Mature student - Microbiology MSc? Something else? Lost!

[DriftingShifting]

I'm almost 33 and soon to graduate from the OU with a first class degree in health sciences.

My original post-grad plan was to do a physician associate MSc, but considering the bad press they've received recently and the way the NHS is going, I've ditched that idea and am now I'm flailing around unsure of what to do.

While doing my degree I quickly realised that infectious diseases was the area I enjoyed most. So now I'm thinking about doing an MSc in clinical microbiology. The problem is that none of the universities local to me offers microbiology courses, only cancer cell biology. I'm not in a position to move right now. So the microbiology MSc would be with distance learning with the University of Nottingham, which is accredited by the IBMS https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/pgstudy/course/taught/clinical-microbiology-distance-learning-msc

I'm interested in working in clinical science, R&D, research in general, or possibly in public health. I just don't really know how to get there and my university's career service hasn't been that helpful.

I can't really do a PhD as I'm a single income with a mortgage to pay and the stipend wouldn't be enough for me to live on.

STP is an option and I will certainly apply if there's a suitable post, but it's so competitive. I also worry about the intensity of it as I have a chronic health condition which can sometimes floor me.

I feel lost, and it's getting me really down to be honest. I wish I'd done all this 10 years ago but my circumstances wouldn't allow it. Can any wise mumsnetters advise?

If you’re not able to move at present I would definitely suggest looking at what jobs are available in your local area and trying to tailor next steps to that rather than go course first.

What's your lab experience like? Would it be worth working in an NHS lab for a year then doing the MSc? You'd probably have a better chance of STP success that way. Even if not the experience can be used to build up a portfolio towards biomed accreditation.

An distinction MSc on top of decent lab experience would put you in a better position for research tech jobs, maybe even give you the opportunity to do a PhD part time (though that's not for the faint hearted!).

Don't rush to microbio MSc if Public health could be of interest - you only get one chance of a masters loan.

You can also get a loan if you do a PhD and you can work as a laboratory demonstrator and don't forget that the stipend is tax free. You might end up with more doing that than working?

You could look at NHS jobs where they train you and get an MSc.

@DriftingShifting have you looked at LSHTM? It doesn't appear in league tables because it only offers post-graduate degrees, but it is world-renowned in the fields you mention and people who work in medicine or in research labs around the world will be aware of its ranking and reputation.

2 of its biggest areas for Masters degrees are Infectious Diseases and Public Health, so you can compare them in depth and see which one might interest you more. Both of these are offered as distance learning options.

I did have a look at LSHTM distance masters last week but they all seem to be aimed at professionals looking to deepen their understandings of areas in which they already work, which made me a bit nervous.

I've just found this Global Health MSc which is local to me https://www.bsms.ac.uk/postgraduate/taught-degrees/global-health.aspx - it was under anthropology so passed me by. It does look interesting and could potentially be a way of combining my bio knowledge with my interest in environmental science (wish I'd done environmental science at undergraduate instead now ). Can anyone offer any thoughts? Do you think it could lead to a decent job? I'm just so conscious of not pissing about at this stage, and as pp said I'll only get one shot at the masters loan.

It's hard letting go of the dream of doing research or clinical science, but realistically I think it's going to be difficult to get into, especially without a PhD, and the chances of my getting onto the STP are slim. So I'm trying to accept that it's just a case of choosing the next best thing that's going to allow me to earn some decent money.

You can do speciality training in public health without a medical degree. Have you considered that?

Do you live near any pharma companies? It sounds like (forgive me if I'm wrong) like you need lab experience. Another route is a NHS MLA role or trainee BMS role which can all lead to state registration or provide the experience for STP applications

I'd forgotten about that. I'd kind of discounted it because I'm more interested in global health and NGTs, but I'm getting to the point where I really need to focus on what is going to get me earning a decent salary without too much of a palaver. I'm watching this video on the training process

Apparently the first year is the MSc so you can skip Y1 if you already have a masters in PH, which is tempting to ease myself in/increase my chances https://www.bsms.ac.uk/postgraduate/taught-degrees/public-health.aspx

It doesn't look remotely as exciting as MSc Global Health to me, but I'm getting the impression there might be fewer job opportunities with that one

@StandUpForYourRights I do need lab experience, yes. The problem is that I can't afford to take a band 2 lab assistant job, and the few private company roles I've seen pay even less. I really, really wanted to go to university and study medicine when I was 18 but I'd been in shitty local authority care and hadn't even had chance to take my GCSEs, let alone A levels. If I were a 21 year old grad I'd be applying for all kinds of jobs to get my foot in the door but they just don't pay enough for me to pay my mortgage, and I'm not able to move anywhere cheaper atm

I did have a look at LSHTM distance masters last week but they all seem to be aimed at professionals looking to deepen their understandings of areas in which they already work, which made me a bit nervous.

I don't think that's the case. DD2 did a BSc in biomed at a non-RG university (so a fairly similar background to you) then went straight on to an MSc in infectious diseases at LSHTM. It was an absolutely fantastic Masters which entailed conducting original research into vector-borne diseases (her speciality). She confesses that she has no idea how she got onto the course at LSHTM, but having done so she worked her socks off and got a distinction, which as @titchy says, gave her the pick of research assistant jobs at universities all over the UK. This was very recent by the way, DD2 is 24.

Did she do it via distance learning? It does look like a great degree. I’ve been watching the videos on their website and it seems like they provide a lot of support and strongly encourage you to make contact with other students, which is good as I’ve been worried about feeling isolated (on my current distance course I’ve made lots of friends along the way).

Doing a bit more reading, it seems like if you want a PH or GH MSc, LSHTM really is the place to get it so I’m coming round to that, plus they offer some blended learning options. And I have always wanted to study there 😳 I just need to figure out which one. My heart would 10000% prefer GH but my head is saying PH

I did a distance masters in Epidemiology at LSHTM if I can answer any specific LSHTM questions. I used it to facilitate a career change.

Oh fantastic, thank you. Epidemiology is also a consideration. My project is an epidemiological study.

How many hours per week were you studying?

How intense was the workload?

Were you in contact with other students?

How was the support from tutors?

What sort of area did you go into? And how easy was it to find a job afterwards?

Sorry, another Q to add to the mix:

Looking at student room threads on LSHTM, some people seem to have been rejected for not having experience working in the area of their MSc. Did you encounter this issue?

I'd encourage you to not jump into anything and to carefully consider what type of career you want, whether you'd consider further study beyond an MSc, and whether things like salary, job security etc are important.

I have a similar background /interests to you. I am an academic researcher in epidemiology. I did a biological sciences undergrad, then an MSc Epidemiology. Graduated from that around 18 years ago. Went into academic research but soon realised that without a PhD it's hard to progress. So after 3 years as a research assistant I quit to become a full time student once more (my PhD was funded). Since then I've worked as an academic researcher in epidemiology in another university. It's a precarious career (lots of short term funding). Good chance I'll face redundancy within the next 12 months. I'm actively considering leaving academia. Friends from my MSc all still work in related fields but not academia and I think they all have higher salaries/more security than me.

DD2 is home now so this is straight from the horse's mouth! No she didn't do her MSc by distance learning, but it was during Covid so while lab times (most days) were protected and considered essential, a lot of the interaction with fellow students was online. But it was encouraged and facilitated by the university and DD is still in contact with course-mates around the world (the international aspect of the course was a big part of the appeal for her).

To answer your specific questions (obviously @CindersAgain might have different experiences to relate):
DD put in a lot of hours (50-60 a week), but she really wanted to get a distinction. NB the LSHTM course is a full 12 months, not 9 or 10.

Quite intense, they had guest lectures and talks in the evenings at least once a week, but these were often by internationally-known scientists so exactly the sort of input you want from a top Masters.

In constant contact with fellow students to discuss projects and dissertation. She saw her personal tutor every day she was in the lab; likewise the PhD student she was working alongside. Tutor was brilliant.

She went straight into a relevant job but is actively considering a PhD and has talked to a few people about it. She's been offered one but she really wants to remain in vector-borne diseases and it was slightly tangential.

Oh and PS she would echo every word that @albalass says.

How many hours per week were you studying?
It said for each module the number of hours of study and it was about right. Doing it distance there was the option to spend 2-5 years doing it. I did it in 2 and it was 25 hours a week.

How intense was the workload? I planned it out so things didn’t clash and it was generally within the 25 hours.

Were you in contact with other students? A bit for two modules, all online. Plus there were WhatsApp groups which were nice.

How was the support from tutors? Good, although I didn’t need it really. The EPI modules are very well taught, I did one PH one and it was much more ‘here’s the book’ where the EPI one were all like the example one on cancer that they provide for you to look at. (Or they did.)

What sort of area did you go into? And how easy was it to find a job afterwards?

Mid way through, I emailed the contact given for the job I want to end up doing and asked about what work experience they would want to see and she gave me a really good pointer to get into public health as an analyst. Which I did.

Do ask anything more though, or PM.

I should add, my BSc in Biology was 20 years ago and my work experience in between was not related. And then I took 10 years off to look after children.

It said for each module the number of hours of study and it was about right. Doing it distance there was the option to spend 2-5 years doing it. I did it in 2 and it was 25 hours a week.

Was it 5 modules, so around 5 hours per module, per week? 5 modules sounds daunting but I can see they're 10-15 credits each compared to the OU's 30-60 credits per module. Did it feel overwhelming juggling 5?

I've started putting together notes about all the various roles I'm interested in. At the moment, MSc PH is looking like the most logical option as there's lots of areas I could potentially go into, and lots of work available. I guess I could potentially branch out into Global Health further down the line?

Just realised I’m being dim and it’s only 3 modules per year

I think it was ten, or 12 if you count the project as 3.

https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/files/epidemiology-online-schedule.pdf

12 in total.

There were a couple that started late each year or didn’t have an exam, which gave the others a bit more space.