Core modules Lecture modules – students take three (subject to departmental approval)
Courses are made up of core modules, that all students study which are spent in the lab, in seminars, and tutorials, and three additional lecture modules.

Core modules - all students will study:

Laboratory Techniques in Molecular Bioscience (30 credits)
This module is designed to develop and practice core genetic and biochemical techniques so that students may progress confidently to the research project. Over a period of three months, students will receive training in CRISPR genome editing technology in addition to other molecular biology techniques including; protein and DNA isolation, SDS PAGE, Western analysis, protein overexpression, PCR, plasmid construction, restriction mapping and BLAST DNA sequence analysis.

Research Project (60 credits)
This module lasts six months and gives students an opportunity to conduct a medical genetics research project. As part of this module, students will receive extensive training in human chromosome analysis, human cell line culture and maintenance, microscopy and data analysis. You will communicate your research findings to the scientific community by oral and poster presentations. Students will also complete a dissertation and defend their work through viva voce examination.

Literature Review (30 credits)
This module involves an in-depth survey of the current literature relevant to the student's Laboratory Project. Students will build upon the skills in literature searching and interpretation they have developed in their undergraduate studies, making use of a variety of databases and literature-searching tools.

Advanced Research Topics (15 credits)
This course will develop the ability of students to acquire information through the medium of research seminars. It will give insight into the development of scientific ideas, and acquaint students with the most recent developments in selected areas. Students will attend a series of seminars, given as part of the departmental research seminar programme, and will write a brief report on each. They will take part in a journal club, involving studying, presenting and discussing papers from the scientific literature. They will also undertake more extensive research into the scientific literature relevant to a subset of topics. Reporting of this work will include oral presentations in which students will practice modern presentation techniques.