University College Cork: University College Cork (UCC) is a prestigious public research university located in Cork, Ireland. Established in 1845, UCC is known for its academic excellence, innovative research, and vibrant campus life. It offers a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate programs across various fields, including arts, sciences, business, engineering, medicine, and law. UCC is committed to providing a supportive learning environment, fostering critical thinking, and preparing students for successful careers and global citizenship.

This is the third and final year of an online 3-year part-time Clinical Trials suite of programmes:

Year Qualification Credits
Year 1 Postgraduate Certificate in Clinical Trials 30
Year 2 Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Trials 30
Year 3 MSc Clinical Trials 30
Our Clinical Trials programmes are run in collaboration with the Health Research Board (HRB) Clinical Research Facility in Cork. The HRB provides dedicated infrastructure, experienced research and support staff, and the necessary quality and oversight programs that are critical for the successful conduct of world-class patient-focused research.

This is a fully online, part-time, course designed for the working professional. You must complete the Clinical Trials Certificate and Diploma prior to an application to this MSc programme.

MSc Modules (30 credits)

EH6131 Dissertation in Clinical Trials (15 credits)
EH6134 Research Methods for Clinical Trials (10 credits)
EH6135 Embedding Research in Clinical Trials (5 credits)
Programme Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the Clinical Trials MSc programme, you will be able to:

Design methodologically sound clinical trials;
Employ the appropriate analysis methods with confidence and expertise;
Write a clinical trial protocol and/or ethics application;
Lead a clinical trial that complies with the highest ethical, legal, regulatory, and scientific standards;
Critically evaluate a published clinical trial;
Embed primary methodological research in clinical trials;
Scrutinise new information in critical, evaluative, and analytical ways.
Please see the Postgraduate Academic Calendar (MSc Clinical Trials) for more information.

Modules
Further details on modules can be found in our Book of Modules. Any modules listed are indicative of the current set of modules for this course but are subject to change from year to year.

University Calendar
You can find the full academic content for the current year of any given course in our University Calendar.

Course Practicalities
The MSc in Clinical Trials is a part-time programme, delivered online, and runs for three 10-week blocks beginning in late September.

Students will access the programme via Canvas, the virtual learning environment, on a daily basis and can expect to dedicate a minimum of 20 hours per week to this programme. As a guide you can expect to devote 300 hours of time per 15-credit module and 150-200 hours of time per 10-credit module.

The MSc year is the research/independent inquiry component of the Masters degree. While there will be some course work and online discussion, the major focus will be research methods and preparing for the dissertation.