Medical Microbiology MSc

Our established MSc Medical Microbiology course is ideal if you are a graduate or healthcare professional looking to build expertise in infectious diseases and gain the practical laboratory skills valued by employers in healthcare, research and industry. With advanced practical and research training, the course prepares you for doctoral study, career progression, or specialist roles in microbiology and infectious disease.

This course is unique in its emphasis on laboratory-based learning. You'll gain extensive hands-on experience in the techniques and technologies used in modern medical microbiology, developing confidence and the practical expertise to work in real-world laboratory environments.

You'll explore the medical and molecular basis of infectious diseases, alongside host immunity, laboratory diagnostics, epidemiology, antimicrobial therapies, and infection prevention and management. By combining fundamental principles with current advances in microbiology, you'll develop both the theoretical knowledge and practical skills needed to understand and respond to today's infectious disease challenges.

You'll also have the opportunity to tailor your learning through your research project and specialist teaching from leading academics and industry experts. You can focus on areas such as bacteriology, virology, mycology, parasitology, antimicrobial resistance, molecular diagnostics, or global health, while gaining a broad understanding of the interconnected disciplines that underpin modern medical microbiology.

Since its origins in the 1920s, the course has attracted microbiologists from the UK and around the world. Our graduates have progressed to successful careers as clinical and biomedical scientists, medical microbiologists, healthcare professionals, and researchers in academia, public health, and the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries.

PhD with integrated master's

If you're planning to undertake a PhD after your master's, our Integrated PhD programme will enable you to combine your postgraduate taught course with a related PhD project in biology, medicine or health.