Allergy
Become an allergy expert with this dynamic course, featuring innovative teaching on research and clinical practice.
Award titles
Postgraduate Certificate
(standalone course)
Postgraduate Diploma
(including PG Cert)
MSc
(including PG Cert and PG Dip)
Key information
Campus: St Mary's
Overview
Allergies are an increasing global health problem and there is an urgent need in the UK and worldwide for clinical allergy specialists.
These courses suit any healthcare professional who supports patients with allergic conditions, and will help you progress into specialist posts in areas of medicine such as allergy, paediatrics, respiratory medicine, dermatology and gastroenterology.
Through the course, you’ll develop advanced knowledge and practical skills to optimally diagnose and manage allergic diseases at all ages. You’ll learn from world-renowned experts in the field and explore everything from the basic immune mechanisms underlying allergic diseases to cutting-edge research that influences clinical practice.
This course is made up of three phases (Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma and MSc) but you must apply to the Postgraduate Certificate in the first instance. On successful completion of this stage, you will be offered the opportunity to progress to the PG Diploma or MSc programme.
You can take the Postgraduate Certificate fully online or in a blended format, which includes a modular teaching week at St Mary's Medical School Campus. The Postgraduate Diploma and MSc are also delivered via this blended format, providing you with the flexibility to fit the course in with your professional commitments.
Course videos
Get an introduction to MSc Allergy from the course director, and hear about the experiences of our students, Tushar and Hannah.
Meet our students
Hear from current students and graduates in Allergy at the National Heart and Lung Institute on their website or chat to our students online.
Structure
This page reflects the latest version of the curriculum for this year of entry. However, this information is subject to change.
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 changes we have made.
Page last reviewed on 25 October 2021.
Structure
Postgraduate Certificate
Core modules
You take the following three core modules, either fully online or delivered in a blended format. The blended format includes teaching once per term at St Mary’s Medical School Campus, Paddington, London and is supported by extensive online resources.
The Scientific Basis of Allergy
Module leaders: Prof Adnan Custovic, Dr Marta Vazquez-Ortiz and Dr Mohamed Shamji
In this module, you will explore the scientific basis of allergy, focussing on areas such as the immune mechanisms underlying allergic diseases and how this relates to the aetiology, clinical presentation, diagnostic approach and potential therapeutic targets. You are also introduced to the practicalities of allergy patient care in a scenario-based setting, from how an allergy service is organised to managing severe anaphylaxis effectively.
Diagnosis and Treatment of Allergic Disease
Module leader: Dr Helen Cox
This module aims to develop your understanding of the clinical features seen in allergic diseases. This will enable you to conduct appropriate clinical history-taking and tests and arrive at an accurate diagnosis. It also enables you to create a robust treatment plan that can alleviate the symptoms. Additionally, you will develop skills in the use of medical devices and treatments that will enable you to teach the patients in your care.
The Cutting Edge of Allergy
Module leaders: Dr Robert Boyle, Dr Marta Vazquez-Ortiz and Dr Paul Turner
This module will cover recent research advances in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of allergic diseases and how this can be applied in clinical practice. You will acquire the knowledge and skills to turn ideas into your own research projects. This will be achieved through lectures, interactive sessions, group work, debate, poster creation and oral presentations.
Postgraduate Diploma
Core modules
You complete the following five core modules, delivered in a blended format, including teaching at St Mary’s Medical School Campus, Paddington, London.
Allergic Airways Disease and Asthma
Module leaders: Prof Andrew Bush, Prof Sejal Saglani and Dr Louise Fleming
This module will review recent advances across the developmental spectrum on the mechanisms underlying allergic airways diseases, including the role of genetic and environmental factors, the microbiome, and how this will impact future practice. There will be talks on assessing pulmonary physiology and other diagnostic tests. A rational evidence-based approach to the differential diagnosis, diagnostic work-up and management will be discussed. Challenging areas such as difficult asthma, adolescence and poor concordance will be addressed.
Food Hypersensitivity
Module leaders: Dr Isabel Skypala, Dr Rosan Meyer and Dr Nisha Patel
This module will cover the epidemiology, mechanisms, clinical presentation as well as advanced diagnostic and management strategies for the wide range of manifestations of food hypersensitivy, from immediate allergies to allergic gastrointestinal diseases, such eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders. Innovative preventive and therapeutic approaches will be discussed. Complex areas such as highly restrictive diets, feeding difficulties, functional and protracted symptoms, molecular tests and high-risk food challenges will be covered.
Rhinitis, rhinosinusitis and immunotherapy
Module leaders: Prof Stephen Durham and Dr Guy Scadding
This module will cover the mechanisms, clinical presentation and advanced diagnostic and management strategies for allergic rhinitis and rhinosinusitis in adults and children. It includes demonstrations on diagnostic procedures such as rhinoscopy, nasendoscopy and nasal challenges, as well as interactive differential diagnosis sessions using nasal imaging. Key aspects of allergen-specific immunotherapy will be reviewed, including efficacy biomarkers, clinical risks and benefits, as well as case-based discussions.
Allergic Skin Disease
Module leaders: Dr Tim Watts
This module will cover a wide range of allergic skin diseases, including atopic eczema, contact dermatitis, urticarias, hereditary and acquired angioedemas, photodermatoses and drug allergies. The underlying mechanisms, diagnostic work-up and advanced management will be discussed through lectures and case-based discussions. Challenging topics such as the role of food allergy in eczema, refractory urticaria and mastocytosis will be addressed.
Paediatric Allergy
Module leaders: Dr Eleanor Minshall and Dr Marta Vazquez-Ortiz
This module will cover advanced aspects of allergic diseases in childhood, from the mechanisms underlying the ‘atopic march’ or 'allergy multimorbidity' to difficult clinical scenarios such as multisystem allergic disease, immunodeficiency, adolescent transition and psychological or safeguarding issues. Interactive sessions, case-based discussions and practical workshops on infant weaning, food challenges and immunotherapy will be available.
Master's degree (MSc)
Core module
Research Skills in Allergy
Module leader: Dr Marta Vazquez-Ortiz
This module will cover a general overview of research methods in allergy medicine and emphasise the importance of research for the development and evaluation of clinical practice. It will help you develop the knowledge and skills required to conduct your own original research project or systematic review under the supervision of the Programme staff and usually a local supervisor.
Through completion of an MSc thesis, you will gain experience in research methodology and techniques, design of a research project or systematic review, data analysis and presentation, literature searching, critical appraisal and presentation of your work at scientific and clinical meetings as well as write-up for publication. In addition, you will have studied in depth a research project or systematic review in Allergy usually within your own working environment.
Teaching and assessment
Teaching methods
In this programme, an emphasis is placed on “Active Learning” by all of the students and “Peer Learning”. Teaching and learning methods include:
The Blackboard Virtual Learning Environment (VLE):
- Online learning materials (reading lists, pre-recorded lectures and mini-lectures, practical demonstrations, virtual tours, self-directed tasks, interactive quizzes, case-scenarios, diagrams and web-based resources) to prepare for live teaching
- Flipped Classroom – where you read, consider and reflect before coming to the live sessions
Face-to-face sessions including:
- Lectures
- Tutorials
- Interactive quizzes
- Question and answer sessions
- Group work
- Workshops and practical sessions
- Scenario-based sessions and role play
- Student-led activities such as a Pro-Con debate, oral presentations and poster or case presentations
Assessment methods
Formative assessments:
- Tutor and peer verbal responses to your work in live interactive sessions
- Group work
- Student-led presentations and case-based sessions
Formative online work:
- Quizzes
- Diagram completion exercises
- Case-based scenarios
- Mock exams
Summative assessments:
All courses
- Computer-based exams
- Group-work such as:
- Poster development and presentation
- Multi-disciplinary team type presentations
- Individual work such as:
- Case reports
- Practical skills-based exams
- Research proposals
For PG Dip and MSc
- Creating posters and presenting them
- Creating patient or parent leaflets
- Writing review articles for a journal
- Writing case reports
- Presenting “Grand Round” type presentations or quizzes
- Completing scenario-based quizzes
For MSc
- Thesis and presentation via Viva Voce
Events, tasters and talks
Find out more about studying at Imperial by meeting us at a virtual event. From webinars and study fairs to drop-ins and open days. Join us throughout the year for a range of events.
Explore all of our upcoming events.
Events
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 a medicine and healthcare related subject such as nursing, dietetics, immunology, physiology or biomedical science.
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.
Careers
These qualifications will be of great value to those healthcare professionals holding or wishing to apply for specialist posts in secondary and tertiary care in areas of medicine such as allergy, paediatrics, respiratory medicine, dermatology and gastroenterology.
It will also be valuable for GPs, specialist nurses, nutritionists and dietitians wishing to further develop their expertise and careers in allergy, as well as for basic scientists and professionals working in industry in the field of asthma and allergy who are willing to develop an in-depth understanding of the evidence base underpinning allergy and asthma research and clinical practice.
How to apply
Application deadline
Please note that there is not a set application deadline for this programme but we strongly encourage overseas candidates to apply before 1 July 2022 and home candidates to apply by 1 August 2022.
Choosing your course
This course is divided into three progressional levels of study. Each level of study leads to a separate qualification:
- PG Certificate (PG Cert)
- PG Diploma (PG Dip)
- MSc
You must apply to the PG Cert in the first instance.
Read more about Postgraduate Certificate, Diploma and MSc degrees
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
An ATAS certificate is not required for overseas students applying for this course.
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 and funding
Home rate of tuition
2022 entry
MSc
Full fee - £13,000
Top-up fee* - £2,600
Postgraduate Diploma (PG Dip)
Full fee - £10,400
Top-up fee* - £3,900
Postgraduate Certificate (PG Cert) - online and blended
Full fee - £6,500
* If you have already completed one of the above qualifications and are moving on to the next level of study, e.g. you've already completed the PG Cert and want to study the PG Dip, you will only need to pay the top-up fee for the course you’re applying for.
All applicants must apply to the PG Cert in the first instance, and pay the relevant PG Cert full fee.
If you successfully pass the PG Cert and want to progress to the next level of study (PG Dip), you only need to pay the top-up fee for the PG Dip. The same also applies to move from the PG Dip to the MSc.
The entry tuition fees listed above will apply throughout your progression through the different levels of study, though an annual inflationary increase will also be applied each year.
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 for April 2022 will apply to fees for the academic year 2022–2023.
If you choose to exit the course and then return at a later date to join the next level of study, you will pay the relevant top-up fee advertised in that year of entry. The entry tuition fees listed above will no longer apply.
Please note, it is not possible to apply for a Postgraduate Master's loan for this course, because the course you apply to in the first instance must be worth at least 90 ECTS credits. The PG Cert and PG Dip are each worth fewer than 90 ECTS credits.
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
MSc
Full fee - £37,800
Top-up fee* - £7,560
Postgraduate Diploma (PG Dip)
Full fee - £30,240
Top-up fee* - £11,340
Postgraduate Certificate (PG Cert) - blended
Full fee - £18,900
Postgraduate Certificate (PG Cert) - online
Full fee - £10,750
* If you have already completed one of the above qualifications and are moving on to the next level of study, e.g. you've already completed the PG Cert and want to study the PG Dip, you will only need to pay the top-up fee for the course you’re applying for.
All applicants must apply to the PG Cert in the first instance, and pay the relevant PG Cert full fee.
If you successfully pass the PG Cert and want to progress to the next level of study (PG Dip), you only need to pay the top-up fee for the PG Dip. The same also applies to move from the PG Dip to the MSc.
The entry tuition fees listed above will apply throughout your progression through the different levels of study, though an annual inflationary increase will also be applied each year.
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 for April 2022 will apply to fees for the academic year 2022–2022.
If you choose to exit the course and then return at a later date to join the next level of study, you will pay the relevant top-up fee advertised in that year of entry. The entry tuition fees listed above will no longer apply.
Please note, it is not possible to apply for a Postgraduate Master's loan for this course, because the course you apply to in the first instance must be worth at least 90 ECTS credits. The PG Cert and PG Dip are each worth fewer than 90 ECTS credits.
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).
Scholarships
We offer a range of scholarships for postgraduate students to support you through your studies.
Up to eight scholarships are available for this course, open to highly motivated new applicants. These cover £2,000 or £3,000 towards the Postgraduate Certificate fees. The deadline for applying is 14 July 2022.
Find out more and apply for the Allergy scholarships
See what other opportunities you may be eligible for:
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?
Jennifer Haley (Course Administrator)
T: +44 (0)20 7594 3985
E: allergypgs@imperial.ac.uk
Read more about the department and our research in the National Heart and Lung Institute.
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