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FAQs

Other

Can I study for the MSc on a part-time basis?

No. The MSc course is a one year residential course and requires registered students to be resident in Oxford for the duration of the course. 

Once I have the MSc qualification, am I considered a qualified clinical embryologist?

No. If you wanted a career as a clinical embryologist, you would then need to apply for a post at an IVF clinic for further training and to obtain an appropriate license to practice.

As part of the course, will I personally get to meet and treat patients?

IVF treatment is a very emotive and traumatic experience for patients. You will be allowed to attend patient consultations with a Senior Clinician as long as the patients have provided appropriate consent. However, you will not be allowed to treat patients yourself.

As part of the course, will I get to spend time in the clinical IVF unit?

Yes. You will spend at least one full day in the IVF unit as an observer. In addition, you will spend time shadowing a senior medical doctor in his/her daily duties.

Do I get to select a laboratory research project? What research topics are available?

We aim to allow you to study a project of your choice. Consequently, you will be given a list of project titles to choose from. Previous projects have concerned various aspects of pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, the role of the sperm at egg activation, sperm DNA fragmentation, ovarian physiology and the role of the oocyte in infertility, implantation, reproductive immunology, 3-dimensional embryo modelling, the role of cytoplasmic movements in the egg at fertilization, the use of harmonic generation microscopy in evaluating embryo quality, endometriosis, and the effects of routine ART procedures upon sperm physiology.

I have submitted my application. What happens next?

Once the application deadline has closed, your documents are passed to our selection committee which compiles a 'short-list' of candidates to interview. The short-list is normally compiled within one - two weeks of the deadline. We will contact short-listed candidates within this time-frame. We interview ALL short-listed candidates, either in person, or by video-conference (Skype). The interview lasts approximately 30 minutes and is conducted by a panel of departmental staff.

Should the proposed changes to clinical embryology accreditation in the UK affect my decision to pursue the Oxford MSc?

The Department of Health is currently modernising scientific careers within the health industry in the UK. The details are still being finalised and therefore the impact on careers in embryology within the UK (in both the private and public sectors) remains unclear. However, it is important to note that in order for candidates to pursue embryology accreditation in the UK, irrespective of the training format adopted in future, they must first secure an appropriate position within an IVF unit. We strongly believe that the Oxford MSc in Clinical Embryology provides students with the appropriate training and experience to be highly competitive within the IVF sector, irrespective of potential changes to recruitment and training in NHS-funded units.  

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