MSc Evidence-Based Health Care

Course description

Our distance learning MSc Evidence-Based Health Care course is relevant for healthcare professionals and health scientists from all fields of healthcare, and will enable you to interpret and communicate research evidence as applied to a variety of settings.

You will specifically focus on the design and conduct of systematic reviews and the development and application of evidence-based guidelines into practice.

This course will help clinicians to provide optimal patient care and provides a sound basis for health science researchers to progress to doctoral study. The content has been designed by international leaders in the field of evidence-based healthcare.

In addition, the course allows you to study flexibly in your own time and is integrated with our Master of Public Health and Master of Dental Public Health courses.

An optional two-day face-to-face residential course is offered to first year students at the start of their studies. Attendance is not mandatory, but the event provides a helpful introduction to the course, tutors and to fellow students. All the induction materials from this event are made available online.

Aims

This course aims to give students an understanding of the process of systematic reviews and guideline development and implementation.

For those taking the PGDip and MSc courses, you will also learn how to critically interpret systematic reviews and apply the findings in healthcare settings by developing and implementing evidence-based guidelines.

MSc students will also be trained in evidence synthesis process to enable you to conduct most aspects of a systematic review.

Teaching and learning

All of the course content is delivered through Blackboard, our online learning platform, and includes articles, videos, discussion boards and reflective learning logs.

Coursework and assessment

The assessment of each unit is by assignment. Each unit will usually have two assignments, a mid-term assessment and a final assessment.

While the word count for these varies between 1,000 and 4,000 words, typically assignments will be around 2,000 words each, with mid-term assignment making up 50% of the final unit grade and the final assignment making up the remaining 50%.

Additionally, some assessment may be made of your contribution to online discussion.

The dissertation should be between 10,000 and 15,000 words in length.

Career opportunities

This course will equip healthcare professionals with the knowledge and skills to identify and use evidence in practice. It will also provide a sound basis for health science researchers to progress to doctoral study.