Home

Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering MSc

London, Bloomsbury

Healthcare engineering harnesses the latest materials and physical technologies to improve the lives of people battling illness and injury. This one-year MSc will ensure you have the specialist knowledge and skills to advance quickly in this rapidly developing medical field, so you can find opportunities and bring new interventions to the people that need them the most. 

UK students International students
Study mode
UK tuition fees (2025/26)
£20,500
Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.
Overseas tuition fees (2025/26)
£39,800
Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.
Duration
1 calendar year
5 calendar years
Programme starts
September 2025
Applications accepted
Applicants who require a visa: 14 Oct 2024 – 04 Apr 2025
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Applicants who do not require a visa: 14 Oct 2024 – 29 Aug 2025
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Apply for this course

Entry requirements

A minimum of a second-class Bachelor’s degree from a UK university in a subject appropriate to the chosen field, or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard.

The English language level for this programme is: Level 1

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree

On this multidisciplinary Master’s in biomaterials and tissue engineering, you'll learn how to design and implement biomedical engineering solutions for clinical settings, using advanced skills in biofluids and medical devices, biomechanics and medical imaging. 

You won’t just learn technical skills you’ll also develop a comprehensive understanding of how the healthcare engineering industry works. You’ll explore a diverse array of academic and industry career paths across both medical and manufacturing settings. 

This will support you to build the skills needed to identify and pursue commercial opportunities for biomaterials applications, while assessing those opportunities for their safety, environmental, social and economic impact. 

You’ll join a cohort of graduates from engineering, physical and life sciences backgrounds, and learn from academic experts whose research addresses global manufacturing and healthcare challenges. 

Co-designed by faculty from UCL’s Mechanical Engineering, the Division of Medicine, the Eastman Dental Institute, Division of Surgery & Interventional Science, School of Pharmacy, and the Institute of Biomedical Engineering, this course weaves together world-class research and methodology from multiple disciplines, setting you up for creative professional and research roles across medicine and biotech.

Who this course is for

This interdisciplinary programme is for physical science, engineering and life sciences graduates, including those with medical qualifications, who want to gain a thorough background in bioengineering. It will prepare you either for further research or for senior management roles in manufacturing or healthcare engineering.

Read about what it takes to study for a Master's at UCL

What this course will give you

This programme offers you the following benefits and opportunities.

  • A postgraduate degree from a top-ranked university. UCL is consistently ranked among the best universities globally (ranked 9th in the latest QS World University Rankings 2025), providing you with a prestigious qualification that is highly regarded by employers worldwide. 
     
  • Study at UCL Mechanical Engineering, the first mechanical engineering department in England and the first in the world to introduce laboratories in engineering education in 1878.
     
  • Work across six specialist biomaterials laboratories, funded by the Royal Society and the Wolfson Foundation. 
     
  • Build in-depth knowledge of cardiovascular engineering, drug delivery, fluid mechanics, tissue engineering strategies and more, on a dynamic and engaging programme delivered through lectures, tutorials, workshops, problem classes and real-life case studies. 
     
  • Learn with world-leading experts in biomaterials and tissue engineering, with regular consultation hours, module-specific discussion forums and a self-directed individual research project developed in close liaison with your project supervisor. 
     
  • Study in the world's best city for university students (QS Best Student Cities 2024). UCL’s Bloomsbury campus is in the heart of a London district famous for its cultural and educational institutions.
     
Read about what you'll get out of a graduate programme
Making an impact
UCL Portico building with welcome sign between columns.

Case study: UCL Biomaterials specialist wins Royal Society Medal

Professor Mohan Edirisinghe, Programme Director for Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering MSc, was honoured by the Royal Society for his vital biomaterials research.

The foundation of your career

This programme will provide you with an ideal foundation to go on to employment across many sectors and industries, including medicine and biotech firms, as well as pursuing further study. Students who have recently graduated from this programme have gone on to work in organisations such as, MHRA (UK), the National Health Service (UK), Stamm Biotech, and Consilium Strategic Communications.

Employability

Rapid advancements in biology and life sciences have created a huge demand for qualified graduates with a well-rounded understanding of the biological, engineering and commercial aspects of modern healthcare engineering. 

Recent graduates of this programme have gone on to work with organisations such as MHRA (UK), the National Health Service (UK), Stamm Biotech, Consilium Strategic Communications and Oncologia.

Networking

You’ll have regular opportunities to connect, collaborate and build professional contacts as part of your Master’s degree.   

  • Spend time with experts from organisations at the forefront of healthcare engineering, such as the NHS, JRI Orthopaedics and Orthopaedics Research (UK). 
  • Explore a wealth of tailored events at both the faculty and departmental level facilitated by UCL Careers and UCL Innovation and Enterprise. 
  • If you’re interested in entrepreneurship, you can connect with like-minded innovators and successful entrepreneurs through UCL’s innovation hubs and startup incubators. 

Teaching and learning

This MSc programme is delivered through a mix of seminars, tutorials, lectures, laboratory work and projects, which frequently draw upon real-life case studies.

Assessment is through examinations, presentations, essays, coursework, and your individual research project.

Full-time students on this programme can expect approximately 12-16 hours of contact hours a week. The exact number of contact hours and composition varies throughout the terms depending on the module choices of the student. Students can expect a weekly schedule of 35-40 hours a week, which comprises contact time, self-directed study, and preparing for assessments.

Your project module will see you conduct research, write up your final report, and engage in regular contact with your project supervisor(s), who will guide and support you throughout your project.

Modules

The taught part of the programme comprises eight compulsory subject modules (one of which is the group project). The taught modules consist of lectures, seminars, tutorials and example classes.

The first two academic terms comprise the taught modules, including the group project. The Individual Research Project is a large part of the programme running from March to September. This is carried out under the supervision of a member of staff and is assessed on the basis of a written report and a project presentation. Progress is monitored via progress reports. 

The taught part of the programme comprises eight compulsory subject modules (one of which is the group project). The taught modules comprise lectures, seminars, tutorials and example classes. Students on the modular-flexible programme select how many of these modules they wish to take in each year of study. The individual project must be taken in your last year of study.

Teaching takes place for the taught modules across the first two academic terms, including the group project. The Individual Research Project comprises a large part of the programme running from March to September. This is carried out under the supervision of a member of staff and is assessed on the basis of a written report and a project presentation. Progress is monitored via progress reports. 

Compulsory modules











Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability are subject to change. Modules that are in use for the current academic year are linked for further information. Where no link is present, further information is not yet available.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded an MSc in Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering.

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services team.

Where you'll study

Five students in mechanical engineering lab housing multiple computers and technical equipment on tables

UCL Mechanical Engineering’s facilities are fundamental to our students’ studies and research. From a Thermofluids Laboratory focusing on fuels and emissions, and our Fluids Laboratory, to MechSpace, a large, dedicated teaching lab that sees students design and build prototypes, honing practical engineering skills. The Department also offers excellent resources in our Advanced Propulsion Lab (APL), the Advanced Characterisation Laboratories for Materials & Manufacturing (ACLMM), and now UCL East’s state-of-the-art Manufacturing Futures Lab (MFL), where we take a multidisciplinary approach to the creation of next generation sustainable manufacturing technologies, supported by a Precision Fabrication Workshop (PFW).

Find out more

Visit us

All open days and events

Online - Open day

Graduate Open Events: Mechanical Engineering (morning)

—

Join programme directors, administrators and current students for an online session about the varied MSc programmes offered by the Department of Mechanical Engineering at UCL. You will hear a short overview of our programmes, meet key people and have the chance to ask any questions you may have about course content, student experience and future career prospects. The two sessions are exactly the same and repeated for people in different time zones.

Online - Open day

Graduate Open Events: Mechanical Engineering (afternoon)

—

Join programme directors, administrators and current students for an online session about the varied MSc programmes offered by the Department of Mechanical Engineering at UCL. You will hear a short overview of our programmes, meet key people and have the chance to ask any questions you may have about course content, student experience and future career prospects. The two sessions are exactly the same and repeated for people in different time zones.

Roberts Cafe, Roberts Engineering Building, Torrington Place, London WC1E 7JE - Open day

Graduate Open Events: UCL Faculty of Engineering Sciences

—

At UCL Engineering, our graduates turn discoveries into solutions - improving medical treatments, housing, transportation, the products, processes and students we produce change the world. Visit us on campus and get your questions about postgraduate study at UCL answered by our leading academics, current students, and admissions advisors. You'll also take part in Bloomsbury campus tours, and enjoy department-specific demos, visits, taster lectures, and facility tours!

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time
Tuition fees (2025/26) £20,500
Tuition fees (2025/26) £39,800

Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Where the programme is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees.

Additional costs

For Full-time and Part-time offer holders a fee deposit will be charged at 10% of the first year fee.

For flexible/modular offer holders a £500 fee deposit will be charged.

Further information can be found in the Tuition fee deposits section on this page: Tuition fees.

There may occasionally be small, incidental expenses which can be reimbursed by the department once claimed.

UCL’s main teaching locations are in zones 1 (Bloomsbury) and zones 2/3 (UCL East). The cost of a monthly 18+ Oyster travel card for zones 1-2 is £114.50. This price was published by TfL in 2024. For more information on additional costs for prospective students and the cost of living in London, please view our estimated cost of essential expenditure at UCL's cost of living guide.

Funding your studies

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.

See all the ways you can fund your studies

UCL East London Scholarship

Deadline: 26 June 2025
Value: Tuition fees plus £16,000 stipend ()
Criteria Based on financial need
Eligibility: UK

Next steps

Students are advised to apply as early as possible due to competition for places. Those applying for scholarship funding (particularly overseas applicants) should take note of application deadlines.

There is an application processing fee for this programme of £90 for online applications. Further information can be found at Application fees.

When we assess your application we would like to learn:

  • why you want to study Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering at graduate level
  • why you want to study Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering at UCL
  • what particularly attracts you to this programme
  • how your academic and/or professional background meets the demands of a challenging programme
  • where you would like to go professionally with your degree

Together with essential academic requirements, the personal statement is your opportunity to illustrate whether your reasons for applying to this programme match what the programme will deliver.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.

Year of entry: 2025-2026

Apply for this course

Got questions? Get in touch

Mechanical Engineering
Mechanical Engineering

graduate-info@meng.ucl.ac.uk

UCL is regulated by the Office for Students.