Coronavirus information for applicants and offer-holders
We understand that prospective students and offer-holders may have concerns about the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. The University is following the advice from Universities UK, Public Health England and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Overview
- Degree awarded
- MSc
- Duration
- 1 year (full-time)
- Entry requirements
-
We require an honours degree (minimum Upper Second) or overseas equivalent :
- biological sciences
- medical sciences
With sufficient evidence of the relevant units taken. We may also consider exceptional applicants with a Lower Second who also have research experience or equivalent.
- How to apply
Please apply via our online application form . See the application and selection section for details of the supporting documents we require.
We recommend that you apply as early as possible. We reserve the right to close applications if the course is full.
Course options
| Full-time | Part-time | Full-time distance learning | Part-time distance learning | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSc | Y | N | N | N |
Course overview
- Gain extensive research experience and professional skills in biosciences.
- Study at a university ranked 7th in the UK for Biological Sciences (QS World University Rankings 2020).
- Prepare for a career in the biosciences industry or academic research.
Open days
Attending an open day is a great way to find out what studying at Manchester is like. Find out about our upcoming open days .
Fees
Fees for entry in 2021 have not yet been set. For reference, the fees for the academic year beginning September 2020 were as follows:
-
MSc (full-time)
UK students (per annum): £11,000
International, including EU, students (per annum): £25,000
Further information for EU students can be found on our dedicated EU page.
The fees quoted above will be fully inclusive for the course tuition, administration and computational costs during your studies.
All fees for entry will be subject to yearly review and incremental rises per annum are also likely over the duration of courses lasting more than a year for UK/EU students (fees are typically fixed for International students, for the course duration at the year of entry). For general fees information please visit: postgraduate fees . Always contact the department if you are unsure which fee applies to your qualification award and method of attendance.
Self-funded international applicants for this course will be required to pay a deposit of £1000 towards their tuition fees before a confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) is issued. This deposit will only be refunded if immigration permission is refused. We will notify you about how and when to make this payment.
Policy on additional costs
All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).
Contact details
- School/Faculty
- Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health
- Contact name
- Postgraduate Admissions Office
- Telephone
- +44 (0)161 306 5439
- pgtaught.biosciences@manchester.ac.uk
- Website
- https://www.bmh.manchester.ac.uk/biology/
- School/Faculty
-
Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health
Related courses
Courses in related subject areas
Use the links below to view lists of courses in related subject areas.
Entry requirements
Academic entry qualification overview
We require an honours degree (minimum Upper Second) or overseas equivalent :
- biological sciences
- medical sciences
With sufficient evidence of the relevant units taken. We may also consider exceptional applicants with a Lower Second who also have research experience or equivalent.
English language
International students must demonstrate English proficiency through a secure and approved testing system.
We ask for English language proof if you are from non-majority English speaking countries (a list of majority English speaking countries, as defined by the UK Home Office, can be found here ).
Specifically, we require a minimum of:
- IELTS: minimum 6.5 overall (6.5 in each component)
- TOEFL: 90 internet-based (with 22 in each component)
See further information about requirements for your country .
We may also accept evidence of a confirmed place on a University Pre-sessional English language course , if your current IELTS scores are:
- Minimum 6.0 overall (with 6.0 in each component) plus enrolment and attendance on the 6-week pre-sessional course (PS6)
- Minimum 6.0 overall (with 5.5 in each component) plus enrolment and attendance on the 10-week pre-sessional course (PS10).
Please note, we must approve this before you apply for the English course.
English language test validity
Other international entry requirements
We accept a range of qualifications from different countries. For more details see entry requirements from your country .
Relevant work experience
Application and selection
How to apply
Please apply via our online application form . See the application and selection section for details of the supporting documents we require.
We recommend that you apply as early as possible. We reserve the right to close applications if the course is full.
Advice to applicants
- Transcript of your studies to date, translated into English.
- Two academic references on letter headed paper. These can be scanned and uploaded when you apply or emailed to pgtaught.biosciences@manchester.ac.uk . We do not request references on an applicant's behalf and it is your responsibility to ensure your referees know how to provide your reference to us.
- Degree certificate (if you have already graduated).
- Personal statement or statement of purpose.
- Curriculum vitae (CV).
How your application is considered
We consider your full academic history including which undergraduate course units you have taken and the marks obtained. When application numbers are high, even if you have met our minimum entry requirements, we will take into account your marks in relevant undergraduate course units in our final decision making.
Interview requirements
Returning to education
Overseas (non-UK) applicants
Self-funded international applicants for this course will be required to pay a deposit of £1,000 towards their tuition fees before a confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) is issued. This deposit will only be refunded if immigration permission is refused. We will notify you about how and when to make this payment.
Please upload a copy of your current valid passport with your application showing the photograph page with your application. For CAS purposes, this must show your full name, date of birth, nationality, passport number and the date the passport is valid until, which must be later than the date of your planned arrival in the UK, and the start date of your course.
You cannot use your CAS to apply for a visa more than three months before the start date of your course. This means that if you intend to begin a course on 16 September 2019, we will not issue you with a CAS number before 16th June 2019.
Your CAS number is only valid for one Tier 4 application.
Re-applications
If you applied in the previous year and your application was not successful you may apply again.
Your application will be considered against the standard course entry criteria for that year of entry. In your new application you should demonstrate how your application has improved. We may draw upon all information from your previous applications or any previous registrations at the University as a student when assessing your suitability for your chosen course.
Course details
Course description
Our MSc Biological Sciences course offers a unique opportunity to experience research projects across a broad range of disciplines and laboratory environments before you start a career in research.
You will gain research experience and professional skills - perhaps in a different area to your first degree - before deciding on a future career in industry or academic research. This will allow you to make an informed choice about the research area you want to go into.
You choose the laboratory placements from a list provided by your programme director. Projects on this list come from any of our areas of research within the biological and biomedical sciences. As we have over 200 research-active labs, we can offer a wide range of projects to choose from. For an idea of the breadth of available projects, browse our Research pages.
Our course will also help you to develop transferable skills in essential areas such as experimental design, statistics, bioethics and science communication.
Special features
Choose placements with more than 200 labs at the University to help you decide on an area to specialise in for your future research career.
Teaching and learning
We use a range of teaching and learning methods, including tutorials, workshops, seminars and research placements.
Find out more by visiting the postgraduate teaching and learning page.
Coursework and assessment
We will assess your progress using:
- written reports on your research projects and tutorials
- oral presentations
- written assignments
- posters
- multiple choice exams
- critical assessment of literature
- online statistics exercises.
Course unit details
The course starts in September and runs for 12 months. You require 180 credits to complete the course, of which:
- 120 credits are project based
- 60 credits are from transferable skills units.
Transferable skills
60 credits are achieved through completion of activities that develop your transferable skills in essential areas such as laboratory skills, experimental design, statistics, bioethics (included in the tutorial and workshop unit) and science communication.
The Experimental Design and Statistics unit runs at the start of the year to prepare you for your research projects.
Elements of the other units run throughout the year alongside your research project.
- Experimental Design and Statistics(15 credits)
- Tutorial and Workshop(15 credits)
- Science Communication (15 credits)
- Laboratory Skills (15 credits)
Disclaimer
Our units teach the current trends in life sciences. Consequently, details of our units may vary over time. The University therefore reserves the right to make such alterations to units as are found to be necessary. Before accepting your offer of a course, it is essential that you are aware of the current terms on which the offer is based. This includes the units available to you. If in doubt, please contact us.
Course unit list
The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.
| Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tutorial and Workshop | BIOL60210 | 15 | Mandatory |
| Scientific Communication | BIOL60330 | 15 | Mandatory |
| Statistics & Experimental Design | BIOL65161 | 15 | Mandatory |
| Research Project 1 | BIOL66121 | 30 | Mandatory |
| Research Project 2 | BIOL66132 | 90 | Mandatory |
| Laboratory Skills Unit | MEDN66111 | 15 | Mandatory |
What our students say
Bethan Critchley / 2018 Biological Science Alumni.
Facilities
Disability support
Practical support and advice for current students and applicants is available from the Disability Advisory and Support Service .
Careers
Career opportunities
Our graduates acquire a vast array of subject-specific and transferable skills, and gain extensive laboratory research experience.
The University has a strong record of placing students in PhD programmes at Manchester and other universities, and several of our graduates have pursued research careers in industry.