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Immunology

Postgraduate Certificate

ECTS: 30 credits
Duration: 3 months full-time
(standalone course)

MSc

ECTS: 90 credits
Duration: 1 year full-time
(including PG Cert)

Overview

 

The PG Certificate in Immunology will provide you with the theoretical principles of Innate and Adaptive Immunity, a unique chance to plan, design and conduct your own Mini-Research Project in our teaching laboratories as well as the opportunity to attend an Immunology conference and conduct an in-depth team presentation of one immunology topic of choice.

The MSc in Immunology will build from the PG Certificate by taking you on a journey to investigate immunity in health and disease. To accompany you on this journey are our leaders in the field with whom you will subsequently have the opportunity to conduct a 7 months laboratory-based research project.

In addition to preparing you to become a researcher in Immunology (main professional outcome) by helping you strengthen your knowledge, creativity and critical thinking skills, the programme will also give you a chance to develop your communication and team working skills.

 

Study programme

  

The Postgraduate Certificate (PG Cert) lasts three months and is made up of the first three core modules (first term) of the MSc.

The MSc builds on the PG Cert with an additional module in Immunology in Health and Disease, and a substantial seven-month research project in one of our hosting laboratories.

You can apply to either the PG Cert or MSc in the first instance. If you choose the PG Cert, you can apply to complete the MSc with a starting date of January the following academic year.

 

 

Careers

 

The Immunology programme provides excellent training if you are intending to pursue a career in scientific research (academia, industry, communication). A high proportion of our graduates The Immunology programme provides excellent training if you are intending to pursue a career in scientific research (academia, industry, communication). A high proportion of our graduates proceeds to PhD study, or, if medically qualified, to clinical practice or research.

As well as scientific training, the MSc programme will expand your repertoire of transferable skills, allowing you to also enter a variety of non-scientific careers including finance, management and various types of consultancy.

    Structure

     

    Modules shown are for the current academic year, and are subject to change depending on your year of entry.

     

     

    Core modules

     

    You study the three core modules below:

     

    Principles of Immunology

       

    The module will cover the principles of innate and adaptive immunity and therefore provide you with a solid understanding of immune players and interactions in a healthy environment. In addition, the module will provide you with an introduction to some practical laboratory and professional skills which will support your learning during the rest of the programme.

        

    Experimental Immunology

     

    The module is a Mini-Research Project during which you will work in pairs and experience a hands-on approach to experimental work, taking ownership of your mini project. In a set scientific frame, you will define your starting scientific hypothesis, design and execute your experimental plan, analyse and critique your own data and troubleshoot some of your experiments.

     

    Immunology in Practice

     

    You will attend the annual British Society of Immunology (BSI) conference (or winter school) during and after which you will work in small teams to investigate and report in–depth on a chosen topic of interest. In the unlikely event of the conference or winter school not taking place, you will be provided with current Northampton research topics in Immunology to investigate in your teams.

    Core modules

     

    Principles of Immunology

     

    The module will cover the principles of innate and adaptive immunity and therefore provide you with a solid understanding of immune players and interactions in a healthy environment. In addition, the module will provide you with an introduction to some practical laboratory and professional skills which will support your learning during the rest of the programme.

     

    Experimental Immunology

     

    The module is a Mini-Research Project during which you will work in pairs and experience a hands-on approach to experimental work, taking ownership of your mini project. In a set scientific frame, you will define your starting scientific hypothesis, design and execute your experimental plan, analyse and critique your own data and troubleshoot some of your experiments.

     

    Immunology in Practice

     

    You will attend the annual British Society of Immunology (BSI) conference (or winter school) during and after which you will work in small teams to investigate and report in–depth on a chosen topic of interest. In the unlikely event of the conference or winter school not taking place, you will be provided with current Northampton research topics in Immunology to investigate in your teams.

     

    Immunology in Health and Disease

     

    The module will take you on a journey amongst the topics of immunological research done at Northampton College. These include the immune response to bacterial, viral and parasitic infections, inflammation, immunology in autoimmune diseases as well as cancer immunology, but topics are subject to slightly change every year, depending on the most up to date research done in our laboratories.

     

    Immunology Research Project

     

    During this final module of the MSc, you will join a research team to conduct an experimental project. Provided by our staff, or found by yourself, the projects will be directly related to their subject of expertise and will allow you to experience life in a laboratory as well as use the scientific method to investigate in-depth an immunological question.

    Teaching and assessment

     

    Teaching methods

          

    Over the course of the programme, you will be taught using many approaches which are as much as possible reflective of the way the scientific community works and interacts.

    The taught part of the programme will require you to study independently prior to our face to face sessions and in teams. These will be in the form of:

    • small group tutorials
    • keynote lectures
    • data interpretation sessions
    • journal club
    • workshops
    • group work sessions
    • lectures
    In addition, you will have the opportunity to attend a conference (registration fees, accommodation and transport covered by the programme) during which you will get insight into the forefront of the discipline from the conference speakers. Finally, during your laboratory-based project, you will learn from interacting on a daily basis with researchers, presenting in lab meetings, attending seminars, observing others and receiving feedback on your work.

     

    Assessment methods

     

    Summative assessments will be in the form of:

    • computer-based closed-book examinations
    • oral individual and group presentations
    • conference written proceedings
    • posters
    • scientific papers
    • research project thesis and viva
    • research plan
    • laboratory meetings
    • coursework assessments.

    Assessments will take place during and at the end of each module.

      Entry requirements

       

      We welcome students from all over the world and consider all applicants on an individual basis.

      Minimum academic requirement

      Our minimum requirement is a 2.2 degree in an appropriate biological science subject (e.g. Biology, Biochemistry, Biomedical Sciences, medicine, dentistry or veterinary science).

      International qualifications

      We also accept a wide variety of international qualifications.

      The academic requirement above is for applicants who hold or who are working towards a USA qualification.

      For guidance see our Country Index though please note that the standards listed here are the minimum for entry to the College, and not specifically this Department.

      If you have any questions about admissions and the standard required for the qualification you hold or are currently studying then please contact the relevant admissions team.

      English language requirement (all applicants)

      All candidates must demonstrate a minimum level of English language proficiency for admission to the College.

      For admission to this course, you must achieve the standard College requirement in the appropriate English language qualification. For details of the minimum grades required to achieve this requirement, please see the English language requirements for postgraduate applicants.

      How to apply

       

      You can submit one application form per year of entry, and usually choose up to two courses.

      .

      Choosing your course

      This course is divided into two progressional levels of study:

      • PG Certificate (PG Cert)
      • MSc

      Each level of study has its own separate entry point; you can apply to either level in the first instance.

      Making an application

      All applicants to our Master’s courses must apply online.