About the course

The MSc by Research in Paediatrics offers excellent opportunities for high quality research training, for both clinical and non-clinical graduates, in wide-ranging leading research areas. As a student you will spend up to three years in one of the department's many research groups, working on a project supervised by the group's principal investigator.

The Department of Paediatrics has major research interests in developmental immunology and haematology, infectious diseases of infancy and childhood, mucosal immunology, HIV infection and immune control, design, development and testing of vaccines, neuromuscular biology and gene therapy, the origins of childhood leukaemia, paediatric neuroimaging, and paediatric molecular genetics.

As a graduate student, you will conduct research within a department which has over 30 graduate students and 130 members of staff, including clinical practitioners, research scientists, support staff and academic visitors.

You will join one of our research groups with primary supervision provided by faculty members in one of the department's laboratory or clinical research facilities, and you will become part of a vibrant research community both within the department and in the wider University.

You will develop research skills by making use of a range of research training and skills development offered by the Medical Sciences Division, alongside direction by your supervisor in specific research methods in relation to your project. The first step in applying is to contact a potential supervisor or supervisors to discuss potential projects.

Assessment

You will begin your course as a Probationary Research Student (PRS) and near the end of your first year you will transfer to MSc by Research status. To transfer your status, you must apply formally, submit a research report and statement of future research plans, and take an independent assessment by two assessors. Continuation in the programme is subject to the student passing the transfer of status exam. The word limit (exclusive of bibliography, appendices, diagrams and tables) for the MSc is 30,000 words.

Graduate destinations

Alumni from the Department of Paediatrics are expected to go on to careers based both in UK and internationally in academic research or medicine in conjunction with academic research. Other career paths may include industrial research, teaching, scientific publishing, patent law, charitable scientific employment and pharmaceutical consulting positions.