The course aims to select a cohort of students with the skills, motivation and ability to excel to create the next generation of scientific and business leaders in the therapeutics and healthcare sector.

This highly multi-disciplinary course is co-developed and co-delivered with industry experts.

Students will develop an understanding of the mechanisms underlying normal function and subsequent dysfunction in human diseases and their amelioration or cure with advanced therapeutic regimes. The program provides students with the tools and skills necessary to understand, develop and implement modern cutting-edge techniques in therapeutic sciences and covers a range of conventional and novel therapeutic modalities, including understanding biological pathways and therapeutic mechanisms, diagnostic and prognostic tools, identifying novel targets, and characterizing the pharmacologic profiles of new compounds, including adverse effects and toxicity. The close industry partner involvement in the development and delivery of the course sets it apart from others in the UK and internationally. Students will benefit greatly from the academic expertise and real-world insights which will be brought together in the proposed academic-industry partnership. The course covers conventional small molecule drugs and novel therapeutics approaches from recombinant protein technologies, gene therapy, to cell-based therapies, regenerative medicine and others. Students will also learn the social, financial, ethical, legal and policy implications of the introduction of new therapies, and we therefore propose to link this training very closely to industrial, entrepreneurial, clinical and regulatory activities to encourage students to consider their studies in a society-wide context.

The aims of this one-year, full-time, training course are to:

Give the student relevant teaching of modern therapeutic science research and translation

Expose them to a variety of research and commercial environments at different developmental stages, instilling the drivers and decision making required at each stage

Introduce them to the basic theoretical and quantitative skills of experimental design, project management, time management etc. needed in research

Familiarise the student with the practicalities of scientific research

Introduce them to basic analytical techniques needed to understand and contextualise their research

Train students, by practice, in effective teamwork and basic scientific writing and presentation skills

Instil within students the importance of the scientific method and the diligence required in the planning and execution of research in an academic or industrial environment

The course will also:

Attract students from a wide range of science, medicine and technology backgrounds by providing taught modules and interactive sessions

Give students the necessary broad understanding of current therapeutic developments and trends to prepare them for future employment within appropriate sectors

Provide students with adequate experience and mentoring in therapeutic sciences to enable them to make an informed choice of PhD project or to move into an appropriate commercial environment.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the Masters course, students will have:

• Developed a broad understanding of modern therapeutic techniques, and knowledge of the literature
• Been exposed to a number of  approaches to therapeutic sciences and trained in critical thinking in the area
• Cultivated critical thinking skills to identify paradigms driving change within the therapeutic sciences landscape
• Developed key skills required for a career in world-leading therapeutics development, such as collaboration and teamwork; maintaining strong principles whilst being flexible and realistic; decisiveness in ever-changing scenarios with blurred boundaries and; mediation skills to promote knowledge sharing, ensure stakeholder ownership and foster innovation
• Demonstrated originality in the application of knowledge, together with a practical understanding of how research and enquiry are used to create and interpret knowledge in the field
• Improved knowledge of a broad range of interdisciplinary areas to inform their choice of future careers
• Undertaken training in academic- or industry-relevant transferable research skills including the critical evaluation of current research and research techniques and methodologies
• Gained real-world insights into the implementation of business and entrepreneurial concepts, practices, and tools to facilitate project success in areas of therapeutic sciences
• Implemented project management knowledge, processes, lifecycle and the embodied concepts, tools and techniques in order to achieve project success

The course will also instil:

• Systems thinking to identify paradigms driving change
• A vision rooted in highly ethical and moral patient-focused standards
• Decisiveness in ever-changing scenarios with blurred boundaries
• Strong principles whilst being flexible and realistic
• Mediation skills to promote knowledge sharing, ensure stakeholder ownership and foster innovation
• Collaboration and working together
• The ability to take risks and share the rewards

The course will be delivered by academic and industry specialists and involve a combination of formal lectures, interactive sessions, group activities, case studies and e-learning.

Continuing

While the main aim of this course is to equip students with the skills and training required eventually to become industry-ready scientific and business leaders in the therapeutics and healthcare sector, those who choose to pursue a PhD may apply during the year to do so on successful completion of their MPhil. Students will need to gain a minimum of a pass mark in the overall components of their MPhil examination elements and should refer to the relevant PhD department for further guidance on academic requirements and how to apply.

Open Days

The Postgraduate Virtual Open Day usually takes place at the beginning of November. It’s a great opportunity to ask questions to admissions staff and academics, explore the Colleges virtually, and to find out more about courses, the application process and funding opportunities. Visit the Postgraduate Open Day page for more details.

Departments

This course is advertised in the following departments: