Molecular and Cellular Biology

Overview

This Molecular and Cellular Biology programme from University of Birmingham is designed to prepare you for a career in research in molecular and cellular biology and its applications.

It comprises a year of intensive training and research experience leading to the award of an MRes degree which will give you a ‘flying start’ to a subsequent PhD programme, if this is your chosen career path.

Why study this course?

The School of Biosciences has an international reputation as a centre of excellence in the areas covered by this MRes degree.

This programme is designed to prepare students for a career in research in molecular and cellular biology and its applications. It comprises a year of intensive training and research experience leading to the award of an MRes degree. Applicants for the MRes programme should be of high calibre with first or 2.1 degrees.

Applications will be welcome from students with a background in Physics and Chemistry, as well as from those with a degree in Biochemistry, Biology or other Life Sciences.

Applications from overseas are welcome but note that no funding is available and applicants will have to raise their own funds. EU applicants are also welcome.

Career

The role of this postgraduate research degree as preparation for a PhD studentship is reflected by a considerable number of graduates progressing to PhD programmes at Birmingham, other prestigious UK institutions and abroad. However, alternative options exist, too. Former graduates have joined the R&D departments of biotechnology and molecular diagnostics companies or have gone into scientific publishing.

MRes graduates present a strong CV in that they can offer extended research experience and well-developed laboratory skills. They have shown they can cope with the intellectual challenge of producing a scientific dissertation that is evaluated by someone other than a supportive supervisor. They have learned about experimental techniques beyond the immediate remit of their project and they have developed an appreciation of how research funding can be obtained and how science is effectively communicated to a lay audience.