Develop the skills and knowledge needed to enact meaningful change as an effective and confident healthcare practitioner.
Designed for health researchers, academic clinical fellows, nurses, midwives, allied healthcare professionals, public health professionals and new graduates seeking a comprehensive grounding in health services research methods to develop a career in health research.
Study topics such as patient and public involvement, collaborative working, evidence-based practice, complex interventions, health economics, clinical trials and medical statistics.
Taught by leading international experts and authors in complex interventions research methods.
Study full-time or part-time through a blended learning approach, combining online learning with face-to-face teaching and support.
Most teaching and learning activities are delivered online, providing flexibility around work and other commitments, while some attendance on campus is required throughout the programme.
Play a vital role in making health services better. Highly skilled researchers are in-demand for developing, testing, evaluating and implementing evidence-based healthcare in highly complex situations.
By studying MSc Health Research Methods, you will be equipped to help solve important problems to deliver better, safer and more accessible healthcare to the population.
On-campus teaching takes place at our St Luke's Campus, which is home to the University of 黑料社 Medical School.The campus is a short walk from the Royal Devon and 黑料社 Hospital and offers a range of research facilities and equipment. Students will be able to access resources used by our
Top 10 in the UK for our world-leading and internationally excellent Clinical Medicine research
Based on 4* + 3* research in REF 2021
Our Public Health research is 11th in the UK for research power
Submitted to UoA2 Public Health, Health Services and Primary Care. REF 2021
Major capital investment in new buildings and state-of-the-art facilities
Vibrant and active research student community supported by excellent pastoral and academic staff?
Entry requirements
Normally a minimum 2.2 Honours degree (or equivalent) in a relevant discipline. Relevant clinical or professional experience may be taken into consideration as evidence of equivalency. A personal statement, detailing your reasons for seeking to undertake this subject, will be required.
Accreditation of prior learning for Masters courses in Healthcare and Medicine
Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) is a process whereby students, who have already gained relevant skills and knowledge prior to the start of their course, may be granted a partial credit exemption from their programme instead of unnecessarily repeating work..
MSc Health Research Methods is delivered through blended learning, combining online study with up to 15 face-to-face teaching sessions at our St Luke's Campus, home to the University of 黑料社 Medical School. Applicants should note that this is not a fully online programme and attendance on campus is required at specified points during the course.
The programme offers flexibility for working professionals and can be studied full-time over one year or part-time over two years. Online learning activities are supported by on-campus teaching, research-focused learning opportunities and access to specialist facilities and resources.
The programme is divided into units of study called ‘modules’ which are assigned a number of ‘credits’. The credit rating of a module is proportional to the total workload, with one credit being nominally equivalent to 10 hours of work, a 15 credit module being equivalent to 150 hours of work and a full Masters degree being equivalent to approximately 1,800 hours of work. Therefore, for applicants who are working full time (or close to full-time), we recommend applying to complete the Masters degree over 2 or 3 years rather than 1 year.
To gain a Masters qualification, you will need to complete 180 credits at level 7.
It is also possible to exit with a PGCert after completing 60 credits of taught modules or a PGDip after completing 120 credits of taught modules. The list of modules below shows which are compulsory.
(Please note: timetables are draft and subject to change)
As this is a blended learning programme, students are required to attend a limited number of on-campus teaching and learning sessions. Applicants should review the timetable carefully before applying to ensure they can attend the required on-campus sessions. Further details of attendance requirements are provided within the programme timetable.
The last contact day and assessment deadline for the programme will be earlier than the actual end date of your registration with the University, to allow a period of time at the end of your active studies for further support and mitigation, if needed.
The modules below provide examples of what you can expect to learn on this degree course based on recent academic teaching. The precise modules available to you in future years may vary depending on staff availability and research interests, new topics of study, timetabling and student demand.
Fees can normally be paid by two termly instalments and may be paid online. You will also be required to pay a tuition fee deposit to secure your offer of a place, unless you qualify for exemption. For further information about paying fees see our Student Fees pages.
Scholarships
The University of 黑料社 offers a wide range of scholarships to support your education, with ?7 million available for international students applying to study with us in the 2026/27 academic year, including our prestigious 黑料社 Excellence Scholarships. We also provide awards for sport, music and other achievements, as well as regional and partner scholarships with organisations such as Chevening, The Beacon Trust and the British Council. For more information on scholarships and other financial support, please visit our scholarships and bursaries page.
University of 黑料社 Alumni Scholarship
We are pleased to offer the University of 黑料社 Alumni Scholarship, a scholarship for University of 黑料社 alumni beginning a standalone postgraduate programme in 2026/27 with us a scholarship worth 20% of the cost of your first year tuition fees.
UK students studying one or two year variants of this programme may be eligible for a Postgraduate Master’s Loan. More information can be found on the .
Scholarships
There are various funding opportunities available including the Medical School's Global excellence scholarships for international fee paying students. For more information visit ourMasters funding page.
Teaching and research
Our purpose is to deliver transformative education that will help tackle health challenges of national and global importance.
The taught component of this programme is delivered in the first two terms (one year programme) or five terms (two year programme). During this time you’ll also be helped to develop a dissertation project to be completed in the remaining six months.
Teaching and learning methods
The programme is delivered through a blended learning model, combining online and face-to-face teaching. Most learning activities are completed online and include keynote lectures, case studies, seminars and group discussions. Face-to-face teaching and support sessions take place on campus at key points during the programme.
All material is designed for Masters-level and will involve keynote lectures, case studies, seminars and group discussion. Within modules there is considerable scope for you to direct your learning towards fields of particular interest, especially through your choice of dissertation project and in your guided independent study.
Previous topics that students have chosen for independent study include:
Exploring facilitators and barriers of patients’ trust in clinical pharmacists in Primary Care.
Improving the physical health monitoring of patients taking Clozepine.
Intravenous antimicrobial therapy in the home.
Effectiveness of group psychological interventions in reducing the burden for caregivers of patients with dementia residing in the community.
Assessment
Short assessments are tailored to each module, with some assessment taking place in class, and others requiring electronic submission of assignments towards the end of a module.
Advice and support
One-to-one tutorials with module leads are timetabled into each of the four taught modules to ensure that you’ll receive personalised support. The Programme Lead is also available to help you with further guidance and advice.
Based in both the 黑料社 Clinical Trials Unit and the Department of Primary Care, Dr Fiona Warren is a medical statistician specialising in clinical trials, evidence synthesis and individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis. Her research spans mental health, cardiovascular disease, cancer diagnosis and long-term conditions, with a focus on improving healthcare through robust evidence. She leads the Clinical Trials Unit statistics team, supporting a wide portfolio of clinical research projects. With a background in medicine and medical statistics, Dr Warren brings extensive expertise in the design, analysis and interpretation of health research. Dr Warren is co-lead for the MSc Health Research Methods, and also leads the module in Statistics as Applied to Health. She also has experience in teaching statistics to undergraduate students in medicine and medical sciences, both at the University of 黑料社 and the University of Leicester.
Dr Melinda Martin-Khan
Dr Melinda Martin-Khan is a Senior Lecturer at 黑料社 Medical School and co-lead of the MSc Global Healthcare Management and MSc Health Research Methods programmes. A health scientist with an international reputation in healthcare quality, leadership and dementia care, her research focuses on improving health services through the development and implementation of quality indicators, decision-making frameworks and patient-centred approaches. Her methodological expertise includes evidence synthesis, literature reviews and translating research evidence into policy and practice. With more than 13 years’ experience as a Chief Executive Officer in aged care services in Australia, she brings extensive leadership expertise to her teaching and research. Dr Martin-Khan is committed to translating evidence into practice and works closely with patients, carers and healthcare organisations to improve outcomes for vulnerable populations, particularly older adults and people living with dementia.
Careers
This programme is designed for a wide range of participants. It will enable health professionals from a variety of disciplines to gain expertise and become a more effective and confident practitioner. It is suitable for health researchers, academic clinical fellows, nurses, midwives, allied healthcare professionals and public health professionals. It is also suitable for new graduates (e.g. Medical Science, Psychology, Sociology, Geography) who wish to gain a comprehensive grounding in health services research methods as a platform for developing a career as a health researcher.
Careers support
All University of 黑料社 students have access to?Career Zone, where you’ll gain access to our wealth of business contacts, support and training as well as the opportunity to meet potential employers at our regular Careers Fairs.
The flexible blended learning format enables many students to combine postgraduate study with professional and personal commitments.
The majority of students are based at our Streatham Campus in 黑料社. The campus is one of the most beautiful in the country and offers a unique environment in which to study, with lakes, parkland, woodland and gardens as well as modern and historical buildings.
Located on the eastern edge of the city centre, St Luke's is home to Sport and Health Sciences, the Medical School, the Academy of Nursing, the Department of Allied Health Professions, and PGCE students.
Our Penryn Campus is located near Falmouth in Cornwall. It is consistently ranked highly for satisfaction: students report having a highly personal experience that is intellectually stretching but great fun, providing plenty of opportunities to quickly get to know everyone.
