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Medical Education MSc

London, Regent's Park (Royal College of Physicians)

Doctors responsible for clinical teaching within the health services and universities are increasingly expected to have a postgraduate qualification in Medical Education. This programme is designed by the Royal College of Physicians and UCL to meet the needs of doctors who are intending to have a significant role in medical education.

UK students International students
Study mode
Flexible
UK tuition fees (2025/26)
£18,400
Programme only available on a modular (flexible) basis.
Overseas tuition fees (2025/26)
£33,000
Programme only available on a modular (flexible) basis.
Duration
Not applicable
5 calendar years
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

Entry to the Postgraduate Certificate of the MSc in Medical Education requires a primary medical qualification. Eligibility for the Postgraduate Diploma requires successful completion of the RCP/UCL Postgraduate Certificate in Medical Education. Eligibility for Master's level is dependent on successful completion of the RCP/UCL Postgraduate Diploma.

The English language level for this programme is: Level 2
If your existing score is below this, please consider retaking the exam, as applicants with lower scores will not be accepted on the programme.

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


This is a flexible, part-time, modular Master’s programme specifically designed for doctors wishing to develop their roles as educators. The programme is taken sequentially, starting with the Postgraduate Certificate in year one, the Postgraduate Diploma in year two, and finally the Master's in year three.

Participants develop the ability to adopt a learner-centred teaching approach, structure teaching, and set objectives that enhance their students' learning. You will apply educational theory and research to your own teaching practice, recognise how assessment theory should inform practice in assessment of medical competence, and be able to effectively support learners. The face-to-face format provides opportunities for networking and sharing good educational practice with peers and senior educators.

On completion, you will be equipped with the knowledge and skills to play a significant educational role in your workplace and/or take on an academic role in medical education.

Who this course is for

The programme is open to doctors from Foundation Year 2 through to consultant level, with some teaching and assessment experience and a commitment to developing as a medical educator. The programme is delivered face-to-face at the RCP site in London, so applicants must be prepared to attend in person. Doctors responsible for clinical teaching within the health services and universities are increasingly expected to have a Postgraduate Certificate in Medical Education. Doctors involved in curriculum and course development will find the Postgraduate Diploma particularly relevant to their work.

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

What this course will give you

This programme offers you the following benefits and opportunities:

  • The strengths of two world-leading institutions: UCL Medical School and the Royal College of Physicians.
  • A highly talented teaching team comprised of RCP educationalists, UCL academics and experienced clinical educators.
  • The programme addresses several important aspects for medical educators: educational theories and teaching methods, curriculum development, research in medical education and the role of AI in medical education.
  • Participants gain knowledge of teaching and learning processes, develop practical skills and techniques, and gain a deeper understanding of the evidence and theory underpinning current thinking in medical education.
  • Students benefit from the resources of the RCP Wellcome Library, a world-class medical education library.
Read about what you'll get out of a graduate programme

The foundation of your career

According to the HESA Graduate Outcomes surveys (2018-2022), around 87% of our Medical Education graduates reported being in highly skilled work (81%) or further postgraduate study (6%). The programme has helped many of our graduates obtain high-quality posts as NHS consultants or academics in a university setting. Some of our more successful alumni also return to the programme as tutors or teachers.

Employability

According to the HESA Graduate Outcomes survey (2018-2022), graduates from the programme have remained at, or progressed onto, roles at NHS Trusts across the country, from Mersey and West Lancashire to Brighton and Sussex and Royal Cornwall Hospitals.

Our graduates include consultant geriatricians, consultant paediatricians, senior lecturers, and registrars in clinical pharmacology and acute medicine.

While many graduates from the programme continue to practise primarily as doctors, this award presents an opportunity to develop a formal role in either undergraduate or postgraduate education.

Networking

Since this programme is delivered entirely face to face, there are many opportunities for you to network with other students and the subject specialists in clinical education who deliver the teaching. We also alert students to relevant conferences and talks and encourage you to attend them.

Teaching and learning

The programme is flexible / modular, requiring on-site attendance only during the contact days of teaching sessions. The contact days include workshop style discussions and practical application 'simulation' sessions.

Assessment is through a range of written assignments:

  • literature reviews
  • teaching reports
  • research proposals
  • critical evaluations
  • the final Master's dissertation.

Each module takes approximately two months to complete. Each provides around 18 hours of face-to-face teaching in a block of three consecutive days (all 10am-4pm), plus a separate 30-minute online tutorial.

If you study the maximum of four modules per academic year, you will receive around 72 hours of face-to-face teaching over four teaching blocks in both the PG Cert year (one) and the PG Dip year (two), plus two hours of online tutorials. The blocks begin in October and run every couple of months until April/May.

If you study fewer than four modules per year, you join the required number of teaching blocks and 30-minute tutorials (one each per module).

The master’s year has five in-person days (each 10am-4.30pm), totalling roughly 32.5 teaching and discussion hours. These are scheduled every couple of months from October until June. You also receive at least five 30-minute online tutorials with a supervisor.

Each module at Certificate and Diploma level requires 130 further hours of self-directed study. Over the two-month duration of a module, this equates to around 15 hours per week. The Master’s year requires about 560 hours of self-directed study. Over a nine-month period, this also equates to around 15 hours per week. Your self-directed study comprises pre-reading, reviewing notes taken at the teaching days, follow-up reading, and drafting and writing assignments.

A Postgraduate Diploma comprising eight core modules (120 credits) is offered A Postgraduate Certificate comprising four core modules (60 credits) is offered.

Modules

This flexible, modular Master’s programme can be completed in 3-5 years. This is a cumulative programme. You can exit with a Postgraduate Certificate after completing year one, or a Postgraduate Diploma after completing the first two years.

By attending face-to-face teaching days at the RCP, you will receive expert teaching, tailored support through one-to-one tutorials, networking opportunities with a variety of like-minded professionals, and access to unique medical education resources.

Year 1

You take four three-day modules (Modules 1-4), studied face-to-face at the Royal College of Physicians. What you will learn:

  • To adopt a learner-centred teaching approach, structure teaching, and set objectives that enhance your students' learning.
  • To apply educational theory and educational research to your own teaching practice including small group, large group, bedside and opportunistic clinical teaching setting.
  • How to use educational innovations within medical education.
  • To recognise how assessment theory should inform practice in assessment of medical competence.
  • To select and use a range of assessment methods with confidence.
  • To appraise both medical trainees and peers within evidence-based structures.
  • To maximise your effectiveness as educational supervisors and gain confidence in your management of trainees requiring additional support.

Year 2

You take four three-day modules (Modules 5-8), studied face-to-face at the RCP. You may choose to replace either Module 7 or Module 8 with another UCL module (which may be delivered online). What you will learn:

  • Further knowledge and understanding of the research evidence, theory, and practicalities of course and curriculum design.
  • Practical experience of course design and evaluation.
  • To critically select, develop and evaluate written, electronic, clinical skills and patient-related resources to support learning in medical education at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
  • The foundational knowledge and skills to conduct research in medical education.
  • To apply your educational research knowledge through writing a proposal for a small research project.
  • To identify and gain the skills and attributes of effective educational leadership in medicine.

Year 3

You complete a research thesis or report in medical education with regular meetings with a designated tutor. What you will learn:

  • To conduct a comprehensive, critical review of research evidence and educational theory in a chosen area of medical education practice.
  • To develop and employ your research skills in medical education.
  • An in-depth knowledge of the controversies, evidence and theory relating to the area of study.
  • Further knowledge and understanding of the research evidence, theory, and practicalities of course and curriculum design.
  • To critically select, develop and evaluate written, electronic, clinical skills and patient-related resources to support learning in medical education at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
  • The knowledge and skills to conduct research in medical education.
  • To apply your educational research knowledge through a small research project.

Compulsory modules









Optional modules




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 180 credits. Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded an MSc in Medical Education. Upon successful completion of 120 credits, you will be awarded a PG Dip in Medical Education. Upon successful completion of 60 credits, you will be awarded a PG Cert in Medical Education.

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.

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time
Tuition fees (2025/26) £18,400
Tuition fees (2025/26) £33,000

Programme only available on a modular (flexible) basis.

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

For Full-time and Part-time offer holders a fee deposit will be charged at 10% of the first year fee.

For flexible/modular offer holders a £500 fee deposit will be charged.

There is no fee deposit required for PG Dip and PG Cert applicants.

Further information can be found in the Tuition fee deposits section on this page: Tuition fees.

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

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

Next steps

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis with the first application review on 1 June and offers will be made shortly after. We advise you to apply early as applications may close before the closing date if all places are offered. Those applying for scholarship funding (particularly overseas applicants) should take note of application deadlines.

There is an application processing fee for this programme of £90 for online applications. Further information can be found at Application fees.

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. Because the programme is usually oversubscribed, we use your personal statement as a method of ranking applicants. This ranking takes into consideration:

  • your current and prior involvement in education and training (with recognition for applicants who teach over and above the usual requirement)
  • evidence of interest in medical education (with recognition for applicants who have undergone prior training in medical education, or have published in the area)
  • your ability to write to an academic standard in English (with penalties for multiple grammatical and spelling errors).

Application is to the Postgraduate Certificate in the first instance. Successful completion of the one-year certificate leads to eligibility to study for a further year for the Postgraduate Diploma and success in the diploma leads to eligibility for a final year to study to Master's level.

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.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.

Year of entry: 2025-2026

Apply for this course

Got questions? Get in touch

UCL Medical School
UCL Medical School

postgraduate@rcplondon.ac.uk

UCL is regulated by the Office for Students.