MSc Advanced Clinical Practice

Entry requirements

You should hold a minimum 2.2 Honours degree (or for older qualifications a Professional Diploma) in a healthcare related discipline. Relevant clinical experience or previous postgraduate qualifications will also be considered as part of the admissions process. In addition, you should be registered with the appropriate statutory regulatory body for your profession (such as the HCPC or NMC).

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Course content

This programme will prepare you to develop your clinical practice, enabling you to work autonomously and flexibly in order to make complex decisions about how people should be cared for and treated.

It will provide you with a sound educational grounding that will encourage critical analysis of literature, documents and policies associated with advanced practice, including professional, legal and ethical issues. It will also prepare you to undertake research, audit and evaluative activities that develop your personal knowledge and expertise to help improve evidence-based patient care across systems.

There are compulsory modules to complete, and you’ll also choose from a range of optional modules which align with the 4 advanced practice domains (Clinical Practice, Education, Leadership and Research). Compulsory and optional modules are listed below.

Programme Structure

This MSc course can be taken as a full-time course over one year or alternatively spread over two or three years of part-time study which may suit applicants who are working full-time. It is delivered at National Qualification Framework (NQF) level 7 (as confirmed against the FHEQ).

The programme is divided into units of study called ‘modules’ which are assigned a number of ‘credits’. To gain a Masters qualification, you will need to complete 180 credits at level 7. 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.

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.

The MSc Advanced Clinical Practice requires you to be clinically engaged in order to fulfil the learning criteria. However, an alternate MSc Advanced Practice full-time variant is available for students who are unable to meet the clinical requirements or who wish to study on a full-time basis.

Contact Days‌

View the draft timetable of contact days for 2023-2024

View the draft timetable of contact days for 2024-2025

Please note: these timetables are draft and may be subject to change.

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.

All compulsory modules during Term 1 will be delivered online with face-to-face contact sessions in term 2 (Covid restrictions permitting). We will provide students with a range of online activities throughout the modules and there will be opportunity for discussion and virtual seminars.

Modules

The modules we outline here 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.

Four Pillars

Alongside the compulsory modules you are required to study, you will have the opportunity to select from a number of optional modules within our postgraduate taught programmes portfolio. Each module has been chosen for its specific alignment with one of the four pillars of advanced clinical practice and students are encouraged to ensure they select appropriate modules that span each of these pillars in order to align with the Health Education England multi professional framework for advanced clinical practice:

1. Clinical Practice
2. Leadership and Management
3. Education
4. Research

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Fees

2025/26 entry

Fees are subject to an annual increment each academic year

UK fees per year: 

• MSc  Advanced Clinical Practice: £6,100pa part-time 2 years, £4,050pa part-time 3 years
• PgDip:  £4,050pa part time
• PgCert:  £4,050

Standalone module fees: UK: £1,150 per 15-credit module

International fees per year:

• MSc  Advanced Clinical Practice: £14,300pa part-time 2 years, £9,550pa part-time 3 years
• PgDip:  £9,550pa part-time
• PgCert: £9,550

Standalone module fees: International: £2,600 per 15-credit module

MSc Advanced Practice 

• UK:
  • MSc: £12,100 full-time 1 year 
  • PGCert: £4,050

Standalone module fees: UK: £1,150 per 15-credit module

• International:
  • MSc: £28,600 full-time 1 year 
  • PGCert: £9,550

Standalone module fees: International: £2,600 per 15-credit module

Scholarships

The University of Exeter has many different scholarships available to support your education, including £5 million in scholarships for international students applying to study with us in the 2025/26 academic year, such as our Exeter Excellence Scholarships*.

For more information on scholarships and other financial support, please visit our scholarships and bursaries page.

^{*Terms and conditions apply. See online for details.}

Funding

UK government postgraduate loan scheme

Postgraduate loans of up to £12,167 are now available for Masters degrees. Find out more about eligibility and how to apply.

Scholarships

Details of scholarships, including our Global Excellence scholarships for international fee paying students, can be found on our dedicated funding page.

Teaching and research

The Clinical Skills Resource Centre.

Our purpose is to deliver transformative education that will help tackle health challenges of national and global importance.

The foundation of our programme is the four pillars of advanced clinical practice:

• Clinical Practice
• Leadership and Management
• Education
• Research

Teaching

This blended course makes use of contemporary education methods such as case-based learning, small group work and development of communities of practice. The core modules are delivered via blended learning, with a combination of face-to-face teaching and learning activities on campus, and online directed activities, webinars and resources. Our teaching is supported by problem-based learning groups where you can explore cases, develop peer support networks and share clinical experiences.

Teaching methods include:

• Masterclasses from highly experienced clinical teachers and researchers
• Small group simulated learning tasks
• Patient case-based discussions
• Practical workshops for clinical skills development
• Interactive e-learning activities
• Opportunities for practice and receiving feedback

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Facilities

The Exeter resource centre is located at the St Luke’s Campus in the Heavitree Hospital site. Facilities include large teaching rooms, models for learning all practical aspects of medicine required in the clinical environment and dedicated communication skills rooms with video capability. We have simulation suites fitted with equipment to run a wide variety of scenarios designed to teach and test students in a safe environment.

The CSRC also contains state-of-the-art electronic patient simulators, mock NHS wards and emergency departments.

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Careers

Who is this course for?

Demand for healthcare services, intensifying workforce pressures and a growing consensus of the vastly untapped potential of Nurses, Midwives and Allied Health Professions has led to the continued growth of the advanced practice agenda within the NHS.

This course is for registered practitioners such as paramedics, nurses, radiographers and other healthcare professionals who aspire to develop and work at an advanced level of clinical practice.

Employer-valued skills this course develops

Develop your clinical practice, your understanding of professional, legal and ethical issues and your ability to critically analyse literature, documents and policies associated with advanced practice. Undertaking a research project will also help you to undertake research, audit and evaluate activities that develop your personal knowledge and expertise.

Career paths (graduate destinations)

Studying towards advanced clinical practice aims to enable clinicians to practice to their full potential, meeting the healthcare needs of the population through innovative, collaborative and autonomous working. There are a multitude of career opportunities within the advanced clinical practice sphere and these continue to grow on a yearly basis.

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