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| Program start date | Application deadline |
| 2025-09-22 | - |
Program Overview
Fundamentals of Clinical Trials EH6123
Course Fact File
| Code | EH6123 |
|---|---|
| Duration | September to December |
| Teaching Mode | Part-Time. See Additional Teaching Mode Information for more info. |
| Qualifications | CPD Module |
| Fees | €1,350 See Fees and Costs for full details. |
| Closing Date | 22nd August 2025 |
| Course Delivery Method | Online |
| Venue | Online |
| Credits | 10 |
| Start Date | 22nd September 2025 |
Outline
Module Objective
To examine the key decisions in development, design, delivery and analysis of clinical trials.
Module Content
- Historical development of clinical trials
- Phases of clinical trials
- Design and assessment of clinical trials
- Practical considerations of clinical trials
- Issues in the conduct of clinical trials
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:
- Illustrate the historical development and its impact on the conduct of clinical trials.
- Examine the methodological considerations of formulating a clinical research question.
- Explain the importance of research objectives and outcomes in the context of clinical trial design.
- Describe the phases of clinical trials and the requirements for their conduct.
- Examine the practical considerations of the conduct of clinical trials.
- Develop the skills of reading a research paper
- Critically appraise a RCT research paper
Practicalities
- 33 Hr(s) Directed Learning
- 20 Hr(s) Online Asynchronous (Any Time Learning) Activities
- 145 Hr(s) Independent Enquiry
Assessment
Total Marks 200
- Discussion Board(s) - Contribution to online discussion boards as prescribed (20 Marks)
- Assignment - Written assignment(s) submitted online (100 Marks)
- Quiz(zes) - Online MCQ's (80 Marks)
Why Choose
EH6123 is one of the modules of the Postgraduate Certificate in Clinical Trials.
This programme is designed for the working professional who wishes to develop a career in clinical trials.
As part of UCC's commitment to Continuing Professional Development (CPD), holders of CPD certificates for clinical trial modules in UCC will be exempt from these modules within the Postgraduate Certificate if they undertake the Postgraduate Certificate within 24 months of completion of any CPD module. Should students undertake two CPD modules from the Postgraduate Certificate Clinical Trials, they will be unable to take the third Postgraduate Certificate module as a CPD module without first registering for the Postgraduate Certificate Clinical Trials.
Requirements
Academic Requirements
- Students are expected to hold an honours primary degree (NFQ Level 8), minimum second class honours grade 2, or equivalent, in a Science or health related discipline, or relevant subject area.
Professional Requirements
- Also open to registered health care professionals in Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy and Allied Health care disciplines who may not have a primary degree. Such applicants must provide evidence of current registration with the relevant professional regulatory body in their country (e.g. the Irish Medical Council, the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland, the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland etc. for Irish applicants).
- All applicants will be required to write a 500 word personal statement on why they wish to pursue a career in clinical trials.
- In exceptional circumstances, candidates with an honours primary degree (NFQ Level 8 or international equivalent) in an unrelated field, and who can demonstrate relevant experience in clinical research, may be considered for entry to the programme, subject to the approval of the programme team.
- Applicants may be asked to participate in an interview.
- In all cases, decisions will be based on qualifications and quality of application.
Technical Entry Requirements (Online)
This programme will be delivered wholly online. As such there are specific technical requirements that you need to meet.
- You will need access to a laptop or desktop (either Mac OS or Windows) running a relatively recent operating system (Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10 or Mac OSX 10.8, 10.9, 10.10). Tablets and smartphones are not officially supported by UCC.
- You will need access to a reliable broadband connection with at least 2MB download speeds. You can test your broadband or 4G speeds by visiting
- You must have a modern web browser installed. The most reliable options for use with UCC online learning are Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome. Download and installation instructions will be provided. Safari is not suitable.
- You must have Java and Flash Runtimes installed. Download and installation instructions will be provided.
- You will require an Office suite of software (Microsoft Office 2003 or later or equivalent) and a PDF reader (preferably Adobe Acrobat Reader XI or later). Please note that registered UCC students have access to discounted software from Microsoft and Adobe
For Applicants with Qualifications Completed Outside of Ireland
Applicants must meet the required entry academic grade, equivalent to Irish requirements. For more information see our Qualification Comparison page.
English Language Requirements
Applicants who are non-native speakers of the English language must meet the university-approved English language requirements. Visit our PG English Language Requirements page for more information.
Fees and Costs
The fee for this module is €1,350.00. There is also a €35 application fee.
