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Evidence-Based Health Care Programme

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:

    • I. MSc in Evidence-Based Health Care

    • II. MSc in Evidence-Based Health Care (Teaching and Education) 
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    • III. MSc in Evidence-Based Health Care (Medical Statistics)
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    • IV. MSc in Evidence-Based Health Care (Systematic Reviews)
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    • V. Postgraduate Diploma in Evidence-Based Health Care
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    • VI. Postgraduate Certificate in Evidence-Based Health Care
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    • VII. Postgraduate Diploma in Health Research
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    • VIII. Postgraduate Certificate in Health Research
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    • IX. Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching Evidence-Based Health Care
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    • X. Postgraduate Certificate in Qualitative Health Research Methods

B. Progression

  • 6. Students admitted to the Programme with the intention of studying towards one of the 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 MSc awards will be required at that point to matriculate and to be admitted by a college.

C. Exit Awards 

  • 7. Students admitted to one of the MSc awards who wish to cease their studies without submitting a dissertation may end their registration at that point and be awarded:

    • (i) a 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 in Evidence-Based Health Care if they have satisfied the examiners in 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. 
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  • 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. 

D. Duration

  • 10. 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. 

  • 11. 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 awards.

E. Assessment requirements for awards

  • 12. 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.
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  • 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:

    • I. MSc in Evidence-Based Health Care

      • (i) submission of the required assessed work relating to modules (1) and (2), and from four modules selected from (3) to (20), or (29) 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 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.

    • II. MSc 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) to (29), 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) Submission of the required assessed work relating to modules  (11) and (16), 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), (29) 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.

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

      • (i) Submission of the required assessed work relating to each of the four modules: (1), (8), (18) and (19) and relating to two modules selected from (2), (11), (20), (28), (29) and (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.

    • V. 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

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

    • VII. Postgraduate Diploma in Health Research

      • (i) submission of the required assessed work, relating to:

        • a. modules(1) and (2) and any three of modules selected from modules (3) to (11), (14), (15), or (40) of the schedule at I, or of the modules indicated as available in the regulations for the MSc in Experimental and Translational Therapeutics; 

          b. one additional module taken from VII(i)a above or (12) of the schedule at I, or from those indicated in the regulations for the MSc in Surgical Science and Practice;

      • Each of the assessments shall be of not more than 4,000 words.

    • VIII. Postgraduate Certificate in Health Research

      • (i) submission of the required assessed work, relating to modules (1) and (2) and any one module selected from modules (3) to (10), (14) or (15) in the schedule at I, or one of the modules indicated as available from the regulations for the MSc in Experimental and Translational Therapeutics. Each of the assessments shall be of not more than 4,000 words.

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

Submission of the required assessed work relating to modules (12), (22) and (23). Each of the assessments shall be of not more than 4,000 words.

X. Postgraduate Certificate in Qualitative Health Research Methods

Submission of the required assessed work relating to modules (10), (15) and (24). Each of the assessments shall be of not more than 4,000 words.

  • 16. Assignments and dissertations shall be submitted using the University approved online assessment platform to the examiners for consideration by dates published in the course handbook at the beginning of each academic year.

  • 17. Candidates are required to attend a viva voce examination at the end of the course of studies leading to each award unless dispensed by the examiners
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  • 18. Provided the Standing Committee is satisfied that a student on the Programme has undertaken equivalent study, of an appropriate standard, normally at another institution of higher education, or has appropriate work experience to an equivalent standard, the committee shall have the discretion to permit the candidate to be exempted from the submission of a written assignment in respect of one module for a Postgraduate Certificate, two modules for a Postgraduate Diploma and three modules for any of the MSc awards. In exercising this discretion the Standing Committee shall have consideration to the length of time that has elapsed since the study or work experience was undertaken.

F. Reassessment

  • 19. Candidates who fail to satisfy the examiners in any of the assignments or the dissertation under 15. above will 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.

G. Prior undertaking of modules for credit

  • 20. The Standing Committee shall have the discretion to deem satisfactory completion of a module including the associated assessment prior to registration for an award listed under 5. above as having met the examination requirements in respect of that module under 15. above. Such discretion will normally only be exercised if the time elapsed between commencement of the accredited module concerned and registration for the award is not more than two years. 

  • 21. The maximum number of modules taken prior to registration for an award that can contribute to the achievement of the award shall be one for the Postgraduate Certificates, three for the Postgraduate Diplomas and three for each of the MSc awards.

H. Subsuming of previous modules and awards under the Programme

  • 22. If any student who has previously successfully completed one of the Postgraduate Certificates or Diplomas and ended their registration on the Programme subsequently is re-admitted to another award listed under 5., the Standing Committee shall have the discretion to deem satisfactory completion of modules within that Postgraduate Certificate or Diploma as having met the examination requirements in respect of the modules under 15. above. Such discretion will normally only be exercised if the time elapsed between first registration on a module contributing to the Postgraduate Certificate or Diploma and registering for the higher award is not more than two years. 

  • 23. If any student is admitted to any of the MSc awards while registered for one of the Postgraduate Certificates or Postgraduate Diplomas, the Standing Committee shall have the discretion to deem some or all of the modules taken while registered for the Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma as having met the requirements for the MSc provided that no more than two years have elapsed since first registration on a module contributing to the Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma. 

    24. If a student who has been awarded a Postgraduate Diploma or Postgraduate Certificate is subsequently awarded a higher award, the MSc or Postgraduate Diploma will subsume the lower award.

I. Schedule of Modules

  1. Practice of Evidence-Based Health Care
  2. Introduction to Study Design and Research Methods
  3. Ethics for Biosciences
  4. Knowledge into Action
  5. Clinical Epidemiology
  6. Evidence-Based Diagnosis and Screening
  7. Introduction to Statistics for Health Care Research
  8. Systematic Reviews
  9. Randomized Control Trials
  10. Qualitative Research Methods
  11. Essential Medical Statistics
  12. Teaching Evidence-Based Practice
  13. The History and Philosophy of Evidence-Based Health Care
  14. Clinical Trial Management
  15. Mixed Methods in Health Research
  16. Statistics for Clinical Trials
  17. Big Data Epidemiology
  18. Meta-Analysis
  19. Complex Reviews
  20. Realist Reviews and Realist Evaluation
  21. Statistical Computing for Health Care Research
  22. Developing Practice in Medical Education
  23. Course Design, Assessment and Evaluation
  24. Advanced Qualitative Research Methods
  25. Discontinued
  26. Developing Online Education and Resources
  27. Clinical Prediction Rules 
  28. Qualitative and Mixed Methods Systematic Review  
  29. Economics of Health Care 

     40. Any of modules (1)-(29) approved by the Standing Committee for an individual candidate.

Additional modules available for the PGDip/PGCert Health Research from the MSc in Experimental and Translational Therapeutics

  • Structure of clinical trials and experimental therapeutics
  • Drug development, pharmacokinetics and imaging
  • Pharmacodynamics, biomarkers and personalised therapy
  • Adverse drug reactions, drug interactions, and pharmacovigilance
  • How to do research on therapeutic interventions: protocol preparation
  • Biological therapeutics

Additional modules available for the PGDip Health Research from the MSc in Surgical Science and Practice

  • Human factors, teamwork and communication
  • Becoming a clinical educator
  • Quality improvement science and systems analysis