Masters Programmes
The Wellcome Sanger Institute has several Masters Programme opportunities, see below. Please visit our potential supervisors page, for information on Faculty members and their research areas.
MPhil in Biological Science
MPhil in Genomic Science
In 2016, the Institute started a new 1-year research MPhil programme that aims to equip students from a number of low and middle income countries with a unique blend of experimental and informatics skills, maximising their competitiveness for future opportunities. The programme is run in partnership with the following institutions only:
- The KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kenya
- The Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme
- The Africa Health Research Institute, South Africa
- The Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Thailand and Laos
- The Oxford University Clinical Research Unit, Vietnam
- The Oxford University Clinical Research Unit, Nepal
- MRC Unit The Gambia at LSHTM
- MRC/UVRI & LSHTM Uganda Research Unit
- KEMRI Nairobi, Kenya
- University of Science, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Mali
- International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh
- Ifakara Health Institute, Tanzania
- Universidad de Antioquia, Colombia
- Universidad Regional Amazonica Ikiam, Ecuador
- The institutions of the current and former Sanger Institute International Fellows
The programme funds (stipend and University tuition fees) up to 4 students per year and applicants must be nominated by one of the partner institutions. Assessment of the MPhil is by submission of a thesis and an oral examination. Students start on the 1 October, with submission of the thesis by the end of August.
MPhil, MRes and MSt in Genomic Medicine
The Institute is also a partner in the following University of Cambridge Masters programmes:
MPhil, MRes and MSt in Genomic Medicine
The Institute is committed to helping scientists and healthcare professionals understand and apply genomics in clinical practice. We are a member of a partnership with the University of Cambridge, EMBL-EBI and Wellcome Connecting Science Courses that is delivering a taught MPhil in Genomic Medicine (8 modules plus a research project and dissertation or 10 modules plus a literature-based research project), a taught/research based MRes in Genomic Medicine (3 modules and a 10 month research project) as well other postgraduate degrees such as the MSt in Genomic Medicine, to NHS staff and other interested students. Funding for NHS employees is available through Health Education England, whilst non NHS employees must have their own funding. Some of the courses are full-time and some are part-time, please see the relevant course descriptions for further details.
University of Cambridge Postgraduate Virtual Open Days
These events are open to all those seeking to apply for postgraduate study at the University of Cambridge.
The events offer you opportunities to ask questions, find out more about the application process, and explore Cambridge virtually. You will be able to:
- Access webinars, films and resources from departments and faculties
- Learn more about the courses on offer
- Attend presentations on making an application
- Hear from students about their Cambridge experiences and find out more about life as a student here
- Discover funding opportunities at the University
- Explore University facilities and Colleges using 360 degree photography, videos and photo galleries
To attend these events, you need to register in advance.
For further information please see: https://www.postgraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/openday.
The Virtual Postgraduate Open Days 2025 will take place as follows:
Warm-up Webinars
1 September 2025 – How to apply to a postgraduate course
6 October 2025 – Postgraduate finance and funding
Virtual Open Days
Week 1 – Subject and Department sessions (3 – 7 November 2025)
The Wellcome Sanger Institute will be hosting an online Presentation and Q&A session at 10:00-10:45 on Wednesday 5 November 2025. Find out more about our postgraduate programmes and meet some current students.
To book your place, go to: https://www.postgraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/openday.
Week 2 – College and Finance sessions (10 – 14 November 2025)
You can also explore the University of Cambridge in your own time via interactive 360° tours of the Colleges and departments. Start exploring.
The University of Cambridge has a vibrant and diverse international student community and welcomes talented students from around the world. There’s loads going on in the University, Colleges and city, and with students accounting for about a fifth of the city’s overall population, Cambridge is a great place to be a student. See the University’s Student Life pages for more information.
If you have questions about what it’s like to study at Cambridge, you can chat to a student ambassador, see https://www.postgraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/why-cambridge/chat-with-us.
Arnav Lal's story
Arnav Lal seeks to merge clinical practice with infectious disease research. He completed a year-long MPhil in Biological Science funded by a Churchill Scholarship. He was interested in antimicrobial resistance and used genomics to study how bacteria pass mobile genetic elements around.
Student life
Below is a testimonial about life as an MPhil student at the Wellcome Sanger Institute.
Former MPhil student (2020-21), Daniel Malawsky, wrote:
Being a student at Sanger is an incredible experience, ranging from outstanding mentorship to world-class data and a friendly, lively student environment. The funding structure of the institute allows group leaders to engage in highly collaborative, large scale projects that get at the deepest and most pressing questions in biology and genetics today.
The MPhil program allows you to dive into research, unencumbered by taught course requirements unless one wishes to take any. The year of research is demanding, but the quality of the science and mentorship make it an enjoyable and rewarding experience. I learned more in one year than I could’ve imagined, and developed field specific as well translatable skills. Ultimately, this year teaches you to be a scientist and independent thinker, where you leave wanting to ask more research questions than before you started (and perhaps continue on to a PhD to do so as I did!).
Aside from the science, Cambridge is a lovely city and the University, especially the colleges, promote an enriching social life. There are plenty of formal and informal activities and societies one can join, with something for everyone. I could not be happier with my experience at Sanger!