Infection Biology

Entry requirements

We require an honours degree (minimum Upper Second) or overseas equivalent in:

• biological science
• biomedical science

Students with different academic backgrounds and relevant career experience (eg working in the biotech or pharmaceutical industries) will be considered, keeping in mind the academic potential of the individual. Such students will be accepted onto the course on a discretionary basis after application and interview.

We also encourage applications from intercalating medical students who have demonstrated an interest and aptitude in biomedical sciences. This will be assessed both by interview and the production of a personal statement. Minimal requirement for admission will be satisfactory achievement in years 1-3 of the undergraduate medical programme.

Months of entry

September

Course content

Our MSc Infection Biology course will equip you with the knowledge and skills required to join the global fight against infectious diseases which threaten humanity.

As exemplified by the COVID-19 pandemic, infectious disease remains a major cause of human death. Novel treatments are required to meet this challenge as the efficacy of antimicrobial interventions, including the potency of vaccines, continues to decline. The discovery of novel preventative and therapeutic interventions are now critically dependent upon a detailed mechanistic understanding of disease processes, their impact upon human pathobiology and the feasibility of therapeutically targeting such mechanisms.

With a view to training a generation of infection biologists equipped with the skills to tackle this global challenge, the MSc in Infection Biology provides outstanding academic and research training in the molecular and cellular basis of host-microbe interactions in health and disease.

You will learn directly from internationally recognised scientists through joint research, thereby securing a sustained interaction with expert mentors for the duration of the course. The course provides research training in fundamental aspects of infectious diseases, microbial (viral, bacterial, helminth and fungal) pathogenesis, host interactions, antimicrobial immunity, and antimicrobial therapy. For the talented student this course provides an excellent training prior to registration for a PhD.

This course will equip you with:

• a detailed theoretical and practical understanding of molecular microbiology and antimicrobial immunology;
• a thorough understanding of methods for analysing the biological functions and physiological relevance of microbial virulence factors and host responses to pathogenic challenge;
• a working knowledge of mechanistic approaches to problem-solving in molecular and cellular biomedical science;
• an understanding of a wide repertoire of cutting edge scientific methods including flow cytometry, single cell technologies, next generation sequencing, imaging and proteomics;
• transferable skills in critical reasoning and reflection, collaborative team working, scientific communication, use of IT/health informatics, innovation in the application of knowledge to practice and logical/systematic approaches to solving problems and making decisions.