MSc Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases & Antimicrobial Resistance

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is arguably the world’s greatest health challenge. It threatens our ability to control many infectious diseases of humans and animals, both in the developed world, middle and lower income countries, impacting not just health and welfare, but also our food production systems.

The epidemiology of infectious diseases is key to tackling antimicrobial resistance. This programme will equip students with a broad skill set in epidemiology of infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance by combining training in epidemiological investigations, quantitative methods, laboratory-based approaches, bioinformatic tools, alongside the global ethical and legal contexts.

WHY THIS PROGRAMME

• Accredited by the Royal Society of Biology for the purpose of meeting, in part, the academic and experience requirement for the Membership and Chartered Biologist (CBiol).
• A unique programme combining training in the epidemiology of infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance that will provide students with multi-disciplinary skills needed to address these global public and veterinary health challenges from biomedical, social or policy perspectives.
• Close interdisciplinary efforts of the Institute are further evidenced by the establishment of a new research hub, the OHRBID laboratory (“One Health Research in Bacterial Infectious Diseases”), providing hands-on experience and training in the identification of genetic and genomic mechanisms underlying AMR.
• Equips students with an exceptionally broad knowledge base and a suite of skills in infectious disease epidemiology and AMR – epidemiological and ecological modelling, statistical analyses, epidemiological study design, mitigation strategies, genetic aspects of AMR, genomics data analysis, and ethical and legal issues.
• Comprised of leading experts in the field of epidemiology of infectious diseases, including molecular and field epidemiologists, as well as statisticians, mathematical modellers and microbiologists, who will provide a One Health context relevant to developed as well as lower and middle income countries.

CAREER PROSPECTS

After completing the MSc in Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases and Antimicrobial Resistance students will be equipped to progress academically to PhD level or to pursue a career outside academia, for example in:

• Industry
• National and international health boards
• Policy and regulatory bodies
• Devolved or international governments
• National Health Service
• Public Health England
• Health Protection Scotland
• National Institutes for Health
• World Health Organization
• Food and Agricultural Organization
• World Organisation for Animal Health
• Veterinary Medicines Directorate

This MSc degree would also be suitable for broadening the range of knowledge of health professionals such as:

• Veterinarians
• Clinicians
• Microbiologists
• Epidemiologists
• Nurses
• Pharmacists
• Quantitative scientists such as mathematicians or physicists.