Masters Degrees (Electron Microscopy)

Our modular distance learning programme provides you with a grounding in the structure of proteins, and the main techniques that are used to study protein structure.

Structural biology allows you to understand how macromolecules work at the atomic level of detail. This is important, particularly in designing drugs which act at the molecular level to affect macromolecules. Increasingly, research uses a range of complementary biophysical and structural techniques to study protein-protein interactions. This requires that researchers have some understanding of what all these techniques can achieve. This programme is designed to give the theoretical background required to use this range of methods.

Why study this course at Birkbeck?

Study by distance learning, wherever you are in the world, with our internet-based teaching.
Graduates are well placed to study for PhDs, start professional research careers, or change disciplines to encompass this important area of modern molecular biology.
Part of the Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, a joint initiative with University College London.
Birkbeck houses state-of-the-art equipment for X-ray crystallography, cryo-electron microscopy and tomography and associated image processing. We have excellent facilities for UV and CD spectroscopy, calorimetry, fluorescence spectroscopy, ultracentrifugation, and protein expression and purification in the biochemical and molecular biology laboratories. We have a 158 processor cluster for intensive data processing. All areas have specialised computer equipment for data analysis, molecular graphics and molecular modelling and programming.

Read less

This course offers both taught components and extensive research experience for students with backgrounds in biological, chemical and physical sciences. It is particularly suitable for those who wish to gain both theoretical and practical research experience in the techniques of structural biology or biocomputing.

Our research areas include:

Molecular chaperones, amyloid fibrils, pore-forming toxins
M. tuberculosis, cytoskeletal proteins
Signal transduction, bacterial pathogenesis and DNA replication
Electron microscopy, cytoskeletal dynamics and function
Electron cryo-microscopy; electron tomography and image processing; development of methods for recognition and separation of heterogeneous molecular complexes; bacteriophage assembly; structural analysis of the transcription factor p53
Hsp90, the kinetochore
DNA repair
Protein folding and misfolding, in particular at the point of synthesis on intact ribosomes
Viral protein-nucleic acid interactions.

Read less

Do you want to take up a career in research and development? We’re recruiting ambitious students with degrees in Chemistry, Physics, Life Sciences, Engineering, Mathematics or Statistics.

We offer you a coherent training programme in Analytical Science, a central and interdisciplinary science which supports research and development in a huge number of key industries. Analytical Science underpins many aspects of biological and clinical sciences,environmental sciences, pharmaceutical sciences, materials science and synthetic chemistry. This course offers expertise from international experts within academia and collaborating companies like Syngenta and AstraZeneca.

You’ll gain hands-on experience in a variety of relevant techniques, enabling you to work in any modern laboratory since the skills you acquire will be readily transferable between disciplines. You’ll also have an incredible opportunity to undertake cutting-edge research with a world-leading group or company. By the end of the course you’ll be positioned to take up employment in research and development roles within a number of sectors, or to take up further study with a PhD.

Structure

The course spans 1 year, the first 23 weeks are lecture-based, providing you with a diverse toolbox in analytical sciences enabling you to complete a successful 20 week research project.
Term 1 and Term 2 (23 weeks):
-Mass Spectrometry
-Chromatography & Separation Science
-Team Research Project: Real World Analysis
-Electrochemistry & Sensors
-Principles & Techniques in Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis
-Magnetic Resonance
-Techniques for the Characterisation of Biomolecules
-Microscopy & Imaging
-Statistice for Data Analysis
-Transferable Skills

Then choose 1 of:
-Advanced Electron Microscopy - Theory & Practice
-Advanced Statistics & Chemometrics

Research Project (20 weeks):
-Immerse yourself in a real research project, supervised by our renowned academics.

Read less

This course introduces you to the principles of experimental pathology applied to oral disease. It is provides a grounding in experimental method for dental graduates who plan to follow either a career in academic dentistry or one of the clinical specialities. It also provides an opportunity for science graduates to learn about oral disease, in preparation for a career in dental research.

We offer you a fundamental training in the principles of laboratory research methods and the range of techniques used to study the behaviour of oral tissues in health and disease.

Programme outline
Your programme will be modular, focused on acquiring laboratory skills and knowledge. The taught modules provide the basic understanding to help with the research component. There is a structured course of seminars with associated practical work, dealing with the structure and behaviour of cells and tissues in health and disease. This core begins with fundamental and general concepts of cell biology and continues with the application of these concepts to a consideration of oral and dental disease. Related disciplines such as oral microbiology and immunology are also covered.

Throughout the programme, emphasis is placed on the evidence upon which the concepts are based and the way in which such evidence is obtained by observation and experiment. You are actively encouraged to take part in the seminars.

Running in parallel with the core programme are several related series of seminars dealing with research methods, statistics and techniques of fundamental importance to experimental pathology such as tissue culture, molecular biological techniques, immunocytochemistry, light and electron microscopy. You will undertake a laboratory-based research project in the final module of the programme, exploring any aspect of oral disease.

Read less

This course is designed to enable graduate students and forensic practitioners to develop the theoretical knowledge underpinning forensic document examination and provide intensive training and practical experience. It covers the analysis of handwriting, signatures, questioned and fraudulent documents and provides training in the use of a range of highly specialised techniques, such as VSC, comparison microscopy, ESDA and Raman Spectroscopy.

LEARNING ENVIRONMENT AND ASSESSMENT

The dedicated laboratory for this course houses an ESDA and a VSC-5000 and this is where MSc students will take a wide range of practical classes, carry out simulated casework and conduct laboratory-based dissertation research projects. Students will also have access to a wide range of state-of-the-art analytical instrumentation within the Analytical Unit. The Unit houses gas chromatographs with pyrolysis injection capability and FID, MS and EC detectors, ion chromatographs and high performance liquid chromatographs with diode array fluorescence, MS and Differential refractometer detectors. The Unit also houses facilities for Atomic absorption, UV-Visible and Infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, NMR spectrometry, Inductive coupled plasma mass spectrometry and Scanning Electron Microscopy With Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (SEM/EDAX).

Modules will be assessed through theory and practical examinations, and coursework (essays, moot courts, presentations and a dissertation). Students will be required to examine documents and equipment, produce case notes and reports.

Please note that Distance Learning students will be required to attend a two-week residential workshop at UCLan’s Preston campus during Semester 2. More information will be provided about this in Semester 1.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Modules are assessed through theoretical and practical examinations as well as coursework. Assessments include the examination of suspect documents and pieces of equipment from simulated cases and the production of formal case notes and expert reports, as well as essays, mock courtroom trials, group and individual presentations and a dissertation. Upon graduating from this course you will be well placed to gain employment in forensic science laboratories, police investigation teams, fraud departments in major government or private organisations, or to go on to further research in academia.

MSc Document Analysis is designed to enable graduate students and forensic practitioners to understand and develop the theoretical knowledge underpinning all aspects of forensic document examination and to develop skills in a variety of areas, which concern the processing, analysis, identification and interpretation of questioned documents. The course provides intensive training in all areas of forensic document analysis and provides extensive practical training in the areas of the analysis and identification of handwriting, signatures, printing apparatus and fraudulent documents. The course also provides you with training to act as an expert witness and presentation and communication skills.

You will study the principles underpinning the scientific analysis of handwriting and signatures together with the considerations involved when carrying out forensic casework. This course will also provide practical experience in the examination of printing equipment, typewriters, photocopiers and the identification of forged or counterfeit documents. You will be trained in a number of analytical techniques using highly specialised apparatus, such as the use of the video spectral comparator, a comparison microscope, ESDA (Electrostatic Detection Apparatus) and a Raman Spectrometer. In addition, the course will provide you with the opportunity to develop a large number of transferable skills.

Upon graduating from this course you will be well placed to gain employment in forensic science laboratories, police investigation teams and fraud departments in major government or private organisations, or to go on to further research in academia at doctoral level.

Read less

Course Objective

The objective of this course is to introduce students to an inter-disciplinary approach to research, which utilises technologies and skills from a wide spectrum of scientific, engineering and clinical disciplines to address fundamental questions originating in biology and medicine. During the course students will carry out a number of practicals. They will be introduced to selected advanced experimental techniques used in biomedical science and industry. The techniques include:
DNA-microarray and RT-PCR, Immunostaining and Confocal Microscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Atomic Force Microscopy and Nano Hardness Tester, Mass Spectrometry, various chromatography methods and Infra-red spectroscopy.

Benefits of the Course

The programme offers the Biological Sciences graduate a means of achieving the mathematical, computational, and instrumentation skills necessary to work in biomedical science. Likewise the Physical Science/Engineering graduate will gain experience in aspects of cell biology, tissue engineering, and animal studies. The course work will draw mainly from courses already on offer to undergraduates in the Science faculty, but will also include new modules developed specifically for this course. Expertise from other research institutes and from industry will be used,where appropriate.

The course covers following areas:
Material Science and Biomaterials
Applied Biomedical Sciences
Cell & Molecular Biology: Advanced Technologies
Fundamental Concepts in Pharmacology
Human Body Structure
Protein Technology
Tissue Engineering
Bioinformatics
Radiation & Medical Physics
Molecular Medicine
Regulatory Compliance in Healthcare Manufacturing
Advanced Tissue Engineering
Introduction to Business
Scientific Writing

Career Opportunities

Graduates of the MSc in Biomedical Science with undergraduate degrees in engineering and science have gone on to work within the medical device and pharmaceutical industry, hospitals and academia.

Read less

In just a brief duration of time - in a few minutes or even in a fraction of a second - a fire or an explosion can have catastrophic consequences in residential buildings or in industrial plant. In UK alone, hundreds get killed and tens of thousands are injured every year. Some single incidents cost millions of pounds, the total monetary cost of fire and explosions in the UK is estimated at £12 billion per year or approximately 1% of GDP.This course offers students from diverse academic backgrounds advanced training in the field of Fire and Explosion Engineering for those wishing to embark on a career, or further develop their career, in the industry. Particular emphasis is placed on fire and explosion protection systems within a legislative framework that is complex and fast-changing.Core modules will cover both foundation and advanced aspects of fire and explosion engineering, from the factors that influence flame spread to the latest research in explosion prediction. You’ll also gain a firm grounding in fire safety design and have the chance to design a fire protection system for a complex building.

Specialist facilities

• An Enclosed Fire Rig Test facility
• The Cone Calorimeter (standard and modified with controlled ventilation)
• A 1m³ indicative standard fire furnace (planned for 2017)
• Purser furnace
• The Limiting Oxygen Index apparatus
• The standard ISO vessel for dust explosions (in storage until at least 2017)
• TGA (trace gas analyzer) and GC (gas chromatography) analytical equipment (off-line).
• The on-line FTIR (Fourier transform infrared) toxic product analysis.
• Mass spectrometer (MS).
• Particulate emissions measurements (including particle size)
• Access to the world class Leeds Electron Microscopy and Spectroscopy Centre (LEMAS), within the School, and high speed photography for visualisation of fast processes and optical analysis of particles before and after reaction.

Some of the modules on this programme are offered as short courses by the Faculty of Engineering’s Continuing Professional Development unit.

Find out more about our Fire Engineering short courses

This programme is also available to study part-time over 36 months.

Course content

You’ll study core modules that allow you to understand issues such as flame spread and steady burning, as well as developing your knowledge of fire protection designs for complex buildings. You’ll also review research around explosions, how they can be predicted and mitigated.

A major part of the MSc are two projects that will give you valuable experience and skills.

The first project involves the design of a protection system, so you’ll learn about the application of techniques such as sprinklers, pressurisation, smoke venting, automatic fire detectors, means of escape and emergency lighting systems.

The other is a lab or computational based project taking into account your own preferences. You can choose from the list of topics we offer each year, but most part-time students choose to put forward their own topic which may be related to the interests of the employer or sponsor. If you take this course part-time with the support of your employer, you can undertake your projects in the workplace.

Both projects are assessed on the basis of a written dissertation and an oral presentation.

If you choose to study part-time, you’ll need to visit Leeds six or seven times over three years. You’ll attend two presentation days and either four or five teaching weeks, depending on whether you choose the e-learning module Fire Risk Assessment and Management.

Course features include:

• Extensive participation in course delivery by lecturers from industry brings strong industrial involvement to the course
• Most taught modules are delivered in intensive CPD one week format. Modules are spread evenly throughout the year
• Extensive participation in course delivery by lecturers from industry brings strong industrial involvement to the training package
• Projects can be undertaken in the workplace (part-time) or at the University (full time and part time)
• Block module format allows both full-time and part-time students a choice of modules.

The taught modules are assessed by coursework and 'open book' tests; typically within a period of 6-10 weeks from start to finish.

Want to find out more about your modules?

Take a look at the Fire and Explosion module descriptions for more detail on what you will study.

Course structure

Compulsory modules

• Research Project (MSc) 60 credits
• Fire Safety Design 45 credits
• Fire Risk Assessment and Management 15 credits
• Fire Dynamics and Modelling 15 credits
• Fire and Explosion Investigation 15 credits
• Explosion Prediction and Mitigation 30 credits

For more information on typical modules, read Fire and Explosion Engineering MSc Full Time in the course catalogue

For more information on typical modules, read Fire and Explosion Engineering MSc Part Time in the course catalogue

Learning and teaching

Each taught module is delivered in an intensive one-week block, allowing full and part-time students to study alongside each other. These teaching weeks will allow you to benefit from the expertise of our own academics – informed by their groundbreaking research – as well as a range of visiting lecturers from industry to gain an understanding of fire and explosion engineering in theory and practice.

Assessment

Taught modules are assessed by via coursework and ‘open book’ tests, typically within 6-10 weeks from start to finish.

Career opportunities

Challenging career opportunities for fire and explosion professionals are available in just about every type of business, industry and government operation.

They include fire and explosion consultancies, fire safety planning offices of local authorities, civil engineering and architectural companies, chemical/pharmaceutical companies, the oil and gas industries, fire and explosion protection equipment manufacturers, government bodies and departments, specialist research and testing labs and insurance companies.

Links with industry

Throughout the course you will have the opportunity to meet potential employers at the week-long taught courses.

The Fire programme at Leeds is actively supported and sponsored by, amongst others, the following companies/organisations:

• Arup
• WSP UK
• BRE
• Buro Happold
• DNV GL

Read less

Aquaculture is now recognised as the fastest growth sector of agribusiness on a global scale – learn about this growing industry through our multidisciplinary approach, which places emphasis on sustainable use of aquatic and marine resources for commercial exploitation for food and products. You’ll discover the scientific rationale for improving aquatic animal health, production and reducing environmental impact and address the socio-economic factors.

Key features

-Develop an appreciation for the growing aquaculture industry within a sustainable agenda for meeting the needs of culturing fish, crustacean, mollusc, aquatic plants and invertebrates for their products.
-Choose specialised modules and draw on the expertise of research active staff with proven track records of teaching and national as well as international recognition in their fields.
-Seize the opportunity to research an aspect of aquaculture.
-Undertake a variety of projects and technical training with our contemporary facilities such as wet labs/aquaria, nutrition and feed analytical suites as well as teaching laboratories, molecular biology and an electron microscopy centre.
-Learn from internationally recognised scientists and personnel from Plymouth University and the National Lobster Hatchery.
-Gain access to expertise from leaders in industry and commerce in a variety of aquaculture systems, advancing your technical and scientific knowledge.
-Benefit from our strong relationships with government agencies, commercial enterprising and advisory organisations.
-Join our well established postgraduate environment where PhD students interact and engage in related specialised areas to foster a sound academic forum for sharing ideas and technical knowledge.
-Graduate opportunities include various career paths within the aquaculture industry as well as associated fields relating to fish and shellfish health, welfare and research. Previous graduates have progressed into careers in these fields or PhD programmes in the UK, Europe, Asia and Africa.

Course details

You’ll learn about the scale and nature of the global industry and the challenges required to develop sustainable solutions. The programme reflects key aspects of fish, shellfish and algae production relating to modern aquaculture practices with emphasis on nutrition, feed management, health, welfare and sustainable technology. It also incorporates the socio-economic and geo-political developments in this expanding area as well as marketing and enterprise. Topics include: fish nutrition, feed technology, fish and shellfish health management, disease prevention and genetic improvement of stock for aquaculture; management of fish production, ornamental fish culture and global demand for aquatic trades in captive fish species; environmental and legislative regulations in different countries and the problems of aquaculture expansion in rural areas; economics of the marine environment; seafood processing; and a research project leading to your dissertation.

Core module
-BIO504 Health and Production in Aquaculture
-BIO505 Research Project
-BIO5125 Sustainable Use of Resources in Biological Systems
-BIO5131 Postgraduate Research Skills & Methods
-BIO5208 Contemporary Issues in Aquaculture

Optional modules
-MAR529 Marine Planning
-BIO5209 Seafood Processing - Current Perspectives
-MAR507 Economics of the Marine Environment

Every postgraduate taught course has a detailed programme specification document describing the programme aims, the programme structure, the teaching and learning methods, the learning outcomes and the rules of assessment.

Read less

This MSc is a full-time one-year course, consisting of 9 months taught course and 3 months research project, and examined by continuous assessment. The course provides advanced training in marine biology with a strong emphasis on practical training.

The course provides training addressing the following major themes:

Marine Ecology Skills
Habitat Ecology / Coastal Survey
Marine Fisheries
Marine Vertebrates
Marine Invertebrates
Research Design & Planning
Research Project / Dissertation
The programme is achieved through a series of compulsory modules encompassing theory, practical, private study and practical research.

The School of Ocean Sciences at Bangor University has over 50 years experience of teaching at postgraduate level, and excellent teaching and research facilities for the study of the marine biology. Undergraduate teaching was graded excellent in the last Teaching Quality Assessment, and research was graded 4* in the Research Assessment Exercise. NERC has designated the School as a Centre of Excellence in Coastal Seas, Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography.

The MSc course in Marine Biology is one of a suite of 4 focused MSc courses in marine science run within the School. New students on this course are inducted to the University and School via an introductory course consisting of orientation through site tours, excursions and social events, and 5 weeks of quantifying biological variability, learning Information Technology, and practising presentation skills. Pre-sessional English language training courses are also available for overseas students.

The MSc course is managed by a course team comprising of the Course Director, Deputy Course Director and Postgraduate Course Administrator. The team report to the School Course Board, which in turn reports to the College of Natural Sciences. Each student has a personal tutor drawn from the teaching staff. The School has 30 academics teaching and researching across the marine science disciplines of Marine Biology (15), Biogeochemistry (2), Physical Oceanography (6) and Geological Oceanography (7) with a similar overall number of technical staff. Teaching on the MSc Marine Biology will be provided from 'in house' in the main, but additional teaching will be provided from the University's School of Biological Sciences and the National Museum of Wales.

The MSc course is housed in a fully serviced and dedicated postgraduate suite. The School is located on the shores of the Menai Strait which separates the Isle of Anglesey from the mainland. The Menai Strait is a proposed Statutory Marine Resource and EU Special Area of Conservation and there are unspoilt marine environments relatively close by.

The University's newly refurbished science library is located in nearby in Bangor. Specialist facilities in the School include temperate and tropical aquaria, satellite imaging processing and Geographical Information System computing, diving and field survey operations (including ROVs and sledges) and laboratories for benthic analysis, nutrition, microbiology, genetics, radiochemical analysis, stable isotopes, sediments and organic chemistry, scanning electron microscopy. An additional strength in our field teaching, is work at sea aboard the only ocean-going research vessel in the Higher Education sector (RV Prince Madog), which entered service in 2001.

MSc course students can benefit from the School's links with other institutions, especially for research project opportunities. Such links presently include the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, U.S.A., University of Mauritius, Catholic University Chile etc.

Read less

Would you like to apply your arts or applied sciences background to the conservation of fine art?

Northumbria University’s MA Conservation of Fine Art course is the only Master of Arts course in the UK that specialises in the conservation of easel painting and works of art on paper.

Integrating a mix of fine art, science and forensic techniques, you will study a range of subjects including studio and work-based practice, conservation theory, science, technical examination, -preventive conservation and research training skills.

In addition to the core modules studied, you will have the option to undertake a work placement during years one and two in the UK or abroad.

Learn From The Best

This course is taught by a team of specialist academics who have extensive experience in the field of conservation, science and the Fine Art sectors.

Applying their specialist knowledge to their day-to-day teaching, the members of our staff are actively involved in research and consultancy - activities which are helping to define this exciting and complex profession.

We also engage with the wider conservation sector to ensure that the content of this course is in-line with professional standards and employer expectations.

Throughout the duration of this course you will receive ongoing support from our teaching staff to ensure you leave equipped with - the necessary skills and knowledge to successfully pursue a career within conservation or a related discipline.

Teaching And Assessment

Offering the opportunity for you to specialise in either works of art on paper or easel paintings conservation, this course consists of modules that will explore a range of key areas including conservation theory and practice, conservation science, art history and preventive conservation

You will leave with the technical skills required to undertake examinations, cleaning, structural repairs and stabilisation of works of art, in addition to an in-depth understanding of the historic significance artistic practice and materials play-in understanding artworks.

Significant emphasis is also placed on ethics and developing your skills in research development.

This course is primarily delivered through practical workshops where you will develop a wide range of skills using especially prepared materials and case studies selected from our unique archive collection. These activities inform and run parallel with work conducted on project paintings and other challenging artefacts.

Assessment methods focus on you applying your practical skills, academic concepts and theories to your project documentation and the authentically constructed materials that mirror real life scenarios. You will also undertake a dissertation to further demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of this subject.

Learning Environment

When studying the MA Conservation of Fine Art course you will be housed in a Grade II listed building in the heart of Newcastle city centre. You will be able to utilise techniques such as x-ray, infra-red reflectography, and ultraviolet florescence and false colour infrared photography to examine materials and artworks spanning centuries, in addition to gaining access to intriguing archives and cutting edge technology.

You may also have access to other advanced technologies such as UV fluorescence microscopy, polarised light microscopy (PLM), UV/VIS spectrophotometry, fourier transform infrared (FTIR), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), x-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDX).

You will also receive ongoing support through our innovative e-learning platform, Blackboard, which will allow you to access learning materials such as module handbooks, assessment information, online lectures, reading lists and virtual gallery tours.

Research-Rich Learning

Research-rich learning is embedded throughout all aspects of this course and our staff are continuously involved and informed by fast-moving emerging developments in conservation research and ethical debates.

All of our staff possess individual specialisms, in areas such as the development and evaluation of conservation treatments for paintings, characterisation of artists’ materials and techniques, studies in material deterioration and comprehensive documentation of works of art.

Our team also collaborate with national and international research organisations.

When studying this master’s degree, you are encouraged to develop your own individual research skills to ensure you graduate with confidence in your own practical and academic experience. These skills are further enhanced when you undertake your dissertation under the guidance of your assigned tutor.

Give Your Career An Edge

This course has been developed to reflect national guidelines and ensure that you graduate with the necessary skills and knowledge to kick-start your career within this profession. There are also many additional opportunities available to further enhance your career edge whilst you study.

Throughout the duration of this course you will create a professional portfolio, which will include examples of practical work and displays of your intellectual achievement to provide a demonstration of your skills and enhance your performance at interviews.

In addition to completing a placement to further enhance your development you will also have the opportunity to present research papers at an organised symposium.

We actively encourage you to engage with professional bodies and attend key conferences to allow you to network with professionals who are already working within the profession, and you may also have the opportunity to advantage of our partnership with Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums, whose collection supports a number of activities. Our long standing links with the National Trust, Tate Britain and the estate of Francis Bacon have created exciting projects for our MA and PhD students.

Your Future

This course will equip you with a deep understanding of both the skills and knowledge required to work effectively in fine art conservation laboratories or conservation jobs across the world.

You may choose to work in galleries or museums, or progress your research to PhD level.

Recent illustrious alumni list, include Virginia Lladó-Buisán Head of Conservation & Collection Care Bodleian Libraries, Britta New, Paintings Conservator at the National Gallery in London and Eleanor Hasler, Head of Paper Conservation at Kew Gardens.

As your professional development is in-line with the current postgraduate professional standards for the Conservation of Fine Art, your access to postgraduate professional jobs within the conservation sector is likely to be enhanced.

Read less

Scientific analysis is a key tool in the interpretation of archaeological artefact and assemblages. This MSc offers detailed training in the use of scientific techniques for the analysis of archaeological and heritage materials, and a solid background in the archaeology and anthropology of technology allowing students to design and implement archaeologically meaningful scientific projects.

Degree information

This degree aims to bridge the gap between archaeology and science by integrating both a detailed training in the use of scientific techniques for the analysis of inorganic archaeological materials and a solid background in the anthropology of technology. By the end of the degree, students should have a good understanding of the foundations of the most established analytical techniques, practical experience in their application and data processing, as well as the ability to design research projects that employ instrumental analyses to address archaeological questions.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.

The programme consists of one core module (15 credits), four optional modules (75 credits) and a research dissertation (90 credits).

Core modules
-Laboratory and instrumental skills in archaeological science

Optional modules - you are then able to choose further optional modules to the value of 75 credits. At least 15 credits must be made up from the following:
-Technology within Society
-Archaeological Data Science

At least 30 credits must be made up from the following list below:
-Technology within Society
-Archaeological Data Science
-Archaeological Ceramic Analysis
-Archaeological Glass and Glazes
-Archaeometallurgy 1: Mining and Extractive Metallurgy
-Archaeometallurgy 2: Metallic Artefacts
-Geoarchaeology: Methods and Concepts
-Interpreting Pottery
-Working with Artefacts and Assemblages

In order to allow for a flexible curriculum, students are allowed to select up to 30 credits from any of the postgraduate courses offered at the UCL Institute of Archaeology under other Master's degrees.

Dissertation/report
All students undertake an independent research project which culminates in a dissertation of 15,000 words.

Teaching and learning
The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars, practical demonstrations and laboratory work. A popular aspect of this programme is its extensive use of analytical facilities. Assessment is through essays, practicals, projects, laboratory reports and oral presentations depending on the options chosen, and the dissertation.

Careers

Given our strong emphasis on research training, many of our MSc graduates take up further research positions after their degree, and over half of our MSc students progress to PhD research. Their projects are generally concerned with the technology and/or provenance of ceramics, metals or glass in different regions and periods, but most of them involve scientific approaches in combination with traditional fieldwork and/or experimental archaeology.

Some of our graduates are now teaching archaeometry or ancient technologies at different universities in the UK and abroad. Others work as conservation scientists in museums and heritage institutions, or as finds specialists, researchers and consultants employed by archaeological field units or academic research projects.

Employability
Due largely to an unparalleled breadth of academic expertise and laboratory facilities, our graduates develop an unusual combination of research and transferable skills, including critical abilities, team working, multimedia communication, numerical thinking and the use of advanced analytical instruments. On completion of the degree, graduates should be as comfortable in a laboratory as in a museum and or an archaeological site. They become acquainted with research design and implementation, ethical issues and comparative approaches to world archaeology through direct exposure to an enormous variety of projects. The range of options available allows students to tailor their pathways towards different career prospects in archaeology and beyond.

Why study this degree at UCL?

The UCL Institute of Archaeology is the largest and most diverse department of archaeology in the UK. Its specialist staff, outstanding library and fine teaching and reference collections provide a stimulating environment for postgraduate study.

The excellent in-house laboratory facilities will provide direct experience of a wide range of techniques, including electron microscopy and microphone analysis, fixed and portable X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction, infra-red spectroscopy, petrography and metallography under the supervision of some of the world's leading specialists.

The institute houses fine teaching and reference collections that are extensively used by MSc students including ceramics, metals, stone artefacts and geological materials from around the world. In addition, the institute has a wide network of connections to museums and ongoing projects offering research opportunities for MSc students.

Read less

This MSc provides participants with a theoretical understanding of research questions and methodologies in the study of past human-environment interactions, including subsistence and subsistence change. The Institute of Archaeology has a long research and training tradition in environmental archaeology, and has well-established laboratory facilities and reference collections as a result.

Degree information

Students gain practical experience in laboratory analysis of at least one of either: identification of animal bones, identification of plant macro-remains, sedimentological analyses. They develop an understanding of stratigraphic formation processes and their implications for developing sampling strategies, and are trained to collect and analyse data and report scientific results.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. The programme consists of three core modules (45 credits), optional modules (45 credits) and a research dissertation (90 credits).

Core modules - students are required to take the following:
-Environmental Archaeology in Practice
-Resources and Subsistence

Optional modules
-Archaeology of the Late Pleistocene and Holocene Hunter Gatherers
-British and European Prehistory: Neolithic to Iron Age
-Funerary Archaeology
-Middle Bronze Age to the Iron Age in the Near East: City-States and Empires
-The Aegean from First Farmers to Minoan States
-The Mediterranean World in the Iron Age
-The Neolithic and Early Bronze Age of the Near East: The emergence of villages and urban societies

Dissertation/report
All students undertake an independent research project, normally based on practical laboratory-based research, which culminates in a dissertation of 15,000 words.

Teaching and learning
The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars, presentations, laboratory sessions, practicals, and site and museum visits. Assessment is through the dissertation, and a combination of essays, coursework, presentations, practical examination and laboratory reports, depending on the options selected.

Careers

Some graduates of the programme go on to PhD studies but others will be well-placed to pursue a wide range of professional careers both within and beyond archaeology, including employment as environmental specialists for contract archaeology units.

Top career destinations for this degree:
-Archeology in South Asia, University of Barcelona.
-Archaeological Technician, Southeast Archeological Center.
-PhD Archaeology, University of Exeter.

Why study this degree at UCL?

The UCL Institute of Archaeology is the largest and most diverse department of archaeology in the UK, and provides a stimulating environment for postgraduate study.

The institute boasts a wide range of laboratory facilities relevant to this degree including dedicated laboratories for zooarchaeology (with a comparative collection of Near Eastern and European faunal remains), archaeobotany (with extensive comparative collections for seeds, wood, tubers, phytoliths and pollen); phytolith processing, sedimentology and scanning electron microscopy.

UCL is located in central London, close to the resources of the British Museum, the British Library and the Natural History Museum.

Read less

Our environmental science research is multidisciplinary, including subjects ranging from biology to geography and geosciences. Supported by the global outlook and impact of the Newcastle Institute for Sustainability, you will have access to international experts, the latest facilities and a unique research support package to ensure your future success.

We offer MPhil supervision in the following subjects areas associated with environment science:

Applied and environmental biology

We conduct research on organisms and processes of commercial and environmental importance, embracing experimental approaches that encompass genomics, molecular biology, biochemistry and physiology. Our research provides evidence for the underlying molecular and physiological processes that affect animal behaviour and physiology.

Our research is driven by the desire to develop new biological systems that address health, food, energy and water security. The applied nature of our work has led to the launch of successful spin-out companies, such as Geneius. These companies offer graduate employment opportunities and make a substantial contribution to the local economy. The commercial applications that result from our research range from natural products discovery and creation of novel antimicrobials and biopesticides to sustainable methods of reducing food spoilage.

Based in the Newcastle Institute for Research on Sustainability (NIReS), our research laboratories include well-equipped molecular laboratories for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) amplification, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), and facilities for the production of novel recombinant proteins, including protein engineering. Microbiological laboratories are equipped to Category 2 standard. We have the latest equipment for profiling plant leaf gas exchange and light use efficiency, high performance liquid chromatography, fluorescence and light microscopy and easy access to central facilities for confocal and electron microscopy, DNA sequencing, microarray analyses and proteomics. We also have a suite of licenced controlled environment rooms for growing transgenic plants and for housing quarantine invertebrate pests.

Applied and environmental biology research is based in the School of Biology and led by academic staff with international reputations.

Environmental change and management

We study long-term system evolution and change, developing knowledge relating to the Earth's surface and the processes that form its structure and function. We also study how human behaviour impacts on these systems and influences sustainable management.

Based in the School of Geography, Politics and Sociology, you will be part of an active research community of nearly 200 social science researchers. We pride our research on being the highest academic quality with an international focus, underpinned by a concern for informing public debate and contributing to public policy formulation.

Research in physical geography is supported by a number of laboratories:
-Newcastle Cosmogenic Isotope Facility
-Geomorphology Laboratory
-Chemical, paleoecology and organic chemistry laboratories
-Spatial Analysis Laboratory

We have over 90 academic and research staff and we will ensure that your project is supervised by experts in your field.

Geosciences

Geoscience research at Newcastle is focused on:
-Biogeochemistry, with particular strength in microbial ecology, mineralogy, organic, inorganic and isotope geochemistry
-Geoenergy, reflecting a balance between fossil fuels as a critical energy resource and the move towards a lower carbon global economy

Our biogeochemistry and geoenergy research forms a strong multi-disciplinary group. We also have links to the engineering community through our work on microbial processes of significance to oil and gas production such as reservoir souring.

Read less

Why this course?

The course explores the versatile field of optical technologies which supports many aspects of modern society. Optical technologies are expected to be a key enabling technology of the 21st century.

The course is based on the strong record of optical technologies across research divisions in the department of physics and the collaborating institutions:
- Optics Division (Physics)
- Plasma Division (Physics)
- Nanoscience Division (Physics)
- Institute of Photonics
- Centre for Biophotonics
- Department of Electronic & Electrical Engineering

You can choose classes relevant to your career interests from a wide range of topics including:
- photonics and photonic materials
- nanosciences
- optics at the physics-life sciences interface
- laser-based plasma physics
- quantum optics and quantum information technology

You’ll put the knowledge gained in the taught components to use in a cutting-edge research project.

The course gives you the opportunity of exploring and mastering a large range of optical technologies. It enables you to put devices in the context of an optical system and/or application.

See the website https://www.strath.ac.uk/courses/postgraduatetaught/opticaltechnologies/

Who’s the course suitable for?

It’s suitable for those with a science or engineering background wanting to gain a vocational degree or to obtain a solid foundation for an optics-related PhD programme.

It’s also appropriate for those who’ve worked in industry and want to consolidate their future career by further academic studies.

You’ll study

The course consists of two semesters of taught classes followed by a three- month research project.

Facilities

This course is run by the Department of Physics. The department’s facilities include:
- well-equipped optical labs for semiconductor photonics, semiconductor spectroscopy and fluorescence lifetime analysis.
- the Ultrafast Chemical Physics lab with state-of-the-art femtosecond laser systems for multi-dimensional IR spectroscopy
- cutting edge high power laser research with SCAPA, the highest power laser in a UK university
- a scanning electron microscopy suite for analysis of hard and soft matter
- access to top-of-the-range high performance computer facilities
- industry standard cleanroom in the Institute of Photonics

Pre-Masters preparation course

The Pre-Masters Programme is a preparation course for international students (non EU/UK) who do not meet the entry requirements for a Masters degree at University of Strathclyde. The Pre-Masters programme provides progression to a number of degree options.

To find out more about the courses and opportunities on offer visit isc.strath.ac.uk or call today on +44 (0) 1273 339333 and discuss your education future. You can also complete the online application form. To ask a question please fill in the enquiry form and talk to one of our multi-lingual Student Enrolment Advisers today.

Learning & teaching

Our teaching is based on lectures, tutorials, workshops, laboratory experiments, and research projects.

Assessment

The assessment includes written examinations, coursework, presentations and a talk, oral examination and report presenting and defending the research project.

Careers

The course gives you a thorough basis for a successful job in the photonics, optical and life sciences industries. It provides the basis to excel in more interesting and challenging posts.
The course can also be an entry route into an optics-related PhD programme.
Over the years, many of Strathclyde’s optics and photonics graduates have found successful employment at the large variety of local laser and optics companies as well as with national and international corporations.

Find information on Scholarships here http://www.strath.ac.uk/search/scholarships/index.jsp

Read less

Why this course?

This taught MSc course gives you a comprehensive overview of state-of-the-art research in nanoscience. It provides you with the opportunity to develop the skills necessary for this emerging area.

The course is mainly designed to equip you for a research-based career in industry but it can also serve as a way of progressing towards a PhD.

See the website https://www.strath.ac.uk/courses/postgraduatetaught/nanoscience/

Who’s the course suitable for?

This course will be of interest to physical science graduates looking to work in the field of nanoscience. It’s also suitable for those with an industrial background as a further training opportunity and a way of gaining insights into topics at the forefront of academic research.

The course

This course explores the frontiers of science on the nanoscale. It provides a strong grounding in basic nanoscience before progressing to advanced topics.

Taught classes have been developed from the many years of nanoscience research at the University in areas such as:
- nanoscale imaging
- nanoparticle fabrication and functionalisation
- chemical physics
- computational modelling of the nanoworld

You’ll study

Two semesters of formal teaching are followed by a three-month intensive project.

- Research project
Following the taught classes, you’ll undertake a research intensive project in a relevant nanoscience topic.

The projects take place primarily in research labs located in the University’s physical science departments. There are some opportunities for relevant industrial placements.

Facilities

This course is run by the Department of Physics. The department’s facilities include:
- photophysics lab with world-leading instrumentation for fluorescence lifetime, spectra, microscopy, imaging and sensing
- a scanning electron microscopy suite for analysis of hard and soft matter
- the Ultrafast Chemical Physics lab with state-of-the-art femtosecond laser systems for multi-dimensional IR spectroscopy
- access to top-of-the-range facilities for high-performance computing
- industry standard cleanroom in the Institute of Photonics

Pre-Masters preparation course

The Pre-Masters Programme is a preparation course for international students (non EU/UK) who do not meet the entry requirements for a Masters degree at University of Strathclyde. The Pre-Masters programme provides progression to a number of degree options.

To find out more about the courses and opportunities on offer visit isc.strath.ac.uk or call today on +44 (0) 1273 339333 and discuss your education future. You can also complete the online application form. To ask a question please fill in the enquiry form and talk to one of our multi-lingual Student Enrolment Advisers today.

Careers

- What kind of jobs do Strathclyde Physics graduates get?
To answer this question we contacted some of our Physics graduates from all courses to find out what jobs they have. They are working across the world in a number of different roles including:
- Medical Physicist
- Senior Engineer
- Professor
- Systems Engineer
- Treasury Analyst
- Patent Attorney
- Software Engineer
- Teacher
- Spacecraft Project Manager
- Defence Scientist
- Procurement Manager
- Oscar winner

Find information on Scholarships here http://www.strath.ac.uk/search/scholarships/index.jsp

Read less