This one-year, full-time MSc Programme equips graduates with
Applications are currently being accepted for September and can be made via the UCD applications page.
This pre-entry career MSc is designed to equip students with excellent core scientific skills and facilitate them in developing a broad knowledge of clinical biochemistry and how it is integral to patient diagnoses, management and outcome.
This course is designed to provide training in clinical biochemical diagnostics and will equip a student for a career in clinical laboratory biochemistry or for a career in the diagnostics or related industries. Following completion of the successful MSc, a number of intern placements in hospital laboratories will be available, on a competitive basis, for those graduates wishing to pursue a career in laboratory diagnostics.
This course is primarily targeted towards:
The course is delivered on-site (lectures) and Clinical Placement in Dublin and Regional Hospitals. Students must be prepared to take up places in regional hospitals.
Some part-bursaries are available on a competitive basis.
The Masters course will run for 1 calendar year and will be divided into 3 Semesters as follows;
Semester 1: (Sept to December 14-week intensive lecture modules as detailed below)
Semester 2: (January to April inclusive) students will be placed in a clinical biochemistry services in one of the major academic teaching hospitals. (Note some placements will be in regional academic hospitals, Cork, Galway, Limerick)
Examinations will take place at the end of April in the format of a written essay paper (2 long answer questions and 25 short answer questions in a 3 hour examination) Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ) (1 hour) and OSPE style examination;
Semester 3: May to August – experimental project work with 4-week period protected for project write up.
Final examination
Oral and Poster presentation followed by viva voce will be final exit examination in early September.
During Semester 2 each student will take a 1-week specialist placement in one of the following areas; toxicology, metabolic or paediatric laboratories. For this week the student may be based in NI or UK.
Masters thesis proposals will be Principal Investigator led and the topics for projects with be presented to students in Semester 1. This will be in the form of a 1-page project proposal and abstract.
There will be ongoing assessments of progress with Faculty members in each semester.
Autumn Trimester
MDCS42090 Clinical Diagnostic Tools and Techniques:
28 Taught/Supervised sessions
5 credits =140 hrs = 3.5 weeks (28 hours lectures)
Module Lead: Dr Graham Lee, Consultant Clinical Biochemist, Mater University Hospital
Module Description
Introduction to Health Care Science and diagnostic medicine (organisation of pathology/hospital/networks)
Learning Objectives
A main focus of this Module is to provide a broad overview of the instrumentation and the quality of pre-analytical, analytical and post-analytical phases of testing in clinical diagnostics.
MDCS42080 Clinical Biochemistry in physiology, disease pathogenesis and management
1 X 5 and 1 X 2.5(7.5) credits = 156 hours = 4weeks (36 hours lectures)
Module Lead: Professor Maria Fitzgibbon, Clinical Professor, School of Medicine, UCD.
Major Organ/Systems Disease and Dysfunction
Learning Outcomes
Basis for pathophysiology of disease and how to identify, diagnose, monitor and prevent disease through biochemical testing.
MDCS42070 Biochemistry Through the Ages
5 credits = 120 hours = 3 weeks (24 hours lectures)
Module Leads: Dr Sean Costelloe, Consultant Clinical Biochemist, Cork University Hospital/Dr Ophelia Blake, Consultant Clinical Biochemist, Limerick University Hospital
Pregnancy, neonatal, paediatric and medicine for the elderly
Use of genetic vs traditional diagnostic investigations.
Learning Outcomes
Develop understanding of more complex biochemistry.
Understanding of differences in biochemistry in neonates, pregnancy and in elderly subjects.
MDCS42060 Endocrinology and Metabolism
5 credits = 140 hours = 4 weeks (26 hours lectures)
Module Leads: Dr Paula O’Shea, Consultant Clinical Biochemist and Dr Jennifer Brady, Consultant Clinical Biochemist, Children’s University Hospital, Temple St and Our Lady’s Hospital, Crumlin
Introduction to endocrine, overview of Axis including Pit disease; Thyroid
Adrenal, Male Reproductive, Female Reproductive
Learning Outcomes
Develop an understanding of the importance of biochemical diagnoses in endocrine conditions.
Spring Trimester
Spring trimester will commence with the following taught module (5) and will be followed by placement in clinical diagnostic laboratory.
MDCS42050 Research Ethics (Clinical Biochemistry)
2.5 credits = 1 week = 40 hours (2nd week in January)
Facilitated by Professor Maria Fitzgibbon
Lectures/Workshop 20 hours
Code of practice for clinical research studies, clinical audit, Institutional Research Board applications. Learning outcomes
The students will be introduced to clinical translational research and will develop an understanding of the benefit of their project work to patient outcomes.
MDCS42040 Clinical placement
20 credits = 12 weeks = 480 hours
Co-ordinators: Professor Maria Fitzgibbon, Dr Graham Lee, Dr Paula O’Shea, Dr Ophelia Blake, Dr Sean Costelloe, Dr Jennifer Brady
Placement in a Clinical Biochemistry service in one of the academic teaching hospitals nationally.
(Please note 3 placements are out of Dublin; in Cork, Galway and Limerick)
The students will be required to rotate through the clinical diagnostic service and gain knowledge of the pre-analytical, analytical and post-analytical processes involved in laboratory medicine.
Early in the Spring Trimester the students will prepare and submit their Institutional Research Board application, so that it is in place for them to proceed with their research project work, which will commence in April/May.
An Additional 20 credits of learning to be drawn from Optional Modules offered in related disciplines.
Total credits for Modules 40
Summer Trimester
MDCS42030: Practical work and August Thesis write-up (16 weeks)
15 credits = 12 weeks Practical work
10 credits write up 4 weeks
Undertake research project under the nominated Principal Investigator/Consultant
This will involve review of the relevant literature, recruiting study subjects and patients, validating methodologies, analysis of data and applying statistics.
August (4 week) Write-up period
Project write up and submission date in early September. Assessment of project will be via oral and poster presentation and an exit viva voce (Faculty and external assessors).
Eligibility criteria
Applications to include an expression of interest (no more than 100 words) in the career trajectory to be submitted through the UCD on-line applications system.
Academic Course Directors |
Programme Administrator |
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Dr Graham Lee Mater Misericordiae University Hospital Eccles St Dublin 7 |
clinicaldiagnostics@ucd.ie |