Study options
- Starting in
- September 2025
- Location
- Distance Learning
- Fees
- Home: TBC
Overseas: TBC
What you'll study
Recent developments have transformed our understanding of disease biology. Genomics has strong potential to impact patient care and there is now an international call for highly trained professionals to implement it in the healthcare system, the pharmaceutical industry, and the broader biomedical sector.
This programme in Genomic Medicine is developed in collaboration with University College London, Public Health England and Great Ormond Street Hospital. It is designed to provide healthcare professionals with a multi-disciplinary perspective on genomics and its application in medicine, particularly in rare genetic diseases, cancer and infection. The broad syllabus delivers the knowledge and training required to provide, develop and advance specialist scientific services around genomic medicine within healthcare systems.
You will be trained in state-of-the-art genomic platforms and informatics tools and learn how to apply them in the analysis and interpretation of whole genome sequence data from patients. You will be trained to analyse high quality genomic data and have the opportunity to interact with international experts in this field. Working directly with patient data from the 100,000 Genomes Project will offer you hands on experience of how genomics may be applied to diagnosis and patient treatment.
Structure
To obtain a PGCert 4 15 credit module have to be completed (60 credits in total) with the modules WHR7201, WHR7202, WHR7203 and WHR7206.
Compulsory/Core modules
This module will provide clear understanding of the structure and variations in genetic material. The module aim is to deliver a solid theoretical foundation in the area of basic genetics and genomics to the participants in order to understand the study of disease genetics and how genomic information can be utilised to understand disease mechanisms and biology. The first section 'Genome Structure & Sequence variation' will review the architecture of the human genome and the functional units embedded. It will then cover DNA sequence variation and how it is structured across the genome, explaining the principles of linkage disequilibrium and its extent in human populations. The next part `Biology of Genomes' will cover in more detail aspects of gene regulation (enhancers, promoters, transcription factors, silencers) and chromatin structure (histone modifications; DNase I hypersensitive sites, open chromatin). It will then discuss genetic control of functional elements introducing the basic principles of quantitative trait loci (QTL) analyses. Under the `Association Studies¿ section participants will be introduced to the principles of correlating genetic markers to phenotype as well as the design and execution of association studies both for dichotomous and quantitative traits . Participants will learn how to critically interpret the output of association studies and the potential as well as the limitations of using such information to assess disease risk. Under the Epigenetics section participants will be introduced to DNA methylation and its implication to human disease. In the last section of this module participants will learn about integration of genetic data from an association study with genomic information to explore the biology of the investigated trait.
Module will deliver a comprehensive coverage of the techniques used to obtain the DNA sequence of targeted parts of the genome (e.g. exome sequencing) or whole genomes using state-of -the-art highly parallel sequencing platforms. Furthermore, it will provide clear understanding of the use of array based methodologies and RNA sequencing in estimating expression levels of protein coding genes, micro RNAs and long non-coding RNAs; gene expression is a key intermediate phenotype in genetic / genomic analyses of disease. Finally, the module will offer an introduction to the evolving fields of metabolomics and proteomics covering some of the most established techniques currently used in biomedical research.
Students will learn to handle sequence files from exome and / or whole genome sequencing (e.g. BAM files), apply quality control filters to remove outliers, call variants, annotate variants for functional consequences (e.g. PolyPhene 2 is an algorithm for predicting the impact of amino acid changes on protein stability and function) and finally apply different filtering strategies using publicly available control data sets (e.g. 1000 Genomes Project) to identify pathogenic mutations. The module will cover a wide range of statistical and bioinformatics techniques and tools such as: - R package - PLINK - GATK The module will also cover the use of databases and literature searches to critically assess and annotate findings of genetic and genomic analyses. Theoretical sessions will be coupled with practical assignments of analysing and annotating predefined data sets.
Elective modules
Assessment
Modules will be assessed through tutorial work (including paper presentations), submitted assignments, practical reports and examinations.
Teaching
Working closely with Genomics England gives you the opportunity to interact with international experts in the field. You will experience a variety of teaching and learning methods including lectures and seminars, guided reading exercises, and various activities incorporating individual and group work which will help you to consolidate your learning.
Where you'll learn
Facilities
- The William Harvey Research Institute offers state-of-the-art core facilities, including a Genome Centre, a flow cytometry and cell sorting station, and in vivo imaging facilities
- Access to a flexible online e-learning platform (QMPlus, Eco360) which allows you to discuss and exchange ideas, share knowledge as well as access all lecture sessions in your own time
- Access to video and audio recordings of all lectures and other online resources (journals, books and databases)
- Access to our campus facilities if you decide to visit at any point during your course
- Watch our video to discover online study at Queen Mary
About the Institute
William Harvey Research Institute
The William Harvey Research Institute (WHRI) places a high value upon training the next generation of researchers. We are part of the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at Queen Mary University of London, which is ranked joint seventh in the UK for the quality of our research (REF 2021).
Our primary research focus and excellence lies in our cardiovascular, inflammation and endocrine research themes. In addition, we achieve international excellence in critical care and perioperative medicine research. We aim to combine talents from different disciplines such as genomics, cell biology, and pharmacology, with translational bench-to-patient studies and large-scale clinical trials.
We are currently the largest pharmacological research institute in the UK University sector, and one of the largest in Europe. The Centre employs 530 clinicians and scientists from 45 countries.
Career paths
In developing your knowledge and skills in genomics, the course will prepare you for work or PhD study in:
- genomics
- bioinformatics
- medical-related research in academia or the pharmaceutical industry
- the medical application of genomics
- introducing genomics as a new technology into a healthcare system.
- 93% of WHRI graduates are in employment or further study (2020/21)
- 88% of WHRI graduates in employment or study are in highly skilled work or graduate study (2020/21)
Fees and funding
Part-time study (HEE Funded)
September 2025 | 9 months
- Home: TBC
- Overseas: TBC
Part-time study (HEE Funded)
January 2026 | 1 year
- Home: TBC
- Overseas: TBC
Part-time study (Non-HEE Funded)
September 2025 | 9 months
- Home: £4,300
- Overseas: £9,500
EU/EEA/Swiss students
Part-time study (Non-HEE Funded)
January 2026 | 1 year
- Home: £4,250
- Overseas: £9,100
EU/EEA/Swiss students
Funding
NHS professionals can apply for places sponsored by Health Education England (HEE). Participants eligible for sponsorship by Higher Education England are expected to be employed in a recognised NHS training environment / laboratory.
There are a number of ways you can fund your postgraduate degree.
- Scholarships and bursaries
- Postgraduate loans (UK students)
- Country-specific scholarships for international students
Our Advice and Counselling service offers specialist support on financial issues, which you can access as soon as you apply for a place at Queen Mary. Before you apply, you can access our funding guides and advice on managing your money:
- Advice for UK and EU students
- Advice for international students
Entry requirements
UK
Degree requirements
A 2:2 or above at undergraduate level in any subject
Find out more about how to apply for our postgraduate taught courses.
International
English language requirements
The English language requirements for our programmes are indicated by English bands, and therefore the specific test and score acceptable is based on the band assigned to the academic department within which your chosen course of study is administered. Note that for some academic departments there are programmes with non-standard English language requirements.
The English Language requirements for entry to postgraduate taught and research programmes in the William Harvey Research Institute falls within the following English band:
Band 4: IELTS (Academic) minimum score 6.5 overall with 6.0 in each of Writing, Listening, Reading and Speaking
Please note, there are some postgraduate programmes with non-standard English language requirements in this Institute.
We accept a range of English tests and qualifications categorised in our English bands for you to demonstrate your level of English Language proficiency. See all accepted English tests that we deem equivalent to these IELTS scores.
Visas and immigration
Find out how to apply for a student visa.