University of Bristol Masters Degrees

This taught programme will advance your knowledge beyond the material that you will have encountered in your undergraduate studies. It is research-led and will draw heavily on academic literature. In the first term you will explore contemporary issues in accounting and corporate finance and develop key skills in both quantitative and qualitative research methods. These skills will prepare you for the more advanced units taught in the second term. The final part of the MSc is a research-based dissertation. For those planning on undertaking a PhD, either at Bristol or elsewhere, the dissertation represents an important bridge between taught and advanced research studies.

This programme is for students who have an upper second-class degree in accounting and/or finance. Students with a finance degree are required to have studied accounting to an appropriate level.

Programme structure

Teaching Block 1 (All units compulsory)
-Fundamentals of Corporate Finance
-Contemporary Issues in Accounting
-Quantitative Methods for Finance and Investment
-Research Design and Qualitative Research Methods in Accounting and Finance

Teaching Block 2 (Optional units: choose four)
-Advanced Corporate Finance
-Accounting and Capital Markets
-Behavioural Finance
-Derivatives
-Accountability and Accounting for Sustainability

Each of the units is worth 15 credits. You will also complete a research-based dissertation worth 60 credits.

Careers

This programme provides research and analytical skills that will be valuable in your future career. It is suitable for students wishing to pursue an academic or professional career in accounting and/or finance. Some students may continue on to PhD study. Others may go straight into employment, with the banking and accounting/consulting sectors being particular favourites.

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This highly successful MSc programme us designed for students who want to put greater emphasis on finance, accounting and management topics in their graduate studies. The programme is academically rigorous and tailored to the needs of the current business environment.

In the first term you will develop key skills and a grounding in accounting, finance and management. This will prepare you for the more advanced units taught in the second term. The final part of the MSc is a dissertation. Throughout your studies you will learn and develop academic skills that will be relevant for future employment, such as analysis, synthesis and critical thinking.

Programme structure

Core units
-Finance and Accounting
-Financial Reporting
-Management
-Quantitative Methods for Economics, Finance and Management

Optional units
One option is chosen from each of the key subject areas of accounting, finance and management, and a fourth option is taken from the whole range. Optional units can vary from year to year but may include:

(Group 1 options)
-Accounting Theory, Scandals and Standards
-Advanced Financial Reporting
-Auditing and Assurance Services
-Financial Statement Analysis and Valuation
-Strategic Management Accounting

(Group 2 options)
-Advanced Financial Reporting
-Corporate Finance
-Financial Markets and Investment
-International Finance
-Introduction to Business and Economic Forecasting
-Law and Economics

(Group 3 options)
-Electronic Commerce
-Industrial and Managerial Economics
-International Business
-Marketing Management
-Operations Management
-Project Management
-Strategic Management

Unit availability is subject to staffing and timetable constraints. Please note: the number of available places on some units may be capped.

Dissertation
The final part of the MSc is a project-based dissertation of between 10,000 and 15,000 words. A choice of dissertation subject areas is provided and you will be able to choose from a set of dissertation topics in these broader areas. Many of the dissertations are literature-based and you are expected to acquire and use literature search skills for a range of electronic and traditional sources.

Careers

Some students have gone on to more specialised studies, while others have progressed to employment, with the banking and accounting/consulting sectors being particular favourites.

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Composite materials are increasingly replacing traditional metallic components in several industrial applications, such as aerospace engineering, wind turbine blades and the automotive industry. This MSc provides you with an in-depth theoretical understanding and practical knowledge of advanced composite materials.

The programme is based in the Advanced Composites Centre for Innovation and Science (ACCIS), one of the world's leading centres in composite materials, which houses a number of state-of-the-art composites manufacturing facilities.

ACCIS has strong industrial and research links with companies like Rolls-Royce, Airbus, BAE Systems and GE Aviation as well as government research labs such as the UK's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, the European Space Agency and the US Army International Technology Centre.

Programme structure

Core subjects
-Composites Design and Manufacture
-Smart Materials
-Nanocomposites and Nano engineering
-Research Skills
-Elements of Polymer Composites

And either:
-Advanced Composites Analysis or
-Structures and Materials

after discussion with the programme director.

Optional units
You will select from a list of options which will include the following:
-Engineering Design for Wind and Marine Power
-Nonlinear Structural Dynamics
-Ultrasonic Non-Destructive Testing
-Structural Engineering 4
-Advanced Techniques in Multi-Disciplinary Design
-Nonlinear Behaviour of Materials
-Nature's Materials - Biomimetics, Biomaterials and Sustainability

Project
To complete the programme you will carry out a research project, which may be either academically or industrially led.

Careers

Graduates from this programme could enter a career in one of the rapidly growing composites-related industries, such as aerospace, marine, automotive and wind turbine, materials testing/manufacturing or in engineering consultancy sectors. Some of our MSc graduates continue to PhD study, either at Bristol or other relevant PhD programmes.

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Games consoles and mobile devices are now ubiquitous, and computer graphics production has developed so rapidly that the best visual effects are those that you don't realise are there.

The Creative Technology programme is designed to introduce you to the rapidly emerging areas of computer science where technology impacts the creative design process. With a focus on the production of industry-relevant content, the programme introduces the theory behind animation and special effects production, interaction design and robotics. You will explore a wide range of topics, experience the entire creative design process and develop key skills in independent research.

Programme structure

You will study taught units between September and mid-June. After completing the taught units, you will work on a project between mid-June and late September.

Core units
-Animation production
-Character and set design
-Computer graphics
-Image processing and computer vision
-Research skills
-Server software
-Web technologies

You will also be able to choose from a variety of optional units.

Project
You must complete a project that consists of researching, planning and implementing a major piece of work. The project must contain a significant scientific or technical component and will usually involve software development. It is usually submitted in September.

Careers

This programme is designed to give you a significant advantage in the fast-paced world of emerging creative technologies industries. The programme will also give you the knowledge and experience to continue studying for a PhD, or to enter a career in research. With strong links to industry through the faculty’s academic staff and the University of Bristol Careers Service, we are well placed to support you in your career aspirations in industry or furthering your academic career.

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Machine learning, data mining and high-performance computing are concerned with the automated analysis of large-scale data by computer, in order to extract the useful knowledge hidden in it. Using state-of-the-art artificial intelligence methods, this technology builds computer systems capable of learning from past experience, allowing them to adapt to new tasks, predict future developments, and provide intelligent decision support. Bristol's recent investment in the BlueCrystal supercomputer - and our Exabyte University research theme - show our commitment to research at the cutting edge in this area.

This programme is aimed at giving you a solid grounding in machine learning, data mining and high-performance computing technology, and will equip you with the skills necessary to construct and apply these tools and techniques to the solution of complex scientific and business problems.

Programme structure

Your course will cover the following core subjects:
-Introduction to Machine Learning
-Research Skills
-Statistical Pattern Recognition
-Uncertainty Modelling for Intelligent Systems

Depending on previous experience or preference, you are then able to take optional units which typically include:
-Artificial Intelligence with Logic Programming
-Bio-inspired Artificial Intelligence
-Cloud Computing
-Computational Bioinformatics
-Computational Genomics and Bioinformatics Algorithms
-Computational Neuroscience
-High Performance Computing
-Image Processing and Computer Vision
-Robotics Systems
-Server Software
-Web Technologies

You must then complete a project that involves researching, planning and implementing a major piece of work. The project must contain a significant scientific or technical component and will usually involve a software development component. It is usually submitted in September.

This programme is updated on an ongoing basis to keep it at the forefront of the discipline. Please refer to the University's programme catalogue for the latest information on the most up-to-date programme structure.

Careers

Skilled professionals and researchers who are able to apply these technologies to current problems are in high demand in today's job market.

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This MSc is for students who already have a first degree in computer science or a related subject. It allows you to gain expertise with more advanced material in a range of specialist areas and covers both theory and practical application. It is suitable preparation for either a career in industry or a PhD.

The Department of Computer Science is very active in research and, for example, has the largest cryptography group in the world and one of the largest intelligent systems groups in the UK. Staff have good links with leading researchers and industrial partners internationally.

Skilled professionals and researchers who are able to apply these technologies to current problems, and thereby push the limits of what computers can effectively do, are in high demand in today's job market.

Programme structure

This MSc offers taught units, studied between September and mid-June. These are based around specialised themes such as:
-Intelligent Systems
-Robotics
-High-Performance Computing
-Creative Technologies
This flexible structure allows you to shape the programme to suit your interests and career aspirations. You will decide which units to take in consultation with the programme director, informed by your previous experience. Please note that unit combinations will be subject to timetabling constraints.

After completing the taught units, you will work on a project between mid-June and late September. The project consists of researching, planning and implementing a major piece of work. The project must contain a significant scientific or technical component and will usually involve software development.

Careers

This flexible programme allows you to cover both theory and practical applications of areas suited to your interests. It also allows you to design the MSc to suit your future plans either for a role in industry or to pursue a PhD.

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The main objective of this programme is to produce graduates with the ability to plan, execute and produce reports on technical projects for industry and academia. The programme is composed of taught units, assessed by examination and coursework submission, and a major research project supervised by academic staff in the department.

The facilities and expertise in the Department of Mechanical Engineering have earned us consistently high rankings in university league tables and an internationally excellent rating for research.

Programme structure

Core units

Four mandatory units, each worth 10 credits, are designed to develop your skills of investigation, system analysis and project planning.

- Finite Element Analysis
- Literature Review
- Power Generation for the 22nd Century
- Research Project Proposal

You will be able to choose eight optional 10-credit units from the list below at the start of the programme. The current options list is as follows:

Design and Manufacture

- Virtual Product Development
- Robotic Systems
- Biomechanics

Engineering and the Environment

- Environmental Thermalhydraulics

Materials

- Ultrasonic Non-Destructive Testing
- Non-linear Behaviour of Materials
- Advanced Composites Analysis

Dynamics

- Advanced Dynamics
- Systems and Control Engineering 4
- Nonlinear Structural Dynamics
- Generic Propulsion

Research project (60 credits)

Each student is allocated an individual project, worth 60 credits, which is supported from within the department through the three main research groups:

- Dynamics and Control
- Design and Process Engineering
- Solid Mechanics

Provided that the content is academically rigorous, industrially-related projects are possible, through either your own contacts or the department's strong links with major companies such as Airbus UK, BAE Systems, Bechtel, British Energy, Nestlé, Qinetiq Ltd, Renishaw, Renold Chain and Rolls-Royce.

Careers

Several of our recent students have gone into research, including two recent PhD graduates from Bristol.

One further student is currently working towards an Engineering doctorate with the Systems Centre in Bristol and has been working closely with a local company, Vestas Wind Systems (his industrial sponsor). His research title is "Expanding the life cycle of wind turbine components through reverse engineering and repairing solutions".

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Bristol, and the surrounding area, hosts a thriving and world-leading semiconductor design industry. The Microelectronics group at the University of Bristol has many collaborative links with multinational companies in the microelectronics industry that have identified a shortfall in graduates with the necessary qualifications and professional skills to work in the sector. This programme has been designed to meet this need.

A range of taught subjects cover core topics such as advanced architectures and system design using FPGA and DSP platforms, before progressing into more specialised areas such as digital and analogue ASIC design, integrated sensors and actuators and mixed-signal design. Changes are made periodically to reflect important emerging disciplines, such as electronics for internet of things, bio-medical applications and neuromorphic computing.

The programme offers you the opportunity to learn from experts in micro- and nanoelectronics and computer science, to allow you to start working straight after your degree or continue your studies via a PhD. Special emphasis is put on providing you with a range of contemporary design skills to supplement theoretical knowledge. Lectures are accompanied by lab exercises in state-of-the-art industrial EDA software to give you experience of a professional environment.

Programme structure

The course consists of 120 credits of taught units and an individual research project worth 60 credits. The following core subjects, each worth 10 credit points (100 learning hours), are taken over autumn and spring:
-Design Verification
-Analogue Integrated Circuit Design
-Integrated Circuit Electronics
-Digital Filters and Spectral Analysis (M)
-Advanced DSP & FPGA Implementation
-VLSI Design M
-Embedded and Real-Time Systems
-Wireless Networking and Sensing in e-Healthcare

Additionally students are able to choose any two out of the following four 10-credit units (some combinations may not be possible due to timetabling constraints).

-Device Interconnect - Principles and Practice
-Advanced Computer Architecture
-Sustainability, Technology and Business
-Computational Neuroscience
-Bio Sensors

In the spring term, students also take Engineering Research Skills, a 20-credit unit designed to introduce the fundamental skills necessary to carry out the MSc project.

After completing the taught units satisfactorily, all students undertake a final project which involves researching, planning and implementing a major piece of work relating to microelectronics systems design. The project must have a significant scientific or technical component and may involve on-site collaboration with an industrial partner. The thesis is normally submitted by the end of September.

The programme structure is under continual discussion with the National Microelectronics Institute and our industrial advisory board in order that it remains at the cutting edge of the semiconductor industry. It is therefore subject to small changes on an ongoing basis to generally improve the programme and recognise important emerging disciplines.

Careers

This course gives graduating students the background to go on to a career in a variety of disciplines in the IT sector, due to the core and specialist units that cover key foundational concepts as well as advanced topics related to hardware design, programming and embedded systems and system-level integration.

Typical careers are in soft fabrication facilities and design houses in the semiconductor industry, electronic-design automation tool vendors, embedded systems specialists and software houses. The course also covers concepts and technologies related to emerging paradigms such as neuromorphic computing and the Internet of Things and prepares you for a career in academic research.

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This new and distinctive MRes aims to develop a systematic understanding and critical appreciation of alternative approaches, methodologies and paradigms of social science research. It will develop fully trained and competent social science researchers, who are able to understand and use research techniques appropriate to their subject area as well as being conversant with approaches used by other social scientists.

The programme has a substantial theoretical and quantitative core but also delivers complementary qualitative training. This will provide an essential foundation for any working researcher, whether they are going on to do a PhD or otherwise engaged in research. The training will enable students to think through how they can use their knowledge and skills of advanced quantitative methods in different contexts and apply them to a variety of problems; and, progressively, to identify their own needs for training.

The MRes joins a suite of interdisciplinary training programmes that are part of the Economics and Social Research Council South West Doctoral Training Partnership. It is a joint initiative between the Universities of Bath, Bristol and Exeter. The course is delivered collaboratively; each semester one core unit is taught intensively, with time spent at each location. This collaborative delivery means that the expertise of academics at each institution can be made available to students from all three universities, enhancing the training capacity of each.

Programme structure

1. Research Design Methods and Skills (15 credits, mandatory): delivered over intensive sessions at each institution (Bath, Bristol, Exeter).
The main topics to be covered include: ontology and epistemology in social research; varieties of approaches to research design from different backgrounds; question design and formulation; criteria for evaluating research and strategies to enhance research quality; critical evaluation of different methodologies; preparing research proposals and communicating research.

2. Mathematics and Programming Skills for Social Scientists (15 credits, mandatory): delivered over intensive sessions at each institution.
The main topics covered are programming statistical and graphical techniques using R; dynamic programming and coding using Python; multi-level modelling theory and application using MLwiN.

3. Introduction to Qualitative Research in the Social Sciences (20 credits, mandatory): delivered at the home institution.
This unit aims to provide a philosophical appreciation of the underpinnings of qualitative research methods, to develop a critical understanding of the potential of various qualitative methodologies and key epistemological and methodological problems raised in qualitative methodologies.

4. Optional units
An appropriate range of optional units is provided at each institution to ensure students can take a full suite at their home institution should they wish to. Optional units may include substantive subject units of interest, or further methods units. At Bristol these may include: Big Data and Society; Spatial Data Analysis; Spatial Regression Modelling and GIS in R; and Explanation, Causation and Longitudinal Analysis. Students can also take options from across the Faculty of Social Sciences and Law, or from Bath and Exeter, subject to timetabling constraints.

5. Dissertation (60 credits, mandatory): An extended research project of between 10,000 and 15,000 words.

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This is a part-time modular programme providing continuing professional education for registered social workers who are currently working with children and young people, their families and carers in the UK.

The programme leads to one of three awards; you can enter at MSc, Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma level. Alternatively, you are welcome simply to take any of our units on a credit-only basis.

The programme is normally accessed by qualified social workers as part of their employment with local authorities or voluntary/independent sector organisations in the South West of England. However, we also welcome applications from appropriately qualified and experienced practitioners/managers working elsewhere in the UK. It is managed in partnership with local employers.

Programme structure

The programme is timetabled so that you study on a part-time basis, and access to units is modular.

Postgraduate Certificate students must take three units, normally including at least two of the four core units. If only two core units are taken as part of the Postgraduate Certificate, the remaining 20 credits are taken from the optional units (a total of 60 credit points).

Postgraduate Diploma and Master's students must take all four core units and two of the optional units (a total of 120 credit points).

You will undertake research methods training before accessing the dissertation unit. This is normally achieved through successful completion of the research methods unit, Philosophy and Research Design in the Social Sciences.

Successful completion of the dissertation leads to the full Master's award (a total of 180 credit points).

Credit-only students can undertake any of the units available on the programme. This will give students the opportunity to gain academic credits towards their continuing professional development. However, if students wish to build up academic credits in order to gain a Postgraduate Certificate or Diploma or MSc, they will need to take careful note of the requirements for these programmes in terms of mandatory and optional units.

There is also a Graduate Certificate in Social Work with Children and Families for potential students without an undergraduate qualification.

Core units:
-Child Development, Health and Wellbeing
-Contemporary Law and Policy for Child Welfare Services
-Assessment, Risk and Decision-Making
-Social Work with Children and Families with Complex Needs

Optional units - You will be able to choose from a range of optional units. Please note optional units can change from year to year, but may include:
-Advanced Practice in Communication and Direct Work with Children
-Advanced Practice with Looked-after Children; Adoption, Fostering and Kinship Care
-Leadership and Management in Social Work
-Philosophy and Research Design in the Social Sciences
-Researching Child and Family Welfare
-Supervision and Assessment of Professional Practice (Practice Educator Stage 2)
-Dissertation

Careers

Students on the MSc in Advanced Social Work with Children and Families are qualified and experienced social workers, who are currently employed in a variety of children and family settings in the UK. The programme is aligned with the Professional Capabilities Framework and the chief social worker's knowledge and skills statement. It has been designed to provide high-quality continuing professional development for social work practitioners and managers. Successful completion of the programme will support professional registration and enhance opportunities for career progression.

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This MSc is a collaboration between the School of Experimental Psychology within the University and the Department of Neuropsychology within North Bristol NHS Trust. The degree provides you with training in clinical neuropsychology and a substantial portion of taught content is provided by clinicians working within the NHS. In addition to taught content, the degree also involves a research project. Many of the programme units are provided in a block format, over a single week.

This MSc is suitable for students intending to become clinical psychologists, as well as those who wish to pursue a career involving contact with patients with neuropsychological deficits (eg head injury, dementia, stroke, rehabilitation). It also provides an excellent grounding for students wishing to move on to further academic research through a PhD.

The programme content includes the principles of assessment within clinical and neuropsychology, coverage of a range of neuropsychological disorders and pathologies affecting the brain, techniques for studying the human brain, principles of treatment and rehabilitation following brain damage. The programme focuses on evidence-based practice within a clinical context. There is a comprehensive range of additional structured tutorials in which students can discuss clinical practice issues with several subject matter experts working within the NHS.

A novel feature of our clinical training is that all lectures are broadcast live online, so some can be viewed without having to travel to lecture theatres. In addition, all lectures are recorded and can be replayed at any time. Students will have access to a large range of recorded clinical case reviews, which supplement the learning experience.

Programme structure

Core units
-Functional Neuroanatomy, Neuroscience Methods and Issues in Neuropsychology (30 credits)
Part A: Issues in Neuropsychology
Part B: Functional Neuroanatomy and Neuroscience Methods

-Applied Clinical Neuropsychology and Principles of Assessment (30 credits)
Part A: Assessment in Clinical Neuropsychology
Part B: Applied Neuropsychology

-Development, Rehabilitation and Evidence-based Neuropsychology and Principles of Clinical Statistics (30 credits)
Part A: Development and Rehabilitation
Part B: Evidence-Based Neuropsychology

-Theoretical and Clinical Neuropsychology (30 credits)
Part A: Clinical Neuropsychology in Practice
Part B: Theoretical Neuropsychology

-Dissertation (60 credits)

Careers

This degree supports those who wish to pursue a career in clinical psychology or clinical neuropsychology. It delivers core skills that will enhance prospects of employment as an assistant psychologist, applications to undertake training in clinical psychology and those who wish to undertake clinical research in an academic environment.

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This diploma provides you with training in clinical neuropsychology and a substantial portion of the taught content is provided by clinicians working within the National Health Service. The training is identical to that provided to UK-registered clinicians who want to specialise in clinical neuropsychology, and meets the British Psychological Society requirements for the knowledge dimension of the Qualification in Clinical Neuropsychology (QiCN).

It provides an excellent basis for anyone wishing to pursue a career working with patients with neuropsychological deficits. Alternatively, the diploma can lead to further doctoral research. It would also be of interest to international students looking to obtain specialist training in clinical neuropsychology.

There is a strong focus on patient care, diagnostics and management of a range of neurological conditions. As well as working within the acute hospital trust, the department provides input to specialist inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation services for people with acquired brain injury. All lectures are broadcast live online using Adobe Connect and can be viewed at a later date. Some units are provided in a block of teaching (ie one unit over a single week) while others are delivered weekly.

Bristol-based study

This mode of delivery is designed to suit people with professional or other commitments. 80 credits of taught content are delivered in four separate teaching blocks, each lasting a week. All content in these blocks is recorded but students are expected to attend these weeks in person. The remaining 40 credits are delivered through weekly online lectures, presentations and seminars.

Distance learning (international students only) option

All aspects of delivery are identical except that lectures are viewed online. However, we also offer distance learners regular additional online sessions providing enhanced academic and pastoral support.

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Biomedical engineering is an emerging field in the UK that involves applying physical, chemical, mathematical, computer science and engineering principles to the analysis of biological, medical, behavioural and health-related problems. Biomedical engineers develop innovative devices and procedures to help prevent, diagnose and treat diseases. It relies on an in-depth understanding of science and engineering fundamentals, combined with a broad knowledge of physiological and anatomical systems.

This programme allows you to gain expertise in this exciting field and covers both theory and practical applications. You will acquire the analytical tools and broad physical knowledge of modern engineering and science, as well as a fundamental understanding of the anatomical and physiological systems, and familiarity with recent technological breakthroughs.

Programme structure

Your course will cover the following core subjects:
-Physiology for biomedical engineering
-Biosensors
-Computational genomics and bioinformatics algorithms
-Anatomical science for engineering
-Computational neuroscience
-Biomedical imaging
-Research skills

You will be able to choose three optional subjects from the following:
-Mathematical modelling in physiology and medicine
-Digital filters and spectral analysis
-Biomechanics
-Wireless networking and sensing in e-healthcare

Project
You will carry out a substantial research project, which you will start during the second teaching block and complete during the summer.

Careers

Employment opportunities in the sector are excellent and varied. Biomedical engineers can be employed by companies working in the design, development and manufacture of medical devices; within the NHS, for example in hospitals to collaborate with clinicians in offering non-clinical services; in research institutes or academia; in governmental regulatory agencies; or as technical consultants within marketing departments.

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This programme brings together expertise from across the many subject areas in the biomedical sciences to provide you with training in several key areas of current research interest. The programme focuses on experimental science and it is research-informed. It will provide you with practical laboratory-based experience with access to specialist techniques, in state-of-the-art facilities.

It is a flexible programme: you will select three units of your choice during your studies, giving you the opportunity to investigate a range of different topics within the biomedical sciences. For your final research project, you again have the flexibility to choose your research area from a wide range of suggested projects or you can design your own research project, working with academic staff. You can also choose a project offered at an off-campus site, such as Southmead Hospital, Bristol Dental School or the Bristol Heart Institute.

You will learn in small teaching and tutorial groups. The taught and research elements of this MSc are carefully balanced: your research project, for example, runs over a 12-week period free of lectures, allowing you to focus solely on your project.

The skills you can develop during this programme include presentation, report-writing and work-planning. Several students have contributed to published papers and many go on to study at PhD level.

Programme structure

Core skills
-A series of practical classes, lecture-based teaching sessions and tutorials that prepare you for the practical project, provide a foundation for further studies and develop a range of transferable skills.

Literary project
-An extended essay on a subject chosen from an extensive list supplied by the unit organiser. You work independently under the guidance of a member of staff.

Project proposal and research project
-Each school provides a number of research project topics within the themes described below. You work independently under the guidance of a member of staff to produce a written project proposal. This is followed by a 12-week research project investigating your chosen topic. The research project forms the basis for a dissertation.

Lecture-based units
You will study three lecture-based units from:
-Cancer Biology
-Cardiovascular Research
-The Dynamic Cell
-Infection, Immunology and Immunity
-Pharmacology
-Neuroscience

Each taught unit is assessed independently by written examinations, or - in the case of Core Skills - by written examinations and coursework. The literary project, project proposal and practical projects are presented as written dissertations.

Careers

Approximately one third of our students have gone on to PhD-level studies at the Universities of Bristol, Bath, Manchester, Glasgow, Dublin and Plymouth, among others. The next largest group of students are those that have gone on to study medicine. Others have gone on to research assistantships, teacher training, biomedical scientist training or non-scientific careers, such as accountancy.

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Biophysics provides structural and mechanistic insights into the biological world and uses this knowledge to create solutions for major global problems, such as food production, climate change, environmental damage and drug production. It spans the distance between the vast complexity of biological systems and the relative simplicity of the physical laws that govern the universe.

Our Biophysics and Molecular Life Sciences MSc provides interdisciplinary training by bringing together concepts from chemistry, physics and the life sciences. It is taught by staff actively pursuing research in these areas and from members of BrisSynBio, a flagship centre for synthetic biology research in the UK.

The programme gives you an opportunity to gain knowledge and practical experience by studying molecular interactions and mechanisms at the level of the cell to the single molecule. Topics for study include molecular structure determination, dynamic molecular mechanisms, molecular simulation, molecular design and single-molecule technologies. You can also choose an additional unit that reflects your personal interests, allowing you to broaden your knowledge of biomedical subjects whilst focusing on biophysics. You will also learn about the commercialisation of research outcomes, including intellectual property, setting up a business, getting investment, marketing and legal issues.

Graduates from this programme will be well-prepared for a PhD programme in biophysics or related fields. Additionally, the numerical, problem-solving, research and communication skills gained on this programme are highly desired by employers in a variety of industries.

Robust evidence is the cornerstone of science and on this programme you will gain research experience in laboratories equipped with state-of-the-art equipment, including atomic force and electron microscopy, biological and chemical NMR, x-ray crystallography and mass spectrometry.

Your learning will be supported throughout the programme in regular, small-group tutorials.

Programme structure

Core units
Biophysics and Molecular Life Sciences I
-The unit begins with a short series of lectures that introduce the general area of molecular life sciences for the non-specialist. The remaining lectures cover a variety of molecular spectroscopies, molecular structure determination, an introduction to systems approaches using proteomics, and the mechanistic characterisation of biomolecules using a variety of biophysical techniques.

Biophysics and Molecular Life Sciences II
-The unit describes highly specialised techniques at the interface of physics, chemistry and the life sciences. This includes techniques for studying biomolecules at the level of a single-molecule, synthetic biology, bioinformatics and molecular simulations.

Core Skills
-A series of practical classes, lecture-based teaching sessions, and tutorials that prepare you for the practical project, provide a foundation for further studies and develop a range of transferable skills.

Literary Project
-An extended essay on a subject chosen from an extensive list covering the topics described above. You work independently under the guidance of a member of staff.

Project Proposal and Research Project
-You work independently under the guidance of a member of staff to produce a written project proposal. This is followed by a 12-week research project investigating your chosen topic. The research project forms the basis for a dissertation.

Lecture-based option
You will study one lecture-based unit from:
-Cancer Biology
-Cardiovascular Research
-The Dynamic Cell
-Infection, Immunology and Immunity
-Neuroscience
-Pharmacology

Careers

Typically, biophysics careers are laboratory-based, conducting original research within academia, a government agency or private industry, although the transferable skills gained on the course are ideal for many other careers outside of science, including business and finance.

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