MSc in Clinical and Therapeutic Neuroscience
Provided by University of Oxford Medical Sciences Division
About the course
The MSc taught course in Clinical and Therapeutic Neuroscience is a one-year course designed to equip students with the transferable skills required for a career in translational (“cell to patient”) research. The course will offer you insights into a range of fields including molecular biology, brain imaging, behavioural research and epidemiology. It is delivered by pre-clinical and clinical research teams based in the Department of Psychiatry, in other University of Oxford centres within the neuroscience community, and in the NIHR Oxford Cognitive Health Clinical Research Facility.
The course will provide you with:
- a broad knowledge of neuropsychiatric and neurological disorders and their current treatments and management;
- direct experience in integrative, multidisciplinary and novel pre-clinical and clinical research investigation for treatment discovery;
- an ability to critically appraise research methods and experimental results;
- familiarity in conceptualising and designing experimental protocols and clinical trials for drug/treatment discovery; and
- an opportunity to communicate research results and their clinical implications to a wide audience.
The course will be delivered through a range of methods, including lectures, seminars, student presentations and independent learning and study. You will participate in small group teaching and develop close working relationships with academic and project supervisors. In addition to this, practical classes will enable you to acquire analytical skills required for the processing of structural biology, brain imaging and clinical trial data. Students are expected to work for about 44-46 weeks in Oxford, and to spend about 20-25 hours per week on independent reading and work on essays and journal presentations. Typically, there will be no more than 15 hours per week of contact time with teaching staff for every term. Note that students are expected to study material covered in lectures in their own time.
Course lectures will take place in the Departments of Psychiatry and Pharmacology and the Nuffield Departments of Clinical Neurosciences and Clinical Medicine. You will also have access to the extensive range of seminars and symposia in other departments in the University.
You are advised to visit the course page on the department's website to obtain further information on the course (see Further Information and Enquiries ).
Attendance
The course is full-time and requires attendance in Oxford. Full-time students are subject to the University's Residence requirements.
Resources to support your study
As a graduate student, you will have access to the University's wide range of world-class resources including libraries, museums, galleries, digital resources and IT services.
The Bodleian Libraries is the largest library system in the UK. It includes the main Bodleian Library and libraries across Oxford, including major research libraries and faculty, department and institute libraries. Together, the Libraries hold more than 13 million printed items, provide access to e-journals, and contain outstanding special collections including rare books and manuscripts, classical papyri, maps, music, art and printed ephemera.
The University's IT Services is available to all students to support with core university IT systems and tools, as well as many other services and facilities. IT Services also offers a range of IT learning courses for students, to support with learning and research.
All students enrolled on the MSc Clinical and Therapeutic Neuroscience course will be based in a dedicated open-plan office in the Department of Psychiatry. You are welcome to use this space during the day for self-study both before and after your classes.
You will also be provided with a laptop and given access to a remote desktop connection for the duration of your MSc studies. This will provide access to a variety of software required to support your studies which will involve several departments.
You are likely to find both the Cairns Library at the John Radcliffe Hospital and Radcliffe Science Library particularly helpful.
Supervision
The allocation of graduate supervision for this course is the responsibility of the Department of Psychiatry and it is not always possible to accommodate the preferences of incoming graduate students to work with a particular member of staff. A supervisor may be found outside the Department of Psychiatry and will also be offered by the Academic Advisor, Course Director and supervisor(s) of project rotations.
You will have the opportunity to meet individually with your supervisor at mutually agreed times. This may include meeting once a term with the Course Director, and whenever necessary as agreed between you and the supervisor(s).
In addition to academic supervision, the graduate studies team within the department provide support and advice to students at all stages of their study. This includes holding meetings to provide a forum for students to discuss their research and identify those working in related areas with whom they can share ideas.
Assessment
Course assessments are based on four essays, two dissertations and an oral poster presentation. The dissertations are based on two 12-week projects, one completed in the second term and the other in the third term. You will be provided with a list of topics, some laboratory- and some clinic-based, and will have the opportunity to consult with project supervisors and submit a list or preferred topics.
Graduate destinations
Based on the course design and content, we anticipate that some MSc students will apply for PhD places in the UK and overseas and that others will carry on to medical school, work for pharmaceutical companies and health services around the world or as research assistants and clinical trials co-ordinators.
Other potential career destinations include positions as medical writers, patent lawyers, regulatory affair officers and medical sales representatives.
Changes to this course and your supervision
The University will seek to deliver this course in accordance with the description set out in this course page. However, there may be situations in which it is desirable or necessary for the University to make changes in course provision, either before or after registration. The safety of students, staff and visitors is paramount and major changes to delivery or services may have to be made if a pandemic, epidemic or local health emergency occurs. In addition, in certain circumstances, for example due to visa difficulties or because the health needs of students cannot be met, it may be necessary to make adjustments to course requirements for international study.
Where possible your academic supervisor will not change for the duration of your course. However, it may be necessary to assign a new academic supervisor during the course of study or before registration for reasons which might include illness, sabbatical leave, parental leave or change in employment.
For further information please see our page on changes to courses and the provisions of the student contract regarding changes to courses.
College preference
Students enrolled on this course will belong to both a department/faculty and a college. Please note that ‘college’ and ‘colleges’ refers to all 43 of the University’s colleges, including those designated as societies and permanent private halls (PPHs).
If you apply for a place on this course you will have the option to express a preference for one of the colleges listed below, or you can ask us to find a college for you. Before deciding, we suggest that you read our brief introduction to the college system at Oxford and our advice about expressing a college preference .
If you are a current Oxford student and you would like to remain at your current Oxford college, you should check whether it is listed below. If it is, you should indicate this preference when you apply. If not, you should contact your college office to ask whether they would be willing to make an exception. Further information about staying at your current college can be found in our Application Guide.
The following colleges accept students on the MSc in Clinical and Therapeutic Neuroscience:
- Brasenose College
- Exeter College
- Green Templeton College
- Hertford College
- Kellogg College
- Lady Margaret Hall
- Linacre College
- Lincoln College
- Magdalen College
- The Queen's College
- Reuben College
- St Anne's College
- St Catherine's College
- St Cross College
- St Edmund Hall
- St Hilda's College
- Wadham College
- Wolfson College
- Wycliffe Hall
Enquire
| Start date | Venue | |
|---|---|---|
| 06 Oct 2025 | Distance learning | Book now |