The MPhil in Therapeutic Sciences is a full-time course taken over the course of 11 months. One term of intense teaching will be followed by two terms comprising a research project placement in industry or academia lasting approximately six months for four days per week, together with one day per week of teaching.
Lectures, seminars and workshops: students will meet regularly as a cohort for taught components delivered by academic staff and industry experts. The course is comprised of up to 300 hours of lectures and seminar-based teaching including detailed exploration into cutting-edge theoretical and experimental approaches that are instrumental to advancing the field, together with key research and transferable skills, and independent study. This is complemented by interactive workshops and student-led literature review sessions (“journal clubs”) with student participation and discussion strongly encouraged. These are designed to foster critical analysis, technical and presentation skills via discussion of recent discoveries and modern techniques in the field, as well as independent study. Students will also have access to an extensive range of seminars in departments throughout the University and associated institutes and will be strongly encouraged to attend as many as possible. Students will, overall, be expected to take responsibility for their own learning and will need to manage their time effectively to fit this around the academic timetable and any other activities that they may become involved in.
Problem-based / Enquiry-based learning and field trips: Some workshops will include problem-based tasks where students work individually or in groups to solve challenges and develop problem-solving skills, teamwork and communication as well as technical skills and knowledge. Field trips are incorporated into the course to help students put their theoretical knowledge into practice or see how this knowledge can be adapted depending on the therapeutic area. Trips may last a few hours to a full day. A number of high-profile therapeutics companies close to Cambridge are keen to invite students from this course to their sites to show the practical application of the information they will teach and are also willing to run real-life problem-based and enquiry-based workshops.
Research project: the research project in Lent and Summer terms will take place in academic departments, institutes or industry. It will comprise four full-time days per week over approximately six months. There will be a short period allocated for writing up the project.
Further training: training is provided in key professional research and transferrable skills, such as data management, laboratory record keeping, research ethics and integrity, scientific communication skills and academic writing, and data analysis skills including statistics. Additionally, all students will be members of the University's Postgraduate School of Life Sciences (PSLS) which offers a wide variety of core skills and professional development training. Please visit the Researcher Development page on the PSLS website for more information.
One-to-one supervision: regular meetings with a project supervisor and in some cases lab members. Termly meetings with the course director or course coordinator. The regularity with which postgraduate students meet with their project supervisor varies throughout the year, but meetings are likely to be more frequent to start with, during the planning stages. On average, students will meet with their supervisor on a fortnightly basis. The University of Cambridge publishes an annual Code of Practice which sets out the University's expectations regarding supervision.
By the end of the course, students will have developed:
- advanced knowledge and understanding of therapeutic sciences in academia and industry
- in-depth knowledge of an aspect of their specialisation
- practical experience and expertise gained from a research project
- a broad understanding of modern therapeutic sciences research and literature
- expertise in research methods and analysis of research data
- knowledge of relevant theoretical approaches and training in critical thinking
- originality in the application of knowledge, together with a practical understanding of how research and enquiry are used to create and interpret knowledge in the field.
