Master of Science in Biochemistry with Molecular Biology and Biotechnology

at University of Bristol - Clifton Campus United Kingdom

Composite materials are increasingly replacing traditional metallic components in several industrial applications, such as aerospace engineering, wind turbine blade manufacture and the automotive industry. This MSc provides you with an in-depth theoretical understanding and practical knowledge of advanced composite materials.

The programme is based in the Bristol Composites Institute (ACCIS), which houses a number of state-of-the-art composites manufacturing facilities. ACCIS has strong industrial and research links with major international companies and research centres. ACCIS is collaborating with the National Composites Centre for high technology readiness level research.

Our taught units primarily focus on structural mechanics, design and analysis, manufacturing and testing of composites, while providing more optional units to further specialise your expertise in other relevant areas. Our programme is a great career development route for students with engineering backgrounds to develop their expertise in composites engineering, and for students with non-engineering backgrounds to expand their expertise to composites engineering.

This course immerses you in groundbreaking research and gives you the opportunity to contribute to work that could have a significant impact on future generations. It offers a breadth of topics, allowing you to choose your specialism while developing your knowledge and research skills.

In your first two years you will supplement your study of biochemistry with units relevant to medicine, such as pharmacology, physiology and molecular pathology. Your third year focuses on medically relevant aspects of biochemistry, such as those relating to cancer, cardiovascular disease and drug design.

In your fourth year you will carry out an extended, individual laboratory research project of up to 16 weeks under the supervision of a research group leader. You will also study Cell Biology of Development and Disease alongside a choice of either Synthetic Biology or Protein Assemblies and Molecular Machines.

Our MSci course is ideal if you want to continue in research or to stand out when applying for a PhD.

In your first year you will gain a broad understanding of the biology of normal and cancerous cells. In addition to studying the immune system, you will take pathology, microbiology and biochemistry units.

In the second year you will study the cellular and molecular basis of cancer and its therapy as well as autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, diabetes and arthritis, and human cancers caused by viruses, such as papilloma and hepatitis B. You will take molecular genetics and an optional unit, possibly biochemistry or pharmacology, from a selection offered by other schools.

All practical teaching in years one and two is supported by the eBiolabs dynamic laboratory manual.

You will progress to undertake a research project or scientific dissertation, working in a research group in our Biomedical Sciences building or in one of the surrounding hospitals. Your work may even be published in scientific literature.

The additional, fourth year includes an extended research project and advanced research skills training with an emphasis on enterprise. You will plan projects, communicate with a variety of audiences and learn to translate and commercialise research.

The School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine focuses on turning science into medicine and these courses aim to launch you into a research career with an emphasis on translational research.

This programme is designed for anyone involved in conceptualising or administering policies related to the Global Development Challenges. It is especially suitable if you are already involved in planning development strategies, currently working for non-governmental or governmental organisations in the development field or planning for a career in development.

The programme combines an intellectual and academic approach with policy-oriented and empirical studies of development. It addresses three separate, but related, facets of the development process:

• Analysing what development means;
• Studying the processes of planning (external aid, regional disparities, environmental factors, poverty and industrialisation);
• Examining how development policies may be delivered and administered, analysing the importance of effective political and bureaucratic structures, and evaluating the contributions of NGOs and other external bodies.

The program is well balanced, covering a wide range of topics in engineering science and engineering practice.

Our curriculum embeds a diverse set of professional engineering and management skills spanning four core thematic areas:

• Design and manufacture
• Dynamics and control
• Materials
• Thermofluids.

This course is ideal if you are seeking a career abroad or with a multinational company. You will undertake language studies in years one and two of the course to build on GCSE-standard knowledge before spending your third year at a partner university in Europe.

Examine the interactions between the geology, biology, chemistry and physics of Earth’s surface, oceans and atmosphere and gain a deep understanding of Earth’s environment and how it can be influenced by human activities.

Learn with experts whose research feeds directly into your studies at the cutting edge of scientific developments. Recent options have included Soils and the Critical Zone, Environmental Impact Assessments, Oceans and Climates, and Environmental Radioactivity.

By your final year you’ll be conducting your own independent research and exploring the questions that matter most to you.

We have a friendly community and a program of student-run projects, informal seminars and social events. Field trips are a huge part of why our school community is so tight knit, giving you the chance to get to know your course mates and key staff, while honing your practical skills. You will gain plenty of hands-on experience, with over 40 days of fieldwork both in the UK and overseas, the cost of which is included in your tuition fee.

The skills developed throughout your studies are highly valued by employers – from scientific and technical skills including coding, modelling, lab skills, and data analysis – to transferable skills such as communication, creativity and resilience.

If you are creative, enjoy design and aspire to improve the built environment we live in then civil engineering is for you. This degree will equip you to find solutions to environmental problems and to design large and unique structures, such as buildings, bridges, dams and coastal defences.

At Bristol, you will have access to our world-class laboratory facilities, including the most advanced earthquake shaking table in Europe.

The first two years provide a strong foundation in engineering, including mathematics, structures, soil and fluid mechanics, computing and surveying, as well as optional units. In your third year, you will undertake a major research project and continue to develop key professional skills. 

Design is central to the course and this is reflected in the projects you will undertake. In the first year, you will develop a solution to an open-ended problem, such as designing and making a model bridge. The second year includes steelwork, reinforced concrete and geotechnical design. Among other activities in the third year, you will design a water supply system.

We equip you with the skills needed to become a future leader in civil engineering. Our graduates are highly sought after by top employers, including civil engineering consultancies, utility companies, the army, public transport, power generation and supply companies.

The MSci Pharmacology degree is a four-year degree with an extended research project in the final year. This degree provides the opportunity to gain an excellent knowledge of pharmacology and apply it to experimental research. The extended project will provide valuable day-to-day experience of what it is like to be a researcher and develops the skills required to embark on a career in research.

The first three years of this degree follow the BSc Pharmacology course, with the opportunity to study a number of core pharmacology units in the first two years. These units will introduce you to the fundamentals of drug action and how drugs interact with their targets.

The degree is focused on the pharmacology of the nervous and cardiovascular systems and provides extensive investigation into how drugs are being used in a variety of disorders. You will also be able to choose further units in the first two years, including biochemistry, molecular genetics, infection and immunity, cellular and molecular medicine and mammalian physiology.

Third-year units emphasise the molecular mechanisms of drug action within the nervous and cardiovascular systems. These units are taught from the current scientific literature and will take you to the forefront of current research, which you evaluate by undertaking a literature-based research project.

The final year of the MSci Pharmacology will focus on an extended research proposal within a research laboratory using advanced techniques. Alongside the project you will take units that will develop valuable skills in communicating science to the public and will develop a portfolio of public engagement activities.

This final year will instil a range of skills essential for understanding how to plan and conduct research projects; these skills are widely applicable to future employment and will also benefit those considering future PhD training.

Our education master's degrees give you the opportunity to design a tailored program of study that suits your learning and professional needs. You will be able to specialise and receive an award in a particular disciplinary area.

This program focuses on inclusive practice. It is intended for teachers and other professionals working with students who are experiencing barriers to learning and participation or other special educational needs, whether in mainstream schools, special schools/units, colleges or early years settings.

It is designed to help you develop your knowledge, understanding and critical skills in analysing and evaluating current research, theory and practice. The program will provide you with opportunities to explore a range of areas, such as international developments in special/inclusive education, how to work with and involve parents and children, and the school's role in promoting inclusion. You will also look at a range of topics that arouse controversy and debate in the area of special needs.

The Inclusive Education pathway is designed for professionals with some experience, either in paid employment or as a volunteer.