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Postgraduate Taught

MSc Health Research Methods - 2024 entry

Please note: The below is for 2024 entries. Click here for 2023 entries.
UCAS code 1234
Duration 1 year full time
2 or 3 years part time
Entry year 2023
Campus St Luke's Campus
Discipline Healthcare and Medicine
Contact
Typical offer

View full entry requirements

 2:2 Honours degree

Contextual offers

Overview

The global burden of disease and challenges of safe and accessible health services means that more than ever we need to be developing, testing, evaluating and implementing evidence-based healthcare in highly complex situations.

This programme has been designed to give you the skills and knowledge to enact meaningful change and gain a comprehensive grounding in health services research methods as a platform for developing a career as a health researcher.

It is suitable for those from a wide variety of backgrounds including:

  • Science, mathematics and social science graduates
  • Medical researchers
  • Academic clinical fellows
  • Nurses
  • Allied healthcare
  • Healthcare professionals wishing to develop their research skills

You will be taught by the leading international experts and authors in complex interventions research methods. Topics such as patient and public involvement, collaborative working, evidence-based practice, complex interventions, health economics, clinical trials and medical statistics will provide a common thread that runs throughout the programme.

Previous topics that students have chosen for independent study include:

  • Exploring facilitators and barriers of patients’ trust in clinical pharmacists in Primary Care.
  • Improving the physical health monitoring of patients taking Clozepine.
  • Intravenous antimicrobial therapy in the home.
  • Effectiveness of group psychological interventions in reducing the burden for caregivers of patients with dementia residing in the community.

Apply online

View 2023 Entry

Apply for individual modules 2022/23

Fast Track (current Exeter students)

Accreditation of prior learning (APL)

Open days and visiting us

Get a prospectus

Contact

Programme Director: Dr Antonieta Medina-Lara

Web: Enquire online

Phone: +44 (0)1392 72 72 72

This programme is delivered at our St Luke’s Campus, which is home to the University of Exeter Medical School. The campus is a short walk from the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital and offers a range of research facilities and equipment. Students will be able to access resources used by our Institute of Health Research.

We are Top 10 in the UK for our world-leading and internationally excellent research in clinical medicine

Based on 4* + 3* research in REF 2021

Major capital investment in new buildings and state-of-the-art facilities

Entry requirements

Normally a minimum 2.2 Honours degree (or equivalent) in a relevant discipline. Relevant clinical or professional experience may be taken into consideration as evidence of equivalency.  A personal statement, detailing your reasons for seeking to undertake this subject, will be required. 

Please visit our entry requirements section for equivalencies from your country and further information on English language requirements.

Please visit our international equivalency pages to enable you to see if your existing academic qualifications meet our entry requirements.

International students are normally subject to visa regulations which prevent part-time study. It is recommended that international students apply for the level of the final award you intend to complete i.e. PGCert, PGDip or Masters, due to the associated cost and requirements for a Tier 4 student Visa.

Accreditation of prior learning for Masters courses in Healthcare and Medicine

Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) is a process whereby students, who have already gained relevant skills and knowledge prior to the start of their course, may be granted a partial credit exemption from their programme instead of unnecessarily repeating work. Find out more about APL.

Entry requirements for international students

Please visit our entry requirements section for equivalencies from your country and further information on English language requirements.

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Entry requirements for international students

English language requirements

International students need to show they have the required level of English language to study this course. The required test scores for this course fall under Profile B. Please visit our English language requirements page to view the required test scores and equivalencies from your country.

Course content

The programme is divided into units of study called ‘modules’ which are assigned a number of ‘credits’. The credit rating of a module is proportional to the total workload, with one credit being nominally equivalent to 10 hours of work, a 15 credit module being equivalent to 150 hours of work and a full Masters degree being equivalent to approximately 1,800 hours of work. Therefore, for applicants who are working full time (or close to full-time), we recommend applying to complete the Masters degree over 2 or 3 years rather than 1 year.

To gain a Masters qualification, you will need to complete 180 credits at level 7.

It is also possible to exit with a PGCert after completing 60 credits of taught modules or a PGDip after completing 120 credits of taught modules. The list of modules below shows which are compulsory.

Contact days

View the draft timetable of contact days for 2023/24

(Please note: timetables are draft and subject to change)

The last contact day and assessment deadline for the programme will be earlier than the actual end date of your registration with the University, to allow a period of time at the end of your active studies for further support and mitigation, if needed.

The modules we outline here provide examples of what you can expect to learn on this degree course based on recent academic teaching. The precise modules available to you in future years may vary depending on staff availability and research interests, new topics of study, timetabling and student demand.

Fees

2023/24 entry

UK fees per year:

  • MSc : £10,500 full-time, £5,250pa part-time 2 years, £3,500pa part-time 3 years
  • PgDip:  £3,500pa part-time 2 years
  • PgCert:  £3,500

Standalone module fees: UK: £1,000 per 15-credit module

International fees per year:

  • MSc: £25,000 full-time,  £12,500pa part-time 2 years, £8,500 pa part-time 3 years
  • PgDip:  £8,500pa part-time 2 years
  • PgCert: £8,500

Standalone module fees: International: £2,300 per 15-credit module

Find out more about tuition fees and funding

Fee information

Fees can normally be paid by two termly instalments and may be paid online. You will also be required to pay a tuition fee deposit to secure your offer of a place, unless you qualify for exemption. For further information about paying fees see our Student Fees pages.

Scholarships

We invest heavily in scholarships for talented prospective Masters students and have over £2.5 million in scholarships available, including our Global Excellence Scholarships* for international fee paying students.

For information on how you can fund your postgraduate degree at the University of Exeter, please visit our dedicated funding page.

*Selected programmes only. Please see the Terms and Conditions for each scheme for further details.

Funding and scholarships

UK government postgraduate loan scheme

Postgraduate loans of up to £10,609 are now available for Masters degrees. Find out more about eligibility and how to apply.

Scholarships

There are various funding opportunities available including the Medical School's Global excellence scholarships for international fee paying students. For more information visit our Masters funding page.

Pro Vice Chancellor's NHS Postgraduate Scholarship

The Faculty of Health and Life Sciences is delighted to offer the Pro Vice Chancellor's NHS Postgraduate Scholarship of £5000 to up to four NHS staff who accept a place to study on one of our Masters programmes. Please check your eligibility before applying.

University of Exeter Class of 2022 Progression Scholarship

We are pleased to offer graduating University of Exeter students completing their degree in Summer 2022 and progressing direct to a standalone taught Masters degree (eg MA; MSc; MRes; MFA) or research degree (eg MPhil/PhD) with us a scholarship towards the cost of their tuition fees. These awards are worth 10% of the first year tuition fee for students enrolling on a postgraduate taught or research programme of study in 2022/23, with the exception of the PGCE programme. Find out more

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Teaching and research

Our purpose is to deliver transformative education that will help tackle health challenges of national and global importance.

The taught component of this programme is delivered in the first two terms (one year programme) or five terms (two year programme). During this time you will also be helped to develop a dissertation project to be completed in the remaining six months.

Teaching and learning methods

All material is designed for Masters-level and will involve keynote lectures, case studies, seminars and group discussion. Within modules there is considerable scope for you to direct your learning towards fields of particular interest, especially through your choice of dissertation project and in your guided independent study.

Assessment

Short assessments are tailored to each module, with some assessment taking place in class, and others requiring electronic submission of assignments towards the end of a module.

Advice and support

One-to-one tutorials with module leads are timetabled into each of the four taught modules to ensure students gain personalised support. The Programme Lead is also available to help with further guidance and advice.

Careers

This programme is designed for a wide range of participants. It will enable health professionals from a variety of disciplines to gain expertise and become a more effective and confident practitioner. It is suitable for health researchers, academic clinical fellows, nurses, midwives, allied healthcare professionals and public health professionals. It is also suitable for new graduates (e.g. Medical Science, Psychology, Sociology, Geography) who wish to gain a comprehensive grounding in health services research methods as a platform for developing a career as a health researcher. 

Careers support

All University of Exeter students have access to Career Zone, which gives access to a wealth of business contacts, support and training as well as the opportunity to meet potential employers at our regular Careers Fairs.