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Postgraduate Diploma in Experimental and Translational Therapeutics

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

  • 2. The Postgraduate Diploma is only available to students admitted for the degree of M.Sc. in Experimental and Translational Therapeutics. The course is available on a part time basis only and shall consist of instruction in the theory and practice of Experimental and Translational Therapeutics.

  • 3. The policy of the Continuing Education Board on variable intensity part-time postgraduate study shall apply to this award.

  • 4. The minimum period of registration on the PG Diploma shall be three terms and the maximum period of registration shall be twelve terms.

  • 5. Every candidate will be required to satisfy the examiners in six written assignments, each of not more than 4,000 words in length, one from each of the six modules specified.

  • The assessed work set out in clause 5 shall be submitted to the examiners for consideration by such date as the examiners shall determine and shall notify candidates. The assessed work will, in normal circumstances, be submitted through an electronic submission system.

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

  • 7. The examiners may award a distinction to candidates for the PG Diploma.

  • 8. Candidates who fail to satisfy the examiners in any of the assignments under 5 above may be permitted 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. The resubmission shall normally be within one year of the original failure.

  • 9. Provided the Standing Committee is satisfied that a student on the award 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 may permit the candidate to be exempted from the submission of a written assignment in respect of up to three modules. In exercising this discretion the Standing Committee shall take into consideration the length of time that has elapsed since the study or work experience was undertaken.

  • 11. The Standing Committee may deem satisfactory completion of a module (including the associated assessment) undertaken prior to registration for the award as having met the examination requirements in respect of that module. 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. The maximum number of modules taken prior to registration for the award that may be counted in this way shall be three.

Module Schedule

  • (1) Structure of clinical trials and experimental therapeutics

  • (2) Drug development, pharmacokinetics and imaging

  • (3) Pharmacodynamics, biomarkers and personalised therapy

  • (4) Adverse drug reactions, drug interactions, and pharmacovigilance

  • (5) How to do research on therapeutic interventions: protocol preparation

  • (6) Biological therapeutics

  • (7) Any other module as defined by the programme director and approved by the Standing Committee.