Program Overview

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MSc in Musculoskeletal Sciences

The MSc in Musculoskeletal Sciences is a part-time, two-year taught course that offers academic training to clinicians or biological scientists to advance their understanding of musculoskeletal disease and the research methods used to improve knowledge and treatments.

About the Course

This course is designed to complement any graduate clinical teaching that students may be receiving as part of a specialist training programme. Completing the course will provide a firm foundation for students wishing to progress to full-time doctoral research.

Course Structure

The course consists of five modules, studied part-time over two years, with short residential sessions delivered in Oxford. Teaching methods include lectures, small group sessions, problem-based learning scenarios, and evaluation of academic papers. Students will also undertake self-directed learning to build on the information provided in the teaching sessions.

Attendance

The course is part-time, and students are required to attend course-related activities in Oxford for a minimum of 30 days each year. Attendance at the University is required for short residential sessions of four to five days that take place eight times over the two years.

Resources to Support Study

As a graduate student, you will have access to the University's wide range of resources, including libraries, museums, galleries, digital resources, and IT services. The Bodleian Libraries is the largest library system in the UK, with over 13 million printed items and access to e-journals.

Supervision

The allocation of graduate supervision for this course is the responsibility of the Medical Sciences Division and the Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology, and Musculoskeletal Sciences (NDORMS). It is not always possible to accommodate the preferences of incoming graduate students to work with a particular member of staff.

Assessment

There are several formative and summative assessments throughout the two-year course, including literature reviews, MCQ papers, short answer question papers, and oral presentations. In the final year, students are required to submit a research proposal in the form of a 'mock' grant application.

Graduate Destinations

Since the course began in 2008, many student alumni have undertaken further post-graduate research training in the form of PhD or DPhil. Others have gone on to successfully pursue further specialist clinical training in the MSK Sciences.

Entry Requirements

To be eligible for the course, applicants should hold or be predicted to achieve a first-class or strong upper second-class undergraduate degree with honors in biological sciences and/or related topics.

• Medically qualified individuals or those with a first-class or strong upper second-class undergraduate degree with honors in biological sciences and/or related topics are eligible to apply.
• In special circumstances, applications from other medically related subjects (e.g., nurses, and/or allied health professionals) will be considered for the MSc.
• For applicants with a bachelor's degree from the USA, the minimum overall GPA that is normally required to meet the undergraduate-level requirement is 3.6 out of 4.0.

English Language Proficiency

This course requires proficiency in English at the University's higher level. If your first language is not English, you may need to provide evidence that you meet this requirement.

• The minimum scores required to meet the University's higher level are:
  • IELTS Academic: 7.5 overall, with at least 7.0 in each component
  • TOEFL iBT: 110 overall, with at least 22 in Listening, 24 in Reading, 25 in Speaking, and 24 in Writing
  • C1 Advanced: 191 overall, with at least 185 in each component
  • C2 Proficiency: 191 overall, with at least 185 in each component
  • Oxford Test of English Advanced: 165 overall, with at least 155 in each component

References

You will need to register three referees who can give an informed view of your academic ability and suitability for the course.

• At least two referees should be academic and should comment specifically on your academic ability.
• One professional reference is acceptable, though your other two references should be academic.
• Your references should support a desire to undertake a further degree, intellectual ability, academic achievement, motivation, ability to work in a group, as well as capable of self-driven distance learning.

Supporting Documents

You will be required to supply supporting documents with your application, including:

• Official transcript(s) that give detailed information of the individual grades received in your university-level qualifications to date
• A personal statement that explains your scientific experience, background, and motivation for wishing to undertake the course, and should indicate your future career plans

Funding

The collegiate University expects to offer over 1,100 full or partial graduate scholarships across a wide range of graduate courses.

• For entry in the academic year, the collegiate University expects to offer over 1,100 full or partial graduate scholarships.
• Most scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic merit and/or potential.
• You should also consider other opportunities for which you may be eligible, including a range of external funding, loan schemes for postgraduate study, and any other scholarships which may also still be available after the January deadline.

Costs

The fees for this course are charged on an annual basis.

• The annual course fees for the academic year are:
  • Home: ｣7,775
  • Overseas: ｣19,215
• Course fees cover your teaching as well as other academic services and facilities provided to support your studies.
• You will need to ensure that you have adequate funds to support your living costs for the duration of your course.

Additional Costs

You may incur additional travel and accommodation expenses for the short residential sessions in Oxford.

• You may need to choose a dissertation, a project, or a thesis topic, and depending on your choice of topic and the research required to complete it, you may incur additional expenses, such as travel expenses, research expenses, and field trips.

Living Costs

You will need to ensure that you have adequate funds to support your living costs for the duration of your course.

• The range of likely living costs for a single, full-time student living in Oxford in the academic year is between ｣1,405 and ｣2,105 per month.
• You should budget for potential increases in living expenses of around 4% each year.

College Preference

Students enrolled on this course will belong to both a department/faculty and a college.

• 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.
• The following colleges accept students on the MSc in Musculoskeletal Sciences:
  • Balliol College
  • Harris Manchester College
  • Kellogg College
  • Lady Margaret Hall
  • St Catherine's College
  • Wadham College
  • Wolfson College
  • Wycliffe Hall

How to Apply

You should refer to the information below when completing the application form.

• You do not need to contact the department before you apply, but you are encouraged to visit the relevant departmental webpages to read any further information about your chosen course.
• You should refer to the Application Guide for advice on how to prepare for and start your application.
• You can start or return to an application using the relevant link below.
• Your application (including the supporting documents outlined above) will be assessed against the entry requirements detailed on this course page.