About this course

We are a World Allergy Organisation Centre of Excellence.

Develop your professional practice and improve patient care on this MSc Allergy degree. As a World Allergy Organisation Centre of Excellence, we'll ensure you can translate current best practice into improved patient care for both children and adults. You’ll graduate as a specialist in key clinical areas of allergy care.

Our Allergy MSc is suitable if you're working in a hospital or community, as a doctor, nurse, dietitian or pharmacist.

The course is highly flexible, both in how you study and what you study. You can choose to study part-time over 2 to 5 years, or full-time for 1 year. You can personalise your learning to meet your professional needs. Through our online delivery, we provide a flexible learning environment that gives you control over how, when and where you study. Our course is a blend of synchronous live and asynchronous recorded sessions, designed to allow you to engage with our expert teachers and your fellow students, whilst enabling you to personalise your experience and learn at your own pace.

You can choose to focus on:

allergic airways disease
skin and drug allergy
food allergy
teaching the teachers to teach
designing your own learning experience for your work needs

You’ll graduate from this allergy specialist course with the skills to be a leader in both paediatric and adult allergy care, able to pass on knowledge on to your teams.

Flexible study

If you prefer, you can apply to study this course as:

a full-time MSc - study the same course content over 1 year
a Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) - you can choose to study full-time over 1 year or part-time over 2 years, and will not need to write a dissertation
a Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) - you can choose to study full-time over 1 year or part-time over 2 to 4 years, and will not need to write a dissertation

This course is available to take as an intercalation degree for undergraduate medical students. Intercalation means that you'll take a year out of your undergraduate medicine degree to gain this extra award.

If you are not quite ready for the MSc yet, then you can start on the PG Cert or PG Dip and progress to this when you are ready.

Your modules and fees may vary if you choose a different study option.

Course location

This course is delivered online.

Course lead

Our course lecturers are all actively involved in clinical practise or research.

This master's is led by Professor Judith Holloway, who was awarded a National Teaching Fellowship in 2017 for her work on this course. This award recognises individuals who have made an outstanding impact on student outcomes and the teaching profession in higher education.

Accreditations

British Society for Allergy & Clinical Immunology (BSACI)

The Medical Council of Hong Kong

World Allergy Organisation

“The course is fantastic and the content is delivered by inspirational academics who are extremely enthusiastic and passionate about the subject. It has the right balance of clinical experience, theory and research.”
Ekaterina Khaleva, 2019 graduate

Awarding body

This qualification is awarded by the University of Southampton.

Entry requirements

You need at least a 2:2 degree in a relevant subject.

This course is also available as an intercalation degree for undergraduate medical students.

We may also consider an application if you have a relevant professional qualification, for example you may be a registered nurse without an undergraduate degree.

You must submit all supporting documents, including evidence that you can satisfy our English language requirement, when you submit your application.

Find the equivalent international qualifications for your country.

English language requirements

If English isn't your first language, you'll need to complete an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) to demonstrate your competence in English. You'll need all of the following scores as a minimum:

IELTS score requirements

overall score: 7.0
reading: 6.0
writing: 6.0
speaking: 6.0
listening: 6.0

We accept other English language tests. Find out which English language tests we accept.

Recognition of professional experience

If you’ve been away from formal study for some time we’ll assess your relevant professional experience, your subject knowledge and your aptitude for learning.

Your application will be considered on individual merit and you may be asked to attend an interview.

Got a question?

Please contact us if you're not sure you have the right experience or qualifications to get onto this course.

Email: enquiries@southampton.ac.uk
Tel: +44(0)23 8059 5000

Course structure

This part-time MSc is taken from 2 to 5 years. If you'd like to complete the course sooner you can choose to study full-time for 1 year, from September to September.

We take a mixed learning approach. Most of our students continue to work while studying, so our online modules allow you to join us for live sessions and watch the recordings at your convenience. This makes it possible to study alongside your other commitments.

You must complete and pass the core module ‘Foundations of Allergic Disease’. This gives you a comprehensive overview of the mechanisms and management of allergic diseases, along with study skills.

To gain the MSc you must also take and pass:

Clinical Research Skills – this helps you prepare for your dissertation
Allergy Dissertation – this can be a research project, or it can be based on your own professional practice

You'll then choose between 4 and 6 optional modules (depending on their size). Each module is taught just once each year and represents up to 200 hours of study time.

Want more detail? See all the modules in the course.

Modules

Changes due to COVID-19

Although the COVID-19 situation is improving, any future restrictions could mean we might have to change the way parts of our teaching and learning take place in 2021 to 2022. We're working hard to plan for a number of possible scenarios. This means that some of the information on this course page may be subject to change.

Find out more on our COVID advice page.

For entry in Academic Year 2021-22

You must study the following modules:

Allergy Dissertation

The dissertation module offers the opportunity for you to apply your Masters knowledge to solve an allergy problem. You can choose either a professional project or a research project, both of which can be based around your work and should be aimed at impr...

Clinical Research Skills

Understanding research, the appropriate use of qualitative and quantitative methods and how to interpret results is fundamental to being able to critique an evidence base. The Clinical Research Skills module teaches you how to apply qualitative, quantitat...

Foundations of Allergic Disease

The Foundations of Allergic Disease module provides the fundamental scientific, clinical and academic basis that you will build on throughout your studies. In this module, you will learn about normal immune responses and how these are modified in allergic...

You must also choose from the following modules:

Allergic Airways Diseases

It is well established that there is "cross talk" between the upper and lower airways, so this integrated module will deal with the entire respiratory system. Normal physiology and anatomy will be taught, along with the diagnosis, monitoring, treatment an...

Allergic Skin Disease

During this module, you will explore all aspects of allergic skin disease in depth. The module teaches about the immunological basis for skin diseases which can have an allergic component including eczema (atopic dermatitis), allergic contact dermatitis, ...

Drug Allergy

Allergic reactions to drugs are common, complex and often misunderstood. Drug allergy is a specialist area of allergy that requires dedicated training and therefore in this module, you will explore all aspects of drug allergy in depth. The module teaches ...

Food Allergy

Food allergy is common in both children and adults. A clear understanding of various aspects of food allergy, including prevention, epidemiology, immunology and clinical management and treatment, is important for all clinical practitioners working in this...

Teaching the Teachers to Teach

Many of our postgraduate students teach their subjects and pass on their knowledge to their peers and to students with no formal training. Using recognised pedagogical methods, this module offers you the knowledge and expertise to enable you to design, de...

Virtual Patient

This module gives you the opportunity to explore an allergy-related topic of your choice in greater depth and to translate your learning discovery into an educational resource, thereby feeding forward your knowledge and skills to your chosen learner. You ...

Work Based Learning

During the module you will develop a professional portfolio where you will have the opportunity to translate your knowledge gained through your studies into your practice by undertaking a work-based task. As a student, you have a significant amount of the...

Learning and assessment

Learning

This is a highly interactive degree, where you'll learn to make informed judgements in clinical and scientific context and communicate these to other professionals, parents and patients. Between these sessions you'll use our e-learning portal to engage with tutors and fellow students and develop your learning.

As well as lectures and tutorials you'll learn through:

interactive case histories
developing an allergy action plan
teaching session planning and delivery
patient diagnosis and management plans
critical appraisal of own teaching practice
professional portfolio of clinical experience

This is a practical allergy testing course with demonstrations in:

skin prick and lung function testing
adrenaline autoinjectors
inhalers and nasal sprays
history taking and examinations
IgE (immunoglobulin E) allergen testing and food challenges

Assessment

We'll assess you through a variety of methods, including:

presentations
reflective accounts and written assignments
clinical case reports
data analysis and reporting

There is also a science e-learning package available with self-assessment.

Dissertation

You'll need to complete a 6,000-word manuscript style document with an extended academic discussion. The whole project will take around 600 hours to complete. You'll be supported by a supervisory team as well as the module lead throughout this.

Academic Support

You'll have your own personal academic tutor, and you'll have individual support, with access to the Faculty of Medicine’s staff and resources. Dissertation support from the module leader is available at all stages, and group support will be available through regular online tutorials.

Careers

This MSc Allergy course is aimed at healthcare professionals including doctors, nurses and dietitians providing clinical care both in the community and hospitals for adult and paediatric patients with allergy. It’s our ambition to create tomorrow’s leaders in the field of allergy management.

As well as learning about multiple aspects of allergy, this course will:

develop your problem-solving and research evidence skills
make you part of a community of allergy specialists, learning from your peers around the world
develop your leadership skills in clinical allergy
give you strategies for your continuing professional development
teach your colleagues to improve your clinical service delivery

“It is thanks to my training at Southampton that I am a world-leading dietitian in the field of allergic diseases.” Carina Venter - Assistant Professor at University of Colorado

Explore more of our alumni stories

Careers services at Southampton

We're a top 20 UK university for employability (QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2020). Our Careers and Employability Service will support you throughout your time as a student and for up to 5 years after graduation. This support includes:

work experience schemes
CV/resume and interview skills workshops
networking events
careers fairs attended by top employers
a wealth of volunteering opportunities
study abroad and summer school opportunities

We have a thriving entrepreneurship culture. You'll be able to take advantage of:

our dedicated start-up incubator, Futureworlds
a wide variety of enterprise events run throughout the year
our partnership in the world’s number 1 business incubator, SETsquared

Fees, costs and funding

Tuition fees

Fees are charged in years 1 and 2 only. The fees below are for the part-time MSc.

Fees for a year's study:

UK students pay £4,625.
EU and international students pay £10,500.

Check fees for other versions of this course.

What your fees pay for

Your tuition fee covers the full cost of tuition and any exams.

Find out how to pay your tuition fees.

Accommodation and living costs, such as travel and food, are not included in your tuition fees. Explore:

10% alumni discount

If you’re a graduate of the University of Southampton you get a 10% discount on your postgraduate tuition fees.

Postgraduate Master’s Loans (UK nationals only)

This can help with course fees and living costs while you study a postgraduate master's course. Find out if you're eligible.

MSc Allergy Natasha Bursaries (UK only)

We are delighted to be able to offer MSc Allergy Natasha Bursaries following a very generous gift from the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation.

These bursaries are designed to help meet the cost of tuition fees and are available to UK citizens studying on any of our Allergy courses, including single modules, the Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma or the Master's.

Bursary Application

To apply for The Natasha Bursary, complete the Application Form and send it with your CV (2 pages max) to fmed-studentoffice@soton.ac.uk. Retrospective applications will not be accepted.

Applications open on 1st April and must be submitted by the deadline of 30th June 2022 for all study to be undertaken in 2022-23.

Please ensure that the responses to all questions on your application form are as informative as possible to enhance your chance of a successful outcome. All applications are considered in competition with others in the same round.

Funding for EU and international students

Find out about funding you could get as an international student.

How to apply

You can apply directly through our online form by using the apply button on this page, or if you have any questions, email the programme team at allergy@soton.ac.uk

Application deadlines

Applications close end of August 2022. You must supply all supporting documentation at least 2 weeks before starting your course.

We cannot guarantee you'll be able to start your course if you do not meet these deadlines.

Application assessment fee

We’ll ask you to pay a £50 application assessment fee if you’re applying for any postgraduate taught course that starts in or after September 2021.

This is an extra one-off charge which is separate to your tuition fees. It covers the work and time it takes us to assess your application. You’ll be prompted to pay when you submit your application which won’t progress until you've paid.

If you're a current or former University of Southampton student, if you're applying for a Master of Research (MRes) degree, or if you're applying for a PGCE course via UCAS, you will not need to pay the fee. Find out if you’re exempt on our terms and conditions page.

Single module (CPD) applications

To apply for a single module (CPD), you'll need to fill in a physical application form that you can download from our continuing professional development pages.

Supporting information

When you apply you’ll need to submit a personal statement explaining why you want to take the course.

You’ll need to include information about:

your knowledge of the subject area
why you want to study a postgraduate qualification in this course
how you intend to use your qualification

You'll also need to send 2 academic references.

Please include the required paperwork showing your first degree and your IELTS English language test score (if you are a non-native English speaker) with your application. Without these, your application may be delayed.

You may also be asked to provide:

a degree certificate
evidence of professional qualifications

Learn more about how to apply with our postgraduate application guide.

What happens after you apply

You'll be able to track your application through our online Applicant Record System.

We'll assess your application on the strength of your:

academic achievements
relevant professional experience
personal statement
academic references

We'll usually make one of 4 decisions:

Offer you a place on this course
Offer you a place on a different course which we think suits you better
Tell you that we'll consider your application a second time in the next stage
Tell you that your application has been unsuccessful

If we decide to consider your application a second time in the next stage, this will only happen once.

If we offer you a place, you'll need to accept the offer within 30 working days. If you do not meet this deadline, we'll offer your place to another applicant.