Biological Science (MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology)

Entry requirements

Applicants for this course should have achieved a UK Good II.i Honours Degree.

If your degree is not from the UK, please check International Qualifications to find the equivalent in your country.

Months of entry

October

Course content

The MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology occasionally takes on MPhil students providing they have the support of a group leader in the Laboratory. To obtain support from a group leader, students should contact them directly. For information on our faculty members’ research interests, please visit the Research and the Group Leaders pages on the LMB website.

The research MPhil is assessed by submission of a thesis and an oral examination. Students start in October and the thesis is submitted by the end of August.

Applicants will generally have a bioscience background, but applicants with a computational, physics or mathematical background can also apply.

The MPhil aims to provide research opportunities in fields related to molecular and structural biology that reflect the unique research strengths of the Laboratory and that contribute to the specific research priorities of the Laboratory. The LMB also aims to provide students with general research and transferable skills training in addition to training in their specific research area.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the MPhil, students will be expected to have acquired a detailed understanding of the relevant areas that underlie their research project and to have written a thesis on their work (of not more than 20,000 words in length, excluding tables, footnotes, appendices and bibliography). They will also be expected to have attended courses or lectures on general research and transferable skills, covering subjects such as bioinformatics, statistics, ethics, research integrity, scientific writing and presentation skills, together with the LMB Biophysical Techniques and Molecular Biology Techniques Lecture series.

Information for international students

Language Requirement

IELTS (Academic)

Element Score

Listening 7.0

Writing 7.0

Reading 6.5

Speaking 7.0

Total 7.0

TOEFL Internet Score

Element Score

Listening 25

Writing 25

Reading 25

Speaking 25

Total 100

CAE

Score: Grade A & B (overall score of 193, with no element lower than 185 plus a Language Centre assessment)

CPE

Score: Grade A, B, or C (with at least 200 with no element lower than 185).