Beit Hall

Learn more about what's involved in studying a Master's at Imperial

Teaching style

Master’s level study at Imperial is designed to be challenging. It represents a step change from undergraduate study, and a readjustment back to education for those coming from the world of work.

Study at Master’s level often involves learning new technical skills, and requires you to think about concepts and methods more critically and more deeply. You will still attend lectures, seminars and labs (if appropriate to your subject). However, you will be expected to spend much of your time working independently or in groups, and group work may form part of your assessment.

Your lecturers will:

  • teach on the programme
  • give you reading lists
  • make support materials available
  • set practicals, formal and less formal assessments
  • offer research projects (although for some courses you may be expected to develop ideas about these yourself)
  • give you feedback on your progress in various ways

You need to take these opportunities and shape them to your own needs and interests.

Research project

We place great emphasis on the integration of our Master’s level courses with our world class research portfolio.

Your degree will normally include a significant piece of research that will be submitted as a report or dissertation. You may also undergo a viva (oral examination) on your work. MRes students may undertake more than one project, with this component accounting for more than 50 per cent of the final degree award.

The quality of your own understanding, thinking and initiative are very important in the research project, demonstrated by posing questions and seeking answers, using and applying techniques and research skills, analysing data, and reviewing literature.

On most programmes there is a period of several months with little scheduled teaching when the bulk of the research project is carried out, requiring you to plan your time effectively. Your project will normally be supervised by an academic member of staff. However, they may delegate some of the day-to-day supervision to a member of their team, such as a PhD student, who can give you more practical advice.

Showcase area