MSt in Clinical Medicine

Educational Aims

All parts of the course - the Postgraduate Certificate, the Postgraduate Diploma, and the Master of Studies - are delivered with the following overarching educational aims.

• Provide professionally relevant teaching and learning informed by research in an integrated clinical and teaching environment.

• Create an international cohort of consultants, GPs, dentists and other healthcare professionals able to pursue and develop their roles in a rapidly-changing and challenging environment of clinical medicine

• Develop the confidence within this cohort to lead service improvement for safe and high quality patient care, with the required knowledge, skills and capability to have a positive personal impact on the work of others in their clinical team and wider service

• Develop clinicians with an understanding of teaching, professional development and assessment in the field of clinical medicine

• Develop clinicians with an understanding of research methodologies and ethical considerations relevant to clinical medicine

• Encourage participants to develop as reflective practitioners with the emotional intelligence, resilience and astuteness required to be effective clinical leaders

• Encourage a commitment to intellectual challenge and evidence-based clinical practice informed by the latest conceptual and theoretical knowledge of medical education, research methods, ethics and clinical leadership and governance

The combined programme will permit students to:

• Develop the knowledge and critical understanding of recent developments in clinical medicine directly relevant to their future roles as tertiary centre consultants;
• Develop the knowledge and understanding of teaching and assessment strategies for complex concepts and themes informed by research in a rapidly changing integrated clinical and teaching environment;
• Enable deployment of new knowledge in their clinical practice and to have a positive personal impact on the work of others in their clinical team and wider service;
• Develop the knowledge of leadership models and their abilities and confidence as healthcare leaders of service improvement for safe and high quality patient care;
• Update and extend an understanding of research methodologies and ethical considerations.
• Ensure a systems based approach to the critical analysis and development of improvements in healthcare systems;
• Provide work-relevant learning around current problems, best-practice, challenges and potential solutions in clinical leadership and education.
• Critical engagement with and evaluation of the evidence base for effective clinical practice and measurement of outcomes; 
• Develop extensive knowledge and deep understanding of a specialised field within clinical medicine (MSt via dissertation);   
• Demonstrate detailed understanding of contemporary and future trends and issues in clinical research, education, leadership and for PgDip/MSt students healthcare data and law, and their implications for clinical practice
• Advanced awareness of self and identity as a clinical leader and the impact of culture, values and ethics on advanced clinical leadership (PgDip/MSt); 
• Advanced knowledge of research methodology (MSt).

Learning Support

All students are members of a College and the Institute of Continuing Education. As a member of the University of Cambridge, students have access to the face-to-face and online academic and pastoral support functions of the Collegiate University. Students have access to additional learning support via the Institute of Continuing Education, along with comprehensive details of the programme, contact details and academic and general advice. The course VLE holds generic and subject specific learning resources.

For disability support, all students are able to receive support through the Accessibility and Disability Resource Centre. More information can be found here: https://www.disability.admin.cam.ac.uk/

Teaching

This is a part-time course designed to fit with the demands of full-time employment. 

The programme is delivered through a mix of in person and self-directed learning. Learners will attend in person teaching at the beginning of each Term. This teaching will cover the skills and methodology required to effectively engage in independent learning and a dissertation in the chosen area of Clinical Medicine. This will include guidance on formulating a viable research question, choosing a topic and appropriate  methodology, conducting a project, structuring and writing a dissertation.

A strong emphasis is placed on experiential and interactive learning using individual and group activities. The development of a cohesive peer-learning network will be supported. Additional materials will be provided through the course Virtual Learning Environment.

Teaching dates may be subject to change

Teaching delivery:

• Thursday 16th October 2025 & Friday 17th October (2 teaching days) – developing a research question, academic practice and skills 
• Thursday 15th January 2026 & Friday 16th January 2026 January 2026 (2 teaching days) – proposal review and refinement; progressing your dissertation; peer presentations 
• Thursday 9th April 2026 & Friday 10th April 2026 (2 teaching days) – peer feedback; dedicated writing sessions; advice and guidance on draft completion 
•  Final submission deadline 31 July 2026

Supervision

Each learner will be assigned a dissertation supervisor who will be experienced in the area and/or methodology being studied as part of the dissertation. They will meet at least five times with the supervisor, either in person or remotely. These meetings will support development of the research question and methodology, acquisition and analysis of data and feedback on a single draft of the dissertation.

Assessment

The MSt course will be assessed through the production of a dissertation * in an area related to one, or more, of the areas covered by Units 1-6 studied during the Postgraduate Certificate and Postgraduate Diploma. This may focus on areas such as the completion of a research project, the design and implementation of an educational activity, quality improvement or leadership project. 

Fees

The fees for 2024 entry will be £6,545.00 per annum for Home students and £13,089.00 per annum for overseas students. The combined graduate fee includes College membership

The fee status of EU nationals for 2021 entry onwards will be International by default until the UK government announce further details and amendments of the current regulation. EU students should regularly check for updates at: www.cam.ac.uk/eu

Other Costs

Students will be expected to cover the application fee (£50 online) and any costs of travel, accommodation and subsistence during the course and sessions in Cambridge.

How to apply

The programme is only open to those who have successfully completed the ICE Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Medicine. 

Additional guidance on completing your application (including restrictions associated with the use of AI) can be found here

FAQs

Below you will find answers to the most frequently asked question or FAQs, relating specifically to the MSt in Clinical Medicine. Please do read through these and you should find the answers to most questions.

However, if you still cannot find what you are looking for then please click on, the 'Ask a Question' link at the top right of this page to send the course team a message and we will respond as soon as possible.

Can I study the MSt in Clinical Medicine without first having to study the PG Certificate in Clinical Research Education and Leadership or PG Diploma in Clinical Medicine Courses.

In order to apply for the MSt in Clinical Medicine course, you need to have successfully completed the PG Certificate in Clinical Research Education and Leadership at ICE, University of Cambridge, progressing to then successfully complete the PG Diploma in Clinical Medicine.

Is this course available online?

No, this is not a distance-learning course and we plan to deliver our postgraduate and MSt qualifications in-person in the academic year 2025-26. 

Is this course available full-time?

This course has been designed for part-time delivery in order to permit students to work around their employment commitments. It is not possible for it to be studied on a full-time basis. 

When can I apply for the next Clinical Medicine course?

Applications for the MSt, PG Certificate and PG Diploma starting in the Michaelmas term (October) of any given year, open in the September/October of the previous year. So, for example, for an October 2025 start, applications open September 2024.  

When is the deadline for applications?

Applications for 2025/26 entry for the MSt in Medical Education will be accepted online until 30th May 2025.

When will my application be considered? 

All applications will be reviewed at the close of the applications window after the submission deadline, irrespective of when they are received.

When can I expect to hear back on a decision?

Decisions on applications will be made approximately 6 weeks after the relevant closing date.

Final decisions regarding admissions can only be made on the full and final applications and the offer of places will depend on the strength of applicants in any one year. 

Can I transfer credits from my current/previous university?

We are currently unable to accept any transfer of credits from other universities.  

I have question about my application, whom should I contact?

For any queries or information about the admissions procedure, making an application or your application itself - please contact the admissions team by clicking on the 'Ask A Question' link at the top right-hand side on this page. 

How are fees payable?

Once you have arranged any funding, payments can be scheduled through a payment plan, of up to four instalments per academic year; per academic year, or for the whole course (the latter is sometimes the preferred method by sponsoring organisations). You can discuss this with the course team prior to course start.

What is my fee status?

Guidance on fee status, whether Home/EU or Overseas can be found on the University website here.  Your fee status will determine the fee that you are liable to pay for your course of study.  If in doubt or you require further advice regarding your fee status please contact Admissions at   ice.admissions@ice.cam.ac.uk