 academic year, the Faculty of Science will use the software distribution platform Academic Software. Through this platform, you can access the software needed for specific courses in your studies. For some software, your laptop must meet certain system requirements, which will be specified with the software. It is important to install the software before the start of the course. More information about the laptop requirements can be found on the student website.