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Child Health MRes

Our MRes will enable you to develop transferable academic and professional skills and gain research skills and experience in children's health research. As the only programme of its kind in the UK, the MRes provides an opportunity to access the wealth of cutting-edge research conducted at the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health (UCL GOS ICH) and Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH).

Covid-19 programme updates

Due to COVID-19, there may have been updates to this programme for the 2020 academic year. Where there has been an update, these are indicated with a red alert and a link which will provide further information.

Key information

Programme starts

September 2020

Modes and duration

Full time: 1 year
Part time: 2 years

Application dates

All applicants
Open: 1 November 2019
Close: 11 August 2020
Notification
Due to the large number of applications received, this programme is no longer accepting applications for 2020/21 entry. We apologise for any inconvenience caused. Applications for 2021/22 entry will open later in the year.

Tuition fees (2020/21)

UK/EU:
£11,040 (FT)
£5,555 (PT)
Overseas:
£25,900 (FT)
£12,960 (PT)


Note on fees: The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website.

Location: London, Bloomsbury

Entry requirements

Applicants should hold either a medical degree (MBBS) or a minimum of an upper second-class UK Bachelors degree in a relevant discipline or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard. Healthcare, pharmaceutical and biotech professionals and scientists with equivalent experience (minimum of three years) and a BSc degree may also be considered.

English language requirements

If your education has not been conducted in the English language, you will be expected to demonstrate evidence of an adequate level of English proficiency.

The English language level for this programme is: Good

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

International students

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.

Select your country:

About this degree

The degree is centred on a research project in an area of child health that interests you. Conducting your own research will support you in learning how to: search literature and plan a research project; use statistical knowledge to critically appraise your own and published work; and communicate and justify your results. You will be encouraged to consider the implications of child health and/or healthcare policy and to produce reports of your results to publication standard.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.

The programme consists of one compulsory module (15 credits), three optional modules (45 credits) and a dissertation/report (120 credits).

Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded a MRes in Child Health.

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 is subject to change.

Compulsory modules

  • Applied Statistics for Health Research I
  • Research Project MRes Child Health

Optional modules

Students choose three optional modules from a selection offered at UCL GOS ICH and more broadly across UCL. At least one module must focus on transferable research or professional skills.

It may not be possible to take your preferred optional module because of timetabling and capacity constraints. The list below is subject to change by the time of enrolment. Options may include the following:

  • Applied Statistics for Health Research II
  • Epidemiology for Child Health
  • Evidence-based Child Health
  • Child Public Health
  • Leadership and Professional Development
  • Teaching and Learning in Medical Education
  • Clinical Genomics, Genetic and Rare Diseases
  • Specialist Paediatrics I
  • Specialist Paediatrics II
  • Clinical Applications of Cell and Gene Therapy
  • Molecular Biology of Normal Development and Birth Defects
  • Adolescent Health Medicine
  • Molecular and Clinical Aspects of Childhood Cancers
  • Perinatal Epidemiology and Maternal Health
  • Immunisation and Communicable Diseases
  • International Child Mental Health
  • Nutrition, Growth and Physical Activity
  • Understanding Research and Critical Appraisal: Biomedicine
Covid-19 module updates
Due to COVID-19, there may be updates to the modules for your chosen programme of study this year. Some modules may not be available or may need to be moved to a later term or year of study.  We have included these updates below:   Applied Statistics for Health Research I (CHLD0064) has been removed from complusory modules. These updates are relevant for 2020-21 academic year only.  The full list of modules will be available in the module catalogue from late August.  From the first week of September, you will be invited to complete module selection from Portico, our student record system. There may need to be additional updates or changes to modules during the academic year to allow for new guidance from the UK Government and Public Health England. Your department shall keep you updated of these changes as they become available.  

Dissertation/report

Students undertake an independent research project which culminates in a dissertation of 20,000 words. The assessment includes a viva voce with a research poster element.

Teaching and learning

The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars, and research project supervision. Assessment is through a combination of multiple-choice and short-answer questions, essays, posters, presentations, reflective portfolios, critical appraisal of the literature and a dissertation and oral presentation.

Covid-19 contact hours on campus
In Term One, while campus will be open, all the learning activity for the core content of your modules will take place online – including lectures, tutorials, seminars and assessments. By “core content” we mean everything you need to learn to complete the module successfully. In addition to these online contact hours, we will be offering some face-to-face educational activities for students on campus, and we will provide alternative online activities for those students unable to join us on campus. These activities, which will include contact with academic staff, will be relevant to your programme of study may include seminars, academic and employability skills workshops, small-group or individual tutorials, lab and practice-based teaching. UK Government safety guidelines will limit the amount of ‘in person’ activity we can offer and while it will vary from programme to programme, is likely to be no more than 1-2 hours per week. This will vary across departments, particularly if your programme includes laboratory/practical/studio/workshop sessions. You will be updated with more specific details as they are available and your timetable will indicate which sessions will be on campus and which will be available online.
Covid-19 assessment updates
There may be changes to the format of assessments for modules in this programme due to COVID-19. These will be summarised for each module on the module catalogue from 17 August 2020.   If any changes to assessments need to be made during the academic year due to updates in government guidance, these will be communicated to you as soon as possible from your department.    
Communicating further Covid-19 mitigation plans
We are continuing to follow UK Government guidance, as well as the expertise of our researchers, including specialists in health, education, human behaviour and infection prevention, to make sure UCL is as safe as possible during the COVID-19 pandemic. If it becomes necessary to make further changes to your programme as a result of new guidance/regulations, UCL and your department will communicate these as soon as this becomes clear. We will keep you up-to-date with our plans throughout term one, so you have the information you need to be able to take decisions that are right for your circumstances. Please ensure that you keep in touch with your department by regularly checking your UCL emails, Moodle courses, the Coronavirus FAQs for Students page and any UCL online groups or social media you follow.

Additional costs

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

Accessibility

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

Funding

Details of available funding for the programme will be available on the GOS ICH website, including details of the £3,000 GOS ICH bursary offered by the institute.

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

Careers

The programme provides an ideal foundation for evidence-based practice in paediatrics and child health as well as further doctoral research in this field. Students considering a career in research as well as those wishing to increase their knowledge of research to support their professional development. Both clinicians and non-clinicians will gain valuable skills and experience and are welcome to apply.

Employability

This is a relatively new programme and only limited career destination data is available. However, recent graduates have gone on to apply for doctoral study or had opportunities for progression in their current careers.

Why study this degree at UCL?

UCL GOS ICH pursues an integrated, multidisciplinary approach to enhance understanding, diagnosis, therapy and prevention of childhood diseases.

Our research and our educational portfolio cover a broad range of paediatric issues, from molecular genetics to population health sciences, and our structure facilitates interdisciplinary work and allows flexibility for the development of new areas of investigation.

Our close relationship with the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children means that you will benefit from excellent facilities in both laboratory and clinical subjects.

For healthcare professionals: MRes projects can be strongly multi-disciplinary, bridging the gap between clinical sciences and research. You will develop transferable scientific and professional development skills. These skills will help you to approach research material with confidence in your clinical careers.

For basic scientists: The programme aims to provide you with practical experience and theoretical understanding of a wide spectrum of research methodology and critical analysis. The course will challenge students interested in further academic studies and will provide excellent grounding for PhD study.

Department: Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health

What our students and staff say

Student view

"I applied to UCL for graduate study in order to gain "hands-on" experience of research. The integration of scientific research and clinical medicine with the aim of improving child health inspired me. The flexibility of the Child Health MRes is particularly impressive and the relatively small student numbers mean the organisers can take a more personal approach; in my case enabling me to find a project that suited my interests exactly. "

Rebecca Hulbert

Child Health MRes

Application and next steps

Applications

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.

Who can apply?

The programme is designed for a range of clinical and non-clinical applicants. With flexibility in taught module choices and a broad portfolio of research projects, you can tailor the programme to suit your specific interest in the field of paediatrics and child health. Our students include postgraduate doctors, scientists, and healthcare, pharmaceutical and biotech professionals.

Application deadlines

All applicants
11 August 2020

For more information see our Applications page.

Apply now

What are we looking for?

When we assess your application we would like to learn:

  • why you want to study Child Health at graduate level
  • why you want to study Child Health at UCL
  • what particularly attracts you to the chosen programme
  • how your academic and professional 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 illustrate whether your reasons for applying to this programme match what the programme will deliver.

UCL is regulated by the Office for Students.

Page last modified on 13 August 2020