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Health Professions Education MSc

The MSc in Health Professions Education addresses the contemporary context, educational theory and practical teaching skills relevant to practitioners of all disciplines involved in education and training of healthcare professionals.

Covid-19 programme updates

Due to COVID-19, there may have been updates to this programme for the 2020 academic year. Where there has been an update, these are indicated with a red alert and a link which will provide further information.

Key information

Programme starts

September 2020, January 2021

Modes and duration

Full time: 1 year
Flexible: up to 5 years
Distance learning: available

Application dates

September 2020 entry
Open: 15 October 2019
Close: 31 August 2020
January 2021 entry
Open: 17 August 2020
Close: 13 November 2020

Tuition fees (2020/21)

UK/EU:
£8,990 (FT)
Overseas:
£19,520 (FT)


Note on fees: The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website. Fees for flexible, modular study are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Please note: students starting study in January 2021 will pay fees at the 2020/21 rate.

Location: London, Bloomsbury

Entry requirements

A minimum of a relevant second-class Bachelor's degree from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard and relevant professional experience of health care education and training.

English language requirements

If your education has not been conducted in the English language, you will be expected to demonstrate evidence of an adequate level of English proficiency.

The English language level for this programme is: Good

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

International students

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.

Select your country:

About this degree

The programme also emphasises transferable skills, and thus enables participants to cultivate their research and analytical capabilities in order to:

  • develop their practice as educational supervisors and mentors
  • develop their skills and practice as teachers
  • critically analyse theory policy and practice in health professions education
  • conduct research in health professions education.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits for the MSc. Students can choose to exit with the interim awards PG Diploma (120 credits) or PG Certificate (60 Credits).

The programme consists of a number of 15 or 30 credit taught modules covering a range of health professions education topics, and either a dissertation or a report which are each worth 60 credits. The dissertation is based on an empirical research project, whereas the report is based on piece desk research, typically a review of literature.

Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded a MSc in Health Professions Education.

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 is subject to change.

Optional modules

There are no core modules for this programme.

Optional modules

Flexibility and choice are key features of this exciting and innovative programme.

Consequently, there are no core modules, and students may choose from a wide range of optional modules covering a range of topics, from introductory modules on teaching and learning to new modules on leadership, quality improvement and teaching ethics and law.

  • Approaches to Leading Change
  • Clinical and Educational Supervision
  • Clinical Simulation
  • Conducting Literature Reviews for Health Professions Education Research
  • Contemporary Issues in Clinical Education
  • Education for Health Professionals
  • Introduction to Assessment
  • Leadership Skills for the Healthcare Professional
  • Qualitative Approaches for Clinical Education
  • Quality Improvement in Health Care
  • Strategic Leadership
  • Teaching and Learning in Medical Education
  • Teaching Ethics and Law in Clinical Education
  • Understanding Education Research
  • Understanding Research
  • Writing a Research Proposal for Clinical Education Projects
Covid-19 module updates
Due to COVID-19, there may be updates to the modules for your chosen programme of study this year. Some modules may not be available or may need to be moved to a later term or year of study.  We have included these updates below:   Education for Health Professionals (MDSC0001) is suspended. These updates are relevant for 2020-21 academic year only.  The full list of modules will be available in the module catalogue from late August.  From the first week of September, you will be invited to complete module selection from Portico, our student record system. There may need to be additional updates or changes to modules during the academic year to allow for new guidance from the UK Government and Public Health England. Your department shall keep you updated of these changes as they become available.  

Dissertation/report

All MSc students submit either a dissertation or a report.

The dissertation is based on original empirical research, whereas the report is based on secondary research, often taking the form of a literature review.

Both options have a prerequisite module which is designed to support the research that you plan to undertake. This module should normally be taken in the academic year prior to commencing the dissertation or report, but can be taken in the same academic year.

Teaching and learning

This programme is delivered through a combination of face-to-face daytime and evening sessions and online distance learning. Assessment is by coursework assignments, including essays with reflective components.

Covid-19 contact hours on campus
In Term One, while campus will be open, all the learning activity for the core content of your modules will take place online – including lectures, tutorials, seminars and assessments. By “core content” we mean everything you need to learn to complete the module successfully. In addition to these online contact hours, we will be offering some face-to-face educational activities for students on campus, and we will provide alternative online activities for those students unable to join us on campus. These activities, which will include contact with academic staff, will be relevant to your programme of study may include seminars, academic and employability skills workshops, small-group or individual tutorials, lab and practice-based teaching. UK Government safety guidelines will limit the amount of ‘in person’ activity we can offer and while it will vary from programme to programme, is likely to be no more than 1-2 hours per week. This will vary across departments, particularly if your programme includes laboratory/practical/studio/workshop sessions. You will be updated with more specific details as they are available and your timetable will indicate which sessions will be on campus and which will be available online.
Covid-19 assessment updates
There may be changes to the format of assessments for modules in this programme due to COVID-19. These will be summarised for each module on the module catalogue from 17 August 2020.   If any changes to assessments need to be made during the academic year due to updates in government guidance, these will be communicated to you as soon as possible from your department.    
Communicating further Covid-19 mitigation plans
We are continuing to follow UK Government guidance, as well as the expertise of our researchers, including specialists in health, education, human behaviour and infection prevention, to make sure UCL is as safe as possible during the COVID-19 pandemic. If it becomes necessary to make further changes to your programme as a result of new guidance/regulations, UCL and your department will communicate these as soon as this becomes clear. We will keep you up-to-date with our plans throughout term one, so you have the information you need to be able to take decisions that are right for your circumstances. Please ensure that you keep in touch with your department by regularly checking your UCL emails, Moodle courses, the Coronavirus FAQs for Students page and any UCL online groups or social media you follow.

Additional costs

For more information on additional costs for prospective students please go to our estimated cost of essential expenditure at Accommodation and living costs.

Accessibility

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

Funding

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

Careers

Graduates of this programme are currently working across a broad range of areas. Some are working as teaching clinicians in a range of disciplines and professional roles, while others have jobs as lecturers and researchers in clinical and non-clinical areas. Graduates can also be found working as clinical education policy-makers and managers.

Why study this degree at UCL?

The programme team have extensive expertise and experience in research and practice in health professions education and training. The programme has been developed and run in collaboration with experts from a variety of educational fields across UCL, including the world-renowned Institute of Education (IOE), from the NHS and from policy-makers such as Health Education England.

The programme is designed to be truly flexible to meet your needs and fit with your preferred study options – you are free to curate a programme of study that best suits your interests, and you have the option of specialising in one of three domains that are aligned to known career-progression pathways in health professions education: Leadership, Research and Primary Care.

Department: UCL Medical School

Application and next steps

Applications

Students are advised to apply as early as possible due to competition for places. Those applying for scholarship funding (particularly overseas applicants) should take note of application deadlines.

There is an application processing fee for this programme of £80 for online applications and £105 for paper applications. Further information can be found at: www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/graduate/taught/application.

Who can apply?

This programme is suited to practitioners of all disciplines involved in the education and training of medical, nursing and other healthcare staff.

Application deadlines

September 2020 entry
31 August 2020
January 2021 entry
13 November 2020

For more information see our Applications page.

Apply now

What are we looking for?

When we assess your application we would like to learn:

  • why you want to study Health Professions Education at graduate level
  • why you want to study Health Professions Education at UCL
  • what particularly attracts you to the chosen programme
  • how your 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.

UCL is regulated by the Office for Students.

Page last modified on 13 August 2020