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Master of Science by Coursework in Integrated Immunology

  • 1. The Divisional Board of Medical Sciences shall appoint for the supervision of the course an Organising Committee, which shall have the power to arrange the teaching, assessment and other instruction.

  • 2. The Organising Committee shall appoint an academic supervisor for each candidate.

  • 3. Each candidate shall:

    • (a) follow a course of study in Integrated Immunology for at least three terms and for a substantial part of the three vacations, as determined by the course timetable;

    • (b) attend all timetabled sessions, which will be compulsory.

  • 4. Candidates shall be examined in all of the following ways:

    • (i) At the end of Michaelmas Term (normally in Week 10), each candidate must pass a computer-based examination on the topics in the Schedule for Term 1. Candidates who fail the examination once will be permitted to take it again on one further occasion.

    • (ii) At the end of Hilary Term (normally in Week 10), each candidate must pass a computer-based examination on the topics in the Schedule for Term 2. Candidates who fail the examination once will be permitted to take it again on one further occasion.

    • (iii) Each candidate will be required to upload to the University approved online assessment platform a typed essay of not more than 4,000 words by noon on Monday of Week 8 of Michaelmas Term. Candidates will propose their own essay titles based on a list of topics provided at the start of Michaelmas Term. Essay titles will be subject to approval by the Organising Committee. Candidates who fail the assessment will have one further opportunity to revise and re-submit their essay.

    • (iv) Each candidate will be required to upload to the University approved online assessment platform two typed clinical commentaries of not more than 3,000 words each by noon on Monday of Week 8 of Hilary Term. The subjects of clinical commentaries must have been approved by the Organising Committee. Candidates who fail the assessment will have one further opportunity to revise and re-submit their clinical commentaries.

    • (v) Each candidate will be required to upload to the University approved online assessment platform a typed research dissertation of not more than 10,000 words on a research project as set out in the Schedule. The dissertation must be submitted by the date to be specified in the course handbook. Candidates who fail the assessment may resubmit the research dissertation at one of three opportunities in the following academic year. In exceptional circumstances, candidates may be permitted to redo the research project and resubmit the research dissertation, usually in Trinity Term of the following year.

    • (vi) Each candidate shall be examined viva voce, normally in the first week of September in the year of examination, on a date determined by the Examiners. Candidates who fail this assessment may retake it at one of three opportunities in the following academic year, at the Examiners’ discretion. 

  • 5. The examiners may examine any candidate viva voce on any part of the examination.

  • 6. Candidates must pass each element of the examination to pass overall.

  • 7. Candidates must pass each element of the examination in each term before being permitted to progress to the next term.

  • 8. Candidates who fail any assessment on the second attempt will normally have failed to reach the necessary standard for the award. 

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Schedule

The syllabus for study will be:

  • Term 1: Fundamental aspects of immunology

    • Fundamentals in immunology

    • Innate immunity and inflammation

    • Antigen presentation and recognition

    • Adaptive immunity

    • Evolution of human immunity

  • Term 2: Clinical and Applied Aspects of Immunology

    • Infection and immunity

    • Failure of immunity

    • Aberrant and unwanted immunity

    • The immunology of cancer

    • Manipulation of immunity

  • Term 3: A basic or clinical research project

    • The project will be chosen in consultation with the Organising Committee. A research supervisor will be assigned who will provide regular supervision and guidance during the course of the 14-week research project in Oxford.