Master of Science by Coursework in Precision Cancer Medicine

Differences from 2020/21 to 2021/22

1. The Medical Sciences Divisional Board will elect an Organising Committee for the supervision of the course. The Organising Committee will oversee teaching provision and will nominate Examiners for the Examinations Board.

2. The Organising Committee will arrange teaching and student supervision and will appoint an Academic Advisor and a Dissertation Supervisor for each candidate.

3. Each candidate will follow a course of study in Precision Cancer Medicine for at least six terms.

4. Each candidate for the MSc award will be required to satisfy the examiners in the following:

(i) Online attendance at all modules specified in the Schedule.
(ii) Completion of formative coursework.

Year One
(iii) An essay of a maximum of 2,500 words selected from a choice of essay titles based on modules 1-4 of the Schedule.
(iv) A problem-solving assessment of a maximum of 2,500 words selected from a choice of tasks based on modules 1-5 of the Schedule.

Year Two
(v) Attendance at the Residential School following at least five terms of study.
(vi) A 3-hour written examination that will consist of short written essays. As the materials from modules 1-5 will be tested via the assessed coursework, the exam will focus mainly on material taught in the later modules (modules 6-8) but will also draw on some topics from the earlier modules.
(vii) A dissertation of not more than 10,000 words on the research project as set out in the Schedule. The research project and the subject of the dissertation must be approved by the Organising Committee.

5. The essay, problem-solving assessment and the dissertation will be submitted via an authorised online submission platform, details of which will be notified to students by the Course Administrator, by dates to be specified by the Organising Committee and published in the course handbook no later than the start of Michaelmas Term of the first year of the course.

6. The examiners shall retain one copy of each dissertation of each successful candidate for electronic deposit in the Radcliffe Science Library.

7. Candidates must pass each assessment in order to pass the examination overall.

8. Candidates who have failed any assessment at second attempt will be deemed to have failed the requirements of the MSc.

9. Candidates who have failed the requirements of the MSc but have satisfied the requirements for the award of the Postgraduate Diploma (all the requirements for the MSc, except completion of the dissertation) may be awarded the Postgraduate Diploma.

10. Candidates who have satisfied the requirements for the award of the Postgraduate Diploma (all the requirements for the MSc, except completion of the dissertation) and who do not wish to continue their studies, may end their registration and at that point be awarded the Postgraduate Diploma.

Research Project:
A research project will be conducted under the supervision of a dissertation supervisor. The subject of each student's dissertation and the supervision arrangements for each student must be approved by the Organising Committee.

Schedule

Schedule:
1. Introduction to Human Genetics and Genomics
2. Clinical Interpretation of Precision Diagnostics and Response Monitoring
3. Omics Techniques and their application to Genomic Medicine
3. Clinical Interpretation of Precision Diagnostics and Response Monitoring
4. Clinical Bio-informatics
5. Treatment, Pharmacogenomics, Clinical Trials and Experimental Cancer Therapeutics
6. Ethics and Health Economics
7. Global Perspective on Molecular Pathology, Imaging and Early Detection
8. Onco-immunology and Genomics

Research Project

A research project will be conducted under the supervision of a dissertation supervisor. The subject of each student's dissertation and the supervision arrangements for each student must be approved by the Organising Committee.