Course summary

The Programme provides in-depth training in this branch of biomedical science, including stem cell biology, biomaterials and tissue/organ engineering. With an ageing population and chronic diseases on the rise, there is a need for more effective medical treatments and therefore a need for trained tissue engineering researchers to deliver these technologies. Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine is an ever-emerging interdisciplinary field of biomedical research; which combines life sciences, biology and engineering, to progress the repair, replacement and enhancement of diseased and damaged tissues. It’s a field that has the potential to deliver treatments for diseases, injuries and disorders where currently people have no options. The Programme provides in-depth training in this branch of biomedical science, including stem cell biology, biomaterials and tissue/organ engineering. The MSc offers a balanced combination of theory and practice; and can serve either as preparation for a PhD or as a self-contained master’s qualification. The programme is both lecture and laboratory based; benefiting from taught modules that cover areas such as Cellular & Molecular Biology and Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine and culminating in a hands-on 5-month research project. It also includes several opportunities to visit relevant clinical settings and local industrial partners. The programme further benefits from affiliation and close involvement with the Cardiff Institute of Tissue Engineering and Repair (CITER). CITER is an interdisciplinary research network between the Schools of Biosciences, Chemistry, Dentistry, Engineering, Healthcare Sciences, Medicine, Optometry and Pharmacy. You will therefore study within a multidisciplinary community with internationally excellent academic, research and clinical expertise not available at many other institutions. Based at The University Hospital of Wales (the 3rd largest university hospital in the UK), you will develop technical laboratory skills and will be presented with a number of opportunities to extend your communication and presentation skills, both written and orally. You will acquire a number of specific skills, such as the ability to collect, analyse and interpret a range of complex quantitative and qualitative data. You will also develop a number of valuable laboratory research-based skills, through the completion of a 5-month research project of your choice*, which will be presented as a poster at the annual CITER scientific meeting. Graduates from this Programme will have a broad spectrum of knowledge and a variety of skills, making them highly attractive both to potential employers and research establishments in this fast-developing sector. *subject to supervisor status.