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Disease Mechanisms and Therapeutics MSc

Course code

100822

Start date

September

Subject area

Biomedical Sciences

Mode of study

1 year full-time

2 years part-time

Fees

2023/24

UK £11,500

International £21,470

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Overview

This course is no longer accepting applications for September 2023 entry. Two new courses will be coming soon for 2023, Mechanisms and Therapy in Cancer MSc and Mechanisms and Therapy in Infection and Inflammation MSc. 

The Disease Mechanisms and Therapeutics MSc is a dynamic master’s programme, allowing you to gain hands-on experience as you delve into present-day medical understanding and try to create real advances in disease treatment and prevention.

You’ll choose a specialist biomedical area and will learn about the molecular mechanisms leading to major human diseases and their current treatments. You'll also work towards identifying medical advancements and possible innovative therapeutic approaches using technological developments.

The specialist areas to choose from include cancer biology and therapy, genomic technologies, vaccine and immunisation, and radiation, toxicology and pollution.

You’ll identify areas where there are knowledge gaps in current medical understanding. Throughout the course, you'll be encouraged to address these gaps by looking at existing research and literature and conducting your own research.

At Brunel, we recognise that strong practical skills in all fields of biomedical sciences are important to employers. For this reason, we have a large practical element to the course. You’ll gain experience of different modern laboratory techniques and consider the legislative and ethical aspects linked to the discipline. You’ll learn computational skills and be trained on critical analyses of the molecular problems leading to human disease and to identify intervention opportunities. In addition, you’ll receive training in statistics and bioinformatics which are fundamental to the biomedicine sector.

In our 'Scientific Communication' module, you’ll learn how to disseminate medical information to a range of audiences. Your writing skills will be developed to target a diverse range of audiences, from medical practitioners through to the general public. You'll learn to write your research findings in an academic style and a journalistic style - skills that will be invaluable in a range of biomedical careers. 

Dean’s International Scholarship: This course is eligible for a £2,000 fee waiver, per academic year, subject to availability. This Scholarship is for full-time international students only. Find out more.

Commonwealth Shared Scholarship: You may be eligible for a full tuition fee waiver, as well as a range of other financial incentives, on this course. Find out more.

British Council Scholarship for Women in STEM: In partnership with the British Council, we are offering five fully-funded scholarships for female students from the Americas region (eligible countries only). The deadline to apply for this scholarship is 7th April 2023 at 11.59pm – find out more.

You can explore our campus and facilities for yourself by taking our virtual tour.

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Course content

This biomedical sciences postgraduate course has been tailored to provide you with specialist knowledge of molecular biology and its impact on biomedicine. Particular attention is placed on innovative therapeutic potential and on statistics and computational biology.

This course can be studied 1 year full-time or 2 years part-time, starting in September.

Year 1

Please note that all modules are subject to change.

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Careers and your future

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UK entry requirements

  • A 2.2 (or above) UK Honours degree in the field of Biosciences.

Other qualifications including equivalent internationally recognised qualification or relevant experience from health professionals (e.g. doctors, nurses, MLSOs) will be assessed on an individual basis and a request for completion of an online biological test in molecular and cell biology may be required.

Applicants with a third class honours degree or other lower qualifications will be considered if supported by science A-levels (or equivalent) and relevant work experience. Such applicants may be required to attend an interview.

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EU and International entry requirements

If you require a Tier 4 visa to study in the UK, you must prove knowledge of the English language so that we can issue you a Certificate of Acceptance for Study (CAS). To do this, you will need an IELTS for UKVI or Trinity SELT test pass gained from a test centre approved by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) and on the Secure English Language Testing (SELT) list. This must have been taken and passed within two years from the date the CAS is made.

English language requirements

  • IELTS: 6.5 (min 6 in all areas)
  • Pearson: 59 (59 in all subscores)
  • BrunELT: 63% (min 58% in all areas)
  • TOEFL: 90 (min 20 in all) 

You can find out more about the qualifications we accept on our English Language Requirements page.

Should you wish to take a pre-sessional English course to improve your English prior to starting your degree course, you must sit the test at an approved SELT provider for the same reason. We offer our own BrunELT English test and have pre-sessional English language courses for students who do not meet requirements or who wish to improve their English. You can find out more information on English courses and test options through our Brunel Language Centre.

Please check our Admissions pages for more information on other factors we use to assess applicants. This information is for guidance only and each application is assessed on a case-by-case basis. Entry requirements are subject to review, and may change.

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Fees and funding

2023/24 entry

UK

£11,500 full-time

£5,750 part-time

International

£21,470 full-time

£10,735 part-time

More information on any additional course-related costs.

Fees quoted are per year and are subject to an annual increase. 

Fees for EU applicants – For entry in 2023/24 academic year, eligible EU applicants will have the same tuition fees as UK students to continue our support during this transition period. These fees will be applied for the duration of the course.  

See our fees and funding page for full details of postgraduate scholarships available to Brunel applicants.

Scholarships and bursaries

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Teaching and Learning

How your course will be delivered

Required equipment

How you'll learn on your course

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Assessment and feedback

You'll be asked to produce self-directed learning presentations or reports on a particular aspect of human diseases. There'll be a dissertation project exploring a specific subject area in-depth, using research methods, strategic experimental design, and critical data analysis.

Read our guide on how to avoid plagiarism in your assessments at Brunel.

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