Clinical Laboratory ScienceEolaíocht Saotharlainne Chliniciúil

Entry to this coures is based on competitive selection, and applicants who have excellent primary degrees in the broad area of biomedical science will be considered with the minimum requirement for entry being a second class grade honours bachelor degree. Individuals who are eligible for membership of the AMLS or hold Part I/Part II Fellowship of the IBMS are also entitled to apply.

Qualifications recognised as equivalent to the above will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis by the admissions sub-committee and applicants to the course may be required to attend an interview as part of the selection process.

Note that students enrolled on the MSc course must complete a laboratory-based research project and it is the responsibility of the student to secure access to suitable facilities, support and academic supervision for the completion of this project.

Please note, due to the great demand for this course early application is essential. Applications for places on this course will be assessed promptly when received. You are thus strongly advised to apply early for this programme.

This MSc programme is designed to equip students with a mixture of skills which integrate the basic and applied life sciences, general research methodology and transferrable skills. This particular skill-mix is essential for the unique responsibilities of the senior medical and/or research scientist and provides a foundation for lifelong learning in this area. These skills will enhance employability in a variety of laboratory settings, including hospital pathology laboratories, advanced research facilities and other diagnostic environments. Throughout the course particular emphasis will be placed on the importance of the pathology laboratory in the diagnostic process.

This course is accredited by the Academy of Medical Laboratory Science (AMLS). It part-fulfills the criteria for employment as a senior medical scientist (see acslm.ie for further information).

Graduates have the opportunity to take up senior posts in the clinical pathology service, in the hospital pathology sector, biomedical industry and research institutes.

This is a fully modularized programme which consists of nine taught modules and an experimental research project. Seven of these modules are founded on core topics designed to develop students’ knowledge and understanding in the molecular basis and laboratory detection of human disease and to equip them with essential transferable skills for scientific and professional development:

• Medical Laboratory Management 1: Management & Quality
• Medical Laboratory Management 2: Operations & Processes
• Advanced Diagnostics
• Point of Care Testing
• Research Methods and Biostatistics
• Cell Biology and Immunology
• Bioinformatics and Data Analysis

In both years students also select from one of four available specialist discipline modules which will be drawn from the following:

• Haematological Neoplasms & Lymphoma
• Advanced Topics in Clinical Chemistry
• Healthcare Associated Infection and Antimicrobial Resistance
• Transfusion Science and Transplantation
• Advances in Cellular Pathology and Clinical Cytology
• Benign Haematology & Haemostasis
• Microbial Pathogenicity & Diagnostics
• Clinical Immunology

Finally, students are required to undertake of an experimental research project in a particular specialist discipline.

The part-time course involves students attending tuition over a two-year period. This programme is delivered primarily online (>80%) and uses a combination of blended learning, day-release and block-release formats over the course of two academic years.

In addition to this formal instruction, students are expected to engage in self-directed learning, course work, assignments, tutor interaction and project work during the remaining time. In total there are less than 20 days of college-based tuition spread over two years. Students who are in employment will be required to organise release from their employment to attend on those days.

Applications for this course are now open - Apply Online