Masters Degrees (Therapeutics)

The Department of Oncology and the Department for Continuing Education’s CPD Centre offer a part-time MSc in Experimental Therapeutics that brings together some of Oxford's leading clinicians and scientists to deliver an advanced modular programme designed for those in full-time employment, both in the UK and overseas.

The Programme draws on the world-class research and teaching in experimental therapeutics at Oxford University and offers a unique opportunity to gain an understanding of the principles that underpin clinical research and to translate this into good clinical and research practice.

Visit the website https://www.conted.ox.ac.uk/about/msc-in-experimental-therapeutics

The first deadline for applications is Friday 20 January 2017

If your application is completed by this January deadline and you fulfil the eligibility criteria, you will be automatically considered for a graduate scholarship. For details see: http://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/graduate/fees-and-funding/graduate-scholarships.

Programme details

The MSc in Experimental Therapeutics is a part-time course consisting of six modules and a research project and dissertation. The programme is normally completed in two to three years. Students are full members of the University of Oxford and are matriculated as members of an Oxford college.

The modules in this programme can also be taken as individual short courses. It is possible to transfer credit from up to three previously completed modules into the MSc programme, if the time elapsed between commencement of the accredited module(s) and registration for the MSc is not more than two years.

Programme modules:

- The Structure of Clinical Trials and Experimental Therapeutics
- Drug Development, Pharmacokinetics and Imaging
- Pharmacodynamics, Biomarkers and Personalised Therapy
- Adverse Drug Reactions, Drug Interactions, and Pharmacovigilance
- How to do Research on Therapeutic Interventions: Protocol Preparation
- Biological Therapeutics

Course aims

The aim of the MSc programme is to provide students with the necessary training and practical experience to enable them to understand the principles that underpin clinical research, and to enable them to translate that understanding into good clinical and research practice.

By the end of the MSc programme, students should understand the following core principles:

- Development, marketing and regulations of drugs
- Pharmaceutical factors that affect drug therapy
- Pharmacokinetics, pharmacogenetics and pharmacodynamics
- Adverse drug reactions, drug interactions, and pharmacovigilance
- Designing phase I, II and III clinical trials for a range of novel therapeutic interventions (and imaging agents).
- Application of statistics to medicine
- Laboratory assays used to support trial end-points
- Use of non-invasive imaging in drug development
- Application of analytical techniques

By the end of the programme, students should be equipped to:

- demonstrate a knowledge of the principles, methods and techniques for solving clinical research problems and translate this into good clinical and research practice
- apply skills gained in techniques and practical experience from across the medical and biological sciences
- develop skills in managing research-based work in experimental therapeutics
- carry out an extended research project involving a literature review, problem specification and analysis in experimental therapeutics and write a short dissertation

Guidance from the UK Royal College of Physician's Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine

The Faculty have confirmed that if enrolled for Pharmaceutical Medicine Specialty Training (PMST), trainees may be able to use knowledge provided by Experimental Therapeutics modules to cover aspects of a module of the PMST curriculum. Trainees are advised to discuss this with their Educational Supervisor.

Experimental Therapeutics modules may also be used to provide those pursuing the Faculty's Diploma in Pharmaceutical Medicine (DPM) with the necessary knowledge required to cover the Diploma syllabus. Applicants for the DPM exam are advised to read the DPM syllabus and rules and regulations.

Members of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine who are registered in the Faculty's CPD scheme can count participation in Experimental Therapeutics modules towards their CPD record. Non-members may wish to obtain further advice about CPD credit from their Royal College or Faculty.

Assessment methods

To complete the MSc, students need to:

Attend the six modules and complete an assessed written assignment for each module.
Complete a dissertation on a topic chosen in consultation with a supervisor and the Course Director.

Dissertation:
The dissertation is founded on a research project that builds on material studied in the taught modules. The dissertation should normally not exceed 15,000 words.

The project will normally be supervised by an academic supervisor from the University of Oxford, and an employer-based mentor.

The following are topics of dissertations completed by previous students on the course:

- The outcomes of non-surgical management of tubal pregnancy; a 6 month study of the South East London population

- Analysis of the predictive and prognostic factors of outcome in a cohort of patients prospectively treated with perioperative chemotherapy for adenocarcinoma of the stomach or of the gastroesophageal junction

- Evolution of mineral and bone disorder in early Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD): the role of FGF23 and vitamin D

- Survey of patients' knowledge and perception of the adverse drug reporting scheme (yellow cards) in primary care

- The predictive role of ERCC1 status in oxaliplatin based Neoadjuvant for metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) to the liver

- Endothelial Pathophysiology in Dengue - Dextran studies during acute infection

- Literature review of the use of thalidomide in cancer

- An investigation into the phenotypical and functional characteristics of mesenchymal stem cells for clinical application

- Identification of genetic variants that cause capecitabine and bevacizumab toxicity

- Bridging the evidence gap in geriatric medicines via modelling and simulations

Teaching methods

The class-based modules will include a period of preparatory study, a week of intensive face-to-face lectures and tutorials, followed by a period for assignment work. Attendance at modules will be a requirement for study. Some non-classroom activities will be provided at laboratory facilities elsewhere in the University. The course will include taught material on research skills. A virtual learning environment (VLE) will provide between-module support.

The taught modules will include group work, discussions, guest lectures, and interaction and feedback with tutors and lecturers. Practical work aims to develop the students' knowledge and understanding of the subject.

Find out how to apply here - http://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/graduate/applying-to-oxford

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This full-time MSc course is designed to provide graduates with advanced knowledge, understanding and skills in the rapidly advancing field of Cancer Biology and Therapeutics.

The course offers advanced teaching in the cellular aspects of cancer biology together with the molecular mechanisms underlying cancer development and progression. It provides in-depth training in cancer therapeutics, encompassing biomarkers and diagnosis, therapeutic targets, drug discovery and clinical trials and chemo/radio therapy, as well as aiming to develop your theoretical and practical research skills. This postgraduate programme offers a balanced combination of theory and practice that would serve as preparation for doctoral research or as a self-contained advanced qualification in its own right.

Graduates from this course should gain a breadth and depth of cancer-focused training that will make them highly attractive candidates to start or continue a career within the healthcare sector and research establishments.

The course offers research skills training and a laboratory-based research project that can provide you with the skills required to develop research hypotheses and critically evaluate translational approaches with respect to the development of contemporary cancer therapeutics.

Distinctive features

• A broad ranging course that covers basic molecular cancer cell biology through to translational research and therapeutics.

• A course developed in collaboration with researchers, academics and clinicians and delivered by leading academic cancer researchers at Cardiff University.

• Key lectures and case study workshops delivered by practising oncologists and cancer surgeons.

• Opportunity to study at Cardiff University, one of the UK’s major teaching and research universities.

• Opportunity to undertake a research project in one of the internationally recognized cancer research groups at Cardiff.

• Close academic support from an experienced personal tutor.
Opportunity to join a vibrant postgraduate community studying at Cardiff.

Structure

This is a full-time course over one academic year. You will study 180 credits: 120 of taught material, followed by a 60 credit project.

Core modules:

Data Handling and Statistics
Cellular and Molecular Biology of Cancer
Translational Oncology and Therapeutics
Academic Research Skills
Research Methodology
Research Project

Teaching

The programme will provide advanced teaching in the cellular aspects of cancer biology together with the molecular mechanisms underlying cancer development and progression. In-depth training will be provided in the area of cancer therapeutics, encompassing biomarkers and diagnosis, therapeutic targets, drug discovery and clinical trials and chemo/radio therapy, in addition to developing the student’s theoretical and practical research skills.

Assessment

Assessment for the course will comprise a combination of exams, written essays, posters, laboratory coursework and case studies.

Career Prospects

Graduates from this course should gain a breadth and depth of cancer-focused training that could make them highly attractive candidates to start or continue a career within the healthcare sector and research establishments.

Potential employment opportunities include PhD student, research technician, medical laboratory science officer, clinical trials co-ordinator, and medical writer.

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The PgCert / PgDip / MSc in Therapeutics is designed for medical practitioners, pharmacists, specialist nurses, and others who wish to gain further expertise in the practical management of common therapeutic problems. 

The course arises from a leading research centre and aims to encourage critical thinking and to equip students not only with practical and factual knowledge, but also provide a basic approach to therapeutic problems, encouraging attitudes and abilities which will be of lasting value in dealing with future advances in therapy.

Distinctive features:

• Problem orientated, evidence-based learning specifically designed to be of direct relevance to practice.

• Distance-learning, delivered entirely online. You can choose when and where to study, at home, at work or on the move.

• Targeted fortnightly reading guided by aims and outcomes for the period.

• Audio interviews and presentations are available to download.

• We are also recognised as a major research centre. Advances in therapeutics have been pioneered in Cardiff, including methods for optimal use of anticoagulants, antiarrhythmic drugs and anticonvulsants.

Structure

• PgCert:

The Postgraduate Certificate consists of one stage: stage T.

Stage T - This stage lasts for one academic year and consists of three 20-credit modules totalling 60 credits, at Level 7. 

Core modules:

Foundation in Clinical Therapeutics
Safe Prescribing in Practice
The management of chronic illnesses in practice: Dermatology, Respiratory, Gastrointestinal and Gynaecology

At the end of stage T, students who have obtained a minimum of 60 credits at Level 7, including the award of credit for all required modules, may exit with the award of Postgraduate Certificate or may apply to progress to the Postgraduate Diploma. 

• PgDip:

The course can be completed in one year with full-time distance learning or in two years by part-time distance learning.

There are two stages to the Postgraduate Diploma course: T1, the first taught stage, and T2, second taught stage. 

Stage T1 - This stage consists of three 20-credit modules totalling 60 credits, at Level 7. 
Stage T2 - This stage consists of a further three 20 credit modules totalling 60 credits, at Level 7, to achieve a total of 120 credits to complete the Postgraduate Diploma course.

Core modules:

Same core modules as PgCert PLUS

The management of chronic illnesses in practice: Pain, Musculoskeletal and Endocrine
Cardiovascular Therapeutics
The management of chronic illnesses in practice: Psychotherapy, Neurology and the Eye

At the end of stage T2, students who have obtained a minimum of 120 credits at Level 7, including the award of credit for all required modules, will be eligible for the award of Postgraduate Diploma, or they may apply to enter the MSc course. 

• MSc:

Entry to the MSc (dissertation stage) is available to a selected number of candidates only, on a part-time basis only, and eligibility is dependent upon successful completion of the Cardiff University Postgraduate Diploma in Therapeutics to an acceptable standard.

Once accepted on to the MSc, candidates complete a formative research methods module and a 20,000 word dissertation. The research dissertation stage lasts for one academic year (part-time).

Assessment

The taught stage in-course assessment is delivered and submitted via Learning Central™. Assessment for each module is carried out by one formative case study and one summative objective assessment (e.g. multiple-choice questions) exercise each fortnight, together with a summative written assignment. The written assignment may take the form of an essay, a piece of portfolio learning or a task such as a practice audit.

The formative case studies encourage candidates to reflect on their own practice, the evidence base, and any national or local guidelines which cover the topic. Responses to the case study are analysed and feedback is provided in a report that follows. This provides candidates with an opportunity to assess their clinical practice and compare it with that of their peers.

The summative objective assessment is marked in-house and feedback and explanations of the correct answers are provided to the students. This element is worth 30% of the marks for each module. The written task is marked by one of the programme markers and then moderated by a member of the course team; this contributes the remaining 70% of the marks for the module.

Career Prospects

The course aims to equip you with a sound understanding of the management of common medical conditions and to develop skills in evidence-based medicine. Graduates would be expected to gain the skills and expertise necessary to become the ‘local therapeutics expert’. 

Many graduates of this course have gone on to hold senior positions in clinical and governmental organisations.

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Our Translational Medicine and Therapeutics MRes is a research-based course with a taught component that is equivalent to an MSc. It provides a springboard into a career that involves a working knowledge of scientific research.

The course is designed for graduates with a BSc in the life sciences or other science disciplines, and for intercalating and fully qualified MBBS or BDS students. It can be taken either as a stand-alone qualification or as an entry route onto a PhD or MD.

The taught component of the course includes subject-specific content in the area of translational medicine and therapeutics. You have the flexibility to develop your own bespoke course by selecting additional, complementary modules. You will also participate in training in general research principles, and other professional and key skills.

Subject-based modules in translational medicine and therapeutics provide the opportunity to learn about the development and evaluation of new medicines and to develop skills in translational research relating to therapeutics. Teaching and supervision is provided by both university-based academics and experts from the pharmaceutical industry.

Your research project comprises the major element of the course. This project will involve 24 weeks of research in an area of translational medicine and therapeutics under the supervision of an expert academic researcher in the field.

The course allows you to experience an internationally competitive research area, predominantly in academia but also potentially in industry.

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This programme teaches advanced experimental approaches to dissecting the mechanisms of drug action (pharmacology), a science that has seen innovative theoretical and technical development at UCL for over a century.

Degree information

In addition to providing experience of both classical and modern pharmacological techniques, the programme will help develop skills for literature search-based data acquisition and analysis; written and verbal communication of science; abstract writing; poster preparation; graphical processing; image preparation for publication; writing a scientific paper; and giving research presentations.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.

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

Core modules
-Investigative Pharmacology
-Molecular Pharmacology
-Practice of Science

Optional modules - students choose one of the following:
-Advanced Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics
-Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics
-Drug Design and Development
-Neuropharmacology
-New Drug Targets in the CNS
-Pharmacology of Inflammation
-Receptor Mechanisms
-Synaptic Pharmacology

Dissertation/report
Students undertake an original research project which culminates in a 15,000-word dissertation and an oral presentation.

Teaching and learning
The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, journal clubs, practicals, tutorials and a laboratory project. Student performance is evaluated through formal examination, coursework, and the research project.

Careers

This programme is likely to lead to careers in biomedical sciences, the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry and clinical laboratories, and extend to clinicians interested in moving towards a scientific career. Students will obtain a thorough knowledge of and practice in pharmacological assessment, drug design and development pathways. It is anticipated that graduates will move onto PhD programmes and/or build careers in industry or clinical investigations through employment as research associates/scientists in the pharmaceutical industry or academia.

Employability
The knowledge and transferable skills developed on this programme will be advantageous for those considering employment in any pharmaceutical or healthcare setting, or contemplating further studies in related fields. The programme will also provide excellent training in critical appraisal of complex data, which will transfer well to other disciplines.

Why study this degree at UCL?

The programme is jointly taught by UCL Neuroscience, Physiology & Pharmacology (Division of Biosciences), and the Research Department of Pharmacology at the UCL School of Pharmacy. Both departments are historically and currently internationally leading in this field, and together provide cutting-edge education in theory, research practice and innovation in pharmacology.

The programme is designed to impart extensive experimental expertise applied to drug development and subsequent therapeutics. The combination of traditional and experimental approaches in pharmacology, coupled with current innovation in therapeutics and drug discovery and development, fosters a unique set of skills, which will enable graduates of the programme to engage in various aspects of pharmaceutical research globally.

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Why take this course?

This course is taught by a range of experts in clinical examination skills, clinical pharmacology and therapeutics in buildings with state-of-the art clinical skills suites. It provides an opportunity to consolidate your therapeutics skills, gain skills in clinical examination and consultation and benefit from structured patient experience in a supervised practice setting.

What opportunities might it lead to?

On this course you will:

Learn from experts in the subject from the School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences and School of Health Sciences and Social Work.
Gain hands-on experience in clinical examination and history taking, including opportunities to experience clinical simulation in our dedicated clinical skills suites.
Be supported throughout the development of your portfolio of evidence of competencies.

Module Details

All students on this course will be pharmacists with at least two years post-registration experience. The course further develops your existing knowledge and skills in the areas of clinical pharmacology, therapeutics, consultation skills, physical assessment and the legal and professional aspects of prescribing roles.

Core units in the course include:

Pharmacology and therapeutics for prescribers
Clinical skills for prescribers
Professional aspects of prescribing

Programme Assessment

This course provides an excellent blended learning opportunity with delivery through interactive live and online learning, seminars and workshops. In addition, there is a 90 hour period of learning in practice, which is supervised by a Designated Medical Practitioner.

You will be assessed in ways that align with the practical nature of the course:

Essays
Presentations
Applied Health Assessments (observation in practice)
Observed Structured Clinical Examinations
Portfolio of competencies and reflective accounts

Student Destinations

Roles our participants from similar courses have taken include independent prescribers for an area of existing clinical experience, such as:

Mental Health
Rheumatology
Minor Ailments
Pain management
Nutrition
Travel Medicine
Critical Care
Cardiology
Renal disease
HIV medicine

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This module allows you to gain an excellent understanding of the various drugs used to treat diabetes, including the modes of action of modern diabetic drugs, and enables you to provide high quality diabetes care.

The course is taught by leading experts in the field of pharmacology and therapeutics in diabetes care and will meet the needs of a wide range of healthcare professionals including:
-Specialist doctors.
-Diabetes specialist nurses.
-Podiatrists.
-Doctors in training.
-Practice nurses.
-Dietitians.
-GPs.
-Diabetes facilitators.
-Community pharmacists.

The teaching and learning style is interactive, allowing expert teachers and participants to share knowledge and experience.

Module content

Topics covered will include:
-Adverse drug reactions.
-Insulin Therapy.
-Patient Education.
-Designing the polypill.
-Drug choices in diabetes (including new therapies).
-Medicines Management.

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This programme aims to provide you with a clear understanding of the scientific basis underlying the principles and practice of treating cancer.

This will be underpinned by a thorough knowledge of cancer biology and pathology and research methodologies.

This knowledge will provide an excellent grounding in the development, use and evaluation of cancer therapies, which will enhance career prospects in many areas of early phase clinical trials and clinical drug development in the cancer setting.

Compulsory Modules

• Ablative Therapies
• Cancer Biology
• Cancer Pharmacology
• Cancer Prevention & Screening
• Drug Development
• Molecular Diagnostic & Therapeutics
• Molecular Targeted Therapies and Immunotherapy for Blood Cancer
• Research Methods
• Site Specific Tumour Treatment

Elective Modules

• Genomic Approaches to Human Diseases
• Paediatric & Adolescent Oncology
• Pathology of Cancer

Core Module for MSc

• Dissertation.

Barts Cancer Institute is a Cancer Research UK Centre of Excellence and one of the leading cancer institutes in the country.
Based in the heart of London, our programmes are all taught by experts in the field.

Find out more about the BCI at http://www.bci.qmul.ac.uk/study-with-us

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This course is for you if you are looking for a distance learning course that is written, taught and assessed by specialist mental health pharmacists. This qualification is often a requirement for specialist clinical mental health positions in the NHS. This course is supported by the CMHP.

Course outline

You will take six modules in total, two of which are introductory with the following four covering the major therapeutic areas of psychiatry:
-An Introduction to Psychiatry
-Underlying Principles
-Schizophrenia
-The Affective Disorders
-Anxiety and Sleep Disorders
-The Dementias and Related Disorders

Learning, teaching & assessment

You will encounter the following learning methods:
-Study of authored text material, directed reading and self assessed exercises
-Formative exercises and assignments
-Additional reading
-Application within professional practice
-Assessment is by assignments and multi-response question papers, plus a final examinations

Your future career prospects

This course is the first stage for pharmacists in becoming a specialist mental health pharmacist. It is also under taken by mental health nurses to increase their knowledge base especially those practicing or intending to practice as non-medical prescribers.

General practitioners and psychiatrists as well as graduates working in the pharmaceutical industry have also taken this course.

Professional accreditation

The programme is supported by the College of Mental Health Pharmacy (CMHP).

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This exciting new course is designed to equip future scientists with the knowledge to make a difference in the understanding and treatment of cancer. The course will take the mechanistic understanding of cancer biology and apply it to the analysis of risk, prevention, diagnosis, prognosis and therapy. Building on a foundation of the understanding of basic cancer cell biology, translational coverage will consider design of treatment modalities, mechanisms of action of anti-cancer drugs, therapy resistance and biomarker discovery. The course will allow the students to gain expertise and knowledge in therapy, cancer chemoprevention, anti-cancer target discovery, clinical trials, imaging, cancer risk and epidemiology and biostatistics. A key component of the course is a five/six-month research project, which will give students an opportunity to study one of these areas in depth.

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This MRes programme is a one-year stand-alone course that will develop your expertise in multidisciplinary drug discovery research.

It will also rovide a deep understanding of the current global state of drug discovery together with radical insights into future directions from leaders in the field.

You will graduate from the course with a solid knowledge of the drug discovery process from emerging technologies and drug target selection through to clinical trials and regulatory aspects.

You will also be challenged to develop your own ideas on how to focus academic and industrial research to meet the pressing challenges of drug discovery.

At its conclusion you are expected to be ideally placed to apply your knowledge in industry or to undertake doctoral studies in multidisciplinary drug discovery.

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This flexible, part-time Masters level programme for practicing hospital pharmacists is evidence based with a problem-solving, practice-orientated approach. A full blend of flexible work-based learning supported through web-based learning resources, online discussion and face-to-face learning events creates a rich learning environment. Choosing a Postgraduate Certificate, Diploma, MSc or CPD option will help improve your professional status, developing your career prospects.

Designed with extensive input of a multi-professional team, Bath’s programme reflects the latest developments and challenges. It offers flexibility allowing you to tailor study to suit your situation, with a choice of specialised qualifications in Clinical Pharmacy Practice or Prescribing and Therapeutics enabling you to practise as an Independent Prescriber.

Choose from nearly 20 units

(can be studied separately for CPD)

● Professional skills development (Core Unit)
● Using Evidence in Practice (Core Unit)
● Palliative Care
● Cardiovascular Therapeutics
● Infections
● Mental Health
● Respiratory Therapeutics
● Gastro-Intestinal Therapeutics
● Prescribing for Special Groups
● Prescribing in Context
● Consultation Skills for Prescribing
● Prescribing Effectively
● Neurology
● Oncology
● Endocrinology
● Public Health Pharmacy
● Management of Minor Ailments
● Practice-based research
● Masters dissertation

Programme features

- Choice of awards reflecting your area of professional interest
- Study at your own pace with minimal time away from work
- Excellent support and learner networks with a user-friendly virtual learning environment
- Increased professional expertise and status with enhanced career prospects
- Support in meeting CPD requirements of the GPhC and professional development in line with the RPS Faculty frameworks

Available Qualifications & Duration

CPD course (three months)
PG Certificate (one year part-time)
PG Diploma (two years part-time)
MSc (three years part-time)

Please note all PG Certificate, PG Diploma and MSc students are registered for the maximum study duration of eight years, to allow flexible study options where appropriate.

Visit the website http://www.bath.ac.uk/study/pg/programmes/clin-phar-prac-seco-care/

Pathways

- Clinical Pharmacy Practice (Secondary Care)
- Prescribing & Therapeutics

You can study combinations of units to accumulate credit toward a named award.

Course information

Information about available units and the programme structure can be found in our postgraduate programme brochure (http://www.bath.ac.uk/study/pg/programmes/clin-phar-prac-seco-care/bath-diploma-course-guide-2015.pdf).

Programme descriptions can be found in the University’s online programme catalogue (http://www.bath.ac.uk/catalogues/other.html).

Our research

Research in our Department is centred around a number of focused areas or themes. To find out more, please see our:
- Departmental research webpages (http://www.bath.ac.uk/pharmacy/research/)

Our research staff and students are also involved in a number of formal Research Centres and networks:

Bath Inflammation/Rheumatology Research Network (BIRD)
Cancer Research at Bath ([email protected])
Centre for Extremophile Research
Centre for Mathematical Biology
Centre for Regenerative Medicine (CRM)
Inter-Departmental Infection and Immunity Network
Neuroscience Network at University of Bath (NNUB)
ReMedDes

Find out about the department here - http://www.bath.ac.uk/pharmacy/

Find out how to apply here - http://www.bath.ac.uk/study/pg/apply/index.html

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Program Overview

The graduate program in Pharmacology was established in 1951, and currently includes programs in cardiovascular pharmacology, neuropharmacology, viral pharmacology, free radical biology, and drug development. Additional training programs exist in therapeutics, evidence-based medicine, and clinical investigation. The pharmacology graduate program has strengths in basic science as well as translational research.

The graduate program in Pharmacology is a component of the newly formed Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics, and formalizes the Department's historical research and academic interactions. Within this new structure, additional research programs reflecting the close association between the disciplines of anesthesiology, pharmacology, and therapeutics are now available. Courses in pharmacology are taught at the undergraduate science, medical, dental, and graduate levels.

The program adheres to an 'apprenticeship' model of graduate training, in which graduate students work in close collaboration with a faculty member who is also their graduate supervisor. The program has strengths in projects covering a wide range of scientific and clinical areas of investigation. The primary aim of our graduate training program is to provide students with the skills necessary to conduct research in pharmacology and therapeutics that can be published in first-rate journals. Thus, an important factor in an applicant's admissibility is a matching of research and professional interests of the student and a faculty member within the program.

The Department has facilities available for original investigations in cellular, biochemical, viral, autonomic, cardiovascular, clinical, and neuropharmacology.

Quick Facts

- Degree: Master of Science
- Specialization: Pharmacology
- Subject: Health and Medicine
- Mode of delivery: On campus
- Program components: Coursework + Thesis required
- Faculty: Faculty of Medicine

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Why take this course?

Biotechnology is a rapidly expanding global industry. It's driven by the development of new tools for molecular biological research, the expansion of the ‘green economy’ seeking biotechnical solutions to energy and industrial needs, and remarkable advances in the application of biotechnology to medical diagnosis, therapeutics and to biomedical research.

The MSc in Medical Biotechnology will give you sought-after advanced skills in molecular biotechnology in the context of diagnostics, therapeutics and in biomedical research. You will also gain a vital understanding of how these are applied in molecular medicine.

What will I experience?

On this course you can:

Develop practical and theoretical understanding of the molecular techniques used in the biotechnology sector
Learn how these are applied in diagnostics, therapeutics and molecular medicine
Develop your practical skills on high tech research equipment
Conduct your own medical biotechnology research

What opportunities might it lead to?

This Master's degree in Medical Biotechnology will prepare you for a role within either research or industry in the biotechnology sector and, more generally, in the bioscience and pharmaceutics areas.

Here are some routes our graduates can pursue:

product development
research scientist
diagnostics and pathology lab work
PhD

Module Details

The Medical Biotechnology course is made up of core and optional units so that you can tailor your learning. The core units give you both practical and research skills as well as the knowledge that would be expected of an advanced course in molecular biotechnology. The optional units allow specialisation towards pathology, drug development, business or bioinformatics. Further options are included through a wide choice of subjects for your research project.

Core units include:

Medical Biotechnology Diagnostics
Medical Biotechnology Therapeutics
Molecular Medicine
Medical Biotechnology Research Skills and Project
Options to choose from include:

Clinical Pathology
Business Skills for Biotechnology
Drug Design and Clinical Trials
Bioinformatics and Omics

Programme Assessment

The course is delivered to develop your practical and theoretical skills in Medical Biotechnology. Teaching is typically in small groups with a mixture of lectures, seminars, workshops and practical work that includes case and problem-based learning. The course is delivered by a team of expert scientists who publish regularly in international journals. In the research project that forms a third of the course you will work alongside other researchers in a laboratory setting.

Assessment will cover all aspects of what is required to be a professional scientist using a variety of methods:

written exams
practical work
problem solving
presentations
essay
project work

Student Destinations

This Master's degree in Medical Biotechnology will equip you to meet the needs of small and medium-sized enterprises and global business in the area of Biotechnology, as well as public and private health service providers. The course covers the practical as well as theoretical skills for your new career.

Roles our graduates might take include:

product development
research scientist
diagnostics and pathology lab work
PhD student
sales
teaching

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Train to become a Clinical Pharmacist on this Liverpool John Moores University Masters course, which is mapped to pharmacy practice frameworks and offers excellent teaching standards.


•Train to become a Clinical Pharmacist at one the country’s oldest pharmacy departments
•Study part time over one to three years
•LJMU was accredited as a Royal Pharmaceutical Society Foundation School in 2015
•Fit your study around work
•Course blends workplace-based learning, self-directed learning and University-based study sessions
•Curriculum is mapped to the Royal Pharmaceutical Society Foundation Pharmacy Framework
•Exceptional standards of teaching which command impressive student satisfaction rates


This student-centred, work-based learning programme gives you the option of completing a Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma or MSc qualification.

The programme promotes a rigorous scientific approach to clinical pharmaceutical problems, enabling you to act as a clinical adviser. It will extend your knowledge of therapeutics, increasing your value as a specialist in drug-related matters and enhancing your powers of communication and logical argument.

If you successfully complete year one of the programme, you will be entitled to a Postgraduate Certificate, while completion of year two entitles you to the Diploma. The MSc can be completed over a further 12 months, either starting straight after completing the Diploma, or following a break of up to five years.

During your course you will be assigned a practice-based tutor (PBT) from your hospital trust and a clinical liaison tutor (CLT) from LJMU. You will undertake a number of learning activities in your workplace, supported by your practice-based tutor. This will be supplemented by a number of study days, which will usually be taught at LJMU's Byrom Street site in the heart of Liverpool city centre.

Where students meet the relevant criteria, they may choose to study an independent prescribing qualification in Year 2 (subject to accreditation by the GPhC).

The programme’s blended learning approach features a range of self-study activities, including recommended reading, short recorded lectures, and online questions, as well as more traditional seminars and workshops.

The course begins with an induction study day followed by a series of a Therapeutic Study Days on a range of clinical topics taught by specialist practising pharmacists.

Study days and study weekends are designed to ensure you get the most out of your time on campus. One of the study days (paediatrics) is hosted at Alder Hey Hospital – one of the country’s few dedicated children’s hospitals – to give you a rare opportunity to observe specialist paediatric practice.

Please see guidance below on core and option modules for further information on what you will study.
PgCert

Developing Clinical and Professional Practice
Development of clinical skills for assessment of appropriateness and effectiveness of drug therapy.
Clinical Therapeutics for Core Condition
Advancement of clinical knowledge of therapeutics for appropriate management of commonly encountered conditions/disease states.
PgDip

Core Modules:

Improving Healthcare Practice
Systems level management of clinical practice, including how healthcare services are organised and delivered.
Option – Non-prescribing Pathway

Foundations of Leadership and Development
Leadership skills and supporting others with their learning and development.
Advanced and Specialist Therapeutics
Development of integrated knowledge and understanding of medicines use for advanced and specialist practice
Option – Prescribing Pathway

Clinical Skills
Clinical Skills for prescribing, including patient evaluation and monitoring.
Prescribing Effectively in Practice
Prescribing practice, supported by a Designated Medical Practitioner to hone prescribing skills.
MSc

Research Project
Substantial research project exploring a relevant aspect of clinical practice in primary or interface care.
Further guidance on modules
The information listed in the section entitled ‘What you will study’ is an overview of the academic content of the programme that will take the form of either core or option modules. Modules are designated as core or option in accordance with professional body requirements and internal Academic Framework review, so may be subject to change. Students will be required to undertake modules that the University designates as core and will have a choice of designated option modules. Additionally, option modules may be offered subject to meeting minimum student numbers.

Please email [email protected] if you require further guidance or clarification.

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