MRes Bioengineering
Develop the analytical and problem solving skills to prepare for a career in bioengineering research
Key information
Overview
The MRes Bioengineering programme involves lectures and practical work in the first term, followed by full-time work on a research project. A variety of seminars and workshops are also provided to deepen and broaden your skill base. Graduates are therefore equipped to analyse and solve problems using an integrated, multidisciplinary approach that prepares them for a bioengineering research career.
The MRes Bioengineering welcomes students from a variety of backgrounds, including life or medical sciences graduates who wish to develop their engineering skills and students with MEng or similar degrees who would like to build their research experience.
Choosing your research project
Given the substantial research component to the MRes, you must identify and contact potential research projects and supervisors before applying. See the 'How to apply' section for more detail.
Careers
The MRes Bioengineering provides a solid foundation for those wishing to pursue a career in bioengineering, whether through doctoral research or work in industry, e.g. medical start-ups or pharmaceutical companies. Throughout your time as an MRes Bioengineering students, you can expect to enhance your skills in research, analysis and scientific presentation and develop your ability to work in a team. What’s more, the Department of Bioengineering, where this programme is based, works closely with industry to ensure that our graduates gain the technical knowledge, expertise and transferable skills that are so valued in the workplace.
Professional accreditation
This degree is accredited by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3) and Institution of Engineering Designers (IED), on behalf of the Engineering Council as meeting the requirements for Further Learning for registration as a Chartered Engineer.
Our accreditation agreements are renewed every five years and the current agreement runs until 2023.
Structure
This page reflects the latest version of the curriculum for this year of entry. However, this information is subject to change.
The curriculum of this programme is currently being reviewed as part of a College-wide process to introduce a standardised modular structure. As a result, the content and assessment structures of this course may change for this year of entry.
We recommend you check this page before finalising your application and again before accepting your offer. We will update this page as soon as any changes are confirmed by the College.
Find out more about the limited circumstances in which we may need to make changes to or in relation to our courses, the type of changes we may make and how we will tell you about any changes made.
Page last reviewed on 25 October 2021.
Structure
Core modules
You study all of the modules below.
- Computational and Statistical Methods for Research
- Topics in Biomedical Engineering
- Frontiers in Bioengineering Research
Optional modules
For the Topics in Bioengineering Research module, you choose two optional modules, which are assessed via short written reports. Examples of optional modules to choose from are shown below. Please note that the availability of optional modules may change from year to year.
- Advanced Biomaterials & Tissue Engineering
- Advanced Imaging Technologies for Systems Biology
- Advanced Physiological Monitoring and Data Analysis
- Bioengineering Approaches to Cancer
- Biomaterials for Bioengineers
- Biomechanics
- Biomimetics
- Brain Machine Interfaces
- Cellular and Molecular Mechanotransduction
- Computational Neuroscience
- Engineering in Cancer Therapy
- Hearing and Speech Processing
- Human Neuromechanical Control and Learning
- Image Processing
- Industrial Applications of Cellular Engineering
- Ionising Tissue and Flow imaging
- Mathematical Methods for Bioengineers
- Medical Device Certification
- Medical Device Entrepreneurship
- Molecular Cellular and Tissue Biomechanics
- Neuroscience
- Non-ionising Functional and Tissue Imaging
- Orthopaedic Biomechanics
- Principles of Biomedical Imaging
- Reinforcement Learning
- Systems Physiology
- Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine
Research project
You will complete a nine-month research project under the supervision of at least one academic member of staff from the Department of Bioengineering at Imperial College. Your supervisor will be an expert in their field with a keen interest in your research topic.
Your research project will be agreed with your MRes supervisor at the time of application.
The research project provides you with an opportunity to demonstrate your advanced knowledge and write extensively on an emerging research theme.
You will submit a planning report in early February and present your preliminary research results as a poster in the summer. You will then continue to work on your research project until submission of your MRes thesis in September.
Teaching and assessment
Teaching methods
- Demonstrations
- Guided practical classes
- Group exercises
- Laboratory work
- Lectures
- Individual research project
- Presentations
- Seminars
- Workshops
E-learning and blended learning
- Virtual Learning Environment: Blackboard
- Online groups and discussions
- Online quizzes and interactive content
- Anonymous feedback
- Lectures recording using Panopto
Assessment methods
- Coursework
- Oral presentations
- Research thesis
- Written reports
Course timetable
You will receive your course timetable by the beginning of your studies in October and the core teaching hours for the College are 9am–6pm.
Entry requirements
We welcome students from all over the world and consider all applicants on an individual basis.
Admissions
Minimum academic requirement
Our minimum requirement is a 2.1 degree in engineering, physical sciences, mathematics, life sciences or biomedical sciences.
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 UK qualification.
For guidance see our Country Index though please note that the standards listed 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.
Competence standards
Our competence standards highlight the core skills students should be able to demonstrate by the end of this course.
View the Department of Bioengineering's competence standards [pdf]
We believe in providing the widest practicable access to all of our degree programmes and will make reasonable adjustments wherever possible to support your study. For more information, please contact the Department using the contact details below.
Department of Bioengineering
T: +44 (0)20 7594 2259
E: be.pgadmissions@imperial.ac.uk
How to apply
Finding a supervisor
You are required to idenify a potential supervisor, usually in your personal statement, due to the substantial research component within this MRes degree.
Ideally, you will have also made contact with potential supervisors prior to application.
Making an application
Apply online
All applicants must apply online.
Visit our Admissions website for details on the application process.
You can submit one application form per year of entry. You can usually choose up to two courses.
Application fee
If you are applying for a taught Master’s course, you will need to pay an application fee before submitting your application.
The fee applies per application and not per course:
- £80 for taught Master's applications (excluding MBAs)
- £135 for MBA applications
There is no application fee for MRes courses, Postgraduate Certificates, Postgraduate Diplomas or research courses, such as PhDs and EngDs.
If you are facing financial hardship and are unable to pay the application fee, we encourage you to apply for our application fee waiver.
ATAS certificate (overseas candidates)
An ATAS certificate is required for all visa-nationals, with the exception of EEA/Swiss nationals and nationals of the following countries: Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea and the USA.
To apply for an ATAS certificate online, you will need your programme’s Common Aggregation Hierarchy (CAH) code and ‘descriptor’, as well as your university supervisor name. For this course, these are:
| CAH code | Descriptor | Supervisor name |
|---|---|---|
| CAH10-01-06 | bioengineering, medical and biomedical engineering | Professor Anthony Bull |
Your student visa application, or extension of stay, will automatically be refused if you need an ATAS certificate and cannot provide one.
For further guidance on obtaining an ATAS certificate please see the information on our International Student Support website.
Further questions?
Find answers to your questions about admissions. Answers cover COVID-19, English language requirements, visas and more.
Tuition fees and funding
The level of tuition fees you pay is based on your fee status, which we assess based on UK government legislation.
Find out more about fees and funding opportunities.
Tuition fees
Home rate of tuition
2022 entry
£15,400
Fees are charged by year of entry to the College and not year of study.
Except where otherwise indicated, the fees for students on courses lasting more than one year will increase annually by an amount linked to inflation, including for part-time students on modular programmes. The measure of inflation used will be the Retail Price Index (RPI) value in the April of the calendar year in which the academic session starts e.g. the RPI value in April 2022 will apply to fees for the academic year 2022–2023.
Fee status
Whether you pay the Home fee depends on your fee status.
Your fee status is assessed based on UK Government legislation and includes things like where you live and your nationality or residency status.
Find out more about how we assess your fee status.
EU/EEA/Swiss students
The Government has confirmed that EU/EEA/Swiss students who begin a course before the 31 July 2021 will be eligible to pay the same fee as Home students and have access to student finance for the duration of their course, as long as they meet certain requirements which are unchanged from previous years. This includes students who begin the course remotely.
EU/EEA/Swiss students starting a course on or after 1 August 2021 will no longer be eligible for the Home fee rate and so will be charged the Overseas fee. Please note we do not expect this to apply to Irish students or students benefitting from Citizens' rights under the EU Withdrawal Agreement, EEA EFTA Separation Agreement or Swiss Citizens’ Rights Agreement respectively. However, we are currently awaiting the formal publication of the amended Fees and Awards regulations.
The UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) website has useful information on the conditions you currently need to meet to be entitled to pay tuition fees at the Home rate for study on a higher education course in England and reflect the regulations as they currently stand (not the amended regulations which are subject to publication).
Overseas rate of tuition
2022 entry
£35,700
Fees are charged by year of entry to the College and not year of study.
Except where otherwise indicated, the fees for students on courses lasting more than one year will increase annually by an amount linked to inflation, including for part-time students on modular programmes. The measure of inflation used will be the Retail Price Index (RPI) value in the April of the calendar year in which the academic session starts e.g. the RPI value in April 2022 will apply to fees for the academic year 2022–2023.
Fee status
Whether you pay the Overseas fee depends on your fee status.
Your fee status is assessed based on UK Government legislation and includes things like where you live and your nationality or residency status.
Find out more about how we assess your fee status.
EU/EEA/Swiss students
The Government has confirmed that EU/EEA/Swiss students who begin a course before the 31 July 2021 will be eligible to pay the same fee as Home students and have access to student finance for the duration of their course, as long as they meet certain requirements which are unchanged from previous years. This includes students who begin the course remotely.
EU/EEA/Swiss students starting a course on or after 1 August 2021 will no longer be eligible for the Home fee rate and so will be charged the Overseas fee. Please note we do not expect this to apply to Irish students or students benefitting from Citizens' rights under the EU Withdrawal Agreement, EEA EFTA Separation Agreement or Swiss Citizens’ Rights Agreement respectively. However, we are currently awaiting the formal publication of the amended Fees and Awards regulations.
The UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) website has useful information on the conditions you currently need to meet to be entitled to pay tuition fees at the Home rate for study on a higher education course in England and reflect the regulations as they currently stand (not the amended regulations which are subject to publication).
Postgraduate Master's loan
If you're a UK national, or EU national with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, you may be able to apply for a Postgraduate Master’s Loan from the UK government, if you meet certain criteria.
For 2022-23 entry, the maximum amount is £11,836. The loan is not means-tested and you can choose whether to put it towards your tuition fees or living costs.
Scholarships
We offer a range of scholarships for postgraduate students to support you through your studies. Find out more about our scholarships to see what you might be eligible for.
A number of external organisations also offer awards for Imperial students. Find out more about non-Imperial scholarships.
Accommodation and living costs
Living costs, including accommodation, are not included in your tuition fees.
You can compare costs across our different accommodation options on our Accommodation website.
A rough guide to what you might expect to spend to live in reasonable comfort in London is available on our Fees and Funding website.
Further information
Got a question?
Admissions Tutor and Enquiries
T: +44 (0)20 7594 5146
E: be.pgadmissions@imperial.ac.uk
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