Precision Medicine & Pharmacological Innovation MSc

This programme is open for applicants domiciled in Scotland.
This unique, prestigious and fully-funded MSc programme (tuition fee waiver; eligibility criteria apply) is awarded by the Universities of Glasgow, Aberdeen and Strathclyde, in collaboration with the Universities of Dundee and Edinburgh.
The programme focuses on the current and future needs of the Life Sciences sector and is delivered in conjunction with the Precision Medicine Scotland - Innovation Centre (PMS-IC) at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Glasgow and multiple private sector partners. Project placements in this MSc programme are increasingly seen by our biotechnology and industry partners as an effective means of assessing and recruiting new, high quality graduate employees.
Precision medicine and pharmacological innovation holds huge potential in the timely development of new treatments for human disease. It is among the most important concepts to emerge in 21st century clinical science and will be a crucial component of the global drive to increase the efficacy, safety and cost effectiveness of new treatments.
- Academic contact: mvls-smpi@glasgow.ac.uk
- Teaching start: September
- MSc: 12 months full-time
Why this programme
- Students will be given the unique opportunity to undertake an industry placement as their main project. This fantastic opportunity will be offered by partner commercial organisations/companies and universities. Previous partners include Epidarex, LGC NHS Scotland, Roche and Thermo Fisher Scientific.
- The programme will cover aspects of commercial innovation and entrepreneurial skills, together with the principles which underpin the emerging science at the interface between genetics and pharmacology.
Students on the programme will undergo theoretical and practical training in state-of-the-art research processes, enabling an appreciation of how to apply novel stratified approaches, together with clinical pharmacological, regulatory and ethical principles to the optimisation of future clinical research and therapeutic practice.
- Students will also gain an understanding of statistical methods used to evaluate the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of new treatments, and direct experience of how all of these techniques are applied by academic and industrial researchers in the development of new medicines.
- Following successful completion of the programme a joint master’s degree will be awarded.
- The five stakeholder universities, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Strathclyde, Dundee and Edinburgh are internationally recognised as leaders in biomedical research, hosting highly collaborative and productive groups with the requisite expertise in pharmacology, clinical trial methodology, pharmacogenomics, and life sciences.
- This vibrant environment, coupled with Scotland’s tradition of excellence in clinical research and significant recent investment in the new science of Stratified Medicine make it the ideal place to acquire the transferrable skills required for a successful and fulfilling career in 21st century biomedicine.
Programme structure
This MSc degree is awarded jointly by the Universities of Glasgow, Aberdeen and Strathclyde.
Courses included in this programme are delivered by these three institutions as well as the Universities of Dundee and Edinburgh.
Students will be offered a choice of base institution, either Glasgow or Aberdeen. Each base campus has its own programme structure; however students from both campuses will study courses covering three themes totalling 120 credits.
For the most up to date information on the courses available at each campus please contact cams-ins-smpi@glasgow.ac.uk
Core Courses
- APPLIED STATISTICS WITH ROUTINE HEALTH DATASETS (TAUGHT BY UNIVERSITY OF DUNDEE THROUGH UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW)
- BIO-BUSINESS AND THE COMMERSIALISATION OF BIOSCIENCE RESEARCH - AN INTRODUCTION (TAUGHT BY UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN THROUGH UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW)
- ENTREPRENEURSHIP, INNOVATION AND COMMERCIALISATION (TAUGHT BY UNIVERSITY OF STRATHCLYDE)
- PRECISION DIAGONOSTICS AND THERAPEUTICS
- PHARMACOGENOMICS & MOLECULAR MEDICINE - FUNDAMENTALS OF MOLECULAR MEDICINE
- APPLIED PHARMACOGENOMICS & MOLECULAR MEDICINE
Commercialisation of Science
Choose at least one from the following:
- ADVANCED BIO BUSINESS (TAUGHT BUY UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN THROUGH UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW)
- NEW VENTURE CREATION (TAUGHT BY UNIVERSITY OF STRATHCLYDE)
- REGULATION AND GOVERNANCE OF NEW THERAPIES (TAUGHT BY UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH)
Application of Evaluation and Research Technologies
Choose at least one from the following:
- HEALTH ECONOMICS FOR HTA ONLINE
- CLINICAL TRIALS : PRINCIPLES AND METHODS
- SPATIAL EPIDEMIOLOGY (TAUGHT BY UNIVERSITY OF DUNDEE)
- SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS (TAUGHT BY UNIVERSITY OF DUNDEE)
Project and Assessment
The project will account for the remaining 60 credits. All projects will either have an industrial placement or a project which addresses an industrial need. Examples of project titles can be found here.
The programme will include an opportunity for all students to present the outcomes of their projects to an audience of other students, academics and industry representatives. Assessment will consist of submission of a dissertation and presentation
Programme alteration or discontinuation
The University of Glasgow endeavours
to run all programmes as advertised. In exceptional circumstances, however, the University may withdraw
or alter a programme. For more information, please see: Student contract.
Career prospects
Graduates will be able to pursue careers in a variety of academic and industrial areas including clinical research, preclinical lab-based research, business development with expert knowledge in life sciences and bioinformatics/biostatistics.
Many graduates from this programme have gone on to work in global companies as well as SMEs working in life sciences research.
Example job titles include:
- assistant scientist
- clinical trials project manager
- field application scientist
- lab specialist
- medical writer
- research associate
- scientist - ips cells
- trainee clinical vascular scientist (NHS)
A number of graduates have gone on to graduate entry to Medicine programmes and into PhDs in Medicine, Biotechnology, Immunology and Precision Medicine.
Fees & funding
Tuition fees for 2023-24
MSc
UK
- Full-time fee: £10050
Please note the tuition fees for this programme are covered by the SFC funding (pending applicant eligibility).
Deposits
International applicants are required to pay a deposit of £1000 when an offer is made.
Deposits terms & conditions
The University requires a deposit to be paid by International applicants in receipt of an offer to this programme and who require a Certificate of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) from the University in order that they can apply for a student visa. This is required where the programme is competitive and the deposit is required in order to demonstrate your commitment to attend the programme should you meet all the conditions of your offer.
If you are made an offer for this programme the University will write to you and request a deposit with information on how to pay your deposit and the deadline for making the deposit payment. Please note that if you are unable to pay a deposit because you are planning to fund your studies through an official financial sponsor then you should upload a copy of your scholarship application or award letter to your application by the deadline date.
The following guidelines will apply in determining whether or not a deposit will be refunded. Where the deposit is refunded, a 10% handling fee will be deducted.
Deposits WILL be refunded to applicants under the following circumstances:
- Where the University is unable to offer you a place.
- Where the applicant has personal circumstances such as illness, bereavement or other family situations that has prevented them coming to the UK. Medical or other proof may be requested.
- Applicant can prove that they have applied for a visa to attend the University of Glasgow, but the VISA has been refused. The applicant must have shown ‘real intent' to study at the University of Glasgow but has been unable to obtain their visa.
- Applicant does not meet his / her conditions of offer: this may be academic or language test requirements. Satisfactory evidence must be uploaded to the student’s online application to prove that they have not met the conditions of their offer (note that applicants who do not meet the language condition of their offer must show reasonable attempt to meet this, i.e. they must provide a language test which was taken after the date that the deposit was paid).
Deposits WILL NOT be refunded to applicants under the following circumstances:
- Applicant decides to go to another institution.
- Applicant cannot be released from work to study at the University of Glasgow.
- Applicant does not send completed documentation as requested in the condition of the offer: this may be required in order to prove that the offer has not been met for academic or language test conditions - failure to respond to requests for this information will result in no refund.
- Applicant has not secured funding to attend the University of Glasgow: this may be as a result of not being successful in applications for scholarships, OR simply not having sufficient funds in bank at time of visa application. This condition will apply unless it can be proven that there are clear mitigating circumstances which have significantly changed the applicant’s position since the time of application.
- Applicant has requested a deferral – in this situation, if a deferral is granted, the University will retain the deposit and credit it against the applicant’s account for securing their place for the following year of entry. Please note that some highly competitive programmes do not allow applicants to defer.
Refund requests must be made within 60 days of the programme start date stated on your offer letter: requests made after this date will be subject to discretion.
Additional fees
- Fee for re-assessment of a dissertation (PGT programme): £370
- Submission of thesis after deadline lapsed: £350
- Registration/exam only fee: £170
Funding opportunities
Postgraduate Access Scholarship
The University of Glasgow is pleased to be offering Postgraduate Access Scholarships to support Home students who could face financial difficulties in taking up their place to study at the University. Applications are particularly welcomed from applicants who met any of our widening participation criteria, or equivalent, at undergraduate level. The value of each scholarship is £4,000 and they are for students undertaking a one or two year Taught Masters programme. For two year Taught Masters programmes, the scholarship is available in year one only.
The scholarships above are specific to this programme. For more funding opportunities search the scholarships database
Entry requirements
Candidates must normally possess one of the following:
- at least a second class honours degree in Life Sciences including Pharmacy/Pharmacology, Genetics and Biochemistry from a university in the United Kingdom; or
- a qualification deemed by the Joint Management Committee to be equivalent to the above; or
- professional or industrial experience deemed appropriate by the Joint Management.
Please note that applications are considered incomplete and will not be sent to the reviewers until the following documents are uploaded:
- Personal statement highlighting your career goals and how this programme will help you achieve them. Your personal statement must include the campus where you would prefer to be based, Glasgow or Aberdeen. To be attached within SFC funding form.
- CV
- 1 satisfactory supporting academic reference letter (must be academic).
- Academic transcripts to date
- Completed SFC funding form
How to apply
To apply for a postgraduate taught degree you must apply online. We cannot accept applications any other way.
Please check you meet the Entry requirements for this programme before you begin your application.
Documents
As part of your online application, you also need to submit the following supporting documents:
- A copy (or copies) of your official degree certificate(s) (if you have already completed your degree)
- A copy (or copies) of your official academic transcript(s), showing full details of subjects studied and grades/marks obtained
- Official English translations of the certificate(s) and transcript(s)
- One reference letter on headed paper
- Evidence of your English language ability (if your first language is not English)
- Any additional documents required for this programme (see Entry requirements for this programme)
- A copy of the photo page of your passport (Non-EU students only)
You have 42 days to submit your application once you begin the process.
You may save and return to your application as many times as you wish to update information, complete sections or upload supporting documents such as your final transcript or your language test.
For more information about submitting documents or other topics related to applying to a postgraduate taught programme, check Frequently Asked Questions
Guidance notes for using the online application
These notes are intended to help you complete the online application form accurately; they are also available within the help section of the online application form.
If you experience any difficulties accessing the online application then you should visit the Application Troubleshooting/FAQs page.
- Name and Date of birth: must appear exactly as they do on your passport. Please take time to check the spelling and lay-out.
- Contact Details: Correspondence address. All contact relevant to your application will be sent to this address including the offer letter(s). If your address changes, please contact us as soon as possible.
- Choice of course: Please select carefully the course you want to study. As your application will be sent to the admissions committee for each course you select it is important to consider at this stage why you are interested in the course and that it is reflected in your application.
- Proposed date of entry: Please state your preferred start date including the month and the year. Taught masters degrees tend to begin in September. Research degrees may start in any month.
- Education and Qualifications: Please complete this section as fully as possible indicating any relevant Higher Education qualifications starting with the most recent. Complete the name of the Institution (s) as it appears on the degree certificate or transcript.
- English Language Proficiency: Please state the date of any English language test taken (or to be taken) and the award date (or expected award date if known).
- Employment and Experience: Please complete this section as fully as possible with all employments relevant to your course. Additional details may be attached in your personal statement/proposal where appropriate.
Reference: Please provide one reference. This should typically be an academic reference but in cases where this is not possible then a reference from a current employer may be accepted instead. Certain programmes, such as the MBA programme, may also accept an employer reference. If you already have a copy of a reference on letter headed paper then please upload this to your application. If you do not already have a reference to upload then please enter your referee’s name and contact details on the online application and we will contact your referee directly.
Application deadlines
September 2023
- UK applications: 17 August 2023
Classes start September 2023 and you may be expected to attend induction sessions the week before.
Apply now