MSc Medical Visualisation & Human Anatomy

Programme Overview

Accredited by the Institute of Medical Illustrators, the MSc in Medical Visualisation and Human Anatomy is a one-year taught postgraduate programme offered by the School of Simulation and Visualisation (SimVis) at The Glasgow School of Art in collaboration with the Anatomy department in the School of Life Sciences, University of Glasgow.

The course presents a unique opportunity to combine actual cadaveric dissection with 3D digital reconstruction, interaction, visualisation and medical illustration using state of the art virtual reality facilities. It allows students to examine human anatomy, and to reconstruct it in a real-time 3D environment for use in education, simulation, and training. This Masters programme provides an ideal opportunity for enhancement of research into human anatomy, diagnostics, simulation, and visualisation.

The MSc Medical Visualisation & Human Anatomy is offered by SimVis at The Glasgow School of Art (GSA) in collaboration with the Anatomy Facility (AF), School of Life Sciences, University of Glasgow (GU). 4 It provides a unique opportunity to combine actual cadaveric dissection with 3D digital reconstruction, interaction and visualisation using state of the art virtual reality facilities. It allows students to examine human anatomy, and to reconstruct it in a real-time 3D environment for use in education, simulation, and training. This programme enables students to create original medical datasets, allows a greater understanding of “normal” anatomy and regional variations, and provides a novel approach to aid multi-disciplinary fields in anatomical knowledge, understanding, training and skills transfer. With the demand from clinicians of anatomical knowledge of students increasing (as a result in changes to medical and dental curricula) this pathway provides an ideal opportunity for enhancement of research into human anatomy, diagnostics, simulation, and visualisation. This pathway has emerged as a result of successful strategic research collaborations between SimVis, The University of Glasgow, Scottish Funding Council, Royal College of Surgeons and the Fulbright Commission. Of particular note is SimVis’ development of The Definitive Human (which brings state of the art human anatomy software free to medical centres within Scotland. All these activities have fed back into the curriculum of the MSc Visualisation programme. The MSc Medical Visualisation & Human Anatomy provides a higher level taught programme to those emerging from a wide range of medical, and related, disciplines that wish to develop knowledge and understanding in medical visualisation. This will place those graduates in a leading global competitive position to advance in medical research, academia, commercial organisations, gaining a greater understanding of techniques that may assist in communication with patients and/or clinical diagnosis. This pathway attracts graduates in biomedical, dental, medical, surgical, and allied health professional programmes as well as those from other life-sciences, computer science, mathematics, physics, computer graphics and visualisation specialties, including employees from commercial organisations involved in designing, developing and marketing healthcare related products and simulations. In relation to the medical undergraduate programme revisions at GU, there is now a demand from clinicians from a wide variety of fields to be more aware of anatomical applications and imagery.

Students will also achieve PgCert and PgDip exit awards during this course.

Students need to have a good Bachelors Honours degree or equivalent in any of the following disciplines: Life sciences, medical or biomedical science, e.g. anatomy, physiology, dentistry or dental technology, forensic anthropology, molecular biological degrees and the allied health professionals; Computer science, 3D visualisation, computer graphics, health informatics, mathematics, and physics; Medical illustration, 3D design, product design, digital media, digital arts, 3D modeling and animation or equivalent professional practice. High calibre graduates from other disciplines may be considered if they are able to demonstrate an interest and ability in the field of medical visualisation.