Entry requirements

A minimum of a 2:1 honours degree, or international equivalent, in:

a life science or related discipline

or an MBBS/BDS degree

This programme accepts both medical and dental students wishing to take a master's degree as an intercalation. You will need to have successfully completed your third or fourth year of study.

Practical laboratory work experience is desirable, although not essential. The modules you can study may depend on your academic background.

Months of entry

September

Course content

Overview

You'll develop your own bespoke course with our broad range of taught modules. You'll then have a 24-week research project.

Research is the foundation of our teaching. Course content changes to reflect:

developments in the discipline
the requirements of external bodies and partners
student feedback

Transplantation is a competitive research area. You'll work in academia but may also have opportunities in industry.

What you'll learn

You'll study subject-specific content in medical genetics research. You'll add to these modules from a broad range of complementary options. You'll also have training in general research principles, professional and key skills.

You'll gain insight into the speciality of transplantation sciences in the context of:

transplantation of haematopoietic stem cells
corneal/limbal stem cells
a variety of solid organs

The modules aim to:

provide an understanding of the scientific basis of therapeutic benefits of clinical transplants
provide an understanding of the adverse effects of clinical transplants
highlight research areas where immunology and cell biology can improve transplant outcomes for patients
provide a view of translational links between scientific research and clinical practice

You'll explore clinical practice-driven research. This will prepare you for a future career in either medical practice or broad biomedical research.

The main topics covered include:

transplantation immunology related to cellular and molecular basis of allogeneic immune responses, tolerance, immunosuppression
the genetic and molecular basis of HLA system, non-HLA immunogenetics, histocompatibility, the impact of HLA matching in choice of donor and transplant outcome
transplantation pathology related to graft-versus-host disease following haematopoietic stem cell transplant, rejection following solid organ transplant, tissue damage and loss of graft function
manipulation of haematopoietic stem cells for clinical use
development of novel therapeutic strategies to aid improvement of clinical transplant outcome

Your 24-week research project comprises the major element of the course. You'll receive supervision from an expert academic researcher in the field.

Watch our introduction to MRes Research Project