Cancer Sciences

MRes

The Cancer Sciences MRes is a 1 year full-time programme that offers

postgraduate training to suitably qualified science students who are interested
in research careers in cancer. It is a stand-alone programme that would be
of particular interest to students who wish to apply for further training at PhD level.
The course will provide an introduction to the
cellular and molecular basis of cancer and
its diagnosis and treatment through lecture
modules and associated tutorials. The major
part of the learning experience will come from
a 30 week research project, which may be
undertaken within one of the research groups
in the School of Cancer Sciences. The research

School of Cancer Sciences

project will give the opportunity to contribute

meaningfully to ongoing cancer research
in Birmingham, and will give a real insight
into how research is conducted. This training
will equip you with skills to facilitate entry
into PhD programmes or other career pathways
with a laboratory research context.

www.birmingham.ac.uk/
mrescancersciences

Cancer Sciences
MRes

The Cancer Sciences MRes offers you the

opportunity to be actively involved in research
at the University of Birmingham, which has
received several accolades including being
ranked as one of the best centres in the UK
for number and quality of publications in Cancer
in the previous UK Research Assessment
Exercise. The University is the site of the first
Cancer Research UK (CRUK) Centre to be
opened nationally and has one of the largest
cancer research bases in the country.
The School of Cancer Sciences unites
laboratory researchers with cancer clinicians
and clinical trials specialists, allowing MRes
Cancer Sciences students to experience the fully
translational nature of research at Birmingham.
You will develop key research and presentation
skills that are sought by many recruiters into
further postgraduate study at PhD level and will
also facilitate entry to other career pathways in
the biomedical and health sciences sectors.

@unibirm_MDS

Modules
You will study three lecture modules.
The lecture modules will be followed up
with tutorials and a Journal Club in which
MRes students will develop skills in critical
analysis and presentation of research data.
The first lecture module, Cellular and
Molecular Basis of Cancer, provides an
essential introduction to the topic and will
be taken in association with MSc Clinical
Oncology students, thereby broadening
your perspectives by learning alongside
students with experience in clinical aspects
of oncology.
You will then select two additional modules
from the following options:
n Molecular Pathology of Cancer
n Genomics
n Translational Research in Cancer
n Molecular Approaches to
Drug Development
You will select a 30 week research
project to start in early November after
consulting with potential supervisors within
the School of Cancer Sciences and allied
research groups. The great majority of
projects on offer are laboratory-based and
you will become a member of the
research team.

Entry requirements
A Bachelors degree (or equivalent) in the life
sciences or biomedical sciences. We normally
expect this to be at the 2(i) level or higher, but
will also consider promising students who have
not quite achieved this level.
Candidates from overseas for whom English
is not their first language must meet the
Universitys English Language requirement ie,
IELTS 7.0 (with a minimum of 6.5 in any band).
Contact us
For further information please visit our
website at www.birmingham.ac.uk/
mrescancersciences or contact
Dr Roger Watson at r.watson@bham.ac.uk

College of Medical
and Dental Sciences

www.birmingham.ac.uk/mds
This leaflet was written several months in advance of the start of the
academic year. It is intended to provide prospective students with a
general picture of the programmes and courses offered by the School.
Please note that not all programmes or all courses are offered every
year. Also, because our research is constantly exploring new areas and
directions of study some courses may be dropped and new ones offered
in their place.

10391 University of Birmingham 2013. Printed on a recycled grade paper containing 100% post-consumer waste

Why study this course?

Research into the causes of cancer
has accelerated rapidly over the past two
decades to the extent that we now have a
good understanding of the genes, signalling
pathways and cellular processes involved.
A start has been made on using this knowledge
to design new and effective therapies,
however, there is still much to do.

/collegemds