Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences

Entry requirements

A 2.1 Honours degree or equivalent.

Months of entry

Anytime

Course content

Cardiovascular disease is projected to remain the single leading cause of death over the next two decades, accountable for considerable disability and reduction in the quality of life, therefore research is vital to advance its diagnosis, treatment and prevention. Our strength is in identifying and designing novel therapeutic strategies that will lead to clinical trials.

The School of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Health is a successful and vibrant research School with outstanding training and learning opportunities. Our purpose-built British Heart Foundation (BHF) Cardiovascular Research Centre houses state-of-the-art laboratories and facilities and we are one of only six BHF Centres of Excellence in the UK.

Our research strengths have been integrated into substantial, well-resourced thematic programmes that build on the strengths of individual, clinical and non-clinical principal investigators. Working in basic, translational and clinical research, our strength is in elucidating mechanisms of cardiovascular disease, identifying biomarkers of disease, identifying therapeutic targets and developing and designing novel therapeutic strategies that will lead to clinical trials.

Individual research projects are tailored around the expertise of principal investigators within the institute. Basic and clinical projects are available for study. A variety of approaches are used, including molecular biology, biochemistry, epidemiology, mathematical modelling, bioinformatics, genetics, cell biology (including advanced in vitro and in vivo imaging), immunology and polyomics (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics etc).

Specific areas of interest include:

• vascular science and medicine
• cardiovascular biology and cell signalling
• cardiovascular gene therapy for the treatment of vascular disease
• basic and clinical cerebrovascular disease e.g. stroke
• stem cell therapies for cerebrovascular disease
• genetics, genomics and systems medicine
• adrenal corticosteroids in cardiovascular disease
• diabetes, obesity, metabolic and renal disease
• cardiovascular imaging
• cardiovascular clinical trials
• sport & exercise science & medicine

Information for international students

International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic module (not General Training)

• 6.5 with no sub-test under 6.0.
• Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test.