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Clinical Ophthalmic Practice PG Cert

London, Old Street

This is the programme information for 2025 entry

If you require details of the previous year's programme, Clinical Ophthalmic Practice PG Cert (2024), click here

UK students International students

Study mode

Part-time

UK tuition fees (2025/26)

£5,400

Overseas tuition fees (2025/26)

£12,200

Duration

1 academic year

Programme starts

September 2025

Applications accepted

All applicants: 14 Oct 2024 – 29 Aug 2025

Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Apply for this course

Entry requirements

A minimum of a second-class Bachelor’s degree in a relevant discipline from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard. Candidates will need to have a professional healthcare qualification (in nursing or an allied healthcare profession). Students are also required to have at least one year’s ophthalmic experience and to be currently working in the field of ophthalmology.

The English language level for this programme is: Level 1

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree

The programme is designed to help graduates acquire and apply knowledge and skills resulting from evidence-based research required for clinical practice.

It will allow students to develop advanced knowledge of the eye, eye diseases and treatment and the research underpinning clinical practice.

Who this course is for

This programme is suitable for nurses working in an ophthalmic clinical setting.

Read about what it takes to study for a Master's at UCL

What this course will give you

This programme will give you the underpinning research and evidence-based knowledge to develop your clinical knowledge base.

This programme is delivered using a blended learning approach. You will have access to face-to-face classroom teaching and virtual learning, both individually as well as through collaborative and cooperative learning approaches, to help you acquire the academic knowledge and skills required for evidence-based practice.

Read about what you'll get out of a graduate programme

The foundation of your career

As a graduate of this programme, you will have enhanced your employment prospects with employers both in the UK and overseas, as you will have broadened your ophthalmic knowledge and skills and have a foundation in research.

Employability

Experience on the programme can be used in applications for ophthalmic nursing roles or further study.

Networking

You can participate in the various research seminars, special guest lectures and events held at the Institute of Ophthalmology which will not only widen your exposure to the latest research and hear from speakers from around the world but increase the opportunity to meet with various staff at the Institute, Moorfields or wider UCL, for example research staff, clinicians and fellow students. Your programme will also hold informal events such as social events so you can meet with teaching staff and other students on your programme, who have been based at different hospitals and clinical settings which enriches your peer-to-peer learning.

Teaching and learning

The programme has been designed with the working professional in mind.

The programme will take place online and face-to-face with attendance required in-person in London along with some online materials/activities you will be expected to cover in your own time.

Assessments are a mix of multiple choice exams and coursework such as an essay, writing up a clinical case study or writing an audit proposal or a presentation to demonstrate your clinical knowledge.

There will be assessments for each module you study. An overview of module assessment information can be found on the UCL module catalogue for each module, search by module title or the module code, but this is subject to change year to year. Confirmed detailed information about your module assessments will be communicated to you when you are on the programme.

Teaching will be in-person and online as well as content you will be expected to go over independently. It is recommended that for every hour of teaching you receive, you should undertake up to two or three hours of self-study.

You can expect 7-14 hours of teaching time per week and this can vary per module, per week. Most of the teaching on this course will be carried out through live, online synchronous sessions. You can expect 3-4 days of in-person clinical skills workshops over the whole year and the assessment for one module in term one, will also be in-person.

Modules

: Students on this one year part-time programme take four 15 credit modules over terms 1 and 2.

Compulsory modules

Anatomy and Physiology

Research and Statistics

Ophthalmic Clinical Case Studies

Clinical Care in Practice

Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability are subject to change. Modules that are in use for the current academic year are linked for further information. Where no link is present, further information is not yet available.

Students undertake modules to the value of 60 credits. Upon successful completion of 60 credits, you will be awarded a PG Cert in Clinical Ophthalmic Practice.

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services team.

Visit us

All open days and events

Online - Open day

Graduate Open Events: Clinical Ophthalmic Practice PG Cert

This programme will allow you to develop advanced knowledge of the eye, eye diseases and treatment and the research underpinning clinical practice. It is delivered by experts at the forefront of ophthalmic research clinical practice at the Institute of Ophthalmology and Moorfields Eye Hospital Trust. You'll get to hear from the programme Directorship and student ambassadors about the course structure, modules, career outcomes and life as a student in the department, UCL and London more widely.

Watch on demand event

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students

Fee description	Part-time
Tuition fees (2025/26)	£5,400
Tuition fees (2025/26)	£12,200

Part-time = 1 year.

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Where the programme is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees.

Additional costs

There are no additional costs for this programme.

UCL’s main teaching locations are in zones 1 (Bloomsbury) and zones 2/3 (UCL East). The cost of a monthly 18+ Oyster travel card for zones 1-2 is £114.50. This price was published by TfL in 2024. For more information on additional costs for prospective students and the cost of living in London, please view our estimated cost of essential expenditure at UCL's cost of living guide.

Funding your studies

Visit the UCL Scholarships and Funding webpage here to find out more about scholarship and funding support.

The UCL Institute of Ophthalmology sometimes offers scholarships for successful applications on specific programmes. You can find out more information about these here.

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.

See all the ways you can fund your studies

: Institute of Ophthalmology International Excellence Scholarships

Deadline: 30 June 2025

Value: £5,000 towards fees (1 year)

Criteria Based on academic merit

Eligibility: EU, Overseas

Next steps

Students are advised to apply as early as possible due to competition for places. Those applying for scholarship funding should take note of the funding application deadlines.

There is no application fee for this programme.

When we assess your application we would like to learn:

Why you want to study Clinical Ophthalmic Practice at graduate level
Why you want to study Clinical Ophthalmic Practice at UCL
What particularly attracts you to this programme
How your personal, academic and professional background meets the demands of this challenging programme
Where you would like to go professionally with your degree.

Together with essential academic requirements, the personal statement is your opportunity to illustrate whether your reasons for applying to this programme match what the programme will deliver.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

This programme requires two references. Further information regarding references can be found on this Selecting your references page.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.