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Biomedical Sciences MSc

London, Bloomsbury

This is the programme information for 2025 entry

If you require details of the previous year's programme, Biomedical Sciences MSc (2024), click here

UK students International students

Study mode

UK tuition fees (2025/26)

£20,500

£10,250

Overseas tuition fees (2025/26)

£39,800

£19,900

Duration

1 calendar year

2 calendar years

Programme starts

September 2025

Applications accepted

Applicants who require a visa: 14 Oct 2024 – 27 Jun 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

Normally a minimum of an upper second-class UK Bachelor's degree in biomedical sciences, life sciences or related subject area, or a medical degree (MBBS), or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard. Please note that the programme is not accredited for hospital biomedical sciences training.

The English language level for this programme is: Level 2

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

The overall aim of the programme is for students to develop an advanced understanding of the structure and function of biomedical systems, together with an understanding of the mechanisms underlying normal function and dysfunction at molecular, cellular and systems levels. Students will acquire and put into practice the research methods skills necessary to investigate mechanisms and develop knowledge in this field.

Who this course is for

The Biomedical Sciences MSc is aimed at students with an undergraduate degree in a biosciences-related field, who wish to explore a range of topics in the biomedical sciences, while pursuing a particular specialism for the purposes of a PhD or a career in the biomedical industries.

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

What this course will give you

This broad introduction to the fascinating world of biomedical sciences will allow you to split your time equally between a specialised research project and taught modules that provide you with a wider understanding of biomedical sciences at the molecular, cellular and systems levels.

What you will gain from this course:

Study within the UCL Biosciences division, one of the world’s foremost centres for research and teaching about human health, ranked sixth globally for biological sciences.
Gain first-hand insight into globally significant research across a diverse range of biosciences disciplines.
Spend half the course on a diverse range of taught modules delivered by leading experts, learning about advanced genetics, cell biology, drug design, cell signalling, ageing research and more.
Spend the other half of the programme gaining hands-on practical research experience as part of a leading research group in your chosen specialism.
Learn directly from research staff in a close-knit community, with regular opportunities for networking and professional development.
Get involved with collaborative projects and absorb the perspectives of guest speakers from a range of UCL partners, including the Francis Crick Institute and the UCL-Zeiss Multiscale Imaging Centre (UZMIC).
Take your place in the UCL biomedical research community on the Bloomsbury campus, in the heart of a London district famous for its cultural and educational institutions.
Leave with the skills and knowledge needed for a PhD, or to take up research-related roles in commercial labs across a broad range of industries.

Read about what you'll get out of a graduate programme

The foundation of your career

In addition to the established routes to doctoral studies in your chosen specialism, you’ll be well positioned for a variety of roles in both the public and the private sector.

You’ll be able to progress to advisory and consultancy roles for governmental agencies and NGOs, or explore research and development work across a broad range of industries including biotech, healthcare and pharmaceuticals. Your skills will also be highly valued in the medical writing and publishing industries.

Graduates from this course have gone onto positions at UCL, the Oslo University Hospital, GlaxoSmithKline and Randox Laboratories.*

*Graduate Outcomes survey carried out by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), looking at the destinations of UK and EU graduates in the 2019-20, 2020-21 cohorts

Employability

By securing your advanced understanding of a broad range of biomedical sciences, this master’s prepares you for the widest possible range of high-level opportunities within this rapidly evolving field.

Networking

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

Attend biosciences-specific careers and networking events, organised by the UCL Division of Biosciences.
Take part in careers events through UCL Careers during the academic year, and enhance your CV writing and interview skills.
Build strong working relationships through the supervision and mentorship of leading bioscientists who collaborate nationally and internationally across clinical, industrial and academic sectors.

Teaching and learning

Knowledge in the biomedical sciences will be facilitated through lectures, tutorial-style classes and self-directed learning using published articles, web-based information sources and databases and completion of taught module assessments. The research project and preparation of the dissertation develops writing skills, self-directed learning and critical analysis of research literature.

Taught modules are delivered through a combination of lectures, tutorials, practical exercises, computer simulation, data analysis exercises and self-directed learning. Assessment is through coursework (including projects, reports and presentations), unseen written examination, dissertation and oral presentation.

The programme consists of one year (180 credits) full-time or two years (90 credits in each year) of flexible study that include a 90 credits research project.

Typical contact hours encompass 24 hours of tutorials and 120 hours of lectures, in addition to 120 hours of interactive research project work and a further 1250 hours of independent study while reviewing course materials, conducting independent research, and preparing formative and summative assignments. This balance of work facilitates a deepening understanding of the subject of Biomedical Sciences while developing self-discipline and critical thinking.

This means that you will have approximately 8-12 contact hours a week during term time, 35-50 hours per week total study time (including self-study). The contact time may rise to 30-35 hours per week during full-time project work with the self-study time reducing accordingly.

Modules

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. The programme consists of a 90-credit research project, and optional subject modules, selected with advice from the programme tutor according to the background and interests of individual students.

Optional modules involve topics in neuroscience, in the physiology of health and disease, in subjects related to human genetics, cancer and personalised medicine, cell signalling, statistics, and management for biosciences.

Part-time students complete 90 credits of study in each year of the two-year part-time programme, with 90 credits of optional modules in year one and their 90 credit research project in year two.

Compulsory modules

Practice of Science

MSc Biomedical Sciences Research Project

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 Biomedical Sciences.

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.

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students

Fee description	Full-time	Part-time
Tuition fees (2025/26)	£20,500	£10,250
Tuition fees (2025/26)	£39,800	£19,900

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.

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

Students will not face any additional costs.

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 Biomedical Sciences at graduate level
Why you want to study Biomedical Sciences at UCL
What particularly attracts you to this programme
How your personal, academic and professional background meets the demands of a this rigorous programme
What your career plans are following your Master's

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.

This programme only requires one reference in support of your application. Your reference should be academic unless you have been out of university education for more than four years. Further information regarding references can be found on this Selecting your references page.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.