“I write for a largely technical research audience,” explains Sheila Pinion, lead technical editor for Tocris, a company that provides reagents for basic research. “The company sells compounds to support a wide range of preclinical research, so I end up writing about different areas of science.”

However, a very busy day job full of writing copy, meeting deadlines and following production schedules has not deterred Sheila from further study. She is a part-time student on the MSc in Stem Cells and Regeneration, a distance-learning programme at the University of Bristol.

“I decided to do a Master's on a part-time, distance-learning basis as I wanted to keep working, and I’ve just started my second year,” she explained. “I find stem cells a particularly interesting area as it can be approached from many different angles: political, ethical, legal, scientific. It’s a very broad topic.”

All the lectures are delivered on-line, through an innovative e-learning environment, where films, audio, presentation slides and references are all ready for the taking. While the programme depends a great deal on independent study, all students can participate in online forums, as well as doing the homework ‘tasks’ every month.

“The tasks include essays, short answer questions and multiple choice questions,” said Sheila, “and the programme recommends you allow 15 hours of study per week.”

The students only meet face-to-face when it’s exam time. Having been through the first lot of exams at the end of her first year, there will be a few familiar faces again at the next set of exams, as the students regroup for their assessment.

“We set up a Facebook group after the last lot of exams, so that we could keep in touch easily, and support each other, as well as having a bit of a social angle,” she said. “Some of the students are international, so this makes contact a lot easier and you don’t feel as if you are the only one doing the Master's. The staff are also available to help, providing both pastoral care and support related to the programme’s content.”

Doing the Master's is seen positively by Tocris, which is, part-funding Sheila to do the degree. “In Tocris, we deal with stem cell products as well, so the knowledge I am gaining from the course is incredibly useful,” she said. Sheila is also considering doing a PhD after her MSc and definitely wants to keep on writing.

“Since starting the course, I really feel that my understanding of science has both deepened and broadened out. I think that doing this Master's has opened up many different options for the future, such as academic publishing. It’s a really hot topic at the moment with a lot of fascinating research taking place, particularly in Bristol.”

Of course, self-discipline, motivation and organisation are key to success for distance-learning students, and Sheila admits that it might take a bit of time to get a handle on what is required at the beginning of the course.

“However, there’s lots of help on hand; the academic and administrative staff are amazing and I’ve always had prompt responses to any queries,” she said.

“The best bit of the course is that I can study whenever it suits me,” she finishes, laughing. “Even when I’m in my pyjamas!”