MSc Leading Clinical Research Delivery – Frequently Asked Questions

There are four different options available:

1. Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) – 1 Year part time
2. Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) – 2 Years part time
3. MSc 2-Year part time (If you are on the INSIGHT scheme you will need to choose this one)
4. MSc 3-Year part time

Yes, there are a number of bursaries available:

1. INSIGHT – this is a scheme for early career researchers and is applied for via the NIHR INSIGHT webpage.
2. DHSC bursary – this is open to health and care professionals (subject to eligibility) to apply via the NIHR Clinician Researcher Credentials Framework website.
3. NIHR Mental Health - Translational Research Collaboration Mental Health Mission – full fee funding for the 3-Year MSc is open to health professionals working as Mental Health practitioners (subject to eligibility). Apply via the Expression of Interest form, the link for which can be found on the LCRD website.

Please see the LCRD webpages for more information about funding options.

For part-time courses taken over 1 Year (PGCert), 2 Years (PGDip) or 3 Years (3-Year MSc) the time required each year will be around 600 hours (4 x 15 credit modules or equivalent). For the 2-Year MSc you will need 600-900 hours in Year 1 and 900-1200 hours in Year 2 depending on the module options taken (a full MSc is 1800 hours’ study in total)

There are 3 x 15 credit bespoke modules in Year 1 and 1 x 30-credit and 1 x 60 credit module in Year 2. 

Additionally, over the two-year period you will study 3 x 15-credit student selected modules, at least one of which MUST be studied in year 1. If you would like the credits to be balanced over the 2-Year programme, it is advisable to study three (3) student selected modules in Year 1. However, depending on timing of modules and your work pattern, you do have the option to study up to two (2) of these in year 2.

You will spend time on Contact Days (compulsory for most modules), doing guided independent learning, reading / researching to support your learning and preparing for and completing assignments. At Master’s level learning students are expected to spend a considerable amount of study time in independent learning.

Yes. All students will need their employer to understand the study requirement for the course. Additionally, you will require a research supervisor for Year 1 and Year 2 of the course – we will expect your supervisor either to come from your workplace or, if there is no one available locally, we will work with your employer to find one. All students require a letter of support from their employer when they apply for one of the LCRD pathways.

The research supervisor needs to be somebody within your organisation who has access to a number of clinical research delivery projects and would be able to work with you to find appropriate experiences to develop your understanding of the research delivery landscape. You will need to meet with your supervisor at least 6 times for 1 hour whilst the Research Practice Experience (RPE) module is running (January to June), so the person who supervises needs experience of research and time to be able to set aside to work with you and decide whether you have had enough experience of particular areas of research delivery leadership. Similar time commitments will be required for your Advance Research Practice Experience (ARPE) module in Year 2.

The research experiences needed to complete these modules are all based around Capabilities in Practice (CiPs), which are aligned to the NIHR-AoMRC Clinical Researcher Credentials Framework. In Year 1 this includes 2 CiPs:

1. To develop an in-depth understanding of the clinical research ecosystem
2. To manage the steps involved in data collection within a networked clinical research study

Each of these has a number of areas for development related to the overarching aims. Appropriate experiences will include shadowing colleagues, attending meetings, reading key documents, learning about how different groups approach key tasks (including but not limited to: participant recruitment, site induction visits, multi-disciplinary team meetings to identify suitable participants, talking to key people in research – PI, CI, CRP, Lead research nurse etc., external parties involved in research, how research networks work, PPIE, how recruitment works, working with/recruiting participants, etc. etc.). You will work with your supervisor to find experiences and then to talk through the experiences to see how your learning has developed and decide whether you need further experience, or what you have done is enough to sign you off as capable in that area.

In Year 2 there are two more CiPs (CiP 3 and 4), which further develop your capabilities as a leader in research delivery:

3. To identify and evaluate the key processes of research (including what steps must happen before a research study can begin)
4. To understand other stages within a networked clinical research study

Yes. The LCRD MSc programme offers 4 speciality programme options – Public Health; Leadership; Research Methodologies; and Genomic Medicine.

That is fine, you can opt to do a non-specialist MSc.

No – only students doing the full MSc can specialise. It requires you to include an aligned final project and this is only completed by MSc students.

The Home student fees in 2025-26 are £4,050 per year for the PGCert, PGDip and 3-Year MSc. For the 2-Year MSc fees are based on completing 90 credits per year: in 2025-26 the fees are £6,100 per year.

Go to the LCRD webpage and follow the instructions under the Apply Online heading on the top right of the page.

Please ensure you attach the EoI and Employers Letter of Support to your application - we cannot process your application until these documents are uploaded.

To find out more about the optional modules, scroll down to the Course Content section of the programme webpages and click on the plus signs to reveal the module lists.