Clinical Trials (Online Learning) MSc, PgCert, PgDip, PgProfDev
Online
DURATION
1 up to 3 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline
EARLIEST START DATE
Request earliest startdate
TUITION FEES
GBP 6,370 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
Distance Learning
* estimated tuition for clinical trials (MSc, PgCert, PgDip, PgProfDev)
Introduction
Never more relevant, our mission is to equip our global students with the principles underpinning the design, management, appraisal and reporting of clinical trials to improve health.
Study with us to qualify as the theory and practice of health care interventions including randomised control trials. Our suite of online courses allows students to qualify at Certificate, Diploma and Masters level.
How is it taught?
Each course is divided into a set of themed sections in which material is presented in a blend of short online lectures, practical case studies, directed readings, podcasts and archived webinars. Discussion board tasks and live expert guest lectures offer an opportunity for collaborative critical discourse and debate of current issues under the guidance of expert teaching staff.
Online learning
Online learning is a way to study for an internationally recognised qualification without needing to attend classes on campus. It is aimed at those who wish to study for a postgraduate qualification alongside work or other commitments.
Online programmes are of equal value to on-campus programmes. The only difference is the way the course is delivered. Our online learning platform enables you to communicate with our highly qualified teaching staff from the comfort of your own home or workplace.
As an online student, you have access to the University's excellent resources. We use the latest in educational technology tools and systems. Our VLE has a modern, intuitive, fully accessible and responsive interface, delivering a powerful teaching and learning experience on any device with an internet connection, anytime, anywhere.
The programme is delivered fully online with a study commitment of 12-15 hours per week. It has been designed to embrace the role that technology can play in enhancing teaching, learning and assessment, allowing for a flexible approach that caters to different ways of learning.
Each student will be supported as an active member of a vibrant global online community where the learning is facilitated by tutors, tasks and materials that foster active, relevant and collaborative learning.
Rankings
The University of Edinburgh is currently ranked 15th in the World in the QS World University Rankings 2023.
Gallery
Ideal Students
The programme will support the demand for appropriately qualified health professionals to lead clinical trials of all phases. It is suitable for graduates in medicine, nursing, pharmacy, life sciences and other allied disciplines involved in Clinical Trials. It also attracts students who are working in clinical trials but have not studied for many years, and people who wish to move into the field of clinical trials and change their career.
Program Outcome
Graduates of this programme will have gained:
- a critical understanding of the principles, science and evidence underpinning clinical trials
- the ability to critique current approaches in clinical trial design and implementation
- the capacity to take responsibility for their own learning and development within the clinical trials environment
- the ability to communicate the design, implementation and results of clinical trials to a variety of audiences
- the resolve to work professionally and with integrity in a multi-disciplinary research team to deliver effective clinical trials
- the skills to design, implement and report clinical trials
Career Opportunities
Our Certificate, Diploma and Masters courses are designed to improve your prospects in the rapidly growing field of clinical trials research. Students have found excellent opportunities in academia, the public and non-profit health sectors and industry including pharmaceutical and biotech companies and contract research organisations (CROs).
Roles exist in a variety of areas including:
- Clinical research - trial managers, administrators, clinical research associates
- Quality Assurance and Control - trial monitors, QA managers, pharmacovigilance
- Data management - data managers, biostatistics and programming
- Regulatory affairs - global regulatory lead, information management associate, executive roles
- Medical affairs - Chief and Principal Investigators, medical liaison, medical communications and writing
- Product development - medical devices
Curriculum
You can study for a Master's, Diploma or Certificate level.
In year one, students will follow 2 compulsory courses ensuring a solid foundation in the basics of randomised control trials and medical statistics, and the ethical and regulatory context underpinning clinical research.
Our suite of elective courses offers students the opportunity to explore areas of interest in more depth and to tailor the programme to their own learning needs and career goals.
- Year 1 – Certificate - Two 20-credit compulsory courses and one 20-credit elective
- Year 2 – Diploma - a total of 60 credits from our list of electives
- Year 3 – Masters - dissertation year 60 credits
We also offer the option for students to take individual courses under the Postgraduate Professional Development (PPD) scheme. Tuition fees are paid on a course-by-course basis.
Year 1
- Introduction to Randomised Controlled Trials and Medical Statistics
- Ethical and Regulatory Considerations in Clinical Trials
- Principles of Clinical Trial Management
- Monitoring and Audit (20 credits)
- Clinical Trials in Special Populations (20 credits)
- Patient and Public Involvement (PPI)
- Pharmacovigilance
- Introduction to Health Economics and Applied Health Economics
- Trial Designs
- Neuroimaging: Translational Imaging and Clinical Trials
Year 2
- Principles of Clinical Trial Management
- Monitoring and Audit (20 credits)
- Clinical Trials in Special Populations (20 credits)
- Patient and Public Involvement (PPI)
- Pharmacovigilance
- Introduction to Health Economics and Applied Health Economics
- Trial Designs
- Neuroimaging: Translational Imaging and Clinical Trials
Year 3
- MScCT Dissertation
Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
The University offers several scholarships specifically for online, part-time postgraduate programmes.
Edinburgh Global Online Learning Master's Scholarships
The University of Edinburgh will offer twenty Master's scholarships for eligible part-time distance learning Master's programmes offered by the University.
Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarships 2023
Scholarships are offered by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC) for applicants accepted for admission to eligible online programmes at the University of Edinburgh in the Academic Year 2023-2024.
The Anne Rowling Clinic Regenerative Neurology Scholarships
The Anne Rowling Clinic will offer three online learning Master's scholarships for applicants commencing Stem Cells and Translational Neurology programmes in the academic year 2023-2024.
Mastercard Foundation Online Learning Scholarships
Gaining an Online Master's is an excellent way to earn a qualification which is equivalent to on-campus study, while at the same time continuing to work flexibly and live at home. Online Master's qualifications through the University of Edinburgh are fully equivalent to Master's degrees taught on campus.
Clinical Management of Pain Scholarship
The Department of Anaesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine offer four scholarships to students in the Clinical Management of Pain (Online Distance Learning) programme in the 2023-2024 academic session.
The David and Molly Pyott Foundation Scholarships in Ophthalmology
Twelve online learning Master's scholarships are available in the field of Ophthalmology for students from Africa, Central and South Asia, the Caribbean Islands, Pacific Islands, and Central and Latin America who have been accepted for admission to the two-year, part-time online ChM (Master of Surgery) in Clinical Ophthalmology in academic session 2023-2024.
Polish School of Medicine Memorial Fund Scholarships
The scholarship enables medical doctors and medical scientists at the outset of their careers to undertake a period of further study or research at the University’s Medical School and return to Poland.
The Sanders Scholarship in Clinical Ophthalmology
A number of online learning Master's scholarships are available for the academic year 2023-2024.
Edinburgh Surgery Online Global Scholarships
The University of Edinburgh will offer a number of scholarships for online learning Master's programmes for the academic year 2023-2024.
Edinburgh Surgery Online: Patient Safety and Clinical Human Factors
Edinburgh Surgery Online will offer a number of scholarships for online learning Master's programmes for the academic year 2023-2024.
Edinburgh Surgery Online Ophthalmology Scholarship
A number of Scholarships are available for students applying to the Online MSc programme, Primary Care Ophthalmology.
Edinburgh Dental Institute MSc Scholarship
The Edinburgh Dental Institute is offering a number of scholarships for students applying to study an MSc in Restorative Dentistry.
The Glenmore Postgraduate Scholarship
Three scholarships are available for eligible postgraduate Master's programmes offered by the University in the 2023-2024 academic session.
MSc Internal Medicine Master's Scholarships
The University of Edinburgh’s MSc Internal Medicine will offer up to eight partial tuition fee scholarships.
The George Lindsay Cooper and Madeleine Bentley Scholarships
Three scholarships are available to cover full tuition fees for selected taught Master’s programmes offered by or affiliated with the Edinburgh Futures Institute for entry in 2023-2024.
The Scottish Government Scholarship in Ophthalmology
A number of scholarships are available for eye healthcare professionals working in Scotland who have been accepted for admission to the online MSc in Primary Care Ophthalmology programme in the academic year 2023-2024, thanks to the generous funding of The Scottish Government.
Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarships 2023 - International Development
A total of 15 scholarships are offered by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC) for applicants accepted for admission to the MSc International Development (Online Learning) Programme in the 2023-2024 academic year.
Ophthalmic Nurse Scholarships
A number of scholarships are available for nurses working in Ophthalmology who have been accepted for admission to the online MSc in Primary Care Ophthalmology programme in the academic year 2023-2024.