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The MSc by Research in Oncology is a 1 to 3 year, full time programme, although the majority of students complete within two years. You will be admitted directly to a particular research area within a research group or laboratory led by a Principal Investigator, who will be formally appointed as your MSc supervisor.

Your programme is built around a specific research project and there is no formal teaching. You will have the opportunity to attend departmental seminars, as well as academic and professional skills training sessions developed specifically for postgraduate research students. The majority of your training will be hands on, either one-to-one or in small groups, in a laboratory environment as you learn the skills you need to address your specific research question.  At the end of your studies you will be assessed via submission of a written thesis of up to 30,000 words and a viva voce (oral examination) with two examiners.

The department does not advertise specific projects for the MSc by Research. If you wish to apply for this course you should refer to the list of research groups on the Department's website, to identify areas of research that interest you. You should then contact the Principal Investigator (PI) for that research group to discuss the availability of research projects. It can also be beneficial to review the list of DPhil projects being offered in the Department to identify those PIs who have capacity to take students.

Once you have identified a potential supervisor, you should send them your up-to-date CV, together with an outline of the research that interests you and a request to discuss the feasibility of a research project in their group. Please note that not all PIs will have the capacity to take on MSc by Research students every year. You may contact more than one member of staff at a time, and please do allow yourself several weeks to develop your proposed project with your intended supervisor ahead of the application deadline.