Program Overview

---

Allergy (PGCert)

About this course

Develop your professional skills in your chosen areas of allergy on this postgraduate certificate. You'll develop your professional practice and improve patient outcomes on this flexible online course. This PGCert Allergy course is suitable if you’re working in a hospital or community, as a doctor, nurse, dietitian, clinical psychologist or pharmacist.

Our Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) in Allergy is designed for healthcare professionals who want to:

• gain a greater understanding of allergic diseases
• use that knowledge to improve their everyday clinical practice

It is an online course that provides flexibility to cater for the needs of a diverse range of students and enables you to study alongside your other commitments. You can complete in 2 years part time or 1 year full time. You must take one mandatory learning module but can then choose from 5 optional ones.

Once you complete the PGCert, you can upgrade to the Postgraduate Diploma or opt to continue your studies on the MSc Allergy, which involves writing a dissertation.

Our online learning course can help you:

• better understand the mechanisms, diagnosis, treatment and management of allergic diseases
• make more accurate diagnoses, improve patient care and develop innovative solutions to your clinic’s challenges
• pass on your allergy knowledge to other professionals, parents and patients

Our course is integrated for both adult and paediatric disease. Depending on what areas you want to develop your clinical practice in, you can choose from modules that cover:

• allergic airways disease
• skin and drug allergy
• food allergy
• developing an innovative clinical solution in an area of your choice

We are recognised as a Centre of World Allergy Excellence and our courses are taught by leaders in the field of allergy. By the time you’ve completed the PGCert Allergy course, you’ll be well on your way to becoming an expert in real-world allergy care. You’ll also have the skills to share what you've learned.

We regularly review our courses to ensure and improve quality. This course may be revised as a result of this. Any revision will be balanced against the requirement that the student should receive the educational service expected.

Our courses are regulated in England by the Office for Students (OfS).

Course lead

Our course lecturers are all involved in clinical practice or research.

This Postgraduate Certificate is led by Professor Judith Holloway, who was awarded a National Teaching Fellowship for her work in allergy education. This award recognises individuals who have made an outstanding impact on student achievement at university.

You can get in touch with the team by emailing [insert email].

Accreditations

• British Society for Allergy & Clinical Immunology (BSACI)
• World Allergy Organisation

Entry requirements

You need at least a 2:2 degree in a relevant subject.

We may also consider an application if you have a relevant professional qualification, for example you may be a registered nurse without an undergraduate degree.

You must submit all supporting documents, including evidence that you can satisfy our English language requirement, when you submit your application.

Find the equivalent international qualifications for your country.

English language requirements

If English isn't your first language, you'll need to complete an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) to demonstrate your competence in English. You'll need all of the following scores as a minimum:

• overall score: 7.0
• reading: 6.5
• writing: 6.5
• speaking: 6.5
• listening: 6.5

If you do not meet the English language requirements through a test or qualification, you may be able to meet them by completing one of our pre-sessional English programmes before your course starts.

If you don’t meet the English language requirements, you can achieve the level you need by completing a pre-sessional English programme before you start your course.

Pre-masters

If you don’t meet the academic requirements, you can complete a pre-master's programme through our partnership with OnCampus. Learn more about the programmes available.

Recognition of professional experience

If you don't have the exact entry requirements, but you have significant work experience in this sector we’ll assess your relevant professional experience, your subject knowledge and your aptitude for learning.

Your application will be considered on individual merit and you may be asked to attend an interview.

Course structure

• part time in 2 years
• full time in 1 year (from September to June)

To get the Postgraduate Certificate, you must complete and pass:

• the core module ‘foundations of allergic disease’
• between 2 and 3 optional modules (depending on their size)

Each module is taught only once a year and typically involves approximately 10 hours of student engagement per week.

Modules include online teaching sessions and pre-recorded lectures and presentations. You should attend the online teaching sessions so you can engage in insightful and rewarding discussions with your teachers and fellow students. Our pre-recorded sessions allow you to learn at your convenience within each teaching week. Most of our students continue to work while studying and benefit from this flexibility.

Want more detail? See all the modules in the course.

Learning and assessment

Learning

You’ll study and engage with tutors and fellow students through our award-winning online learning environment.

You'll learn through:

• lectures and tutorials
• interactive case discussions
• developing an allergy action plan
• patient diagnosis and management plans
• professional portfolio for your clinical practice

Depending on your module choices, this allergy training course has practical demonstrations in:

• skin prick and lung function testing
• adrenaline autoinjectors
• inhalers and nasal sprays
• history taking and examinations
• IgE (immunoglobulin E) allergen testing and food challenges

Assessment

Our assessment methods are designed to help you use what you've learned to benefit your clinical practice. They include:

• presentations
• reflective accounts and written assignments
• clinical case reports
• professional portfolio for your clinical practice

Dissertation

You will not need to complete a dissertation as part of the postgraduate certificate course. Once you've completed this certificate, you'll be able to progress to a full master's award to complete a dissertation.

Academic Support

You'll have your own personal academic tutor, and individual support, with access to the Faculty of Medicine’s staff and resources. Group support is available through regular online tutorials.

Careers and employability

Employability skills

This degree will allow you to develop and evidence subject-specific and targeted employability skills. This includes the required skill set for a range of future careers, further study, or starting your own business.

The skills you can expect to focus on and gain from this course include:

• Research
• Critical thinking
• Self-management
• Communication
• EDI leadership
• Problem solving

The employability and enterprise skills you'll gain from this course are reflected in the Southampton skills model. When you join us you'll be able to use our skills model to track, plan, and benefit your career development and progress.

Download skills overview

Career pathways

Graduates commonly work in a range of organisations or sectors including:

• NHS
• Private healthcare establishments
• HE Institutions
• Pharmaceutical companies
• Medical Research Laboratories
• Clinical trial organisations

Careers directly related to this course:

• Dietitian
• Clinical allergy specialist
• Allergy educator
• Public health advisor
• Research scientist

See more

Wider career opportunities:

• Doctor
• Nurse
• Healthcare charity worker
• Laboratory researcher
• University lecturer
• Product developer (food industry)
• Consultant
• Pharmacist

See more

Example job titles of Southampton PG Cert Allergy part time graduates*:

• Paediatrician allergist
• Hospital doctor
• Paediatrician consultant
• Allergy nurse
• Paediatric dietitian
• Respiratory dietician
• Staff nurse
• Clinical director
• Core surgical trainee
• Senior research assistant

See more

Job prospects for PG Cert Allergy part time graduates

• £65k: Average professional salary
• 100%: In a skilled profession or further study
• 100%: Graduate employment rate

Source

*Example graduate job titles and job prospect statistics taken from The Graduate Outcomes Survey, which gathers information about the activities and perspectives of graduates 15 months after finishing their course.

Work experience opportunities

Choosing to do work experience is a great way to enhance your employability, build valuable networks, and evidence your potential. Learn about the different work and industry experience options at Southampton.

Read more

Careers services and support

We are a top 20 UK university for employability (QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2022). Our Careers, Employability and Student Enterprise team will support you. This support includes:

• work experience schemes
• CV and interview skills and workshops
• networking events
• careers fairs attended by top employers
• a wealth of volunteering opportunities
• study abroad and summer school opportunities

We have a vibrant entrepreneurship culture and our dedicated start-up supporter, Futureworlds, is open to every student.

Your career ideas and graduate job opportunities may change while you're at university. So it is important to take time to regularly reflect on your goals, speak to people in industry and seek advice and up-to-date information from Careers, Employability and Student Enterprise professionals at the University.

More about careers support

Fees, costs and funding

Tuition fees

• Full-time course (1 year): £5,800 for UK students, £10,950 for international students
• Part-time course (2 years): £2,900 in the first year, and another £2,900 in the second year for UK students; £5,475 in the first year, and another £5,475 in the second year for international students

Check fees for the MSc Allergy and PGDip Allergy.

What your fees pay for

Your tuition fee covers the full cost of tuition and any exams. The fee you pay will remain the same each year from when you start studying this course. This includes if you suspend and return.

Find out how to pay your tuition fees.

Accommodation and living costs, such as travel and food, are not included in your tuition fees. There may also be extra costs for retake and professional exams.

Explore:

• accommodation costs
• living costs
• budgeting advice
• fees, charges and expenses regulations

Extra costs you might have to pay

The fees stated are for the part-time version of this course, please see the fees table for the full-time fees for this course.

You only pay tuition fees in years 1 and 2 when studying part-time on this course.

10% alumni discount

If you’re a graduate of the University of Southampton, you could be eligible for a 10% discount on your postgraduate tuition fees.

Postgraduate Master’s Loans (UK nationals only)

This can help with course fees and living costs while you study a postgraduate master's course. Find out if you're eligible.

MSc Allergy Natasha Bursaries (UK only)

The MSc Allergy Natasha Bursaries are made possible through a very generous gift from the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation.

They are designed to help meet the cost of tuition fees and are available to UK citizens studying on any of our Allergy courses, including single modules, the Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma or the Master's.

Applying for the bursary

You can apply for this bursary now if you plan to study in the 2025 to 2026 academic year. You must apply by Thursday 26 June 2025.

You must submit:

• a completed application form
• your CV (no more than 2 pages)

Email your application to: [insert email]

How to apply

1. Use the blue 'apply for this course' button on this page to take you to our postgraduate admissions system.
2. Create an account which gives you access to your own application portal.
3. Search for the course you want to apply for.
4. Complete the application form and upload any supporting documents.
5. Pay the £50 application assessment fee, (there are some exemptions, check terms and conditions).
6. Submit your application.

For further details of our admission process, read our step by step guide to postgraduate taught applications.

Application deadlines

• UK students: Tuesday 9 September 2025, midday UK time
• International students: Tuesday 26 August 2025, midday UK time

We advise applying early as applications may close before the expected deadline if places are filled.

Application assessment fee

We’ll ask you to pay a £50 application assessment fee if you’re applying for a postgraduate taught course.

This is an extra one-off charge which is separate to your tuition fees and is payable per application. It covers the work and time it takes us to assess your application. You’ll be prompted to pay when you submit your application which won’t progress until you've paid.

If you're a current or former University of Southampton student, or if you’re applying for certain scholarships, you will not need to pay the fee. PGCE applications through GOV.UK and Master of Research (MRes) degree applications are also exempt. Find out if you’re exempt on our terms and conditions page.

Single module (CPD) applications

To apply for a single module (CPD), you'll need to fill in a physical application form that you can download from our continuing professional development pages.

Supporting information

When you apply you’ll need to submit a personal statement explaining why you want to take the course.

You’ll need to include information about:

• your knowledge of the subject area
• why you want to study a postgraduate qualification in this course
• how you intend to use your qualification

You'll also need to submit two references, one academic reference and one academic or professional reference.

Please include the required paperwork showing your first degree and your IELTS English language test score (if you are a non-native English speaker) with your application. Without these, your application may be delayed.

You may also be asked to provide:

• a degree transcript
• evidence of professional qualifications

What happens after you apply

You'll be able to track your application through our online Applicant Record System.

We will aim to send you a decision 6 weeks after you have submitted your application.

If we offer you a place, you will need to accept the offer within 30 working days. If you do not meet this deadline, we will offer your place to another applicant.

Unfortunately, due to number of applications we receive, we may not be able to give you specific feedback on your application if you are unsuccessful.

Equality and diversity

We treat and select everyone in line with our Equality and Diversity Statement.

Got a question?

Please contact us if you're not sure you have the right experience or qualifications to get onto this course.

Email: [insert email] Tel: +44(0) [insert phone number]