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Personalised Medicine and Novel Therapies MSc

London, Bloomsbury

Personalised medicine is the next generation of medicine and healthcare. It aims to improve the management of a patient's health and to target therapies to achieve the best outcomes in the management of a patient's condition, their predisposition to disease and their prognosis. Personalised healthcare takes a multi-omics approach (one which incorporates data from a range of different sources, including genomic and epigenomic) directed at the development of novel therapies.

This programme supports the training of our next generation of scientists to translate their knowledge in the field using genomic tools and therapeutic insights for clinical benefit.

UK students International students
Study mode
UK tuition fees (2024/25)
£17,300
£8,650
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 academic year
2 academic years
5 academic 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

Apply for this course

Entry requirements

Applicants should be: holders of a life science degree (2:1 or equivalent) or a recognised medical or dental degree (at 2.1 standard where a grade is required); or qualified medical practitioners, with a qualification equivalent to a UK MBBS, or healthcare, pharmaceutical or biotech professional and scientists with equivalent experience (minimum of three years).

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 content includes a focused set of core modules specialising in all aspects of personalised medicine and clinical translation.

Optional modules allow you to explore the applications and scope of personalised medicine, including applications, entrepreneurship and pharmacometrics. You are given opportunities to develop analytical skills during the programme before undertaking your independent research project.

Who this course is for

This programme is designed for scientists (or those with a strong interest in the field) wishing to pursue a career in the rapidly developing field of personalised medicine. It is also suitable for medical practitioners, pharmacists and those with an interest in ethics and law who would like to develop their knowledge in this distinct area, with a view to contributing to research and clinical trials in the field.

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

What this course will give you

The next generation of scientists and healthcare workers must be trained to deliver this change in medicine and research landscapes. Our programme offers you access to cutting-edge research taught by leading academics and clinicians in personalised medicine from UCL and Great Ormond Street Hospital, as well as a range of project choices from computational biology to drug development and clinical translation. The programme prepares you to become a scientist or researcher in academia or industry, as well as for progression to a higher research degree.

UCL's cross-disciplinary research into personalised medicine harnesses the breadth and depth of expertise across the institution and benefits from close links with our partner hospitals to support the delivery of innovative patient-targeted medicines and therapies. This is reflected by the many groups conducting high-quality research and clinical trials in the field including researchers within UCL's Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health (GOS ICH), Division of Infection & Immunity, Institute of Ophthalmology, the EGA Institute for Women's Health, Institute of Genetics and the Cancer Institute, as well as University College London Hospital (UCLH) and UCL Research and Innovation.

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

The foundation of your career

You will be given opportunities to develop specific scientific and analytic skills including skills in decision-making, patient communication and advocacy, entrepreneurship, information curation, data gathering, scientific writing, critical appraisal, presentation skills, use of the metaverse and virtual reality in healthcare, debating, maintaining scientific dialogue, experimental design, setting up clinical trials and awareness of topical and important issues (ethics and the law). Furthermore, you will be encouraged to keep a portfolio of transferable skills learnt through teaching practices and assessments which will prepare you for progression to higher research degrees and/or the workplace.

My degree has given me a new perspective on healthcare, and the importance of personalised medicine. We are all unique individuals, and personalised healthcare is the key to unlocking better health outcomes for everyone. I'm excited to continue exploring new ideas and opportunities to make a positive impact on the healthcare industry, and I credit much of my success to the excellent education I received.

Sonakshi

Personalised Medicine and Novel Therapies MSc

Read more

Employability

This programme aims to equip students for careers in research, education, entrepreneurship, medicine, and business in academic, clinical, and industrial settings. Examples of potential careers could include:

  • conducting clinical trials as part of a team of clinicians, scientists, and allied health professionals
  • monitoring and analysing the results of clinical trials as part of a clinical trials unit
  • further research as a PhD candidate
  • Founder of medical devices start-ups
  • developing new therapies or intellectual property in the pharmaceutical industry or other business venture
  • academic research and/or lecturing in a university or other higher education setting.

Networking

The Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health offers seven MSc programmes as well as an MRes in Child Health encompassing a wide range of topics. Our students come from diverse academic and professional backgrounds, from the UK and overseas providing great networking opportunities within and across programmes. We hold social events throughout the year for the whole student cohort to enable networking between students. Students on the master's programmes have the opportunity to join GOS ICH events such as the Otto Woolf lectures hosted by the research and teaching departments. These cover a variety of topics and provide an opportunity to hear from national and international experts and to network at the social event that usually accompanies these events.  

Teaching and learning

A significant portion of this programme includes interactivity, including problem-solving classes, debates, class exercises, workshops, and tutorials as well as lectures and seminars.

Our multimodal teaching includes interactive lectures and seminars, group case studies, and tutorials. Assessment varies depending on the module but includes written coursework, patient leaflet and scientific poster, interactivity, written and oral examinations, data retrieval and analysis, a practical analysis examination, and your research dissertation.

Typical contact hours and hours of self-directed study for this programme per module are: reading hours (50 hours), engagement with online material (20 hours), relevant seminars and tutorials (30 hours), revision (30 hours) and preparation for the final assessment e.g. coursework, essay (20 hours).

The Postgraduate Diploma consists of five compulsory modules (75 credits) and three optional modules (45 credits). The Postgraduate Certificate consists of four compulsory modules (60 credits) excluding Applied Statistics for Health Research 1.

Modules

You will undertake eight taught modules plus a project in the final year.

Using a blended learning approach that includes interactivity, use of virtual reality and simulated conference environments, you will specialise in genomics, computational biology, and the regulatory aspects of novel therapies such as clinical trial design and drug development. You will connect with researchers and clinicians to explore the applications and scope of personalised medicine including in clinical genomics, genetics and rare disease, apps and devices and medical wearables, pharmacometrics, cell and gene-based immunotherapy and their clinical translation, and entrepreneurship for personalised medicine.

You will complete an independent research project. This project reflects the successful research into personalised medicine being carried out at GOS ICH and you are offered a wide choice of topics, for example, app development, patient advocacy, biomarker stratification, computational biology, clinical trials design, drug development and/or cell and gene therapy.

This programme is available in a two-year part-time mode consisting of four taught modules a year plus a project in the final year.

This programme is available in a flexible mode, allowing it to be completed in a period of up to 5 years. Note that there are some modules that must be completed before others.

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.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded an MSc in Personalised Medicine and Novel Therapies. Upon successful completion of 120 credits, you will be awarded a PG Dip in Personalised Medicine and Novel Therapies. Upon successful completion of 60 credits, you will be awarded a PG Cert in Personalised Medicine and Novel Therapies.

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.

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time Part-time
Tuition fees (2024/25) £17,300 £8,650
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

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

Visit the funding and studentship pages of the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute for Child Health (GOS ICH) website for details of funding available to students, including the GOS ICH bursary.

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

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 Personalised Medicine and Novel Therapies at graduate level
  • why you want to study Personalised Medicine and Novel Therapies at UCL
  • what particularly attracts you to the chosen programme
  • how your academic and professional background meets the demands of this challenging and interactive 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

Apply for this course

Got questions? Get in touch

UCL GOS Institute of Child Health
UCL GOS Institute of Child Health

cgt@ucl.ac.uk

UCL is regulated by the Office for Students.