Intro

The aims of the Medical Research MRes are:

  • to provide robust education on research to complement and support research exposure and experience for academically gifted medical and dental trainees, and research registrars;
  • to develop independent researchers of the future, able to compete for a research training fellowship leading to a PhD and further postdoctoral research; and
  • to contribute to the NHS drive to develop the vibrant academic community essential for first class healthcare.

Academic clinical fellows at 91¶¶Òõ and Sussex Medical School will be automatically accepted on the course. Applications from other NHS research registrars, doctors in the pharmaceutical industry, and others employed in a setting where medical research is a core function of their day-to-day activity will also be considered.

In order to maintain the high research degree completion rate of BSMS, non-ACF applicants will only be accepted if they can demonstrate an ongoing research programme in which they are currently involved, award of a research grant, or employer support for a locally funded research project intended for publication.

Key facts

Location 91¶¶Òõ: Falmer

Full-time 1 year
Part-time 3 years

Please review the entry requirements carefully and if you have any questions do get in touch with us.

Entry criteria

Entry requirements

The entry requirements listed here are our typical offer for this course if you wish to begin studying with us in 2022. They should be used as a general guide. 

Degree and/or experience

Academic clinical fellows at 91¶¶Òõ and Sussex Medical School will be automatically accepted on the course. Applications from other NHS research registrars, doctors in the pharmaceutical industry, and others employed in a setting where medical research is a core function of their day-to-day activity will also be considered. In order to maintain the high research degree completion rate of BSMS, non-ACF applicants will only be accepted if they can demonstrate an ongoing research programme in which they are currently involved, award of a research grant, or employer support for a locally funded research project intended for publication.

International requirements and visas

International requirements by country
Country name
Albania
Algeria
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Belarus
Belgium
Bermuda
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Bulgaria
Burma (Myanmar)
Cameroon
Canada
Chile
China
Colombia
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Ecuador
Egypt
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Guyana
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kosovo
Kuwait
Latvia
Lebanon
Liechtenstein
Libya
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Malaysia
Malawi
Malta
Mexico
Moldova
Montenegro
Morocco
Namibia
Nepal
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nigeria
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Palestinian National Authority
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Romania
Russian Federation
Saudi Arabia
Serbia
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Sri Lanka
Syria
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Tanzania
Thailand
Tunisia
Turkey
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United States
Uzbekistan
Venezuela
Vietnam
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe

We can help you meet our English language or academic entry requirements.

View our English language courses

For pre-sessional English preparation courses.

For degree preparation courses.

Visas and immigration advice

Applying for a student visa

Check out our step-by-step guidance.

Course content

Course structure

The course requires 80 taught credits and a 100-credit research dissertation. Students on the programme experience lectures, large and small group discussion and individual tutorials. To ensure that students are able to put their learning into context, each is employed in a setting where research forms a significant part of their activity.

Students are encouraged to bring work-based difficulties and experiences to the group work to enhance the relevance of the content to day-to-day clinical and research activity. Staff provide direction within the lectures and seminars with much learner autonomy evident in the group work and assessment. Learning is supported further by the use of studentcentral and the usual visual aids and handouts.

Learning beyond the classroom comprises scientific, clinical and research reading as well as practical development and application of research skills. Students are expected to develop further academic, transferable, communication skills through robust scientific writing, presentations and written reports. Engagement with a research project at a very early stage is mandatory to ensure that autonomy in the whole research process of project management and governance can be learnt. Students are also given the opportunity to learn through teaching/facilitating on their chosen topic, particularly if research focuses on education.

Areas of study

It is recommended that the final taught module be Evidence-Based Practice; alternatively, students may take any module from those offered by the Universities of 91¶¶Òõ and Sussex, with the approval of the course leader.

The dissertation requires a 16-20,000-word research dissertation which includes literature review, background, methodology, project management and governance, ethics, methods, results and discussion chapters. In addition, students are required to undertake a viva on their project, identify an appropriate journal for publication of their work and produce an article in the correct format to submit.

Students are expected to support their learning by the use and critical appraisal of primary sources of information. Group work on the statistical module gives hands-on experience of working with, analysing and reporting data on computers as well as interpretation of worked examples from published and/or local research. Workshops on research ethics and governance are provided to support students through regulatory processes effectively.

Modules

  • Research Methods and Critical Appraisal
  • Epidemiology
  • Essential Statistics for Health and Medical Research

Careers

Fees and costs

Course fees

UK (full-time)7,704 GBP

Island students (full-time)7,704 GBP

International (full-time)15,300 GBP

Scholarships, bursaries and loans

We offer a range of scholarships for postgraduate students. Bursaries and loans may also be available to you.

Find out more about postgraduate fees and funding.

The fees listed here are for the first year of full-time study if you start your course in the academic year 2025–26.

You will pay fees for each year of your course. Some fees may increase each year.

UK undergraduate and some postgraduate fees are regulated by the UK government and increases will not be more than the maximum amount allowed. Course fees that are not regulated may increase each year by up to 5% or RPI (whichever is higher).

If you are studying part-time your fee will usually be calculated based on the number of modules that you take.

Find out more

What's included

Here you’ll find details of specific resources and services that are included in the tuition fee for our Medicine BM BS students. To help you to budget for your studies, there is also information on any additional costs that you may have to pay or can choose to pay in addition to your tuition fee.

Find out how tuition fees enable us to support all of our students with important services, facilities and resources across the university and check out our finance pages for info about fees, funding and scholarships along with advice on international and island fee-paying status.

You can also check out the .

Chat with our enquiries team if you have a question or need more information.

While PCs and 4–6-hour loan Chromebooks are available at both universities, to enable you to make the most of the learning opportunities at BSMS we strongly recommend that you have a suitable laptop computer. You’ll be entitled to a range of free software from the 91¶¶Òõ, including Microsoft Office.

You should add the one-off cost of buying a stethoscope (around £50). There can also be costs for travel, parking etc when on regional attachments, and travel, accommodation and living expenses for your fifth-year clinical elective. However, these costs will vary, depending on where you go, and reimbursement schemes and bursaries are available to support you.

Location and student life

Campus where this course is taught

Falmer campus

Set in the South Downs, our Falmer campus is around four miles from 91¶¶Òõ city centre. Students based here study a range of subjects including education studies, teaching, sport and exercise, nursing and midwifery, allied health professions and medicine. 91¶¶Òõ & Hove Albion’s Amex stadium and beautiful Stanmer Park are right next door.

Falmer campus has two halls of residence on site, as well as a library, restaurant, cafes and the Students’ Union shop and bar.

The campus has extensive sport and leisure facilities including a fitness suite, swimming pool, outdoor grass football and rugby pitches, sports hall, tennis and badminton courts, and dance and spin studios.

Specialist learning facilities at Falmer include the curriculum centre used by teaching and education students, which houses over 30,000 teaching resources, clinical skills and simulation suites used by health students, and labs and a strength and conditioning suite used by sport students. We’ve recently redeveloped the Falmer campus – learn more about the many facilities our students have access to.

Cycle lanes link Falmer with our other campuses and the city centre. There are regular bus services to the city centre and other campuses. Falmer train station is right next to campus and a nine-minute journey to central 91¶¶Òõ.

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Accommodation

We guarantee an offer of a place in halls of residence to all eligible students. So if you applied for halls by the deadline you are guaranteed a room in our halls of residence.

91¶¶Òõ: Falmer

Halls of residence
BSMS students are allocated between halls of residence at the 91¶¶Òõ and the University of Sussex. You'll be able to rank your accommodation choices in terms of preference, however we cannot guarantee your first choice.

  • At 91¶¶Òõ, BSMS students are normally placed atVarley Park, our popular dedicated halls site that offers a mix of rooms and bathroom options at different prices. It is around two miles from Falmer campus and the University of Sussex, and four miles from the city centre.
  • Find out more about

Want to live independently? We can help – find out more about private renting.

Outside views at Falmer accommodation

Outside views at Falmer accommodation

student outside the sport and health complex at Falmer

Extensive facilities at Falmer sports centre

Students dining at Westlain

Students dining at Westlain

Local area

One of Time Out's 50 best cities in the world

“91¶¶Òõ has… all the important parts of a sprawling cosmopolitan metropolis (connections to London in under an hour, an array of properly excellent restaurants, energetic late-night spots) … with the easy-breezy beachy attitude to life that makes you feel welcome in an instant.”
Time Out’s 50 Best Cities in the World, 2025

About 91¶¶Òõ

The 91¶¶Òõ is at the heart of our city's reputation as a welcoming, forward-thinking place which leads the way when it comes to the arts, music, sustainability and creative technology. 91¶¶Òõ is home to a thriving creative community and a digital sector worth £1bn a year to the local economy, as much as tourism.

Many of the work-based learning opportunities offered on our courses such as placements and guest lectures are provided by businesses and organisations based in the city.

You can also get involved with city festivals and events such as the 91¶¶Òõ Festival, the Fringe, 91¶¶Òõ Digital Festival, 91¶¶Òõ Science Festival, the London to 91¶¶Òõ bike ride, and the Great Escape festival of new music to name but a few. Other annual highlights include Pride, the 91¶¶Òõ Marathon, and Burning the Clocks which marks the winter solstice.

You'll find living in 91¶¶Òõ enriches your learning experience and by the end of your course you will still be finding new things to explore and inspire you.

It's only 50 minutes by train from 91¶¶Òõ to central London and there are daily direct trains to Bristol, Bedford, Cambridge, Gatwick Airport, Portsmouth and Southampton.

Map showing distance to London from 91¶¶Òõ
91¶¶Òõ Beach sunset

Maps

91¶¶Òõ and Sussex Medical School map

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Support and wellbeing

Your course team

Your personal academic tutor, course leader and other tutors are all there to help you with your personal and academic progress. You'll also have a student support and guidance tutor (SSGT) who can help with everything from homesickness, managing stress or accommodation issues.

Your academic skills

Our 91¶¶Òõ Student Skills Hub gives you extra support and resources to develop the skills you'll need for university study, whatever your level of experience so far.

Your mental health and wellbeing

As well as being supported to succeed, we want you to feel good too. You'll be part of a community that builds you up, with lots of ways to connect with one another, as well having access to dedicated experts if you need them. Find out more about how we support your wellbeing.

Sport at 91¶¶Òõ

Sport 91¶¶Òõ

Sport 91¶¶Òõ brings together our sport and recreation services. As a 91¶¶Òõ student you'll have use of sport and fitness facilities across all our campuses and there are opportunities to play for fun, fitness or take part in serious competition. 

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Sports scholarships

Our sports scholarship scheme is designed to help students develop their full sporting potential to train and compete at the highest level. We offer scholarships for elite athletes, elite disabled athletes and talented sports performers.

Find out more about sport scholarships.

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Take a tour of sport facilities on our Falmer campus

Stay in touch

Find out more

01273 641782
ipgm@bsms.ac.uk

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