Pathology (BSc) - Intercalating MBChB/BDS students
Year of entry: 2012
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Year of entry: 2012 Year of entry: 2013
Degree awarded: BSc
Duration: 1 year (intercalated)
Course fees: Tuition fees for home/EU students commencing their studies in September 2012 will be approximately £9,000 per annum. Tuition fees for international students will be £15,400 per annum. For general information please see the undergraduate fees pages.
Scholarships/sponsorships: A limited number of stipends are available each year and are allocated based on previous exam performance.
Maximum number of places is 15.
Contact email: Judith.a.hoyland@manchester.ac.uk
Contact telephone: +44 (0)161 275 5425
How to apply: Internal students should apply via standard application process for intercalating medical students. External students should contact the Course Director to discuss their application.
Course description
The one year, intercalated BSc in Pathology programme provides the opportunity for medical students of high ability who are considering a career in academic medicine to:
- Study pathology as a science
- Gain an insight into laboratory medicine
- Make contacts that may be valuable in their future career
In addition to gaining an understanding of the scientific principles that underpin modern medical practice, the students will become skilled in a range of laboratory techniques and experience the challenges of performing a substantial laboratory research project. This programme is seen as the precursor to a career in academic medicine and some students return to the department to study for postgraduate research degrees or as trainee pathologists.
The BSc in Pathology is a self-contained and highly integrated programme, the modules of which are not used in other undergraduate courses. It consists of four elements:
- A series of approximately 50 seminars/tutorials on General Pathology and Oncology
- Four modules (each of 8-10 lectures/tutorials) which are mostly system-based
- Multidisciplinary Investigative Research Training Module
- A laboratory-based research project
A major part of the programme takes the form of a research project that occupies a large part of the student's time throughout the year (approximately 3 days per week for 25 weeks). The project enables the student to become familiar with laboratory techniques such as tissue profiling (histology, immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridisation), cell culture, biochemical assays and molecular pathology and biology. This allows students to gain experience in the planning and execution of experiments. The student will write a substantial thesis based on the project. Most theses lead to publications and/or presentation at national or international scientific meetings.
The General Pathology element is focused on the scientific basis of the mechanisms of disease and covers cellular and molecular pathology and studies in detail the biological mechanisms underlying tumourigenesis, tumour growth and spread, inflammation and disorders of immunity.
In the second semester, the student may choose four systems (Systemic Pathology) and study these in more detail, with specific emphasis upon recent developments, conceptual problems and the scientific basis of current investigation.
At the conclusion of the programme, students generally return to the medical programme. Students may proceed directly to a higher degree, although this is rare.