Program Overview

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MSc Clinical Research Methods and Evidence-Based Medicine

Overview

Ranked 1st globally in THE subject rankings for research quality in clinical and health subjects (THE2025)

This part-time MSc programme gives you the opportunity to complete a personalised and relevant master's-level degree that requires minimal study time away from clinical practice. It makes use of motivated and experienced clinical academics to deliver a programme that will translate to excellent, individualised academic surgical practice. The programme complements your clinical career, will expand your academic skills and offers the flexibility to focus on areas of practice that are relevant to your career plans.

The programme is divided into clinical, research methods and research project modules, all of which are completed on a part-time basis. The clinical component is designed with practical clinical relevance in mind. You will direct your own learning towards topics that you are interested in and are relevant to your career. You will choose one of the following sub-speciality areas of medicine based on the clinical specialty of the specialist doctor and surgical trainees:

• Trauma and Orthopaedic surgery
• Anaesthetics and intensive care
• Renal medicine
• General surgery
• Obstetrics and Gynaecology
• Vascular surgery
• Oncoplastic surgery

You will be registered on the overarching degree, and then transfer onto the pathway title of your chosen sub-speciality area of medicine.

Learning is assessed through oral presentations, poster presentations and reflective writing, which requires minimal time away from patient care and mirrors the professional activities of a specialist doctor and surgical clinician scientist. The research methods component comprises seminars in techniques of critical appraisal, trial design, data manipulation and analysis. A combination of formative and programme-level assessment will be used to demonstrate what you have learned.

The research project module offers an opportunity to carry out and deliver a high-quality study with academic supervision; the expectation is that this work would be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

Key Information

Programme Duration

Two years part-time.

Start Date

September 2025

Application Deadline

• Overseas applicants: 25 July 2025
• Home applicants: 8 August 2025

Delivery Method

On-Campus

Location

Southmead Hospital (monthly)

Awards Available

MSc

Programme Structure

Clinical Modules (20 credits each)

Within your chosen sub-speciality area of medicine, you will complete four clinical units, each lasting six months (part-time), selecting topics within your field to study in greater depth. The four clinical units are designed to run alongside your clinical training rotations. These will allow you to focus on specific topic areas that are most relevant for your career.

Research Methods (20 credits each)

The two compulsory research methods units will train you in research skills that are translatable to clinical practice, and will inform the conduct of your clinical and research project units.

Research Project (60-credit unit)

The research project runs alongside the six other units. It enables you to employ the skills learned in the other components of the programme to produce a quality piece of academic writing, which would normally be either a systematic review of a clinical problem, a technique explored during the clinical elements, or a novel piece of work using novel data.

This is a part-time programme requiring weekday attendance in person (at Southmead Hospital) once a month for lectures and seminars. The annual examination day requires attendance on a weekday. Meetings with supervisors are to coincide with attendance for learning activities.

World-Leading Research

The University of Bristol is ranked fifth for research in the UK (Times Higher Education).

94% of our research assessed as world-leading or internationally excellent.

Entry Requirements

You will typically need an upper second-class honours degree or an international equivalent in a medical degree, including MBBS, BMBS, MBChB, MBBCh, and MD. We especially welcome applications from clinical trainees, with any specialism, although this is not a requirement.

See international equivalent qualifications on the International Office website.

Admissions Statement

Read the programme admissions statement for important information on entry requirements, the application process and supporting documents required.

English Language Requirements

If English is not your first language, you will need to reach the requirements outlined in our profile level B.

Further information about English language requirements and profile levels.

Fees and Funding

Home: Part-time (two years)

£8,100 per year

Overseas: Part-time (two years)

£18,000 per year

Fees are subject to an annual review. For programmes that last longer than one year, please budget for up to an 8% increase in fees each year.

Alumni Discount

University of Bristol students and graduates can benefit from a 25% reduction in tuition fees for postgraduate study. Check your eligibility for an alumni discount.

Funding and Scholarships

Further information on funding for prospective UK and international postgraduate students.

Career Prospects

Students participating in this programme will already be enrolled in clinical training. This masters programme is specifically designed to be deliverable alongside and synergistic with a full time clinical career.