Reproductive Genetics (Taught)

The information provided on this page was correct at the time of publication (November 2025). For complete and up-to-date information about this course including information about course components or research areas, please visit the course page on the University of Oxford website.

The MSc in Reproductive Genetics provides graduate students, scientists and clinicians with a detailed theoretical and practical understanding of reproduction, pregnancy and reproductive genetics.

The course teaches an appreciation for how the individual threads of reproduction, pregnancy and reproductive genetics, are woven together to deliver a range of vital clinical services for patients.

The department aims to provide students with a unique postgraduate education that focuses on a field of medicine that has grown in importance for decades and now stands at the threshold of a dramatic expansion that will necessitate an increased number of scientists and clinicians with a deep understanding of reproductive genetics, prenatal and pre-implantation genetic testing, and patient counselling. The course will foster a spirit of critical enquiry, essential for the effective review of the evidence base supporting novel technologies, prior to clinical application.

You will learn

• the fundamental and applied aspects of reproductive genetics, including human reproductive biology and genetic methods for diagnostics;

• how to critique current research investigating how genetic issues can influence global reproductive health;

• how to evaluate key laboratory skills, including preimplantation genetic testing (PGT), next generation sequencing technologies, and how to execute these techniques in accordance with regulatory considerations;

• how current molecular technologies (such as the human genome sequencing project, genome editing and nuclear transfer and reprogramming) might influence the future treatment of infertility treatment, including ethical and legal issues;

• bioinformatics analysis, and data management/interpretation, including the analysis of clinical genetic data;

• how to develop laboratory management and quality management skills for clinical application in a genetics clinic; and

• how to design and implement new research methods and skills to address the increasing need for reproductive genetic testing.

Students who have satisfied specific requirements but are unable to progress to course completion may exit the course with a Postgraduate Diploma.

Course structure
The course runs over a period of one year, from October to September, incorporating the three University of Oxford terms: Michaelmas, Hilary and Trinity.

During the first term (Michaelmas), you will complete five compulsory modules and during the second term (Hilary), you will complete a further five compulsory modules. Each module is delivered over a period of one to three weeks and together, the ten modules comprise the 'core content' of the course. Module details can be found under Compulsory study.

The course is taught primarily by senior members of staff from the Nuffield Department of Women's and Reproductive Health. A variety of teaching methods are used to enhance and optimise student learning: class lectures, group tutorials, laboratory practical classes, self-directed learning sessions, journal clubs, problem-based learning, workshops and in-house demonstrations by visiting companies.

Private study sessions are timetabled during Michaelmas and Hilary term; you will be expected to use this time to work on formative and summative assignments. The third term (Trinity) is extended to allow sufficient time for a high-quality laboratory or desk-based research project.

You will participate in interactive teaching sessions during which you will be presented with clinical scenarios and can practice making diagnoses. You will also attend lectures given by visiting scientists who are world experts in their field.