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Cardiovascular Science MSc

London, Bloomsbury

Cardiovascular diseases remain a major cause of death and ill-health worldwide. This established MSc programme, taught by scientists and clinicians who are leaders in their field, offers you the opportunity to learn about topical areas in cardiovascular science, preparing you for further research or a career in industry, healthcare or beyond.

UK students International students
Study mode
UK tuition fees (2023/24)
£16,100
£8,050
Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.
Overseas tuition fees (2023/24)
£32,100
£16,050
Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.
Duration
1 calendar year
2 calendar years
5 calendar years
Programme starts
September 2023
Applications accepted
All applicants: 17 Oct 2022 – 31 Mar 2023

Applications open

Apply for this course

Entry requirements

A minimum of an upper second-class Bachelor's degree in a scientific or medical discipline from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard, or a recognised taught Master's degree.

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. International Preparation Courses

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

You'll develop a detailed knowledge of molecular and cellular cardiovascular science, animal models of cardiovascular disease, microvascular biology and mechanisms by which the heart and vasculature function in health and disease, as well as laboratory principles, research methods and an introduction to statistics. You'll also gain an awareness of research integrity and practice valuable research skills relating to developments in cardiovascular science.

You will have a chance to benefit from active collaborations between researchers at the bench, on the computer and in the clinics, as well as relationships with industry, gaining insight into preventative and therapeutic cardiovascular medicine that will support your future career and enable you to make an impact in cardiovascular science.

Who this course is for

This programme is designed for scientists, clinically-related staff and clinicians who wish to gain a thorough background in cardiovascular science, either for further research in this field or for entry into industry.
Read about what it takes to study for a Master's at UCL

What this course will give you

You will become part of the UCL Institute of Cardiovascular Science, which brings together scientists and clinicians working in cardiovascular research to conduct innovative research for the prevention and treatment of diseases of the heart and circulation, as well as education and policy development. UCL has one of the largest, most dynamic cardiovascular research bases in the UK. This interdisciplinary programme is taught in collaboration with UCL partner hospitals and London's largest Heart Centre, offering you access to a community of scientists and clinicians at the forefront of cardiovascular research, who are focused on developing novel preventative and therapeutic strategies in cardiovascular medicine. There is an annual careers event for MSc students, which includes alumni, industry, healthcare and scientific publishing representatives.

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

The foundation of your career

Many of our students are clinicians and they continue in their clinical careers with enhanced academic knowledge. Our clinical Alumni include a:

  • Paediatric Cardiology Consultant at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
  • Clinical Fellow in Cardiology at Bart's Health NHS Trust
  • Cardiology Resident at the National Cardiovascular Center Harapan Kita, Jakarta, Indonesia.

Our alumni are also studying for higher degrees including on the British Heart Foundation 4-Year PhD programme in Cardiovascular Biomedicine at UCL, in Cardiovascular Biology at the University of Edinburgh and DPhil at the University of Oxford. Alumni are also studying Medicine, including the Graduate Entry Medicine programmes at St. Georges, University of London and the University of Nottingham and MBBS at King’s College London.

Other alumni are employed in scientific research as Research Assistant at Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, in Pharma as Regulatory Affairs Specialist at Merck Taiwan, and in health innovation and technology companies, as Associate Account Director at Real Chemistry and Head of Clinical Strategy and R&D at Huma. One Alumnus took the NHS Scientist Training Programme for Vascular Science to become a senior vascular sonographer for NHS England in Bristol.

Other Alumni may follow various paths. One combined her interests in scientific writing, global health and humanitarian aid and desire to work for a charity by becoming the Research Engagement Manager at the British Heart Foundation. Another Alumnus went on to qualify in law and complete the Bar Professional Training Course and is now a Pupil Barrister at Unit Chambers, Liverpool.

Employability

As a graduate of this programme, you will be well placed for a PhD in this field and a career in research. You will also have a sound basis for entry into the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries.

Basic scientists may use the MSc as a stepping-stone to MBBS studies. The programme also provides excellent training for related fields such as scientific journalism and in areas requiring critical appraisal of complex data.

You will:

  • acquire comprehensive knowledge of cardiovascular science and an appreciation of how research findings are applied to clinical practice
  • develop a wide range of skills to support your further study and employment
  • have the opportunity to enhance your oral and written communication skills.

In addition to academic insights into cardiovascular science, this programme provides you with a wide range of skills sought by employers:

  • oral and written communication skills
  • selection and interpretation of written content and organisation of complex ideas - through essays and the research project dissertation
  • quantitative analytical skills - through a statistics module
  • project management - through both group and independent projects
  • research planning and time management.

In addition, during the programme, you will be supported by a personal tutor and informed by careers events and UCL Careers.

Teaching and learning

You will be assessed by a mixture of formative and summative assessments, to test a range of different skills and enable you to achieve the intended learning outcomes.

Assessment is through written and oral examinations, coursework essays, case reports, a coursework data analysis exercise, journal club and other oral presentations, preparation and presentation of a poster and the research project dissertation.

The range of assessment methods will enable you to develop a wide range of personal, professional and academic capabilities and key skills that will be useful in your future careers. You can use the feedback from your assessments to make a portfolio that may be useful to add to your CV and for job applications.

15 credit modules have an average of 20-30 contact hours and 30 credit modules have an average of 30-60 contact hours.

On average you would expect to spend a total of about 150 hours studying for a 15 credit module and 300 hours studying for a 30 credit module. This would include contact hours, self-directed study time and assessment.

All taught modules are taught on particular day(s) and time(s) over 10 weeks, either in term 1 or term 2.

On average, you would expect to spend a total of about 600 hours working on your research project.

Modules

You will undertake between 5 and 7 taught modules and the research dissertation.

Term One:

You will take 3 compulsory modules, one of which will involve research methods and an introduction to statistics.

Term Two:

You will take 2-4 optional modules.

Term Three:

You will conduct your research project and dissertation writing in term 3 and during the summer.

The compulsory modules in term one provide a theoretical understanding of the basis of cardiovascular disease with consideration of how these translate in practice. One optional module is delivered using object-based learning and virtual reality with a unique archive of human heart specimens. You will select from a range of optional modules to deepen your knowledge in your specific areas of interest or to develop molecular laboratory skills. You will start to plan your dissertation in term one and will conduct the research and dissertation writing in term three and the summer.

Year One:

In term one, you will take 2 compulsory modules. In term two you will take 2-3 optional modules.

Year Two:

In term one, you will take 1 compulsory module. In term two you will take 1 optional module. Subject to agreement with your Project Supervisor, you will be able to start your research project in term two. In term three and over the summer you will complete the research project and dissertation. You will be expected to work on the project for a minimum of 12 weeks full time or the part-time equivalent.

You can register for any module that best fits your personal circumstances. You are expected to register for a minimum of one module in each academic year. You should complete Research Methods and introduction to statistics before registering for a research project. The research project dissertation must be taken in your last year.

Compulsory modules






Optional 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.

You will undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded an MSc in Cardiovascular Science.

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble accessable.co.uk. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support & Wellbeing team.

Visit us

All open days and events

Online - Open day

Graduate Open Events: Cardiovascular Science MSc

In this session meet Prof Ann Walker Director of MSc Cardiovascular Science and Deputy Directors Prof Andrew Cook and Dr Petros Syrris. They share more about the programme and answer live Q&A's.

Online - Open day

Cardiovascular Science MSc

In this session meet Prof Ann Walker Director of MSc Cardiovascular Science and Deputy Directors Prof Andrew Cook and Dr Petros Syrris. They share more about the programme and answer live Q&A's.

Watch on demand event

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time Part-time
Tuition fees (2023/24) £16,100 £8,050
Tuition fees (2023/24) £32,100 £16,050

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

There are no additional costs for this programme.

For more information on additional costs for prospective students please go to our estimated cost of essential expenditure at Accommodation and living costs.

Funding your studies

Home/EU applicants may apply for the MSc Cardiovascular Science Bursaries.

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 programme of £90 for online applications and £115 for paper applications. Further information can be found at Application fees.

When we assess your application we would like to learn:

  • why you want to study Cardiovascular Science at graduate level
  • why you want to study Cardiovascular Science at UCL
  • what particularly attracts you to this programme
  • how your academic background meets the demands of this challenging programme
  • where you would like to go professionally with your degree
Together with essential academic requirements, the personal statement is your opportunity to elaborate on your reasons for applying to this programme and how your interests 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: 2023-2024

Apply for this course

Got questions? Get in touch

Institute of Cardiovascular Science
Institute of Cardiovascular Science

ics-masters@ucl.ac.uk

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