MRes Cancer Biology (Cancer Informatics)
World-class training in research at the interface between computational and clinical translational science.
Key information
Duration: 1 year full-time
Start date: October 2022
Campus: Hammersmith
ECTS: 90 credits
Overview
Our Cancer Informatics stream offers world-class training in research at the interface of computational and clinical translational science.
The course embraces cutting-edge developments in the field: you will experience some of the most technologically advanced approaches currently being applied to the broad field of cancer research in a teaching programme that comprises both theoretical and practical elements.
Choosing a stream
We offer two streams in Cancer Biology:
- Cancer Informatics (this course)
- Cancer Biology
Your choice of stream will inform the modules you study and your choice of research projects. The structure of the course and assessment methods are similar for both streams.
What is informatics?
Informatics broadly covers the handling and analysis of data.
It is fast becoming one of the most desirable skills for postgraduate studies in biological fields. This is due to the widespread adoption of high-throughput molecular profiling technologies, in conjunction with the practice of uploading datasets to standard publicly-available online repositories.
We will provide you with the skills to leverage these large biological and clinical datasets to address novel hypotheses in order to gain new insights into molecular biology and to have a competitive advantage over other biological students.
Study programme
The course is made up of an initial 4/5-week taught component partly shared with the Cancer Biology stream. This covers the cellular and molecular basis of cancer biology, plus an introduction to the clinical and pathological aspects of carcinogenesis.
This information is covered in a series of lectures, which are inspired in part by the lecturer's own research.
You will gain an insight into the excellent project opportunities we have at Imperial, as well as those of our partner institutions (Crick Institute and Institute of Cancer Research).
Alongside lectures, there are a series of workshops covering key transferable skills such as the oral presentation of scientific data and grant writing.
To facilitate your learning, we will provide you with a textbook and you will present assigned chapters and additional research in small groups to the rest of the cohort. These book chapter presentations will be spread out over the taught component of the course.
You will then receive three weeks of intense informatics training through lectures and workshops with Imperial academics and industry experts.
Once you complete your informatics assignment, you will begin your research projects (lasting 15 weeks, and then 20 weeks).
Careers
This MRes is designed for aspiring researchers. Those in employment have entered into roles such as Research Scientist, Research Assistant, and Scientific Officer.
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.
You take all of the core modules below:
- Module 1 – covering the cellular and molecular basis of cancer biology, as well as an introduction to the clinical and pathological aspects of carcinogenesis and treatment.
- Cancer Informatics
- Project 1
- Project 2
Teaching and assessment
Teaching
- Lectures
- Technical workshops
- Tutorials
- Seminars
- Student-led presentations
Assessment
- Cancer Informatics Assignment
- Mock Grant Proposal
- Poster Presentation
- Projects (Thesis and Viva)
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.
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 an appropriate subject.
Non-academic requirements
You must have relevant lab experience, for example an undergraduate degree with a wet-lab project and dissertation.
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.
How to apply
Application deadlines
We consider applications to this course in four batches. Applications received before each deadline will be considered in those batches.
The deadlines for each batch are:
- 7th Jan 2022
- 21th Feb 2022
- 15th Apr 2022
- 1st June 2022
If you wish for your application to be considered in a particular batch, please apply at least five working days before the deadline to ensure your application is included in that round of decision-making.
Competition for places on this programme is high, with 70% of all offers being made following the January submission deadline. While we do continue to make offers from March to June, less than 5% of our remaining offers are made following the June submission deadline.
Applicants may be required to attend an online interview.
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
Home rate of tuition
2022 entry
£14,650
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 for 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
£37,800
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).
Additional course costs
This section outlines any additional costs relevant to this course, which are not included in your tuition fees. It is possible that all, or only some, of these will be relevant to you.
Please note that the figures provided are usually based on the cost in the most recent academic year. These are likely to change from year to year. However, it is useful for you to be aware of the types of things you may have to pay for and their approximate cost to help you budget for student life at Imperial.
This section indicates whether any additional costs that apply are mandatory or optional. 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 will be free to opt out of these.
| Description | Mandatory/Optional | Approximate cost |
|---|---|---|
| Programme Textbook: The Biology of Cancer, Robert A. Weinberg | Mandatory | Provided |
| Printing of poster for assessment | Mandatory | Provided |
| Travel to project lab location | Mandatory | As applicable |
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.
See what 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?
Enquiries
E: cancer.biologymres@imperial.ac.uk
Read more about the School and our research in the Department of Surgery and Cancer.
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