MSc in Sexually Transmitted Infections & HIV
Led by experts at the UCL Centre for Sexual Health and HIV Research, the UCL program offers
· A unique opportunity to study infections that make a major contribution to global mortality and morbidity
· Select from a wide range of modules to meet your needs, with everything from epidemiology and global health, to microbiology, and clinical training
· Engage with leading researchers and experts in the rapidly developing field of STIs and HIV
· Benefit from shared modules with the Masters in Global Health and Development
Why study STIs and HIV at UCL?
Studying STIs opens up exciting and challenging career possibilities. STIs and HIV not only contribute a huge component of the global burden of disease, they have also driven some of the most cutting edge scientific developments of the past decade. These include areas as diverse as immunology, virology, vaccines for cancer, treatment as prevention, treatment of chronic diseases, structural drivers of disease, the role of community mobilization and disease control, to the science of aging.
This Masters provides Healthcare Professionals, Researchers, and those engaged in the public health aspects of STIs and HIV an opportunity to develop or refocus their careers, through advanced knowledge and skills training in all aspects of STI management and control.
Under the mentorship of the course organizer students tailor the course to their own learning objectives. Modules cover all aspects of STIs including Epidemiology and Public Health; Research Methods (qualitative and statistical); Health economics; Healthcare evaluation; Health Policy; issues in Global Health and Development; Basic science and laboratory diagnosis; Clinical management of individuals with STIs and HIV; and the interface between STIs and related specialties.
A choice of learning pathways
UCL Sexually Transmitted Infections and HIV programme is modular and can be studied either full time or part time, leading to a post graduate diploma (PGD) or Masters of Science (MSc). Full time study will be completed in one year. Part time it can be completed over two years. For those with work commitments it can be completed flexibly over 3-5 years
To qualify for a PGD, candidates must complete all three core modules [3 x 15=45 credits] and five optional modules [4x15=75 credits] to receive a total of 120 credits
To qualify for an MSc, candidates must complete all three core modules and five optional modules [8x15 = 120 credits] and a dissertation [60 credits] to receive a total of 180 credits
A wide range of modules
Students on our course come from a variety of different academic and professional backgrounds, and each wants something different out of the academic experience.
Accordingly, all students enrolled on the STI and HIV programme complete a mixture of three compulsory core taught modules and five optional modules (15 credits each). This allows students, under the guidance of their tutor and course organizer, to build their own personalized learning pathway based on a strong foundation of core principles of sexually transmitted infections (basic science, epidemiology and good clinical practice). The individualized pathways can range from a more practical clinical or public health pathway, to one that focuses on global health, to one that builds the students research knowledge and skills as a foundation for a higher degree (PhD).
Core modules are, Basic Science; Epidemiology; and Clinical STDs
Optional modules include Clinical HIV; Basic Statistics; Regression Modeling; Advanced Statistics; Healthcare quality and Evidence Based Practice; Research in action: The quantitative approach; Social Determinants of Health; Research methods for social epidemiology; Research in action: the Qualitative approach; Key Principles in Health Economics; Global justice and Health; Ethnicity, migration and health; Global Health and development, emerging policy debates; Conflict, migration and human rights; Anthropological perspectives on global health ; Reproductive health; Gender Health and Development; HIV frontiers from research to clinics; Frontiers of therapeutic development in infection and immunity; and the Molecular Basis of Infectious Disease
For students working towards the MSc degree, the MSc dissertation (60 credits) runs as a long-term module supplementing academic supervision of the student's project with regular support sessions.
Resources for Students of Sexually Transmitted Infections and HIV at UCL
Students on all pathways through the Postgraduate Programme have access to a phenomenal range of intellectual, practical and support resources.
UCL - London's Global University
UCL - University College London - is the oldest and largest of the institutions that make up the University of London and has one of the highest ratings in the country for both teaching and research. Students benefit from all the facilities of a modern, internationally renowned university including three medical libraries, a careers service, sporting facilities, a theatre, and a lively students' union.
Students have access to the facilities and activities of the UCL Graduate School.
Facilities at Centre for Sexual Health and HIV research
The programme is based at the Mortimer Market Centre, just off Tottenham Court Road, in the heart of London and a stone throw away from the UCL main campus. The Mortimer Market Centre houses Europe’s largest clinics for sexually transmitted infections and HIV, as well as the Centre for Sexual Health and HIV research. The Centre, which is part of the Research Department of Infection and Population Health, was founded in 1979, as the Department of Sexually Transmitted Diseases, with the creation of the Duncan Guthrie Chair, the first in this specialty in the world. Since its foundation, the Centre has expanded steadily and is now staffed by a multidisciplinary team of epidemiologists, clinicians, statisticians and behavioral scientists examining a wide range of issues relating to sexual health, STIs and HIV/AIDS.
Entry requirements
The programme is academically rigorous and we recommend that students have at least an upper second-class honours degree or a medical degree from a recognized university. Applicants with appropriate technical or professional qualifications and/or considerable work experience in the field of sexual health or HIV, nationally and internationally are also welcomed.
How do I apply?
The programme starts in September. Places are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis and early application is encouraged. Applications are made through UCL Admissions. For more information visit http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/graduate-study/
Fees and studentships
Studentships may be available for UK and EU applicants to assist with the payment of fees.
The fees for 2012/13 are listed below:
| Programme | UK and European Union students | Overseas students |
| Full time | £7750 | £20 000 |
| part time | £3900 | £10 000 |
Further information
For further information contact
Lydia Clinton, MSc Course Administrator
Tel. 00 44 (0) 20 3108 2084
Fax 00 44 (0) 20 3108 2079
Email l.clinton@ucl.ac.uk
Students perspective
Last year's students!
This programme of study provides valuable continuing medical education and updating for those already working in the field of HIV or STIs and useful opportunities to meet and develop networks with London based researchers and experts in the field.
For those with less experience the programme provides a broad overview of the field which may lead to a career in clinical medicine, public health or research.
Several ex-students now work in national HIV/STI treatment and control programs or have gone on to complete higher research degrees.
In previous years students have completed dissertations on a wide number of topics such as:
Campbell, T. HIV and Gay men, Antiretroviral therapy and unprotected anal intercourse: a pilot study
Khan, S.A. Proposal for a Surveillance Program of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in Bangladesh
Leung, A. Urinary tract infection in men with clinical features of urethritis
Miles, K. Sexual Health Seeking Behaviours of Young Male & Female 15-20 Year Olds in Foni Region, the Gambia
Phiri, S. Protocol for developing HIV/AIDS management guidelines at the Lighthouse Centre Lilongwe, Malawi
Pieroth, V. Community Participatory Theatre in Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Education: A research proposal for Tanzania
Page last modified on 10 may 12 15:27
