University College London (UCL)

Cardiovascular Science MSc

Teaching and learning

You will study the essentials of cardiovascular science, research methods and statistics and more detailed optional modules. You will learn through a mix of lectures, tutorials, seminars, journal clubs, small group work, laboratory practicals and, optionally, sequential systematic analysis of normal human hearts and hearts representing a range of congenital heart diseases, using anatomical specimens from a unique human archive, as well as undertaking private reading and research.

You will experience two approaches to learning: adaptive learning, in which you are taught knowledge by experts in the field, and adaptive learning, in which you apply knowledge and methods to new circumstances and settings, involving evaluation, reasoning and justification.

You will experience high-level learning in each module, to ensure that you explore the subject. In addition to lectures, you will conduct individual and group tasks, to engage in adaptive learning.

You will attend taught modules in the First and Second Term. Research project activities also start in the First and Second Term and run full-time during the Third Term and the summer months. If you study full-time or part-time, you will have a defined timetable and may be eligible for a Postgraduate Master's Loan from Student Finance England. If you study in flexible / modular mode, you will not be eligible for a Postgraduate Master's Loan, but you will have more flexibility around how many modules you take each year.

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 examinations, a multiple choice question examination, coursework essays, critical appraisal, a case report, journal club and other oral presentations, laboratory practical session reports, 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.

In First and Second Term full-time students can typically expect between 12 and 15 contact hours per teaching week through a mixture of lectures, lab work, and tutorials. In Third Term and the summer period students will be completing their own dissertation research, keeping regular contact with their dissertation supervisors.

Research projects vary but we would expect students to perform project work under the guidance of your supervisor and their team for about 20-30 hours per week and self-directed study in the form of literature review, analysis and appraisal of data or outcomes for about five to 12 hours per week depending on the progress of your project. You would typically expect to spend about 600 hours in total working on your research project, including contact hours, self-directed study and research, and assessment.

Overall, we expect full-time students to spend a full 35-hour week studying, with time outside classes spent in self-directed study. Part-time and flexible students study at a pro-rata rate.

Contact hours will vary depending on your choice of modules and your research project.

Modules

Full-time

The programme comprises three compulsory modules and between two to four optional modules (60 credits of optional modules in total) and the research project. The compulsory modules in the First Term provide a theoretical understanding of the basis of cardiovascular disease with consideration of how these translate in practice.

Heart and Circulation will develop your understanding of cardiac and vascular function in relation to cellular mechanisms, with an emphasis on translating this to the human subject and the pathology of various cardiovascular diseases.

Animal Models of Cardiovascular Disease will introduce you to the basic principles of animal models used in cardiovascular research and why they are needed, use of vectors to correct inherited defects, imaging cardiac and vascular function and a range of models of major cardiovascular diseases and their role in the development of therapies. You will also look at the ethics of animal research and ways to reduce unnecessary animal suffering (3Rs - replacement, reduction, refinement).

Research Methods and Introduction to Statistics has two components - Research Methods, focusing on critical appraisal of published research, which is a key Master’s level skill, and an Introduction to Statistics, which will support your appraisal of research papers and your research project.

In the Second Term, one optional module is delivered using object-based learning with laboratory sessions exploring a unique archive of human heart specimens, alongside lectures on cardiac morphology and physiology. One optional module introduces fundamental contemporary molecular laboratory techniques used in cardiovascular research, with practical laboratory sessions paired with lectures, workshops and tutorials. 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 and draft some introductory sections in First and Second Term, and you will conduct the research and dissertation writing full-time during term three and the summer months.

Part-time
As a part-time student, in your first year you will take the compulsory modules Heart and Circulation and Animal Models of Cardiovascular Disease in First Term, and two to three optional modules in Second Term (90 credits in total). In your second year, you will take the compulsory module Research Methods and Introduction to Statistics in First Term, one optional module in Second Term, and your research project (90 credits in total).

Flexible

You may enrol for any module that best fits your personal circumstances. You are expected to enrol for a minimum of one module in each academic year. You should complete Research Methods and Introduction to Statistics before completing your research project. The research project must be taken in your last year.

Compulsory modules

• Research Methods and Introduction to Statistics
• Heart and Circulation
• Animal Models of Cardiovascular Disease
• Research Project

Optional modules

• Congenital Heart Disease - Fundamentals
• Cardiovascular Science and Disease
• Microvascular Biology
• Clinical Cardiology
• Fundamental genetic laboratory methods in cardiovascular research
• Genetics of Cardiovascular and Related Complex Diseases
• Genomics and Drug Development
• Drug Discovery 2

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.

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.

What this course will give you

• Study at one of the world's top ten universities. UCL is ranked 6th in the world for public health (ShanghaiRankings 2023), 9th in the world as a university (QS World Rankings 2025) and is rated No.1 for research power and impact in medicine, health and life sciences (REF 2021).
• Study as part of the UCL Institute of Cardiovascular Science alongside scientists and clinicians working at the forefront of developing novel therapies to prevent and treat diseases of the heart and circulation.
• Benefit from our close links with UCL partner hospitals and London's largest Heart Centre and be part of a highly interactive and engaging learning community of like-minded peers, researchers and academics.
• Choose from a wide range of research projects, from laboratory research and cohort studies, to computer-based research and clinical projects.
• Gain practical experience in physiology lab sessions, congenital heart disease morphology sessions and the molecular biology lab module, to prepare for clinical work and research.
• Take an observational clinical cardiology module specifically for clinicians, to learn more about how advances in cardiovascular science research have impacted on clinical practice.
• Study with a diverse cohort of students from clinical and science backgrounds from all over the world.
• Tap into careers advice and valuable networking at our annual careers event for MSc students, which is well attended by alumni, clinical, industry and healthcare representatives.

The foundation of your career

This Master’s degree is relevant for students from a range of backgrounds.

Clinical students, and students working as healthcare professionals, mostly return to their clinical path with enhanced skills, which they usually then apply to research or leadership.

Some clinicians move into another field or use the MSc as a stepping-stone to building a more research-active clinical career.

Students from more of a science or medical background might take this MSc directly after their undergraduate degree or after a period of research or work experience – and often go on to either PhD research or medical school.

Other students progress onto the NHS Scientists’ Training Programme or work as a research assistant, in education or medical writing and communications, pharma or healthcare innovation and technology.

Graduates have gone on to work for the NHS, the Centre for Medical Sciences and Research, The Wistar Institute, and King's College London. *

*Graduate Outcomes survey carried out by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), looking at the destinations of UK and EU graduates in 2017-18.,2018-19, 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22 cohorts.

Employability
As a graduate of this programme, you’ll be well placed for a PhD and a career in research. You’ll also have a sound basis for progressing 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 areas requiring critical appraisal of complex data.

You’ll go away with:

• Comprehensive knowledge of cardiovascular science and an appreciation of how research findings are applied to clinical practice.
• A wide range of skills to support your further study and employment.
• Enhanced oral and written communication skills, and many other skills valued by employers.

Networking
Students joining the Cardiovascular Science MSc programme come from diverse academic and professional backgrounds, from the UK and countries around the globe, so there are great networking opportunities available within the course. Seminars and the Medical Grand Rounds are advertised on our MSc Moodle page, and some of these provide a basic lunch beforehand with a great opportunity to chat over a sandwich. You are also encouraged to attend the PhD students’ “3 Minute Thesis” competition. This is a great way to develop an “elevator pitch” to explain simply what you are doing and why it is important, which is useful for job and research grant applications. Because UCL is in central London, there are also opportunities to attend the London Vascular Biology Forum and other external cardiovascular conferences.