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Cancer MSc

London, Bloomsbury

This is the programme information for 2026/27 entry

If you require details of the previous year's programme, Cancer MSc (2025/26), click here

UK students International students

Study mode

Full-time

UK tuition fees (2026/27)

£16,800

Overseas tuition fees (2026/27)

£42,700

Duration

1 calendar year

Programme starts

September 2026

Applications accepted

Applicants who require a visa: 20 Oct 2025 – 30 Jun 2026

Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Applicants who do not require a visa: 20 Oct 2025 – 28 Aug 2026

Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Apply for this course

Entry requirements

A minimum of an upper second-class Bachelor's degree from a UK university in a relevant discipline such as life sciences or medicine or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard.

The English language level for this course is: Level 3

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

This pioneering degree offers a foundation in understanding cancer as a disease process and its associated therapies.

You will learn about the approaches taken to predict, detect, monitor, and treat cancer, alongside the cutting-edge research methods and techniques used to advance our understanding of this disease and design better treatment strategies.

You will experience being fully immersed within a research-intensive environment by completing a 3.5-month research project, where you will learn invaluable research skills (either wet lab, dry lab or both). The modules on the programme align with the research strengths of the UCL Cancer Institute, with a continued focus on innovations in translational cancer medicine.

You will emerge with the skills needed to pursue further a career within cancer research or within an industrial or healthcare setting.

Who this course is for

The programme is designed for those with qualifications in life sciences, scientists, clinicians, and other healthcare professionals including individuals from the pharmaceutical and biotech industries. The knowledge and transferable skills developed are suitable for those in an industrial or healthcare setting, and for students contemplating further PhD or medical studies.

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:

UCL is one of Europe's largest and most productive centres of biomedical science, with an international reputation for leading basic, translational and clinical cancer research.
The UCL Cancer Institute brings together scientists and clinicians from various disciplines to synergise multidisciplinary research into cancer.
Our expertise includes the molecular pathology of cancer, signalling pathways in cancer, epigenetic changes in cancer, cancer evolution, targeted drug design and antibody-directed therapies, stem cell therapy and cancer immunotherapy, and national and international clinical trials in solid tumours and blood cancers.
Our education team are experienced and equipped with the latest learning innovations and teaching techniques, giving you an unparalleled education.

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

The foundation of your career

According to the Graduate Outcomes survey carried out by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), looking at the destinations of UK and EU graduates in the 2018-2022 cohorts, around 89% of our Cancer MSc graduates were in work (59%) or further study (30%), with a majority of those in work taking highly skilled roles.

Our graduates have gone onto a range of destinations and employers. These include:

NHS and private hospitals
Cancer research organisations (Cancer Research UK, Institute of Cancer Research, Oncologica)
Clinical research organisations (ANGLE plc, ICON plc, LGC Group)
CAR-T cell therapy specialists (Autolus, ARCE Therapeutics)
Bioprocessing (UK Biocentre)
Medical communications and consultancy services (SCIRIS, Costello Medical)
Medical market research (Sequentis Health)
AI and healthcare (Pangea Bio)
Pharmaceuticals (Merck Sharp & Dohme, Syneos Health)
Public health bodies (NHS England, Centre for Chronic Disease Control)
Universities, both UK and overseas (Barts Cancer Institute, Cambridge, Oxford, Vienna, Malaya).

Most are employed as biochemists and biomedical or biological scientists, laboratory technicians, natural or social science professionals, or as GPs. Some have gone into communications, as science writers or periodical editors. Some work with data, as data analysts or database managers. Some have gone into commerce, as business and research professionals, or in public relations. Further, some have gone onto graduate medicine.

Cancer MSc graduates have been successful in securing positions within the Cancer Institute, either as research assistants/technicians, PhD students or data managers within the Cancer Clinical Trials Unit.

Employability

You will develop skills including how to critically evaluate scientific literature, experimental planning and design, interpretation of data and results, presentation/public speaking skills, time management, working with a team, working independently, and writing for various audiences.

These skills will be suitable for anyone contemplating a PhD or medical studies in cancer or for those interested in careers in an industrial or healthcare setting. The fact that quite a few of our students gain employment in the same research group as their research dissertation highlights the ample amount of networking opportunities.

Networking

We offer regular research seminars within the Cancer Institute and the Faculty of Medical Sciences where you can meet and hear from expert speakers from academia, industry, and clinics. We encourage students to broaden their skills and expand their networks by attending and participating at advertised conferences. We also hold careers events and have a community of Cancer MSc alumni that speak at these events.

Teaching and learning

You will develop your knowledge and understanding of cancer through the following:

Each taught module is assessed by an unseen written examination, presentation and/or coursework. The research project is assessed by the dissertation and an oral presentation.

The Cancer MSc is a full-time degree, running from September to September. Teaching is scheduled throughout the working week.

During the core and specialist modules, a typical week might involve around 15 hours of lectures and tutorials over three working days. This will vary between weeks and between different modules. The remainder of the time, around 22 hours per week, is intended for self-directed independent study. In total, a weekly schedule, adding up contact time and independent study, should equate to 37 hours.

During the research project, students typically attend their research group full-time for 3.5 months.

A Postgraduate Diploma (120 credits, full-time nine months) is offered. A Postgraduate Certificate (60 credits, full-time 15 weeks) is offered.

Modules

The programme comprises five taught modules (three compulsory, two optional), and the compulsory research dissertation.

Term one consists of two core modules (‘Basic Biology and Cancer Genetics’ and ‘Cancer Therapeutics’) which provide a fundamental understanding of cancer biology and treatment.

In term two, you take three modules. You can choose between two options that will broaden your knowledge. ‘Behavioural Science in Cancer’ considers how patients and the public are influenced by cancer as a disease. ‘Cancer Clinical Trials’ explores how discoveries from the laboratory are safely and reliably taken forward into clinical testing.

Further, you have an additional choice of two optional specialist modules. The first choice is ‘Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy’ which explores the interaction between cancer and the immune system and its potential as a cancer therapy. The second choice is ‘Multi-omics and Cancer Evolution’, which focuses on the theory and practice of omics at the genomic, transcriptomic, metabolomic and proteomic level and apply this to understanding features of cancer patient datasets and the steps involved in cancer evolution.

Term two will end with the compulsory module, ‘Cancer Research Skills’, which is designed to build upon your transferable skillset and prepare you for the research module.

Finally, in term three, you will apply your knowledge, technical and analytical skills to investigate a novel research hypothesis in a research project.

Compulsory modules

Basic Biology and Cancer Genetics

Cancer Therapeutics

MSc in Cancer: Research and Dissertation

Cancer Research Proposal

Optional modules

Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy

Multi-Omics and Cancer Evolution

Behavioural Science and Cancer

Cancer Clinical Trials

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 Cancer. Upon successful completion of 120 credits, you will be awarded a PG Dip in Cancer. Upon successful completion of 60 credits, you will be awarded a PG Cert in Cancer.

Accessibility

The department will endeavour to make reasonable adjustments for students with disabilities, including those with long-term health conditions, neurodivergence, learning differences and mental health conditions. This list is not exhaustive. If you're unsure of your eligibility for reasonable adjustments at UCL, please contact Student Support and Wellbeing Services.

Reasonable adjustments are implemented on a case-by-case basis. With the student's consent, reasonable adjustments are considered by UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services, and where required, in collaboration with the respective department.

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble. Further information about support available can be obtained from UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services.

For more information about the department and accessibility arrangements for your course, please contact the department.

Visit us

All open days and events

Online - Open day

Graduate Open Events: Cancer MSc

The Cancer MSc at UCL Cancer Institute covers a wide range of research interests, from basic science to translational medicine. It offers students an in-depth understanding of the biology behind cancer. Join Dr Hasan Mahedi for an exciting session on the latest research and a comprehensive look at the MSc programme. Get an overview of the programme’s structure and ask your questions during the interactive Q&A session.

Watch on demand event

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students

Fee description	Full-time
Tuition fees (2026/27)	£16,800
Tuition fees (2026/27)	£42,700

Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.

Postgraduate Taught students benefit from a cohort guarantee, meaning that their tuition fees will not increase during the course of the programme, but UCL reserves the right to increase tuition fees to reflect any sums (including levies, taxes, or similar financial charges) that UCL is required to pay any governmental authority in connection with tuition fees.

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Where the course 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 with a fee status classification of UK, a fee deposit will be charged at 2.5% of the first year fee.

For full-time and part-time offer holders with a fee status classification of Overseas, a fee deposit will be charged at 10% of the first year fee.

There is no fee deposit required for PG Dip and PG Cert applicants.

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

Certain research projects, depending upon the activities involved, may require a Hepatitis B vaccination. The cost of the vaccine varies by provider but is typically around £50 per dose (£150 total). In most cases, the education team will cover the budget of the vaccination, if done in house.

Although most of the teaching is conducted in Bloomsbury, you may occasionally need to travel to other sites (e.g. Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead) for some activities. These are usually within London, so additional travel costs should be low. (Single fare information is available at Transport for London.)

For in-person teaching, 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 £119.90. This price was published by TfL in 2025. 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

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 course 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 this programme at graduate level.
Why you want to study this programme at UCL.
What particularly attracts you to this programme.
How your academic and professional background meets the demands of this 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 courses (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

This course requires two references. 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.