Medical Education (MSc)
The Postgraduate Certificate, Diploma & MSc in Medical Education is an e-learning course, offering a build-up of study credit via a three-stage, progressive course delivered online.
The MSc in Medical Education programme is committed to promoting excellence in learning and teaching for health professionals. It is for all medical, dental and other health professionals who aim to professionalise the role of the clinician as teacher.
This part-time programme, taught entirely online, leads to the award of an MSc in Medical Education. It is the final stage of a three-stage, progressive course.
Admission to this programme requires successful completion of the PG Certificate (stage 1) and Diploma (stage 2) in Medical Education. The MSc component will involve the completion of a small scale empirical or literature based study culminating in the submission of a dissertation. Many of the projects provide the basis for practical innovations in the workplace and can also extend engagement with and contribution to the wider medical education community
Distinctive features
- Application of theory, concepts and principles to your clinical educational setting
- Development of future educational leaders
- The programme is accredited by the Higher Education Academy, conferring Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy upon successful completion of the Postgraduate Certificate in Medical Education and evidence of engagement with the UK Professional Standards Framework (UKPSF)
- Accredited by the Academy of Medical Educators (AoME) and aligned to GMC Trainer criteria
- Opportunity to study alongside healthcare professionals from diverse backgrounds to promote understanding and sharing of good practice
- Support from an academic team of dedicated educationalists, active in professional associations who have a breadth of experience both nationally and internationally
- Course design and delivery emphasising principles and application through interactive discussion and activities in an online environment
- Many years of experience of running medical educational courses in the UK and Internationally
- Positioned within the School of Medicine we are well placed to support the education and training of clinicians and clinical educators
Key facts
| Next intake | September 2020 |
|---|---|
| Duration | 3 years |
| Qualification | MSc |
| Mode | Part-time - distance learning |
| Other ways to study this course | |
| Contact |
Admissions criteria
In addition to fulfilling the University entrance requirements for study at Postgraduate level; you will need to demonstrate your interest/involvement in learning and teaching in health care contexts.
Successful completion of the Postgraduate Diploma stage of the programme is a prerequisite for the MSc stage.
The course is suitable for all health professionals who have teaching, assessment and related educational responsibilities, such as teachers, trainers, educational supervisors, course co-ordinators, clinical and college tutors.
Applicants should also hold an initial degree from an approved University, or other qualification/proof of educational ability.
If English is not your first language, please provide evidence of your English language qualifications to fulfil the University’s English language requirements.
Application deadline: Applications are closed once the course is full.
Find out more about English language requirements.
Applicants who require a Tier 4 visa to study in the UK must present an acceptable English language qualification in order to meet UKVI (UK Visas and Immigration) requirements
The MSc year (stage three) follows on from successful completion of the Postgraduate Certificate year (stage one) and the Postgraduate Diploma year (stage two). The programme is delivered entirely online and you will be required to engage with online learning materials within tutor-facilitated groups and with your dissertation supervisor throughout the academic year (October to June). There is no requirement to attend, as all teaching will be delivered via e-learning.
The modules shown are an example of the typical curriculum and will be reviewed prior to the 2020/21 academic year. The final modules will be published by September 2020.
Year one
All modules in the Postgraduate Certificate Programme form year one of the Postgraduate Diploma Programme. These must be successfully completed before progressing to year two (Postgraduate Diploma year).
Year two
All modules in both the Postgraduate Certificate Programme (year one) and the Postgraduate Diploma Programme (year two) must be successfully completed before progressing to year three (MSc year).
| Module title | Module code | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Dissertation (E-Learning) | MDT084 | 60 credits |
How will I be taught?
The teaching takes place online in group settings, which are facilitated by online tutors. There are a variety of tasks in the dissertation module where there is the opportunity for discussion, debate, exploration and peer interaction designed to enhance learning in addition to guided and independent study. The online tutor plays a key role in the delivery of teaching for the module.
Opportunities to develop your team working and collaboration skills will be available through your tasks and activities within discussion fora and general engagement in debate and exploration with tutors and peers.
How will I be supported?
You will be allocated a dissertation supervisor who will support your progress on the course, monitoring your general progress, discussing relevant issues and providing advice, guidance and support.
During the dissertation component you will have an opportunity to receive feedback on the project design and draft dissertation chapters.
How will I be assessed?
The MSc component will require the completion of a small scale empirical or literature based study culminating in the submission of a dissertation.
What skills will I practise and develop?
The overall aims of the course are to help you:
- Critically appraise both your own and others’ practice as clinical educators and educational leaders to enhance learning and teaching relationships with colleagues/trainees.
- Synthesise concepts in order to further enhance knowledge and understanding to initiate educational developments responsive to clinical education needs and challenges.
- Develop an ability to engage with research, scholarship and practice and deal with complexities, contradictions and gaps in the current evidence base.
- Develop the educational skills required to provide constructive feedback to learner.
More specifically the course aims to:
- Develop and formally recognise experience, skills and leadership in clinical education.
- Provide an understanding of educational theories, methods and practice across the clinical professions that inform current educational practice.
- Promote critical self-awareness and reflection on educational practice to inform educational change.
- Develop educational skills as a clinical educator and educational leader.
- Illustrate your understanding of concepts by designing, planning and delivering learner-centred sessions employing a range of educational strategies/principles.
- Achieve an understanding of how to create effective change in healthcare education.
- Provide skills to design, develop and critically analyse educational media and technologies in order to enhance the learning-teaching process.
- Promote a critical evaluation of the purpose, design, application and interpretation of a range of assessment methods available to clinical educators.
- Develop the educational skills required to provide constructive feedback to learners.
- Develop the knowledge and skills needed to be an educational evaluator in clinical contexts.
- Develop the knowledge required to design, implement and evaluate an educational event with coherence, integration and relevance.
- Provide an understanding of the philosophical orientations of educational research and a range of research methodologies to enable the selection and utilisation of appropriate strategies to design and conduct educational research.
Tuition fees
UK and EU students (2020/21)
| Tuition fee | Deposit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| £3,850 | £1,000 |
More information about tuition fees and deposits, including for part-time and continuing students.
EU students entering in 2020/21 will pay the same tuition fee as UK students for the duration of their course. Please be aware that fees may increase annually in line with inflation. No decisions regarding fees and loans for EU students starting in 2020/21 have been made yet. These will be determined as part of the UK's discussions on its membership of the EU and we will provide further details as soon as we can.
Students from outside the EU (2020/21)
| Tuition fee | Deposit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| £3,850 | £1,000 |
More information about tuition fees and deposits, including for part-time and continuing students.
Will I need any specific equipment to study this course/programme?
You will need to be able to access the internet on a regular basis in order to engage with your programme.
Professionals have joined the course from around the world. Many graduates use the insights gained on the course to introduce innovations to their day to day teaching, whilst others go on to higher level roles and responsibilities to lead and promote excellence in learning and teaching at national and international levels.
Here’s what some of our graduates have to say about how they have benefitted professionally from studying this course…
“I couldn’t recommend the course at Cardiff University more highly to help you achieve your educational and research goals. I now sit on the National Intern Curriculum Development Board, using all the skills I have learned on the MSc programme.”
Mark Hohenberg, Physician, Care of the Elderly
“I would highly recommend the degree to other colleagues, especially as the regulations for becoming a medical educator are going to become much tighter.”
Aenone Harper
“The course balanced theory and research with practical elements that I could incorporate into my daily teaching.”
Victoria Tippet
