MSc in Integrated Immunology (Full-time)
About the course
The MSc in Integrated Immunology (Full-time) course explores immunology in breadth and depth and is intended for science and medical postgraduates.
Immunology is an interesting, complex and dynamic subject, the applications of which have changed society. The discoveries and inventions of immunologists have led to worldwide successes in vaccination, immunotherapy, transplantation and immunodiagnostics.
The aim of this taught MSc is to provide a comprehensive education, high-quality research training and the professional skills required for a career in modern immunology. We expect that our graduates will become part of the global network of immunologists within academic research, biotech and related industry, medicine or healthcare professions.
Oxford has one of the highest concentrations of research-active immunologists in the world. Students on this MSc course are therefore uniquely placed to benefit from this wealth of expertise.
Structure and content
The MSc is a 12-month, full-time course comprising two 11-week taught terms followed by a 16-week research project within a University of Oxford research group.
This MSc course is not modular in structure; all elements are compulsory for all students.
Unit 1 is covered in the first term. This focuses on the fundamental science of immunology, while Unit 2 explores the applied, clinical and therapeutic aspects of immunology.
In the third term you will undertake Unit 3: a project in a top-ranked research department or institute. MSc projects are provided by internationally-recognised research groups across the Medical Sciences Division.
Unit 1 Scientific Principles of Immunology taught themes:
- Fundamentals in immunology
- Innate immunity and inflammation
- Antigen presentation and recognition
- Adaptive immunity
- Evolution of human immunity
Unit 2 Clinical and Applied Principles of Immunology taught themes:
- Infection & immunity
- Failure of immunity
- Aberrant or unwanted immunity
- Cancer immunology
- Manipulation of immunity
Unit 3 Experimental Principles of Immunology:
- Research project
Teaching and learning
Teaching is delivered across a series of linked topic themes to ensure holistic coverage of modern immunology. By the end of the course you will be able to demonstrate your understanding of how the fundamental principles of immunology integrates with the clinical aspects of immune-driven disease and with other disciplines including cell and molecular biology, genetics and microbiology.
You will be taught by leading academics in immunology throughout the first two terms of the course. You will hear from a wide range of different lecturers, drawn from the University of Oxford Immunology Network, Oxford University Hospitals or external institutions.
Each of the two 11-week taught terms consist of nine weeks of classroom-based teaching, one for revision and one for examination.
An average teaching week comprises approximately seven lectures, each lecture being 60 to 90 minutes in duration. In addition, there are small-group discussion and problem-based learning sessions, which may be led by tutors, or by students.
Continuing professional development classes, including on presentation and IT skills, statistics, ethics, scientific methodologies, careers and special seminars take place during both taught terms.
Self-directed study is required alongside structured teaching.
In the third term you will undertake an original, supervised research project to gain a working understanding of research techniques in immunology or a related area. Research supervisors provide regular support and guidance during the course of the research project, and you will normally be expected to work on your project during core working hours during the week, or as agreed with your supervisor.
For the duration of the course, you will be expected to treat your studies as a full-time occupation of at least 40-hours per week.
Attendance
The course is full-time and requires attendance in Oxford. Full-time students are subject to the University's Residence requirements.
Resources to support your study
As a graduate student, you will have access to the University's wide range of world-class resources including libraries, museums, galleries, digital resources and IT services.
The Bodleian Libraries is the largest library system in the UK. It includes the main Bodleian Library and libraries across Oxford, including major research libraries and faculty, department and institute libraries. Together, the Libraries hold more than 13 million printed items, provide access to e-journals, and contain outstanding special collections including rare books and manuscripts, classical papyri, maps, music, art and printed ephemera.
The University's IT Services is available to all students to support with core university IT systems and tools, as well as many other services and facilities. IT Services also offers a range of IT learning courses for students, to support with learning and research.
As part of the Bodleian Libraries, you will have access to the Bodleian Health Care Libraries, and access to further reading materials recommended by lecturers will be available either online or in print.
All resources, including lecture presentations and recommended further reading as well as material for problem-based learning sessions and/or small-group discussion classes, are made available through Canvas, the virtual learning environment for which you will receive training at the beginning of the course.
During your research projects, you will become a member of the hosting research laboratory and you will be given access to its facilities and resources.
There are social events, arranged ad hoc usually by the students. Formal arrangements that are attended by the Course Director and Course Administrator usually include a welcome drinks reception and the final dinner with the course team, examiners, mentors and course committee members.
Supervision
The allocation of graduate supervision for this course is the responsibility of the Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences. It is not always possible to accommodate the preferences of incoming graduate students to work with a particular member of staff. Under exceptional circumstances a supervisor may be found outside the Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences.
Usually it is the Course Director who will be your primary supervisor throughout the course. They typically have close contact with the class during the first two terms, and you will have the opportunity to meet with them to discuss your progress. In the third term day-to-day supervision is devolved to the project supervisor; however the Course Director remains available to meet with students where possible.
Assessment
At the end of each taught term, you will take a computer-based examination to test core knowledge. Further elements of the overall assessment are a critical essay in the first term, a set of clinical case commentaries in Unit 2, and a research dissertation in the third term, and a final viva voce examination. Detailed assessment instructions and marking criteria will be provided at the beginning of each term.
Graduate destinations
The MSc in Integrated Immunology (Full-time) has run continuously since 2004. Over those years, about half of our alumni from the MSc have gone on to graduate research degrees, with a number of those taking up DPhil positions in Oxford.
Approximately a third of alumni from the MSc have continued to medical school, including Oxford, or progressed to higher specialist medical training. Others have taken up positions in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology or corporate sectors as senior scientists, policy advisors, analysts and managers.
Changes to this course and your supervision
The University will seek to deliver this course in accordance with the description set out in this course page. However, there may be situations in which it is desirable or necessary for the University to make changes in course provision, either before or after registration. The safety of students, staff and visitors is paramount and major changes to delivery or services may have to be made if a pandemic, epidemic or local health emergency occurs. In addition, in certain circumstances, for example due to visa difficulties or because the health needs of students cannot be met, it may be necessary to make adjustments to course requirements for international study.
Where possible your academic supervisor will not change for the duration of your course. However, it may be necessary to assign a new academic supervisor during the course of study or before registration for reasons which might include illness, sabbatical leave, parental leave or change in employment.
For further information please see our page on changes to courses and the provisions of the student contract regarding changes to courses.
Entry requirements for entry in 2025-26
Proven and potential academic excellence
The requirements described below are specific to this course and apply only in the year of entry that is shown. You can use our interactive tool to help you evaluate whether your application is likely to be competitive.
We know that factors such as socio-economic circumstances and school performance can make it difficult for students to demonstrate their full potential. This course is taking part in an initiative to use contextual data to help us to better understand your achievements in the context of your individual background. For further details, please refer to the information about improving access to graduate study in the How to apply section of this page.
Please be aware that any studentships that are linked to this course may have different or additional requirements and you should read any studentship information carefully before applying. Contextual data may also be used in the assessment of studentships.
Degree-level qualifications
As a minimum, applicants should hold or be predicted to achieve the following UK qualifications or their equivalent:
- a first-class or strong upper second-class undergraduate degree with honours in a biological, biomedical or other relevant science, including interdisciplinary subjects.
However, entrance is very competitive and many successful applicants have a first-class degree or the equivalent.
An appropriate medical qualification equivalent to MBBS (MD for overseas students) is also a suitable background for applicants.
For applicants with a degree from the USA, the minimum overall GPA that is normally required to meet the undergraduate-level requirement is 3.5 out of 4.0. However, entrance is very competitive and most successful applicants have a GPA of 3.7 or above.
If your degree is not from the UK or another country specified above, visit our International Qualifications page for guidance on the qualifications and grades that would usually be considered to meet the University’s minimum entry requirements.
GRE General Test scores
No Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or GMAT scores are sought.
Other qualifications, evidence of excellence and relevant experience
- Research or work experience in an area relevant to the course may be an advantage but is not essential.
English language proficiency
This course requires proficiency in English at the University's higher level. If your first language is not English, you may need to provide evidence that you meet this requirement. The minimum scores required to meet the University's higher level are detailed in the table below.
| Test | Minimum overall score | Minimum score per component |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS Academic (Institution code: 0713) | 7.5 | 7.0 |
TOEFL iBT, including the 'Home Edition' (Institution code: 0490) | 110 | Listening: 22 Reading: 24 Speaking: 25 Writing: 24 |
| C1 Advanced* | 191 | 185 |
| C2 Proficiency† | 191 | 185 |
*Previously known as the Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English or Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE)
†Previously known as the Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English or Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE)
Your test must have been taken no more than two years before the start date of your course. Our Application Guide provides further information about the English language test requirement.
Declaring extenuating circumstances
If your ability to meet the entry requirements has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic (eg you were awarded an unclassified/ungraded degree) or any other exceptional personal circumstance (eg other illness or bereavement), please refer to the guidance on extenuating circumstances in the Application Guide for information about how to declare this so that your application can be considered appropriately.
References
You will need to register three referees who can give an informed view of your academic ability and suitability for the course. The How to apply section of this page provides details of the types of reference that are required in support of your application for this course and how these will be assessed.
Supporting documents
You will be required to supply supporting documents with your application. The How to apply section of this page provides details of the supporting documents that are required as part of your application for this course and how these will be assessed.
Performance at interview
Interviews are held as part of the admissions process.
Applicants are shortlisted according to the criteria listed. Interviews are normally held within six weeks of each application deadline. There will normally be a minimum of two academics on the interview panel. Interviews typically take place on Microsoft Teams with video.
You will be asked to outline your educational background and interest in the subject, and how this course is relevant to your future plans. You will also be asked to demonstrate your basic immunological and scientific background knowledge. Interviews are approximately half an hour in length.
Offer conditions for successful applications
If you receive an offer of a place at Oxford, your offer will outline any conditions that you need to satisfy and any actions you need to take, together with any associated deadlines. These may include academic conditions, such as achieving a specific final grade in your current degree course. These conditions will usually depend on your individual academic circumstances and may vary between applicants. Our 'After you apply' pages provide more information about offers and conditions.
In addition to any academic conditions which are set, you will also be required to meet the following requirements:
Financial Declaration
If you are offered a place, you will be required to complete a Financial Declaration in order to meet your financial condition of admission.
Disclosure of criminal convictions
In accordance with the University’s obligations towards students and staff, we will ask you to declare any relevant, unspent criminal convictions before you can take up a place at Oxford.
Other factors governing whether places can be offered
The following factors will also govern whether candidates can be offered places:
- the ability of the University to provide the appropriate supervision for your studies, as outlined under the 'Supervision' heading in the About section of this page;
- the ability of the University to provide appropriate support for your studies (eg through the provision of facilities, resources, teaching and/or research opportunities); and
- minimum and maximum limits to the numbers of students who may be admitted to the University's taught and research programmes.
Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences
The Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences (NDS) is the academic department of surgery at the University of Oxford. It hosts a multidisciplinary team of senior clinical academic surgeons, senior scientists, junior clinicians and scientists in training.
The department offers research training opportunities for both clinical and non-clinical graduate students. It has a growing number of full-time funded research student opportunities. Research undertaken within the NDS covers many areas including fields such as cancer, immunology, neurosciences, and global surgery, and specialities such as patient safety, transplantation, urology and vascular surgery.
Funding
For entry in the 2025-26 academic year, the collegiate University expects to offer over 1,000 full or partial graduate scholarships across a wide range of graduate courses.
If you apply by the December deadline shown on this page and receive a course offer, your application will then be considered for Oxford scholarships. For the majority of Oxford scholarships, your application will automatically be assessed against the eligibility criteria, without needing to make a separate application. There are further Oxford scholarships available which have additional eligibility criteria and where you are required to submit a separate application. Most scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic merit and/or potential.
To ensure that you are considered for Oxford scholarships that require a separate application, for which you may be eligible, use our fees, funding and scholarship search tool to identify these opportunities and find out how to apply. Alongside Oxford scholarships, you should also consider other opportunities for which you may be eligible including a range of external funding, loan schemes for postgraduate study and any other scholarships which may also still be available after the December deadline as listed on our fees, funding and scholarship search tool.
Details of college-specific funding opportunities can also be found on individual college websites:
Please refer to the College preference section of this page to identify which of the colleges listed above accept students for this course.
For the majority of college scholarships, it doesn’t matter which college, if any, you state a preference for in your application. If another college is able to offer you a scholarship, your application can be moved to that college if you accept the scholarship. Some college scholarships may require you to state a preference for that college when you apply, so check the eligibility requirements carefully.
Further information about funding opportunities for this course can be found on the department's website.
Costs
Annual fees for entry in 2025-26
Fee status | Annual Course fees |
| Home | £15,610 |
| Overseas | £53,340 |
Information about course fees
Course fees are payable each year, for the duration of your fee liability (your fee liability is the length of time for which you are required to pay course fees). For courses lasting longer than one year, please be aware that fees will usually increase annually. For details, please see our guidance on changes to fees and charges.
Course fees cover your teaching as well as other academic services and facilities provided to support your studies. Unless specified in the additional information section below, course fees do not cover your accommodation, residential costs or other living costs. They also don’t cover any additional costs and charges that are outlined in the additional information below.
Where can I find further information about fees?
The Fees and Funding section of this website provides further information about course fees, including information about fee status and eligibility and your length of fee liability.
Additional information
There are no compulsory elements of this course that entail additional costs beyond fees and living costs. However, as part of your course requirements, you may need to choose a dissertation, a project or a thesis topic. Please note that, depending on your choice of topic and the research required to complete it, you may incur additional expenses, such as travel expenses, research expenses, and field trips. You will need to meet these additional costs, although you may be able to apply for small grants from your department and/or college to help you cover some of these expenses.
Living costs
In addition to your course fees and any additional course-specific costs, you will need to ensure that you have adequate funds to support your living costs for the duration of your course.
Living costs for full-time study
For the 2025-26 academic year, the range of likely living costs for a single, full-time student is between £1,425 and £2,035 for each month spent in Oxford. We provide the cost per month so you can multiply up by the number of months you expect to live in Oxford. Depending on your circumstances, you may also need to budget for the costs of a student visa and immigration health surcharge and/or living costs for family members or other dependants that you plan to bring with you to Oxford (assuming that dependant visa eligibility criteria are met).
Further information about living costs
The current economic climate and high national rate of inflation make it very hard to estimate potential changes to the cost of living over the next few years. For study in Oxford beyond the 2025-26 academic year, it is suggested that you budget for potential increases in living expenses of around 4% each year – although this rate may vary depending on the national economic situation. For further information, please consult our more detailed information about living costs, which includes a breakdown of likely living costs in Oxford for items such as food, accommodation and study costs.
College preference
Students enrolled on this course will belong to both a department/faculty and a college. Please note that ‘college’ and ‘colleges’ refers to all 43 of the University’s colleges, including those designated as societies and permanent private halls (PPHs).
If you apply for a place on this course you will have the option to express a preference for one of the colleges listed below, or you can ask us to find a college for you. Before deciding, we suggest that you read our brief introduction to the college system at Oxford and our advice about expressing a college preference.
If you are a current Oxford student and you would like to remain at your current Oxford college, you should check whether it is listed below. If it is, you should indicate this preference when you apply. If not, you should contact your college office to ask whether they would be willing to make an exception. Further information about staying at your current college can be found in our Application Guide.
The following colleges accept students on the MSc in Integrated Immunology (Full-time):
Before you apply
Our guide to getting started provides general advice on how to prepare for and start your application. You can use our interactive tool to help you evaluate whether your application is likely to be competitive.
If it is important for you to have your application considered under a particular deadline – eg under the December deadline in order to be considered for Oxford scholarships – we recommend that you aim to complete and submit your application at least two weeks in advance. Check the deadlines on this page and the information about deadlines and when to apply in our Application Guide.
Application fee waivers
An application fee of £75 is payable for each application to this course. Application fee waivers are available for the following applicants who meet the eligibility criteria:
- applicants from low-income countries;
- refugees and displaced persons;
- UK applicants from low-income backgrounds; and
- applicants who applied for our Graduate Access Programmes in the past two years and met the eligibility criteria.
You are encouraged to check whether you're eligible for an application fee waiver before you apply.
Do I need to contact anyone before I apply?
You do not need to make contact with the department before you apply but you are encouraged to visit the relevant departmental webpages to read any further information about your chosen course.
You are welcome to communicate with the MSc Course Administrator or the MSc Course Director to discuss the course content, teaching, assessment and any questions you may have, via the contact details provided on this page.
Improving access to graduate study
This course is taking part in initiatives to improve the selection procedure for graduate applications, to ensure that all candidates are evaluated fairly.
Socio-economic data (where it has been provided in the application form) will be used as part of an initiative to contextualise applications at the different stages of the selection process.
Completing your application
You should refer to the information below when completing the application form, paying attention to the specific requirements for the supporting documents.
For this course, the application form will include questions that collect information that would usually be included in a CV/résumé. You should not upload a separate document. If a separate CV/résumé is uploaded, it will be removed from your application.
If any document does not meet the specification, including the stipulated word count, your application may be considered incomplete and not assessed by the academic department. Expand each section to show further details.
Referees
Three overall, all of which must be academic
Whilst you must register three referees, the department may start the assessment of your application if two of the three references are submitted by the course deadline and your application is otherwise complete. Please note that you may still be required to ensure your third referee supplies a reference for consideration.
Academic references are required and professional references are not normally acceptable. You should nominate referees who are capable of providing an informed view of your recent academic ability.
Your references will support intellectual ability, academic achievement, motivation, and ability to work independently as well as in a group.
Official transcript(s)
Your transcripts should give detailed information of the individual grades received in your university-level qualifications to date. You should only upload official documents issued by your institution and any transcript not in English should be accompanied by a certified translation.
More information about the transcript requirement is available in the Application Guide.
Statement of purpose:
A maximum of 1,000 words
Your statement should be written in English and explain your motivation for applying for the course at Oxford, your relevant experience and education, and the specific areas that interest you and/or you intend to specialise in. The statement should also indicate your future career plans.
If possible, please ensure that the word count is clearly displayed on the document.
This will be assessed for:
- your reasons for applying to, and suitability for, this course;
- evidence of motivation for, and understanding of, the proposed area of study;
- commitment to the subject beyond the requirements of the degree course;
- capacity for sustained and intense work; and
- ability to absorb new ideas at a rapid pace.
Start or continue your application
You can start or return to an application using the relevant link below. As you complete the form, please refer to the requirements above and consult our Application Guide for advice.
After you've submitted your application
Your application (including the supporting documents outlined above) will be assessed against the entry requirements detailed on this course page. Whether or not you have secured funding will not be taken into consideration when your application is assessed. You can find out more about our shortlisting and selection process in our detailed guide to what happens next.
Find out how to manage your application after submission, using our Applicant Self-Service tool.