MSc Toxicology

Overview

Toxicologists assess the adverse, harmful effects that substances have on human health and the environment. Toxic substances can be natural resources such as arsenic and mercury, generated by living organisms such as microorganisms, algae, and shellfish, or generated by humans. Man-made sources include unintentional substances such as pollutants from traffic as well as industrial chemicals or pharmaceuticals. Toxicologists play an important role in making our lives more sustainable, by considering safety when designing new substances or by identifying safer alternatives.

This MSc programme will provide you with an advanced understanding of the multidisciplinary field of Toxicology. You'll learn about the fundamental principles of Toxicology, the harmful effects that different substances (e.g., chemicals, pharmaceuticals, food, drink, pollutants,) have on human health and the environment, how the safety and sustainability of substances is assessed and improved through design strategies, what regulations exist to protect human health from the harmful effects of substances, as well as topical and emerging issues in Toxicology.

Over recent years, there has been a desire to transition away from animal testing in Toxicology and the generation of data using new approach methodologies (NAMs) means that the knowledge and skills required by toxicologists is changing. You will learn why alternative (non-animal) approaches are being increasingly used for hazard identification to make Toxicology testing more ethical, quicker, predictive, and potentially cheaper when compared to more traditional animal (mammalian) tests.

You will learn how to critically appraise the quality of existing literature and communicate scientific concepts and research findings to different audiences. You'll gain skills that enable you to work as a Toxicologist in sectors such as academia, Government, and industry to meet the current growing global demand for trained Toxicologists. The UK currently tackles the regulations and policies related to substance safety, which was previously provided by the EU pre-Brexit, and is desperately seeking trained Toxicologists. The knowledge and practical skills you will gain through this master's degree, will make you highly sought after upon graduation.

Our expertise

Heriot-Watt University is recognised internationally for studying the toxicology of particles, fibres, pollutants, nanomaterials, and advanced materials.  These research outputs have been widely published (over 200 papers), and have been used to inform:  

• UK and EU funding priorities,
• the development of regulations,  
• updates to global guidance on strategies to reduce reliance on animal testing for regulatory purposes.

Your learning environment

You will learn about the world leading, state of the art Toxicology research that is being performed at Heriot Watt University. We offer hands-on experience in our state-of-the-art laboratories and workshops. You will gain practical experience of performing cytotoxicity (cell death) and genotoxicity (DNA damage) assays, learn about cell culture, and become competent at using light microscopes. You will also complete a desk or lab-based research project.

Customise your learning

Taught through a combination of lectures and tutorials, you'll get to know and build relationships with the teaching staff and academics. You'll be assessed by coursework, exams, and your dissertation, and will receive support and feedback throughout the programme.

You'll gain practical and numeracy skills relevant to the discipline and wider transferable skills, such as communication, teamwork, organisation, and problem solving, which will enable you to be employed as Toxicologists in sectors such as industry, Government and academia in both laboratory and non-laboratory roles.

Industry

We work closely with industry to ensure our course content reflects the needs of industry and employers. This means you'll gain the right blend of knowledge, practical skills and soft skills enhancing your employability.

You will learn from world leading toxicology experts and receive guest lectures from international industry, government and regulators to give real life examples of how toxicology studies are performed and how Toxicology data is used.  

As part of the programme, we will discuss topical issues in Toxicology to introduce emerging issues in the field and encourage you to identify potential solutions to current and future challenges. For example, we will discuss how we have worked with industry to;  

• assess the toxicity of nanomaterials to promote the safe and responsible development of nanotechnology,  
• develop new approach methodologies (NAMs) to decrease the reliance placed on animal testing,  
• investigate the potential harmful health effects of pollutants released from different sources,
• assess the toxicity of mixtures and evaluate the toxicity of micro- and nano-plastics to human health and the environment.