Medical Ultrasound (Echocardiography)
Develop the research and development skills required to specialise in the field of echocardiography.
Develop the research and development skills required to specialise in the field of echocardiography
Perform a diagnostic ultrasound as part of a placement in a hospital department
Build your expertise in medical ultrasound alongside experts from the National Heart and Lung Institute
Course key facts
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Qualification
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MSc
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Duration
1 year
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Start date
September 2025
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Study mode
Full-time
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Fees
£15,500 Home
£45,000 Overseas
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Delivered by
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Location
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Hammersmith
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Minimum entry standard
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2:1 in medicine, biological sciences, engineering or a physical sciences subject
Course overview
Receive training in the theory and practice of medical ultrasound on this Master's course.
You'll gain a solid grounding in the physics and scientific theories of medical ultrasound before specialising in the area of echocardiography.
You'll develop the practical skills necessary to perform a diagnostic ultrasound as part of a placement in a hospital department.
Through taught modules, you'll also build expertise in interpreting data and clinical decision-making in preparation for a career as a sonographer or within healthcare.
An extended research project forms a major part of the programme, during which time you'll consolidate your skills in the use of statistical principles.
Structure
This page is updated regularly to reflect the latest version of the curriculum. However, this information is subject to change.
Find out more about potential course changes.
Please note: it may not always be possible to take specific combinations of modules due to timetabling conflicts. For confirmation, please check with the relevant department.
You’ll take all of these core modules.
The course follows the core British Society of Echocardiography syllabus.
Core modules
In small groups, you will perform and interpret a comprehensive diagnostic cardiac ultrasound examination in healthy individuals. You'll also learn to obtain optimised images, and to make and interpret a scan under observation by a professional.
Learn how signals arise from the interaction of ultrasound with tissue, the role of instrumentation, and how equipment controls are applied to optimise images.
Examine a comprehensive range of heart conditions encountered in clinical practice, including valvular heart disease, coronary artery disease, heart muscle and pericardial disease, and endocarditis and systemic disease.
Perform and interpret a comprehensive diagnostic cardiac ultrasound examination in defined clinical settings, before and after treatment.
Design and implement your own research project in ultrasound, and consolidate your skill in the use of statistical principles.
You'll learn to review literature and analyse sources critically, and formulate and test a hypothesis in the course of research.
During the project, you'll pass a series of milestones, including submission of a proposal, an essay and a presentation.
Your work will culminate with the submission of a dissertation, and a viva voce exam, with a separate assessment in statistical principles.
Teaching and assessment
Teaching and learning methods
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Clinical and private study
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Experimental design
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Laboratory practicals
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Lectures
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Problem-solving
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Seminars
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Work-based learning
Balance of assessment
Key
- Taught modules
- Research project
- 67% Taught modules
- 33% Research project
Assessment methods
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Coursework
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Examination
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Practical
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Presentations
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Research project
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Oral assessment
Key people
Dr. Matthew Shun-Shin
Course DirectorDr. Matthew Shun-Shin is a Senior Clinical Lecturer and Consultant Cardiologist with a subspecialty in cardiac imaging, focusing on echocardiography. His primary research focus is developing, applying, and validating machine learning methods (AI) to cardiac imaging.
Entry requirements
We consider all applicants on an individual basis, welcoming students from all over the world.
How to apply
Apply online
You can submit one application form per year of entry. You can choose up to two courses.
There is no application fee for MRes courses, Postgraduate Certificates, Postgraduate Diplomas, or courses such as PhDs and EngDs.
If you are applying for a taught Master’s course, you will need to pay an application fee before submitting your application.
The fee applies per application and not per course.
- £80 for all taught Master's applications, excluding those to the Imperial College Business School.
- £100 for all MSc applications to the Imperial College Business School.
- £150 for all MBA applications to the Imperial College Business School.
If you are facing financial hardship and are unable to pay the application fee, we encourage you to apply for our application fee waiver.
Find out more about how to apply for a Master's course, including references and personal statements.
An ATAS certificate is not required for students applying for this course.
Tuition fees
Home fee
2025 entry
£15,500
You should expect and budget for your fees to increase each year.
Your fee is based on the year you enter the university, not your year of study. This means that if you repeat a year or resume your studies after an interruption, your fees will only increase by the amount linked to inflation.
Find out more about our tuition fees payment terms, including how inflationary increases are applied to your tuition fees in subsequent years of study.
Whether you pay the Home or Overseas fee depends on your fee status. This is assessed based on UK Government legislation and includes things like where you live and your nationality or residency status. Find out how we assess your fee status.
If you're a UK national, or EU national with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, you may be able to apply for a Postgraduate Master’s Loan from the UK government, if you meet certain criteria.
For courses starting on or after 1 August 2024, the maximum amount is £12,471. The loan is not means-tested and you can choose whether to put it towards your tuition fees or living costs.
The loan is not means-tested and you can choose whether to put it towards your tuition fees or living costs.
Overseas fee
2025 entry
£45,000
You should expect and budget for your fees to increase each year.
Your fee is based on the year you enter the university, not your year of study. This means that if you repeat a year or resume your studies after an interruption, your fees will only increase by the amount linked to inflation.
Find out more about our tuition fees payment terms, including how inflationary increases are applied to your tuition fees in subsequent years of study.
Whether you pay the Home or Overseas fee depends on your fee status. This is assessed based on UK Government legislation and includes things like where you live and your nationality or residency status. Find out how we assess your fee status.
If you're a UK national, or EU national with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, you may be able to apply for a Postgraduate Master’s Loan from the UK government, if you meet certain criteria.
For courses starting on or after 1 August 2024, the maximum amount is £12,471. The loan is not means-tested and you can choose whether to put it towards your tuition fees or living costs.
The loan is not means-tested and you can choose whether to put it towards your tuition fees or living costs.
Scholarships
The Dean’s Master’s Scholarships
Value per award
- £10,000
Who it's for
- All students applying to study a Faculty of Medicine Master’s programme
The Dr Jean Alero Thomas Scholarships
Value per award
- Partial or full tuition fee at the Home rate
Who it's for
- All students applying to study a Faculty of Medicine lab-based Master’s programme
How will studying at Imperial help my career?
Develop the essential core knowledge and skills for an echocardiography career.
Become familiar with the knowledge base required for passing the national examinations for sonographers.
With specialised knowledge, you'll be highly sought after in a range of sectors.
Healthcare, the NHS, international health organisations, or further research are just some of your options.
Testimonials
Further links
Contact the department
- Email: medultrasound@imperial.ac.uk
Course Director: Dr Matthew Shun-Shin
Visit the National Heart and Lung Institute website.
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Register your interest
Stay up to date on news, events, scholarship opportunities and information related to this course.
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Events, tasters and talks
Meet us and find out more about studying at Imperial.
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Meet our students
We asked some of our Master's students about their individual journeys.
Meet our Medical Ultrasound students.
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Terms and conditions
There are some important pieces of information you should be aware of when applying to Imperial. These include key information about your tuition fees, funding, visas, accommodation and more.
You can find further information about your course, including degree classifications, regulations, progression and awards in the programme specification for your course.
Programme specifications