MSc Medical Imaging

Entry standards

Typical entry requirements: a good honours degree in electronic engineering, or mathematics, computing or physical sciences.  Our normal entry level is a minimum of a good lower second from a good UK university, or overseas equivalent; however, with industrial experience, we can be flexible in our entry requirements.  

English language requirements

Non-native speakers of English will normally be required to have IELTS 6.5 or above, with a minimum of 6.0 in each component (or equivalent).

Please note that the University of Surrey offers English language programmes and is also an IELTS Test Centre.

MSc Medical Imaging - structure and modules

Module Titles

Compulsory Modules 

• Human and Radiation Biology 
• Image Processing and Vision 
• Imaging Applications of Ionising Radiation and Imaging Applications of Non-ionising Radiation 
• Mathematics of Signal Processing 
• Professional Skills for Clinical Science and Engineering 
• Radiation Physics 

Optional Modules 

• Advanced Signal Processing 
• Artificial Intelligence and AI Programming 

Module Overview

In common with many MSc programme, Medical Imaging is taught over twelve months and split over three semesters. A dissertation project is carried out during the final semester. 

Compulsory Modules Includes

Human and Radiation Biology 

This module covers the basics of anatomy and physiology in order to provide an understanding of the information content presented in medical image data.You will also gain an understanding of the action of ionising radiation on living tissue.

Image Processing and Vision 

This module covers an introduction to methods of image enhancement and quantitative image registration, as well as conventional topics such as image filtering and transformation and the ability to implement these concepts in software.

Imaging Applications of Ionising Radiation and Imaging Applications of Non-ionising Radiation 

These two modules prepare you for the medical imaging and instrumentation aspects of real imaging environments, ranging from ultrasound and planar X-ray imaging to the modern tomographic imaging modalities (CT, MRI, PET and SPECT). These modules describe how images are acquired, reconstructed and processed, and exemplar applications are discussed. Formal lectures for these two modules are given by a variety of experts and clinical practitioners working in the relevant field, alongside visits and laboratory classes held at leading clinical institutes close to the main campus at Surrey. 

Mathematics of Signal Processing 

This module provides the underpinning concepts of statistical noise modelling and digital signal analysis utilised in many image processing and analysis schemes. You will need to have familiarity with undergraduate mathematics for this course. If in doubt, please contact the Programme Director.

Professional Skills for Clinical Science and Engineering 

This module provides context for the programme material in terms of medical imaging within the NHS, health and safety issues, the particular issues associated with undertaking clinical medical imaging research and the associated legislative framework. This includes workshops on ethics and intellectual property, student-led seminars and visits to local hospital departments. There is also a laboratory-based component to this module where you will undertake a number of radiation physics experiments.

Radiation Physics 

This module covers the fundamental processes involved in forming images using ionising radiation. Topics include nuclear structure, radiation interaction and an introduction to ionising radiation detection. 

Optional Modules 

Advanced Signal Processing 

This module provides you with advanced analytical tools for solving statistical and adaptive signal processing problems encountered in medical imaging and signal processing, and related engineering areas. This includes statistical and adaptive techniques for detection, filtering and matching of signals in noise.

Artificial Intelligence and AI Programming 

This module introduces you to some of the basic ideas and concepts which underlie the development of artificial or machine intelligence being increasingly used in expert medical systems. Topics covered include agent-based search methods, logic, probabilistic reasoning, artificial neural networks and AI programming.

MSc Medical Imaging - entry standards

Entry standards

Typical entry requirements: a good honours degree in electronic engineering, or mathematics, computing or physical sciences.  Our normal entry level is a minimum of a good lower second from a good UK university, or overseas equivalent; however, with industrial experience, we can be flexible in our entry requirements.  

English language requirements

Non-native speakers of English will normally be required to have IELTS 6.5 or above, with a minimum of 6.0 in each component (or equivalent).

Please note that the University of Surrey offers English language programmes and is also an IELTS Test Centre.

Start date

September

Programme Director

• Dr Kevin Wells

MSc Medical Imaging - fees and funding

Fees

Medical Imaging (full time):

UK/EU - £6,400 
Overseas - £16,748

Medical Imaging (part time per 15 credits) 

UK/EU - £535 
Overseas - £1,395

www.surrey.ac.uk/pgfees/2012

Funding

A few scholarships are available from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) and charitable trusts. There are also Commonwealth scholarships available within the University for overseas students, but these are very competitive and early application is vital. 

MSc Medical Imaging - professional context

Professional placements

The professional placement scheme is a popular component of the programme as students can experience how medical imaging is delivered at the clinical interface. Some placements also provide the opportunity for a small project to be undertaken at the same time. 

Please note that as this component is dependent on availability from collaborating NHS departments, we cannot guarantee that this scheme will run every year.

Professional recognition

As an IET-accredited institution, our programmes are countable under the continuing professional development (CPD) scheme. 

For those seeking careers in the National Health Service as clinical scientists, the MSc is also accredited by IPEM (the Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine).

Accreditation

The programme is accredited by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), and as such can be used in partial fulfilment of the requirements for gaining Chartered Engineer (CEng) status.

For those seeking careers in the NHS, the programme is also accredited by the Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine (IPEM) and can thus be used as part of the training programme for those seeking to become clinical scientists or engineers, either studying as part-time sponsored trainees, or for subsequently gaining an NHS training position following full-time study.

Careers

Graduates from the MSc have historically gone on to three main career destinations. Some have been successfully recruited onto the NHS Clinical Scientist training scheme, eventually leading to clinical scientist status. Many have gone on to a career in academic research, leading to a PhD. Some have also gone on to careers in industrial research and development with leading equipment manufacturers or medical-related software companies.

MSc Medical Imaging - teaching

Teaching

Taught Masters programmes in the Department of Electronic Engineering utilise our research-active staff in conjunction with state-of-the-art facilities. We provide a range of learning experiences – lectures, tutorials, directed study, practical laboratories and project work – that prepare graduates for their professional life.

Lectures, visits and dissertation projects are provided in association with a large number of expert clinical and industrial partners, including the Royal Marsden Hospital, GE Healthcare and the Royal Surrey County Hospital.

Staff perspective

Dr Kevin Wells

I am a senior lecturer in Medical Imaging and the Programme Director for the MSc in Medical Imaging in the Department of Electronic Engineering. I previously worked in the Department of Physics at the University of Bath, the Department of Medical Physics and Bioengineering at UCL, and the Joint Department of Physics at the Royal Marsden
Hospital and the Institute of Cancer Research. I am also a Chartered Physicist and a Chartered Engineer, and serve on the Chartered Engineer Accreditation Panel within the Institute of Physics.

My main research interests are in digital mammography, motion correction in nuclear medicine, quantitative DCI-MRI renography and cellular imaging. My research interests and collaborations ensure relevance for programme content and facilitates opportunities for students to work in a clinically relevant research environment for their dissertation project.
Graduates from the MSc will be equipped to pursue careers as new innovators and developers, as well as clinical users, of advanced medical imaging methodology and analysis. 

We hope that you will enjoy your time at Surrey and find the MSc a stimulating and worthwhile experience. Many of our students have subsequently gained Doctorates – a testament to the excitement and potential in this area. As Programme Director, it is with great pride that I see students embrace the challenges we present, and, through this process, then confidently address scientific/technical problems that many would have seen as impossible tasks when they first started the MSc.

MSc Medical Imaging - learning

Facilities, Equipment and Support 

To support your learning, we hold regular MSc group meetings where any aspect of the programme, technical or non-technical, can be discussed in an informal atmosphere. This allows you to raise any problems that they would like to have addressed and encourages peer-based learning and general group discussion. 

We provide computing support with any specialised software required during the programme, for example, Matlab. 

The Department’s student common room is also covered by the University’s open-access wireless network, which makes it a very popular location for individual and group work using laptops and mobile devices. There is also a Faculty quiet room for individual study. 

We pride ourselves on the many opportunities that we provide to visit collaborating hospitals. These enable you to see first-hand demonstrations of medical imaging facilities and to benefit from lectures by professional practitioners. 

To support material presented during the programme, you will also undertake a selection of ultrasound and radiation detection experiments, hosted by our sister MSc programme in Medical Physics.

Dissertation and Projects

Dissertation and Projects 

The dissertation project provides an opportunity for you to apply material learnt during the previous two semesters and to develop a detailed knowledge of a particular area. Project work typically comprises some simulation or experimental work, often coupled with a programming component. 

Projects are selected during Semester 2 from a broad list and undertaken between June and August, usually in collaboration with a clinical or industrial partner, and usually within the South East region. Projects may be based at the partner institute or at the University, but always require some travel to the partner institute for project meetings and data acquisition. 

You will usually meet with your supervisor for a project meeting either every week or every fortnight. There is a mid-term assessment based at the University where you will orally present your work to your peers and an assessment panel. This provides you with feedback on your progress and some suggestions for your ongoing development. 

Final assessment of the projects is by the submission of a dissertation report and through a viva voce examination held in early September. 

Recent project titles include: 

• Mammography Image Scoring Tool for Quantitative Image Quality Assessment . Collaborator: National Coordinating Centre for the Physics of Mammography
• Using the NCAT Phantom for Motion Correction in SPECT/CT. Collaborator: Royal Surrey County Hospital 
• Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced MRI for Assessment of Renal Function in Paediatrics. Collaborator: Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children 
• Partial Volume Correction in PET. Collaborator: Royal Marsden Hospital/Institute of Cancer Research 
• A Study of Non-Linear Effects in Ultrasound Transducers. Collaborator: National Physical Laboratory 
• Motion Correction in X-ray CT. Collaborator: University College Hospital, London .

Assessment 

Formal examinations take place in January/February and June. The pass mark is set at 50 per cent for each module, representing a combination of the formal examination and any associated coursework or lab marks. An overall average (aggregated over all of the assessed modules) in excess of 70 per cent achieves a Pass with Distinction.
Following the spring examinations, you will concentrate on your formal dissertation project. This may be based at the University in collaboration with a clinical or industrial partner, or may be actually based at a hospital or industrial site, usually within the UK.

Finally, your dissertation project will be assessed at a viva voce examination in late August / early September. 

MSc Medical Imaging - graduate profile

Graduate Profile: Reuben Lowson

MSc Medical Imaging

I graduated several years ago with a first degree in physics, and then took up a career spanning industry and the civil service. However, many of these roles used a very narrow part of the physics I learned at university, and I was really looking to apply myself more scientifically. 

Whilst doing some IT work at a local hospital, I started thinking about next steps and a possible MSc with a medical flavour. The people I spoke to in the NHS suggested that the amount of computing-related work was growing, particularly with the advent of digital patient records and all-digital imaging departments. 

The MSc in Medical Imaging at Surrey, which recognises this, seemed like a logical choice. During my placement at Easter in an NHS nuclear medicine department, seeing teams developing new methods and clinical services really helped support the theory learned at University, and helped demonstrate ‘real-world’ applications. 

I hope to obtain a place on the NHS training scheme, so the IPEM accreditation is really important to me. I am also considering industrial jobs, and I think the IET and IPEM accreditation demonstrates to all employers that this is a high-quality course.

Graduate Profile: Declan Kruppa

MSc Medical Imaging

I graduated with a BEng in Electronic Engineering with a professional year spent at Great Ormond Street Hospital. Whilst on my professional year working with electronics and signal processing, I became interested in applying my undergraduate knowledge to medical problems. One of the staff at Great Ormond Street recommended getting into medical imaging as I could apply what I had learned in signal processing and extend this to other areas. 

The University of Surrey was quick to respond to my application, and once I was offered funding I decided to go firm. The course is well organised and taught by enthusiastic staff, but hard work! 

The highlight for me was my Easter placement at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital. I worked mainly in the radiotherapy section, undertaking tests on a new Linac installation, and assisted with the start of a new IMRT (Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy Treatment) programme. It was very useful to see how imaging is used in the context of therapeutic work, as well as how practising clinical scientists work as part of a multidisciplinary team. 

This summer I will be undertaking a project with scientists at the National Physical Laboratory, studying some of the non-linear effects in ultrasound imaging. I also have a place on the NHS training scheme starting in September at Royal Liverpool Hospital, which I am really looking forward to.

MSc Medical Imaging - more

MSc Medical Imaging - apply

• MSc Medical Imaging - Full-time - starting Sep 2012
• MSc Medical Imaging - Part-time - starting Sep 2012