MSc Medical Microbiology
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Key Information
Campus location
London, United Kingdom
Languages
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Study format
On-Campus
Duration
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Pace
Full time, Part time
Tuition fees
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Application deadline
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Earliest start date
Sep 2024
Introduction
MSc Medical Microbiology
This programme provides comprehensive knowledge and practical training in the spread of microorganisms (predominantly bacterial and viral pathogens), disease causation and diagnosis and treatment of pathogens significant to public health. The increasing incidence of microbial infections worldwide is being compounded by the rapid evolution of drug-resistant variants and opportunistic infections by other organisms. The curriculum reflects the importance of genomics and molecular techniques in both diagnostics and the study of pathogenesis.
Objectives
By the end of the program students should be able to:
- demonstrate advanced knowledge and understanding of the nature of pathogenic microorganisms (predominantly viruses and bacteria) and basic criteria used in the classification/taxonomy of these microorganisms
- explain the modes of transmission of pathogenic microorganisms
- demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the mechanisms of microbial pathogenesis and the outcomes of infections, including chronic microbial infections
- distinguish between and critically assess the classical and modern approaches to the development of therapeutic agents and vaccines for the prevention of human microbial diseases
- demonstrate knowledge of the laboratory diagnosis of microbial diseases and practical skills, including the isolation and characterisation of specific microbes in clinical specimens
- carry out a range of advanced skills and laboratory techniques, for example the purification of isolated microbial pathogens and analyses of their proteins and nucleic acids for downstream applications such as gene cloning and sequencing studies
- demonstrate research skills, including designing experiments, analysing results and troubleshooting and critically assessing the scientific literature.
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Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
Several scholarship options are available. Please check the institute website for more information.
Curriculum
Structure
Term 1
There is a one-week orientation period that includes an introduction to studying at the School, sessions on key computing and study skills and course-specific sessions, followed by two compulsory modules:
- Bacteriology & Virology
- Analysis & Design of Research Studies
Recommended module: Molecular Biology
Sessions on basic computing, molecular biology and statistics are run throughout the term for all students.
Terms 2 and 3
Students take a total of five modules, one from each timetable slot (Slot 1, Slot 2 etc.). There are other modules that can be taken only after consultation with the program Director.
Slot 1
- Clinical Virology
- Molecular Biology & Recombinant DNA Techniques
Slot 2
- Clinical Bacteriology 1
- Molecular Virology
Slot 3
- Advanced Training in Molecular Biology
- Basic Parasitology
Slot 4
- Clinical Bacteriology 2
- Molecular Research in Infectious Diseases (formerly Molecular Biology Research Progress & Applications)
Slot 5
- Antimicrobial Chemotherapy
- Mycology
- Pathogen Genomics
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
Graduates from this program move into global health careers related to medical microbiology in operational control programs, applied basic research, academic fields, in medical establishments and in the pharmaceutical industry.
Below you will find just a few of the positions and organisations that our graduates from this course have entered:
Example job titles:
- Clinical Trials Administrator
- Demonstrator
- Head of Public Health
- Healthcare Scientist
- Laboratory Analyst
- Lecturer
- Medical Laboratory Assistant
- Research Officer
- Teacher
- Associate Healthcare Scientist
- Doctor
- Microbiology Laboratory Technician