This exciting programme focuses on the design, development and clinical application of novel rehabilitative and assistive technologies. The programme is delivered by the Aspire Create team, which is engineering the next generation of these technologies, in partnership with clinicians at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital.
You will engage in research-based learning and work on real-world medical engineering projects which are driven by a clinical need. Throughout the MSc, you will receive core training in “anatomy for engineers", biomechanics and research methodologies, before choosing modules that explore cutting-edge topics ranging from robotics and electronic implants to social cognitive rehabilitation and “disability and development”.
Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.
The programme consists of four core modules (60 credits), two optional modules (30 credits), a group research module (30 credits) and an individual project (60 credits).
Core modules
Optional modules
All students participate in two group research projects which put the theory from the core modules into practice. Each project results in a group report and an individual mini-viva.
Dissertation/report
All students undertake an independent research project which culminates in a dissertation of 10,000-12,000 words.
Teaching and learning
The programme is delivered through a combination of interactive lectures, seminars and hands-on laboratory sessions, supported by exercise/problem sheets and opportunities for reflection and discussion. Assessment is through coursework, research project reports, mini-vivas, MCQs and written exams.
The programme will be taught mostly at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in Stanmore, London. Some teaching will also take place in Bloomsbury.
Further information on modules and degree structure is available on the department website: Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technologies MSc
For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.
Typical career destinations for our graduates range from, but are not limited to: academic researchers, biomedical R&D engineers, clinical scientists, and entrepreneurs who spin out their project work into start-up companies.
Employability
This programme will give you the opportunity to enhance your employability by gaining and refining both technical and transferable skills. Not only will you gain specialist theoretical knowledge, you will also learn how to put this into practice through our research-based learning activities. The highly interdisciplinary research focus will give you experience of the academic, clinical and third sectors. Importantly, you will refine your communication skills by interacting with different audiences (technical, clinical and lay) and learn how to pitch your arguments at the right level – this is a highly valued skill in any sector.
Rehabilitation engineering promises to revolutionise the way patients regain their independence. Complementary to drugs and surgery, this unique MSc focuses on how state-of-the-art technologies can be developed and translated into clinical practice.
You will tackle real problems, faced by people with complex and challenging medical conditions, such as spinal cord injuries and stroke.
There are plenty of networking opportunities throughout the programme, which is run by internationally renowned UCL academics, in conjunction with clinicians at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital; assistive technology specialists from the Aspire charity; and our industrial research partners.
The Masters in Biomedical Engineering is an interdisciplinary programme that will equip you for employment within the biomedical engineering sector. This programme addresses all the key aspects of biomedical engineering.
Modes of delivery of the MSc in Biomedical Engineering include lectures, seminars and tutorials and allow students the opportunity to take part in lab, team work and study trips in the UK. You will undertake an MSc project working on a specific research area with one of the academics.
Career opportunities include positions in rehabilitation engineering, biomaterials for reconstructive surgery, biosensors, device and implant design and development, and biosignal processing.
The Masters in Biomedical Engineering is an interdisciplinary programme that will equip you for employment within the biomedical engineering sector. This programme addresses all the key aspects of biomedical engineering.
Modes of delivery of the MSc in Biomedical Engineering include lectures, seminars and tutorials and allow students the opportunity to take part in lab, team work and study trips in the UK. You will undertake an MSc project working on a specific research area with one of the academics.
Career opportunities include positions in rehabilitation engineering, biomaterials for reconstructive surgery, biosensors, device and implant design and development, and biosignal processing.
Our biomedical engineering department offers a postgraduate degree programme that combines engineering, medicine and life and physical sciences.
The department is an international centre of excellence in postgraduate teaching and research.
Postgraduate education and research is directed at the application of the methods and ideas of engineering and the physical and biological sciences in medicine and surgery.
We have a particular emphasis on clinically-related research which ranges from basic investigations to direct clinical applications.
Much of our research is based on active collaboration with clinical units, academic departments and industry in Glasgow along with other areas of the UK and overseas.
As a student here, you'll play a vital role in the development of innovative research, enjoy state-of-the-art facilities and have the opportunity to network with industrialists, academic experts and clinical collaborators.
Visits to local clinical centres along with lectures from industrialists and visiting experts from the UK and overseas are a key part of our courses. You'll also have the opportunity to meet our many industrial and clinical experts to help advise and further your career.
Our postgraduate education includes research degrees that can be studied over one year (MPhil, MRes), three years (PhD) or four years (EngD). Our external research is supported by funding from Research Councils, the Scottish Government, charities, commerce and industry within the UK, EU and internationally in countries such as the US and Japan.
You can study a degree in biomedical engineering within any of our three major research areas:
In the first semester of the programme, graduates from a range of backgrounds are brought up-to-speed on core knowledge in engineering, biology and research practice.
This is followed by specialist modules in the second semester on human movement analysis, prostheses, implants, physiological measurements and rehabilitation, as well as numerous computer methods applied across the discipline.
The course makes use of different approaches to teaching, including traditional lectures and tutorials, off-site visits to museums and hospitals, and lab work (particularly in the Human Movement and Instrumentation modules).
The core lecturing team is supplemented by leading figures from hospitals and industry.
This programme is studied full-time over one academic year and part-time over two academic years. It consists of eight taught modules and a research project.
All modules are taught on the University main campus, with the exception of visits to the health care industry (e.g. commercial companies and NHS hospitals).
Example module listing
The following modules are indicative, reflecting the information available at the time of publication. Please note that not all modules described are compulsory and may be subject to teaching availability and/or student demand.
The course aims:
The programme provides opportunities for students to develop and demonstrate knowledge and understanding, skills, qualities and other attributes in the following areas:
Knowledge and understanding
Intellectual / cognitive skills
Professional practical skills
Key / transferable skills
We often give our students the opportunity to acquire international experience during their degrees by taking advantage of our exchange agreements with overseas universities.
In addition to the hugely enjoyable and satisfying experience, time spent abroad adds a distinctive element to your CV.
This MSc programme combines knowledge of the engineering and medical sciences with advances in technology and practice to generate applications and solutions to clinically relevant problems.
It affords a Masters level degree in this clinical area, while considering globally the effects of disability within a population and society’s approaches globally.
This is one of the few programmes globally that offers a specific degree in prosthetics and orthotics. The National Centre for Prosthetics and Orthotics (NCPO) has an international reputation for quality education within this field. The staff of the NCPO is involved in research and clinical practice both nationally and internationally.
The main aim of the course is to produce postgraduates capable of developing careers in allied health professionals and biomedical engineering (research, industrial and NHS).
We require candidates first degree to be in Prosthetics & Orthotics. Our learning environment brings together ideas and concepts from science, medicine and engineering to enable the development of relevant clinical and industrial research.
Taught classes, laboratory demonstrations, practical exercises and clinical visits take place during semesters 1 and 2. Diploma students then complete a project dissertation and MSc students complete a research or development project reported by a thesis.
Visits to local clinical centres and lectures from industrialists and visiting experts from the UK and overseas are an integral part of our courses.
You'll also have the opportunity to meet our many industrial and clinical collaborators to help advise and further your career.
You'll undertake a clinically relevant project in the rehabilitation area of prosthetics and/or orthotics.
The Department of Biomedical Engineering consists of the Bioengineering Unit and the National Centre for Prosthetics and Orthotics – two complementary and key areas of health technology teaching and research within the University.
The National Centre for Prosthetics and Orthotics was established in 1972, growing out of the Bioengineering Unit at the University of Strathclyde, which was established more than 50 years ago, both being internationally-recognised centres of excellence for education and research at the interface of engineering and the medical science, with particular emphasis on clinically-related teaching and research. The new department of Biomedical Engineering in 2012 was formed through the merger of these two esteemed units.
Research areas include:
The department also hosts the Centre for Doctoral Training in Medical Devices and Health Technologies, the Strathclyde Institute of Medical Devices and the Centre for Excellence in Rehabilitation Research.
In addition the department is a major partner in the Glasgow Research Partnership in Engineering; Health Technologies Knowledge Transfer Network; and Glasgow Health Technology Cooperative.
This programme will include internationally recognised lecturers from the World Health Organisation and large NGOs globally which may include Handicap International and the international Committee for the Red Cross.
The course is delivered through a wide range of lectures, tutorials, practical laboratories, teaching seminars, networking events, and career support sessions.
The course is assessed through a range of varied methods including: written assignments, exams, written assignments, presentations, and individual projects.
This Masters degree in Prosthetics & Orthotics is planned to afford the graduates the ability to consider and evaluate prosthetic and orthotic clinical practice with an evidence-based approach. The programme is designed to develop the ability to assess the country specific health care needs as recommended in the World Health Organisation guidelines and standards, and in alignment with the UN convention of Human Rights of the persons with a Disability. Future careers would include:
The postgraduate courses offered are modular and intended for off-campus delivery. The courses can lead to an award of an MSc., Postgraduate Diploma or Postgraduate Certificate.
The courses have been designed for professionals already working in prosthetics, orthotics, healthcare, medicine or associated disciplines. They are offered by distance learning allowing you to study at your own pace, at times and places that are convenient for you.
You'll select courses from the range of instructional modules available. The choice will be limited by initial qualifications.
Optional modules
* not available to prosthetists or orthotists
Restricted modules (for professional prosthetists/orthotists only)
Please note that not all modules may be offered every year.
All modules count for 20 credits towards a postgraduate qualification.
You must obtain a total of 180 credits which includes 120 credits from a selection of compulsory, optional and restricted modules and 60 credits from a final project to be awarded an MSc in:
If you obtain a minimum of 120 credits from a selection of the optional and restricted modules, you may be awarded a Postgraduate Diploma in:
If you obtain a minimum of 60 credits from a selection of the optional and restricted modules, you may be awarded a Postgraduate Certificate in:
The final year project aims to develop planning, resourcing and implementing healthcare focused research skills within a work based research project. You'll be involved in a number of processes which include:
The project may take the form of an extended literature review or involve experimental work. This project work will have been supported by compulsory modules in research methodology and data analysis.
You select instructional modules from the range available. All the modules include:
Some modules will require you to attend a residential week at the National Centre for Prosthetics & Orthotics.
The course is delivered by distance learning. All course materials are available on the University's virtual learning environment 'Myplace' along with a timetable of coursework submission and feedback dates. You can upload coursework to myplace at the appropriate time for each module and feedback is provided by an agreed feedback date. Skype is also available for individual contact with supervisors.
A range of guest lecturers contribute the research methodology/data analysis and clinical gait analysis residential weeks.
You must perform all coursework and course assignments satisfactorily. Some modules may require a pass in a written exam at the end of a compulsory residential week. Exams are held at the conclusion of each of the instructional modules, either at the end of the residential week in the National Centre or overseas at a nominated local institute or British Council Office.
If you do not show satisfactory progress you may, on the advice of either the Course Co-ordinating Committee or the Board of Examiners, be permitted to transfer your registration to the Postgraduate Diploma or the Postgraduate Certificate.
You’ll only be allowed one attempt to pass each exam. However, the Board of Examiners may, in special circumstances, allow you one further attempt to pass an outstanding exam.
