Overview
- Degree awarded
- MSc
- Duration
- 1 year (full-time)
- Entry requirements
-
We require a minimum of an Upper Second honours degree with an average of at least 65% (or overseas equivalent ) in:
- biological sciences
- biomedical sciences
with sufficient evidence of the relevant units taken.
Please note we are generally unable to consider applicants with a medical (MBChB/MBBS/MD) or pharmacy degree for this programme unless they are able to demonstrate that they have significant laboratory or research experience. If your undergraduate degree is in medicine or pharmacy, please contact us prior to making an application, providing details of your biology related lab skills and experience. - 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
- Take a research-focused master's course where you learn through seminars, workshops, small group tutorials and research placements.
- Your research placement will be in the laboratory of a leading biologist where you will perform experiments on a dedicated and original biological sciences project and develop your skills in relevant lab techniques, data management as well as the various forms of science communication to present your project.
- Study at a university ranked 7th in the UK for Biological Sciences (QS World University Rankings 2024).
- Prepare for a career in the biosciences industry or academic research.
Open days
The University holds regular open days, where you will have the opportunity to tour the campus and find out more about our facilities and courses. On this day, you will find out more about the course and meet academic and admissions staff who will be able to answer any questions you have. For more information, see Open days .
Fees
For entry in the academic year beginning September 2025, the tuition fees are as follows:
-
MSc (full-time)
UK students (per annum): £15,000
International, including EU, students (per annum): £36,000
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 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).
Scholarships/sponsorships
For the latest scholarship and bursary information please visit the fees and funding page .
The Catherine Chisholm scholarship is applicable to students from selected countries for this course. Find out more details on the scholarship page .
Contact details
- School/Faculty
- Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health
- Contact name
- Postgraduate Admissions Office
- Telephone
- 0161 529 4539
- pgtaught.biosciences@manchester.ac.uk
- Website
- https://www.bmh.manchester.ac.uk/study/biosciences/masters/
- School/Faculty
-
Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health
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 a minimum of an Upper Second honours degree with an average of at least 65% (or overseas equivalent ) in:
- biological sciences
- biomedical sciences
with sufficient evidence of the relevant units taken.
Please note we are generally unable to consider applicants with a medical (MBChB/MBBS/MD) or pharmacy degree for this programme unless they are able to demonstrate that they have significant laboratory or research experience. If your undergraduate degree is in medicine or pharmacy, please contact us prior to making an application, providing details of your biology related lab skills and experience.English language
International students must demonstrate English proficiency at the point of application 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 with 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
Relevant work experience in your chosen pathway is not compulsory but may strengthen your application.
Please, make sure that engagement in scientific projects outside standard university practical courses is clearly explained in your application documents.
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
We require the following documents before we can consider your application:
- Transcript of your studies to date.
- Degree certificate (if you have already graduated).
- Personal statement or statement of purpose.
- Curriculum vitae (CV). Please, make sure you explain any laboratory or project experiences that you gained outside your standard undergraduate laboratory practicals, which should also be listed in the official application form.
- Evidence of English language ability.
- Two academic references. You must provide the contact details of two referees in your application form.
Both references are compulsory. At least one should ideally be from a lab or project supervisor. Applications will not be considered for a final decision until two references are received.
Your referees will be contacted directly and asked to provide a letter of reference. When providing referee details, you must ensure the email addresses are accurate and official, typically ending with an institutional domain. We do not accept references provided from a personal email address, eg Hotmail or Gmail.
If any of the supporting documents are not in English, you must also provide us with official or certified English translations.
If English is not your first language, we require proof of your English language ability at the point of application. If you have already taken an English language qualification, please include your certificate with your application. We cannot provide a decision on an application without seeing some evidence of a good level of English language ability. If you do not provide this when you apply, your application will remain on hold until evidence is received.
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 the most 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 do not make the payment before you are prompted to.
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 16th September 2024, we will not issue you with a CAS number before 16th June 2024.
Your CAS number is only valid for one student visa application.
Deferrals
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 your career in research.
Rather than attending traditional lectures on your chosen subject, you will learn through an interactive approach involving seminars, workshops and small group tutorials preparing you for relevant aspects of a science-based career. As this is a research-focused master's course, you will also undertake your own research project in the laboratory of a leading researchers.
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 placement 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.
PhD with integrated master's
If you're planning to undertake a PhD after your master's, our Integrated PhD programme will enable you to combine your postgraduate taught course with a related PhD project in biology, medicine or health.
You can also visit this page for examples of projects related to integrated master's courses.
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 |
| Laboratory Skills | BIOL66111 | 15 | Mandatory |
| Research Project 1 | BIOL66121 | 30 | Mandatory |
| Research Project 2 | BIOL66132 | 90 | Mandatory |
Scholarships and bursaries
For the latest scholarship and bursary information please visit the fees and funding page.
What our students say
Bethan Critchley / 2018 Biological Science Alumna.
Facilities
Disability support
Practical support and advice for current students and applicants is available from the Disability Advisory and Support Service .