MRes Cancer Technology
Develop a unique understanding of cancer from a bioengineering perspective
Key information
Overview
This course equips you with skills to address tomorrow’s challenges in cancer using state-of-the-art technologies and physical sciences/mathematical approaches.
The course 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.
The course embodies a multi-disciplinary approach that:
- Provides a critical understanding of the fundamentals of cancer progression and current challenges in cancer management
- Enables students to apply their knowledge of engineering, physics and mathematics to solving challenges in cancer through a nine-month cross-disciplinary research project
- Develops research and analytical skills related to bioengineering in cancer and to effectively communicate results through oral and written scientific formats
- Trains students to effectively communicate with oncologists, cancer biologists, clinicians and researchers
- Prepare students for demanding careers or PhD programmes at the interface of cancer and bioengineering
The course builds on the Department of Bioengineering’s diverse strengths in this area in addition to our collaborations with our world-leading partner, the Institute of Cancer Research.
Careers
The first of its kind in the UK, this MRes will prepare you for on-demand research careers within the growing field of engineering in cancer. Through enhancing skills in research, analysis and scientific presentation as well as the ability to work in a team, students will be well-equipped for multi-disciplinary PhD programmes or jobs in drug discovery, biotechnology and medical devices, among others.
Moreover, 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.
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 will take all of the following core modules:
- Bioengineering Approaches to Cancer
- Statistical and Computational Methods for Research
- Frontiers in Cancer Technology Research
- Topics in Cancer Engineering
Optional modules
For the Topics in Cancer Engineering module, you choose two optional modules, which are assessed via written reports. Examples of optional modules to choose from are shown below. Please note that the availability of modules may change from year to year.
- Advanced Biomaterials & Tissue Engineering
- Advanced Chemical Sensors
- Advanced Imaging Technologies for Systems Biology
- Advanced Physiological Monitoring and Data Analysis
- Biomechanics
- Biomimetics
- Cellular and Molecular Mechanotransduction
- Computational Neuroscience
- Engineering in Cancer Therapy
- Image Processing
- Industrial Applications of Cellular Engineering
- Ionising Tissue and Flow imaging
- Medical Device Certification
- Medical Device Entrepreneurship
- Molecular Cellular and Tissue Biomechanics
- Nanotechnologies for Cancer Diagnosis & Cancer Therapy
- Non-ionising Functional and Tissue Imaging
- Physiological Fluid Mechanics
- Principles of Biomedical Imaging
Research project
You will complete a comprehensive nine-month research project, typically under the supervision of at least two academic members of staff with complementary expertise based at Imperial College London and the Institute of Cancer Research. Your supervisors will be experts in their field with a keen interest in your research project, which will run at the interface of bioengineering and cancer.
By the end, you will have shown your ability to:
- Tackle real-world research problems by apply bioengineering solutions to cancer understanding and management
- Critically analyse academic literature relevant to your chosen topic
- Select and use laboratory instrumentation to work safely in laboratory and workshop environments
- Formulate and evaluate a novel multidisciplinary research hypothesis or research aims
- Apply appropriate statistical, computational and experimental tools
- Communicate outcomes of the project effectively using oral and written formats
- Present technical information in various forms: report, oral presentation and progress meetings
You will be assessed through:
- A literature review and planning report on your chosen topic
- A mid-term poster presentation updating your progress
- Your final thesis
- A final oral presentation defending your thesis
The MRes Cancer Technology is full-time across an entire calendar year. You will be matched with supervisors in November. Your research project will start in the Autumn term on a part-time basis, moving to full-time from January until September
Teaching and assessment
Teaching and learning
Teaching methods include:
- Demonstrations
- Group exercises
- Guided practical classes
- Laboratory work
- Lectures
- Research project
- Presentations
- Seminars
- Workshops
Learning methods include:
- Virtual Learning Environment: Blackboard
- Online groups/discussions
- Online quizzes and interactive content
- Lectures recorded using Panopto
Assessment
Taught elements will be assessed through:
- Written examinations (open and closed book)
- Oral presentations
- Written reports, including a dissertation
- Coursework including progression tests, problem sheets
- Practical training elements
Research elements will be assessed at regular intervals through:
- Written Reports & Final Thesis
- Oral presentations
- Poster Presentations
Overall workload
The expected total study time is 2,250 hours.
Your overall workload consists of face-to-face sessions and independent learning. Contact hours may vary according to the modules you choose.
At Imperial, each ECTS credit taken equates to an expected total study time of 25 hours.
For taught elements, held solely during the Autumn term, you will typically spend 81 hours in lectures and tutorials. An additional 294 hours will typically be spent on individual study. You will also typically spend 1700 hours undertaking Research elements held over the course of the degree.
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 normally a 2.1 degree in an engineering discipline, or physical, mathematical, medical or biological science, or equivalent.
Students with a minimum 2.1 degree in medical science, biology or cancer-related subject may be admitted if they have a demonstrated track record of training or engagement in engineering, biophysics, cancer technologies or mathematics.
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
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.
Additional costs
This section outlines additional costs relevant to this course. These are not included in your tuition fees.
Figures are approximated, usually based on costs in the most recent academic year. They are likely to change each year but it's useful for you to be aware of the things you may have to pay for. This can help you budget for life at Imperial.
Mandatory costs are those that you will need to pay to fully participate in and complete your studies. Optional costs are not essential to your studies so you can opt-out of these.
| Description | Mandatory/optional | Guide to cost |
|---|---|---|
| Textbooks | Mandatory | Approximately £100, depending on supplier |
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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