University of Kent

MSc Biomedicine

Stage 1

Compulsory modules currently include the following

• Molecular Biology, and Genome Editing and Sequencing
• Research, Ethics and Impact
• Advanced Research Skills in Biomedicine

Optional modules may include the following

• Advanced Analytical and Emerging Technologies for Biotechnology and Bioengineering
• Biology of Global Pathogens
• Biotechnology in Action
• Cancer Therapeutics from laboratory to clinic
• Cutting Edge Research Developments in Biotechnology
• Infections, Outbreaks, and Antimicrobial Resistance
• Pathogen Diagnosis, Therapeutics and Vaccines

Stage 2

Compulsory modules currently include the following

• Research Project

Programme aims

The programme aims to:

• Provide an excellent quality of postgraduate-level education in the field of biomedicine
• promote engagement with research into biomedicine and inspire students to pursue scientific careers inside or outside of the laboratory
• provide a research-led, inspiring learning environment
• provide a regional postgraduate progression route for the advanced study of biomedical science
• provide a flexible programme that allows a range of specialisms within biomedical science
• develop subject-specific and transferable skills to maximise employment prospects
• promote an understanding of the impact of scientific research on society and the role of scientists in a range of professions.

Learning outcomes

Knowledge and understanding

You gain a knowledge and understanding of:

• Principles, application and the critical context of key techniques in modern molecular bioscience and its application to biomedicine
• the mechanisms by which scientific knowledge and research are disseminated to different stakeholders eg media, policymakers and public
• research ethics and academic integrity, and the application of related principles and procedures in an advanced biological research context.

Intellectual skills

You gain the following intellectual skills:

• Research skills: how to formulate original research questions and hypotheses to address current scientific issues
• Analytical skills: scholarly interpretation of data, marshalling information from published sources, critical evaluation of own research and that of others
• Information technology: use of appropriate technology to retrieve, analyse and present scientific information
• Statistical evaluation: the use of appropriate statistical analysis methods in handling and critically interpreting scientific data

Subject-specific skills

You gain the following subject-specific skills:

• Experimental skills: how to design experiments to address specific research questions and hypotheses
• Practical skills: key techniques in modern molecular biology and their application in molecular bioscience to solve research problems
• Data handling: how to record experimental procedures and data appropriately using good laboratory practice
• Presentation of scientific research: how to write research articles in an appropriate scholarly style in keeping with high-impact-factor scientific journals, and posters and oral presentations for conferences and symposia
• Science writing: how to present scientific information to scientific and non-scientific audiences
• Careers: a recognition of career opportunities for scientists outside of the laboratory
• Principles and procedures for health and safety in the laboratory research environment

Transferable skills

You gain the following transferable skills:

• Communication: the ability to organise information, present information in oral and written form, and adapt the presentation for different audiences
• Reflection: make use of constructive informal feedback from staff and peers and assess your progress to enhance performance and personal skills
• Self-motivation and independence: time and workload management to meet personal targets and imposed deadlines
• Teamwork: the ability to work both independently and as part of a research group using peer support, diplomacy and

Designed to equip you with transferable skills that are highly valued in the workplace. Our research-led ethos ensures that students explore the frontiers of scientific knowledge, and the intensive practical components provide rigorous training in cutting-edge technical skills.

Destinations for our graduates include the leading pharmaceutical and biotechnological companies within the UK and leading research institutes both at home and abroad.

Our graduates to go into roles such as Research Assistants and Technicians, Journal Editors, Patent Attorneys and Clinical Trials coordinators. Graduates are also ideally placed to pursue further postgraduate qualifications.

Teaching and assessment

Assessment involves a mixture of practical classes, innovative continuous assessment to gain maximum transferable and professional skills, and examinations, depending on the optional modules selected.

Study support

Postgraduate resources

Kent is well equipped, with excellent general research laboratories, together with a range of specialised research resources including facilities for growing micro-organisms of all kinds, extensive laboratories for animal cell culture and monoclonal antibody production, and an imaging suite providing high-resolution laser confocal and electron microscopy. Additionally, the macromolecular analysis facility provides resources for protein and mass spectrometry, CD and fluorescence spectroscopy, surface plasmon resonance, and HPLC and FPLC systems for all aspects of biochemical and microbiological research. Notably, the School has a new state-of-the-art Bruker Avance III four-channel 600 MHz NMR spectrometer equipped with a QCI cryoprobe, obtained via an equipment research award from the Wellcome Trust.

Support

Students on taught programmes are assigned a personal academic tutor to provide additional support. Throughout the course, you experience research culturel by attending research seminars and careers guidance sessions, and also have opportunities to participate in our vibrant outreach programme within the local community. In addition to taught modules, an in-depth research project takes place during the summer under the guidance of members of academic staff. These projects benefit from our outstanding research environment and first-class facilities.

Worldwide partnerships

We not only collaborate extensively with other universities in the UK (Cambridge, Cardiff, King’s College London, University College London, Newcastle, Oxford, Sussex, York, Manchester, Durham and Sheffield), but also have a wide-ranging network across the world with institutes including: the Boston Biomedical Research Institute; University of Hanover; Monash University Melbourne; Harvard; University of California, Davis; Université Claude Bernard – Lyon 1; Goethe-Universität Frankfurt; University of Queensland, Australia; University of Utah; Texas A&M University; and Braunschweig University of Technology. We also collaborate with organisations such as the Marie Curie Research Institute, Cancer Research UK, National Institute for Medical Research, MRC London, GlaxoSmithKline and the European Union Framework 5 CYTONET.

We currently receive funding from: BBSRC; Biochemical Society; British Heart Foundation; E B Charitable Hutchinson Trust; the EC; EPSRC; Kent Cancer Trust; The Leverhulme Trust; National Institutes of Health (USA); Nuffield Foundation; Royal Society; Wellcome Trust. It also receives funding on specific projects from a number of industrial organisations and collaborators.

Dynamic publishing culture

Staff publish regularly and widely in journals, conference proceedings and books. Among others, they have recently contributed to: Nature Chemical Biology; Journal of Biological Chemistry; Cell; Molecular Cell; Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA; PLOS One; and Journal of Cell Science.