ObjectivesTo develop knowledge and skills in interdisciplinary research methods by investigating the effects and interplay of genes, development and the environment in complex psychiatric phenomena. To develop an awareness of the practical and ethical issues related to research, and the transferable skills and knowledge needed for a career in academia or industry. To use the MSc to prepare for a PhD in the discipline.
Entry requirementspeople with a 2:1 or above first degree in an appropriate subject or overseas equivalent; or a registerable qualification appropriate to the programme in medicine, or overseas equivalent; or a professional or other qualification obtained by an approved formal examination.
Course descriptionProgramme description
- Large number of internationally rated researchers create a highly interdisciplinary environment.
- Opportunities to develop and pursue your own research from the beginning of the programme.
- Modern, state-of-the-art DNA banking, extraction and genotyping facilities.
Designed as the first year of a four-year programme leading to a PhD, the programme provides research training at the interface between social, genetic and developmental psychiatry and promotes an ethos of interdisciplinary and collaborative research. Training is tailored to your needs and designed to facilitate your individual learning objectives in relation to statistics and the core research areas. You will have tutorials from leading experts in the six key areas: quantitative genetics, molecular genetics, developmental psychology, social psychology, psychopathology and statistical genetics.
Programme format and assessment
Tutorials; essay writing; statistics assignment; research dissertation; oral presentation. 50 per cent of time spent on research in collaboration with supervisor.
Programme modules for MSc (leading to a PhD) Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry
Developmental Psychology (20 Credits) (Core Module)
The lectures and discussions for this module cover issues in developmental psychology-developmental principles (e.g. distinction between normative development and individual differences; continuity/discontinuity, stage theories; significance of early experience; relation of social to cognitive development; links between emotion and cognition). These issues are illustrated with research in progress at SGDP Centre. Overarching goal was to raise awareness of the issues/concerns with developmental processes as they relate to the substantive areas of the students' interest. Individual assignments are set for each student. The module is usually covered in two or three group meetings and meetings with individuals will take place as they make progress on these assignments.
Dissertation & Oral Presentation- SGDP (60 Credits) (Core Module)
In order to help you to orient yourself towards the PhD and to work on your writing skills, you will be required to complete a 10,000 word paper (excluding references), due by the end of August, that focuses on an issue that is related to Centre research themes (for example, a disorder that you have been studying such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). The topic of your paper should be approved by your supervisor. The dissertation should include data (preliminary data is acceptable) and should follow a research report format (including Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion). You are encouraged to approach the topic from an interdisciplinary angle, including two or more perspectives (social, genetic or developmental) in the introduction to the topic and discussion of the implications of your research. If the student requests it and the supervisor / tutor is happy to do so, supervisors / tutors may look over a dissertation and give informal advice on one occasion only. It will be marked by two internal members of staff. In the spring-summer semester, students are expected to make a 15-minute oral presentation at one of the weekly seminars that describes their ongoing research.
Molecular Genetics (20 Credits) (Core Module)
This module is designed to bring all students up to a basic level of understanding of the nature of genes and their mechanisms of action. It covers the organisation of the human genome and human (and other) genome projects. It explores the intron/exon mosaic structure of coding information and the mechanisms of transcription and gene control. From this basic level, the module examines the techniques involved in mapping and characterising quantitative trait loci implicated in multi-factorial disorders and behaviours. For those with already advanced understanding of the area, the module provides an opportunity to follow epigenetic modifications to gene expression including imprinting and chromosome inactivation. The pattern of teaching comprises group meetings followed by sessions in which the students give mini-talks on their essay topics.
Psychopathology (20 Credits) (Core Module)
Each student is assigned a key paper or a pair of key papers from the reading list. Students prepare a talk in which they present and critically discuss the contents. Each presentation is followed by questions from the other students and the tutor followed by a general discussion. The last session is devoted to viewing video clips of patients with a variety of psychopathologies and focused on the rudiments of mental state examination. The module takes around four meetings, each lasting approximately an hour and a half.
Quantitative Genetics (20 Credits) (Core Module)
This module covers the history and major methods of quantitative genetics and usually comprises four group meetings followed by individual meetings with each student in relation to their essays and other issues.
Social Psychology (20 Credits) (Core Module)
The overall purpose of this module is to familiarize students with non-experimental research designs and strategies for studying psychosocial influences on behavioural development and psychiatric disorders. Generally the module consists of 4 meetings each session scheduled for 2 hours as below. Meeting 1: devoted to discussing the students' research interests. Each student reviewed the work in which they were currently engaged or hoped to be engaged. Each student was encouraged to identify or take interest in a putative environmental risk implicated in their phenotype of interest. The purpose of this session was to give the tutor a sense of how to best structure the remaining sessions in terms of content coverage. Meeting 2: a presentation by the tutor about how to use non-experimental research designs in order to gain purchase on causal questions about environmental influences on behavioural development. Meeting 3: a presentation by the tutor about the use of genetically-sensitive designs in order to gain leverage on disentangling environmental effects from confounded genetic influences. Meeting 4: a presentation by the tutor about strategies for the study of gene X environment interactions in relation to psychiatric disorders.
Statistical Genetics (20 Credits) (Core Module)
The module is divided into two parts: (I) Basic statistics and Behaviour Genetics; (II) Molecular Genetical Statistics (Linkage & Association). In Part I students are given the opportunity to refresh their knowledge of some basic statistical concepts and introduced to the basic concepts of Behaviour Genetics (mainly the Classical Twin Methodology) and the assumptions. Other statistical topics that are addressed are the basic principals of Path Analysis, Structural Equation Modelling, Analysis of continuous Twin data and Analysis of ordinal Twin data. In Part II students are introduced to the basic concepts of Molecular Genetical Statistics (Linkage & Association). Specific statistical topics that will be covered in this part are: Introduction to Parametric and non-parametric techniques for linkage analysis and association techniques for both single markers and multiple markers.
Duration
One year FT, September to September. (Upon successful completion of the MSc, students will be expected to register for MPhil/PhD which will last another three years.)