This course combines theoretical knowledge and practical training in the immunology of infectious diseases through comprehensive teaching and research methods. Students will gain specialised skills in applying scientific concepts, evaluating scientific data and carrying out modern immunological techniques. Students will benefit from the unique mix of immunology, vaccinology, molecular biology, virology, bacteriology, parasitology, mycology and clinical medicine at the School.
Infectious diseases represent an increasingly important cause of human morbidity and mortality throughout the world. Vaccine development is thus of great importance in terms of global health. In parallel with this growth, there has been a dramatic increase in studies to identify the innate, humoral or cellular immunological mechanisms which confer immunity to pathogenic viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites. As a result, increasing numbers of scientists, clinicians and veterinarians wish to develop their knowledge and skills in these areas.
The flexible nature of the course allows students to focus on attaining a broader understanding of infectious disease through attending taught units. Students can also undertake an extended research project within groups led by experienced team leaders. Such projects can involve basic investigations of immune mechanisms or applied field based studies.
Graduates from this course go into research positions in academia and industry, and further training such as PhD study.
- Full programme specification (pdf) (https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/files/iid_progspec.pdf)
- Intercalating this course (https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/study/courses/ways-study/intercalating-study-masters-degree)
Visit the website https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/study/masters/immunology-infectious-diseases
By the end of this course students should be able to:
- demonstrate specialist knowledge and understanding of the basic principles of host immunity to infection against the diverse range of pathogens which confront human populations
- apply this specialist knowledge to a range of practical skills and techniques, in particular modern molecular and cellular techniques for assessing immune responses to pathogens
- critically assess, select and apply appropriate research methods to investigate basic immunological mechanisms and applied issues in the immunology of infection
- critically evaluate primary scientific data and the published scientific literature
- integrate and present key immunological concepts at an advanced level, both verbally and in written form
Term 1:
There is a one-week orientation period that includes an introduction to studying at the School, sessions on key computing and study skills and an introduction to major groups of pathogens, followed by two compulsory modules:
- Immunology of Infectious Diseases
- Analysis & Design of Research Studies
Sessions on basic computing, molecular biology and statistics are run throughout the term for all students.
Terms 2 and 3:
Students take a total of five study modules, one from each timetable slot (Slot 1, Slot 2 etc.). The list below shows recommended modules. There are other modules which may be taken only after consultation with the Course Directors.
*Recommended modules
- Slot 1:
Advanced Immunology 1 (compulsory)
- Slot 2:
Advanced Immunology 2 (compulsory)
- Slot 3:
Advanced Training in Molecular Biology*
Clinical Immunology*
Extended Project*
Basic Parasitology
Clinical Infectious Diseases 3: Bacterial & Viral Diseases & Community Health in Developing Countries
- Slot 4:
Extended Project*
Immunology of Parasitic Infection: Principles*
Molecular Biology Research Progress & Applications*
Clinical Infectious Diseases 4: Parasitic Diseases & Clinical Medicine
Epidemiology & Control of Communicable Diseases
Ethics, Public Health & Human Rights
Genetic Epidemiology
- Slot 5:
AIDS*
Antimicrobial Chemotherapy*
Extended Project*
Molecular Cell Biology & Infection*
Mycology*
Further details for the course modules - https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/study/masters/immunology-infectious-diseases#structure
Towards the end of Term 1, students get the opportunity to hear about the latest, most exciting aspects of immunological research at the British Society of Immunology Congress. The cost is included in the £500 field trip fee.
During the summer months (July - August), students complete a research project on an immunological subject, for submission by early September. Some of these projects may take place with collaborating scientists overseas or in other colleges or institutes in the UK. Students undertaking projects overseas will require additional funding of up to £1,500 to cover costs involved.
The majority of students who undertake projects abroad receive financial support for flights from the School's trust funds set up for this purpose.
Find out how to apply here - http://www.lshtm.ac.uk/study/masters/msiid.html#sixth
Livestock are vital to the lives of millions of people, but endemic and epidemic diseases that affect livestock limit productivity and exacerbate poverty.
The diseases that can be transmitted between animals and people also threaten the health of livestock keepers, their families and their communities. In many developing regions farmers and animal health workers are often ill equipped to deal with this risk.
This programme draws together expertise from across the University to deliver first-class teaching and research to tackle these issues.
Building on a solid foundation of biological, immunological, pathological and epidemiological principles, this online MSc will equip you with the skills needed to identify, control and manage animal diseases and the expertise to tackle the international animal health challenges of the 21st Century.
This programme is affiliated with the University's Global Health Academy.
Our online learning technology is fully interactive, award-winning and enables you to communicate with our highly qualified teaching staff from the comfort of your own home or workplace.
Our online students not only have access to Edinburgh’s excellent resources, but also become part of a supportive online community, bringing together students and tutors from around the world.
Students may study to certificate, diploma or masters level.
Year 1: certificate
Year 2: diploma
You will undertake the following compulsory course:
Choose one one of the following two courses:
Then choose from the following electives (up to 60 credits):
Year 3: masters
For a masters, you will choose either to conduct a written reflective element of 10–15,000 words or to take Project Cycle Management and Funding Application Preparation.
Postgraduate Professional Development (PPD)
Postgraduate Professional Development (PPD) is aimed at working professionals who want to advance their knowledge through a postgraduate-level course(s), without the time or financial commitment of a full Masters, Postgraduate Diploma or Postgraduate Certificate.
You may take a maximum of 50 credits worth of courses over two years through our PPD scheme. These lead to a University of Edinburgh postgraduate award of academic credit. Alternatively, after one year of taking courses you can choose to transfer your credits and continue on to studying towards a higher award on a Masters, Postgraduate Diploma or Postgraduate Certificate programme. Although PPD courses have various start dates throughout a year you may only start a Masters, Postgraduate Diploma or Postgraduate Certificate programme in the month of September. Any time spent studying PPD will be deducted from the amount of time you will have left to complete a Masters, Postgraduate Diploma or Postgraduate Certificate programme.
Please contact the programme team for more information about available courses and course start dates.
This programme has been designed to enhance your career in animal management throughout the world with first-rate expertise and a highly regarded qualification.
Our MRes degrees in Clinical Research equip you with the knowledge and skills to undertake valuable research within one of four distinct areas.
For detailed information on each of these streams, please see our website.
The principal goal is to provide a thorough grounding in cutting-edge clinical research, with a strong focus on your chosen pathway.
The programme provides a structured approach to developing knowledge and skills which will enable you to develop your own research portfolio or, more commonly, assist in the management of an existing portfolio.
You will gain an understanding of research methodologies by studying in a world-leading research environment.
These degrees provide knowledge and understanding of key topics including clinical trial design, the critical pathway for drug development, statistics, good clinical practice and critical appraisal.
You will be equipped with management and communication skills, including problem-solving, project design, decision process, teamwork, written and oral reports and become familiar with scientific publications.
The primary aim of the programme is to equip you with the theoretical aspects of supporting and managing clinical research.
The careers open to graduates will vary depending on which pathway is chosen. Graduates have progressed to employment within research, for example clinical trials and the food industry.
Others have continued careers and sought promotion within the health sector. A large number progress to PhD scholarships. These degrees are ideal for those wishing to progress to a PhD studentship or a research based role within the NHS. Some graduates have gone on to successfully secure a place at medical schools.
For full information on this course, including how to apply, see: http://www.imperial.ac.uk/study/pg/medicine/clinical-research/
If you have any enquiries you can contact our team at: [email protected]
This 1 year course leads to an internationally recognised MRes qualification that provides training in transferable skills essential for those wishing to pursue post-graduate PhD, commercial or industrial research opportunities. Focusing on parasites and the diseases that they cause, you will gain expert knowledge in the detection, prevention and control of protozoan as well as metazoan animal and human pathogens. You will be trained in specialisms including biochemistry, molecular biology, whole organism/cell culture and manipulation, bioinformatics, proteomics, transcriptomics, genomics, functional genomics, drug discovery, vaccinology, biomarker discovery, genetics/epigenetics, epidemiology, vector/intermediate host biology and ecology.
At the end of the course you will understand how interdisciplinary methods can be brought to bear on controlling some of the deadliest infectious organisms on the planet and be ready to pursue your career in parasitology.
Parasitism is the most successful lifestyle on the planet and leads to diverse and highly-damaging infectious diseases of agricultural, veterinary and biomedical significance. Therefore, a greater understanding of the parasite species responsible for these conditions and the means by which they are controlled remain a priority for scientists, health care professionals and farmers in this 21st Century. For example, it is recognised that parasitic worms infect greater than 1 billion people worldwide with some species causing between $700 million-$1 billion USDs in economic losses per annum. The development of novel, creative and integrated control strategies are urgently needed to combat the growing threat of changing parasite distributions due to climate change, human migration, animal transportation and farming practices. This MRes course will provide you with a range of vocational skills and prepare you for professional employment or further post-graduate PhD studies in Parasitology or related disciplines (i.e. infectious diseases, public health, epidemiology, etc.).
IBERS continuously maintained an excellent internationally-recognised reputation in parasitological research since the 1930s. One of the British Society of Parasitology’s founding members and two of its past presidents were IBERS Parasitologists. More recently, IBERS appointments and University investments have increased critical mass in Parasitology leading to the formation of the Parasitology and Epidemiology Research Group (in 2007) as well as the Barrett Centre for Helminth Control (in 2016). The creation of both research groupings has facilitated greater interactions with animal health and pharmaceutical/biotech companies as well as increased research grant capture derived from government, research council and charitable funding bodies.
With 360 members of staff (principle investigators, technicians and post-doctoral fellows), 1350 undergraduate students and more than 150 postgraduate students, IBERS is the largest research and teaching institute within Aberystwyth University. Excellence in teaching was recognised by outstanding scores in the National Student Satisfaction Survey (NSS 2017) and being awarded University of the Year for Teaching Quality by the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2018. Employability data from the Recent Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE, 2017) shows that 97% of IBERS graduates were in work or further study six months after leaving Aberystwyth University. The economic and social impact of IBERS research was recognised in 2011 when IBERS won the national BBSRC Excellence with Impact Award.
An aspect of this course that uniquely positions itself from other Masters level Parasitology courses in the UK is the 12-month dissertation project (Semesters 1-3). Working under the supervision of active researchers in the field, you will collaboratively develop a research project on diverse topics such as (but not inclusive) intermediate host and vector control, anthelmintic drug and target discovery, biomarker identification, visual cue selection for arthropod vectors, mathematical modelling of disease transmission, host responses to parasite biomolecules, parasite and host population studies and functional genomics manipulation of parasites. A list of available projects and supervisors will be advertised closer to the start of each academic year. Your supervisor/supervisory team will mentor you in hypothesis and discovery driven experimental design, provide training in lab-based and computer-assisted methodologies, arrange instruction in analytical techniques, aid in the trouble-shooting of experimental challenges, assist you in the interpretation of results and prepare you for successful oral presentations. You will also be guided in how to most efficiently communicate your results during the dissertation write-up. It is expected that during this year long research project you will become an expert in your topic.
Please refer to our couse web pages for full details of course modules.
Careers
This course is an ideal training programme for those wishing to:
- Pursue PhD studies;
- Work in industry, charities or funding bodies;
- Improve animal and human health;
- Influence governmental policies.
Skills
Throughout this course you will:
· Develop strong data collection/analysis, fieldwork and laboratory skills;
· Enhance your scientific communication and team work skills;
· Write for a range of audiences including academics and the wider public;
· Enhance your analytical abilities, critical thinking and problem solving skills;
· Develop study and research skills;
· Direct and sustain a self-initiated programme of study underpinned by good time management skills;
· Work effectively and independently;
· Hone your project management skills to deliver a demanding combination of research, analysis, communication and presentation
During the one year of full-time study students complete 40 60 credits of core modules centred on parasitology, parasite control and a further 20 credits focusing on laboratory techniques & research methodologies. The taught modules are assessed by scientific writing assignments (such as reports, critical reviews, essays and journalistic articles), presentations, contribution to group discussions in seminars and online assignments. The core element of this course is the 120 credit MRes Dissertation, during which students will have supervision meetings to give them guidance before undertaking a prolonged period of experimental work/data gathering, research, and writing up of the dissertation. All postgraduate students in IBERS also have a named personal tutor, with whom they can discuss personal or domestic concerns that impact on their studies. Subsequent successful submission of your dissertation leads to the award of an MRes.
