The MPhil is a one-year research degree where students get the opportunity to study a specific research project. The MPhil degree can act as a stand-alone degree for applicants who would like to gain experience in a specific area, or can be linked to a PhD programme. Rather than register on a direct entry 3 or 4 year PhD, some postgraduates may first register on a one-year MPhil programme. Subsequently students may then wish to transfer on to a full PhD programme with a further 2 or 3 years of study.
Geneticists seek to understand how biological information is replicated, transmitted or altered and the overall effects on phenotypes, populations and evolution. Genetics research uses modern technologies, equipment and approaches to study prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems. 'What are genes, how are genes organised and how do they affect phenotypes?' are questions that relate to molecular genetics and genomics. 'How is genetic information transmitted and expressed from generation to generation?' covers transmission genetics and 'How do genes and the effects of genes behave and change within and between populations?' is the bassis of evolutionary, population and quantitative genetics. Areas of study include:
Molecular Mechanisms Controlling Gene Expression
Genetic Disorders
Developmental Genetics
Genome Organisation
Chromosome Structure
Organisation & Reproduction
Cell Cycle Control
Behavioural Genetics
Population & Quantitative Biology
Ecological & Evolutionary Genetics
Mathematical Models & Statistical Analysis of Inheritance & Evolution