Specialist Healthcare Practitioner

MSc / PGDip

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Overview

This programme is designed to support healthcare practitioners develop skills in complex reasoning, critical thinking, and analysis. These skills will benefit nurses, radiographers, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, dietitians, and speech therapists.

You will develop a strong foundation around the four pillars of advanced clinical practice, which includes clinical practice, leadership, education, and research. There is an option of completing this programme in a stepped approach, you may initially want to choose to complete a Postgraduate Diploma but then continue at a later stage to step up to the MSc.

The MSc in Specialist Healthcare Practitioner incorporates a range of modules for the Faculty of Health Studies that are negotiated to provide an individualised curriculum to suit your particular learning or employment needs. You will be guided in your module choices by the Programme Leader at a study plan meeting before the start of the programme. Your study plan will then be reviewed on an annual basis with your Personal Academic Tutor (PAT).

Awards and outcomes

Year 1: Postgraduate Certificate in Enhanced Clinical Practitioner

After successfully completing 60 credits and achieving the award learning outcomes, you will be eligible to:

exit with the award of Postgraduate Certificate in Enhanced Clinical Practitioner
continue to Year 2 of Postgraduate Diploma in Specialist Healthcare Practitioner
continue to Year 2 of MSc in Specialist Healthcare Practitioner

Year 2: Postgraduate Diploma in Specialist Healthcare Practitioner

After successfully completing 120 credits (60 credits per year) and achieving the award learning outcomes, you will be eligible to:

exit with the award of Postgraduate Diploma in Specialist Healthcare Practitioner
continue to Year 3 of MSc in Specialist Healthcare Practitioner

Year 3: MSc in Specialist Healthcare Practitioner

After successfully completing 180 credits (60 credits per year) and achieving the award learning outcomes, you will be eligible to:

exit with a Degree of Master's in MSc Specialist Healthcare Practitioner

Previous level 7 study completed maybe eligible to be imported into this award through the recognition of prior learning progress. Please include all post-registration study completed on the application form and transcript of marks award if not completed at the University of Bradford.

Professional accreditation

This course is approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) as the statutory body and regulator of nursing and midwifery healthcare professions.

This means that you'll be eligible to apply to join the NMC register as a qualified midwife.

This is a course for graduates who are already registered with the NMC as a nurse. To enter a career in midwifery as a new registrant with the NMC when you already have an undergraduate degree, join our 3-year MSc Midwifery programme.

Entry requirements

A registered qualification with a UK professional regulatory organisation
A first level degree in a health-related topic or an advanced diploma or evidence of level 6 study or significant clinical experience and employer support following individual review by the programme leader

English language requirements

Students for whom English is not a first language must have an IELTS score of 6.5 or equivalent

Your learning journey

Module information is for 2024 entry and is subject to change.

Teaching, learning and assessment

A range of teaching methods will be utilised within modules to address the learning outcomes for the individual modules with a blended approach to delivery with on-campus and online elements.

Student participation will be integrated within all modules through a range of options including discussion boards, group work, team-based learning and simulation.

The summative assessments for the modules incorporated within this programme have been developed in alignment with the FHEQ standards and module learning outcomes. Formative assessment is provided through a range of methods to reflective the mode of summative assessment. These including ongoing MCQ throughout the duration of the module where summative MCQ is an element of assessment, formative OSCE or simulation exams and tutorials with written feedback for written assignments. When multiple modes of assessment are utilised within a module the learning outcome assist within each element is clearly identified on the module descriptors.

Fees, finance and scholarships

Tuition fee 2025

10 credits: £612
20 credits: £1,224
30 credits: £1,836
40 credits: £2,448
Dissertation module (if applicable): £2,648

Additional costs

There may be additional costs that you may incur as a student. Though these are not essential to your programme of study you need to be aware of them as a student of the University. A list of the sort of costs you might expect can be found on our fees and finance section.

Financial support

See our fees and financial support section.

Postgraduate Master's Loan

If you live in England you may be able to apply for a special Government-funded Master's Loan to help pay your tuition fees and living costs.
You don't have to pay the loan back until you're earning a certain amount of money.

Scholarships

Every year we award numerous non-repayable scholarships to UK, EU and international students on the basis of academic excellence, personal circumstances or economic hardship. For full details, visit our scholarships section.

Career prospects

This is a flexible programme of study to support Registered Healthcare Professionals to undertake masters level study to support career progression within the NHS and other healthcare organisations.

From 1 April 2025, the starting salary for a Band 5 midwife is £29,970. A midwife preceptorship tends to be approximately 6-24 months and varies between hospital trusts. Once the preceptorship is complete, a Band 6 is awarded. The annual salary for a Band 6 midwife on the first pay point is £37,338, rising to £44,962 after a minimum of five years.

Career support

Due to the current work-based pressures and financial pressures experienced by most NHS staff, this programme of study has a flexible framework that enable students to exit at each of the three stages but return to study importing prior credits within a reasonable time frame as their career progresses.

Many potential students may only be support in current roles to undertake study to PGC level with further support being provided because of career progression. The flexibility to step on and off this programme will support students to study to achieve career progression and return to continue their studies once achieved.

Study support

You will be guided in your module choices by the Programme Leader at a study plan meeting before the start of the programme. Your study plan will then be reviewed on an annual basis with your Personal Academic Tutor (PAT).

Research

You will become an autonomous practitioner who can work in advanced and specialist roles with high levels of accountability.

Terms and conditions of study

The University has a set of terms and conditions for all students accepting an offer to study on a course here at Bradford. This is called The Student Contract. This document sets out the Terms and Conditions which apply when you accept an offer of a place on a programme of study at the University of Bradford.

View our Student Contract for further details.

Transparency statement

Information about this programme and its modules has been published in advance of the academic year to which it applies. Every effort has been made to ensure that the information is accurate at the time of publication, but changes may occur given the interval between publishing and commencement of teaching. Any change which impacts the terms and conditions of an applicant’s offer will be communicated to them.