Nanotechnology and Regenerative Medicine MSc

London, Hampstead (Royal Free Hospital)

Nanotechnology and regenerative medicine are rapidly expanding fields and have the potential to revolutionise modern medicine. This renowned cross-disciplinary master's programme gives you a robust scientific understanding in these fields, combined with a hands-on practical and translational focus.

UK students International students
Study mode
UK tuition fees (2024/25)
£19,300
£9,650
Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.
Overseas tuition fees (2024/25)
£37,500
£18,750
Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.
Duration
1 calendar year
2 calendar years
5 calendar years
Programme starts
September 2024
Applications accepted
Applicants who require a visa: 16 Oct 2023 – 28 Jun 2024
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Applicants who do not require a visa: 16 Oct 2023 – 30 Aug 2024
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Entry requirements

A minimum of a second-class UK Bachelor's degree in a science/engineering subject or a medical degree, or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard. Research experience will also be taken into account.

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


This MSc Nanotechnology and Regenerative Medicine equips you with a critical understanding of how nanotechnology and regenerative medicine technologies can be used for the improved detection and treatment of disease.

You will learn about the use of stem cells in medicine, tissue engineering for tissue and organ regeneration, and the use of biomaterials for directing cell behaviour. We cover the regulatory, ethical, and commercial hurdles involved in translating these emerging technologies into products that can benefit patients.

Our modules are offered by blended learning, which includes a mix of face-to-face teaching and online study. If you study with us full-time, you will be on campus most days each week.

The MSc offers an exciting opportunity to study within the world-leading medical research environment of the UCL Division of Surgery & Interventional Science. You will focus on real medical needs, work on your own cutting-edge research, and graduate in a strong position to pursue a career in nanomedicine or regenerative medicine.

Who this course is for

The programme is designed to be accessible to students from a large number of disciplines, ranging from medicine and biology to physics, chemistry and engineering. The majority of students come from a biomedical background.

What this course will give you

This programme offers you the following benefits and opportunities.

  • The opportunity to study within the world-leading medical research environment of the UCL Division of Surgery & Interventional Science.
  • Get a cutting edge and critical insight into emerging medical technologies, which are embedded in feasibility and robust science.
  • An understanding of how research ideas are translated into actual products that can benefit patients.
  • Expert support for your in-depth research project, enabling you to investigate cutting-edge projects and open up opportunities for further research and publications.
  • A chance to be embedded within the vibrant research community of the Faculty of Medical Sciences and its research networks.
  • Gain exposure to research seminars, symposia, and eminent guest lecturers, and build outstanding networking opportunities within the research, clinical and translational science communities.

The foundation of your career

Student career options and progression during and after the degree are of the utmost importance. Personal tutors will offer individual advice and seminars are arranged on a variety of career competencies, including CV writing, writing research proposals and positive personal presentation.

The main thing I enjoy about the division is the people I get to work with - some of the leaders in the field, the other students. There's a wealth of experience.

Maooz Awan

Maooz Awan

Nanotechnology and Regenerative Medicine, MSc

Employability

Our graduates gain the transferable laboratory skills, cutting-edge knowledge, science communication skills, and critical thinking, which are needed to pursue a career in the scientific or clinical research within the fields in nanomedicine and regenerative medicine.

Networking with world-leading scientists, new biotechnology industries and clinicians is encouraged and enabled throughout the programme. Research output in terms of publishing papers and presenting at conferences is also promoted.

Recent career destinations include:

  • Studying PhDs (including at world-leading universities such as UCL, Imperial College London Oxford and Cambridge)
  • Clinical PhD training programmes
  • NHS hospitals in the UK
  • Research positions in academia or industry across the globe.
  • Scientific consultancies.

Networking

There are regular networking opportunities, including events where you can hear from expert speakers. We encourage students to broaden their skills and expand their networks by attending and participating at conferences.

Teaching and learning

The programme is delivered through a mix of lectures, tutorials, workshops, group discussions, online learning, and practical sessions.

Assessment is through online multiple-choice questions, coursework, and both open-book and closed-book examinations. The project is assessed through the dissertation and viva. Candidates are examined in the year in which they complete the programme.

Contact hours will vary across modules but taught modules take a blended-learning approach, which includes live, face-to-face teaching and online learning, with a full-time student expected to be on campus most days each week.

Most lab-based projects will expect you to be attending every weekday. Non-lab-based projects such as systematic reviews or computer modelling are also available.

Please note, it is not possible to complete the course without face-to-face content. You will be expected to undertake significant self-directed study to support the contact hours.

A Postgraduate Certificate (60 credits) is offered in flexible/modular study mode only, over a maximum two years. The programme consists of two core modules (30 credits) and two optional modules (30 credits).

Modules

Full-time study is split into three terms.

Term one

You will study research methodologies, develop your research data analysis skills, and build up a basic understanding of the field through the compulsory taught modules on 'Nanotechnology in Medicine' and 'Biomaterials'. You will also attend an extensive laboratory module where you will learn cell culture, cell characterisation and good laboratory practice. This module will also provide you with the practical laboratory skills to prepare for the research project.

There are also co-curriculum activities to support your studies, a journal club to critically engage with the field, and basic biology and basic chemistry workshops to support your studies in this interdisciplinary subject. 

Research seminars will also connect you to the research performed within the department. You will gain an understanding of the challenges in the field and be supported in choosing your own research project.

Term two

The taught modules continue with a compulsory module on Tissue Engineering. Here, there is a focus on critical appraisal of the scientific literature. There is also an optional module in either Translational Science (a hands-on module that teaches you about the translational pathway) or Stem Cell Therapies.

You will start working on your research project in this term and complete the optional modules and taught assessments.

Term three

You will continue with your research project. This will be aligned to your supervisor's expertise and worth 50% of the final programme mark. You will join research-active teams from a wide range of related fields, including stem cell therapy, 3D printing, directing stem cell differentiation, growing 3D tissues and orthopaedic implant science.

In year one, you will complete four taught core modules: 'Research Methodology', 'Tissue Engineering', 'Biomaterials' and the 'Laboratory Practical'.

In year two, you will complete one core module, such as 'Nanotechnology' and one optional module from either 'Translation of Nanomedicine' or 'Stem Cells' and their applications in surgery. You will also complete your research project.

The timetable follows the full-time structure and you must be available to attend the modules you are registered for whenever they are delivered. Please contact the programme director (g.jell@ucl.ac.uk) for details about the demands of this programme as a part-time student.

You can select as many or as few modules as you like each year. You complete your research project in your final year.

The timetable follows the full-time structure, and you must be available to attend the modules you are registered for whenever they are delivered.

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 Nanotechnology and Regenerative Medicine. Upon successful completion of 60 credits, you will be awarded a PG Cert in Nanotechnology and Regenerative Medicine.

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 and Wellbeing team.

Where you'll study

Medical lamp and equipment

As world leaders in medical and biomedical research, we design innovative courses for clinicians and scientists that meet new patient and industry needs. These are led by some of the greatest scientific minds, so you get a research-based learning experience. Our cutting-edge expertise ensures that you will be taught the latest techniques using the most advanced equipment. Our activities are split across three sites. Our Department of Targeted Intervention is based at Bloomsbury campus in central London. Our Department of Surgical Biotechnology is based at the Royal Free campus in Hampstead. Our Department of Orthopaedics and Musculoskeletal Science is based at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in Stanmore, north-west London.

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time Part-time
Tuition fees (2024/25) £19,300 £9,650
Tuition fees (2024/25) £37,500 £18,750

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

The core textbooks for all modules are available in the UCL Libraries and journal articles in your reading lists are also mostly available electronically from our e-resources. Some students like to purchase their own textbooks or to print course documents. We suggest allowing £200 per year for this.

Students pay for a DBS check, if required for your programme (or placement, if relevant). This can cost between £25-£44, according to GOV.UK.

You also face the costs of travel to teaching, work placements or project locations. Find out about the cost of using public transport at Transport for London.

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

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

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 Nanotechnology and Regenerative Medicine 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 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: 2024-2025

UCL is regulated by the Office for Students.