Evidence-Based Health Care Programme

(old regulations for students registered on the MSc EBHC before 1 October 2012)

• 1. The Divisional Board of Medical Sciences, jointly with the Continuing Education Board, shall elect for the supervision of the course a Standing Committee, which shall have the power to arrange lectures and other instruction.

• 2. Every candidate must follow for at least three and at most twelve terms a part-time course of instruction in the theory and practice of Evidence-Based Health Care, which shall normally take place over a period of no more than six years.

• 3. Every candidate will be required to satisfy the examiners in the following:

  • (a) attendance at both of the modules listed in Schedule A (below);

  • (b) attendance at four of the modules listed in Schedule B (below);

  • (c) six written assignments, usually of no more than 5,000 words, one on each of the modules from 3(a) and 3(b) above;

  • (d) a dissertation of not more than 30,000 words (including appendices and footnotes but excluding bibliography), on a subject selected by the candidate in consultation with the supervisor and approved by the Standing Committee.

• The assessed work set out in clause 3(c) shall be forwarded to the examiners c/o Registry, Department for Continuing Education, 1 Wellington Square, Oxford OX1 2JA, for consideration by such date as the examiners shall determine and of which they shall notify candidates. The dissertation set out in clause 3(d) shall be forwarded to the examiners c/o Examination Schools, High Street, Oxford OX1 4BG for consideration by such date as the examiners shall determine and of which they shall notify candidates.

• 4. Candidates may be required to attend a viva voce examination at the end of the course of studies at the discretion of the examiners.

• 5. The examiners may award a distinction to candidates for the M.Sc.

• 6. Candidates who fail to satisfy the examiners in any of the six assignments under 3(c) may be permitted, normally within one year of the original failure, to resubmit work in respect of the part or parts they have failed on not more than one occasion for each assignment without being required to repeat attendance at the relevant module or modules under 3(a) and/or 3(b). Candidates who fail to satisfy the examiners under 3(d) may be permitted to resubmit work in respect of the part or parts of the examination which they have failed, for examination on not more than one occasion which shall normally be within one year of the original failure.

• 7. The Standing Committee shall have the discretion to permit any candidate to be exempted, in exceptional circumstances, from attendance at a module under 3(a) or 3(b) and from submitting an assignment required under 3(c) above, provided that the Standing Committee is satisfied that such a candidate has undertaken equivalent study, or has appropriate work experience to an equivalent standard.

Schedule A

• M1: Practice of EBHC

• M2: Introduction to Study Design and Research Methods

Schedule B

• M3: Knowledge into Action

• M4: Clinical Epidemiology

• M5: Evidence-Based Diagnosis and Screening

• M6: Systematic Reviews

• M7: Randomised Control Trials

• M8: Essential Medical Statistics

• M9: Patient-Based Evidence

• M10: Ethics in Health Care

• M11: Qualitative Research Methods

• M12: Evidence-Based Dentistry

• M13: Introduction to Statistics in Health Care Research

  Any other module as defined by the Programme Director and approved by the Standing Committee.

Postgraduate Programme in Evidence-Based Health Care Studies

(new regulations for students registering on any of the awards listed from 1 October 2012 and available to existing students )

A. Definition of the Programme

• 1. The Continuing Education Strategic Management Board and the Medical Sciences Board shall jointly offer a Programme in Evidence-Based Health Care Studies at postgraduate level.

• 2. The Continuing Education Strategic Management Board and the Medical Sciences Board shall jointly elect for the supervision of the Programme a Standing Committee which shall have the power to arrange lectures and other instruction.

• 3. The subject of the Programme shall be Evidence-Based Health Care Studies.

• 4. The policy of the Continuing Education Strategic Management Board on variable intensity part-time postgraduate study applies to this Programme.

• 5. The following awards shall be available within the Programme:

  • iI. MSc in Evidence-Based Health Care

  • II. MSc in Evidence-Based Health Care (Teaching and Education) 
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  • iiIII. MSc in Evidence-Based Health Care (Medical Statistics)
  •  
  • IV. MSc in Evidence-Based Health Care (Systematic Reviews)
  •  
  • V. Postgraduate Diploma in Evidence-Based Health Care

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  • iiiVI. Postgraduate Certificate in Evidence-Based Health Care

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  • ivVII. Postgraduate Diploma in Health Research

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  • vVIII. Postgraduate Certificate in Health Research

  •  
  • IX. Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching Evidence-Based Health Care
  •  
  • X. Postgraduate Certificate in Qualitative Health Research Methods

B. Progression

• 6. Students admitted to the Programme with the intention of studying towards the awardone of the M.Sc.MSc awards are required to matriculate, involving admission by a college of the University. Students admitted to the Programme intending to study towards a Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma who subsequently apply for admission to one of the M.Sc.MSc awards will be required at that point to matriculate and to be admitted by a college.

C. Exit Awards 

• 7.  Students whoadmitted haveto satisfied the requirements for the awardone of the PostgraduateMSc Certificate or the Postgraduate Diploma andawards who do not wish to continuecease their studies without submitting a dissertation may end their registration at that point and be awarded:

  • (i) thea Postgraduate Certificate in Evidence-Based Health Care if they have satisfied the examiners in three modules from the MSc to which they were admitted, of which at least two must be core modules, or  

    (ii) a Postgraduate Diploma asin Evidence-Based Health Care if they have satisfied the caseexaminers mayin six modules from the MSc to which they were admitted, of which at least two must be core modules. 

• 8. Students admitted to the Postgraduate Diploma in Health Research who wish to cease their studies before completion of all the assessment requirements for that award but who have satisfied the examiners in Modules (1) and (2) and in at least one further module from those specified in 15 VIII or module (40) below, may end their registration at that point and the examiners may award a Postgraduate Certificate in Health Research. 
•  
• 9. Any candidate wishing to cease their registration and be awarded an exit award must have met the requirements to complete a minimum number of in-person modules as specified in 13. and 14. below. 

CD. Duration

• 810. The minimum period of registration on the Programme shall be three terms for each of the Postgraduate Certificates or Postgraduate Diplomas, and four terms for each of the MSc awards. 

• 911. The maximum period of registration shall be six terms for each of the Postgraduate Certificates, nine terms for each of the Postgraduate Diplomas and twelve terms for each of the MSc.

• 10. Candidates may be permitted in certain circumstances to suspend status, for a maximum of six terms. Any such period shall not count to the maximum or minimum permitted period of registration and no fee liability will be incurred during such periodsawards.

DE. StudyAssessment criteria for eligibilityrequirements for awards

• 1112. The modules available in the Programme are specified in the Schedule below. Not all modules are available for each award. Any additional restrictions on permitted combinations of modules will be given on the course website. Modules available will be published by the end of the Michaelmas Term in the year before registering on the programme. Additional modules may become available during a student’s period of registration on the programme. 

• 13. For candidates registered for the MSc or Postgraduate Diploma, at least one of the compulsory modules and at least one other module must be completed in the in-person mode. Up to four modules may be taken wholly online.
•  
• 14. For candidates registered for the Postgraduate Certificate, at least one of the compulsory modules must be completed in the in-person mode. Up to two modules may be taken wholly online.
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• 15. Every candidate for a given award will be required to satisfy the examiners in the following:

  • Ii. M.Sc.MSc in Evidence-Based Health Care

    • (i) attendance at both of modules (i) and (ii);

    • (ii) attendance at any four of modules (iii) to (xv) or (xx) of the schedule at H;

    • (iii) submission of the required assessed work relating to eachmodules (1) and (2), and from four modules selected from (3) to (20), or (40) of the sixschedule modulesat inI. (i)Each andof (ii)the above, whichassessments shall be of not more than 4,000 words per module;

    • (ivii) submission of a dissertation of not more than 15,000 words, on a subject selected by the candidate in consultation with the supervisor and approved by the Standing Committee. Approval must be sought no later than the first day of the ninth term of registration. The dissertation must be submitted within three terms of the date of approval, notwithstanding the maximum permitted period of registration.

  • iiII. Postgraduate DiplomaMSc in Evidence-Based Health Care (Teaching and Education)

    • (i) Submission of the required assessed work relating to modules (12), (22), (23), and (26) and from two modules selected from (2), (4), (7) to (10), (15), (18) to (20), (28), or (40) of the schedule at I. Each of the assessments shall be of not more than 4,000 words per module; 

      (ii) Submission of a dissertation as set out in I(ii) above. 

  • III. MSc in Evidence-Based Health Care (Medical Statistics)

    • (i) attendance at bothSubmission of the required assessed work relating to modules  (i11) and (ii16), and from four modules of which up to three may be selected from (17), (18), (21), (27) or (40) and up to two may be selected from modules (2), (6) and either (8) or (19) (but not both), or (40) of the schedule at I. Each of the assessments shall be of not more than 4,000 words per module;

    • (ii) attendance at any fourSubmission of modulesa dissertation as set out in I.(iiiii) to (xv) or (xx) of the schedule at H;above.

  • IV. MSc in Evidence-Based Health Care (iiiSystematic Reviews)

    • (i) submissionSubmission of the required assessed work relating to each of the sixfour modules in: (i1), (8), (18) and (19) and relating to two modules selected from (ii2), (11), (20), (28) above,and which(40) of the Schedule at I. Each of the assessments shall be of not more than 4,000 words per module.

      (ii) Submission of a dissertation as set out in I(ii) above.

  • Viii. Postgraduate Diploma in Evidence-Based Health Care

    • Submission of the required assessed work relating to six modules selected from those available for the MSc to which the student was admitted, at least two of which must be core modules. 

  • VI. Postgraduate Certificate in Evidence-Based Health Care

    • (i) attendance at both of modules (i) and (ii);

    • (ii) attendance at any one of modules (iii) to (xv) or (xx) of the schedule at H;

    • (iii) submissionSubmission of the required assessed work relating to each of the three modules inselected (i)from andthose (ii)available above,for the MSc to which shallthe student was admitted, at least two of which must be ofcore not more than 4,000 words per modulemodules. 

  • VIIiv. Postgraduate Diploma in Health Research

    • (i) attendancesubmission atof the required assessed work, relating to:

      • a. modules (i1) and (ii2);

      • (ii) attendance atand any three of modules selected from modules (iii3) to (xi11), (14), (15), or (xiv40) to (xv), or (xx) of the schedule at HI, or of the modules indicated as available in the regulations for the MSc in Experimental and Translational Therapeutics; 

      • (iii)b. attendance at one additional module taken from under VII(iii)a above, or (xii12) of the schedule at HI, or from those indicated in the regulations for the MSc in Surgical Science and Practice;

    • (iv) submissionEach of the required assessed work, whichassessments shall be of not more than 4,000 words, relating to each of the six modules in (i) and (ii) and (iii) above.

  • VIIIv. Postgraduate Certificate in Health Research 

    • (i) attendancesubmission atof the required assessed work, relating to modules (i1) and (ii);

    • (ii2) attendanceand atany one ofmodule selected from modules (iii3) to (x10), (14) or (xiv15) to (xv) in the schedule at HI, or one of the modules indicated as available from the regulations for the MSc in Experimental and Translational Therapeutics;

    • (iii). submissionEach of the required assessed work, whichassessments shall be of not more than 4,000 words, relating to each of the three modules taken under (i) and (ii) above.

• IX. Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching Evidence-Based Health Care