MSc Investigative Ophthalmology and Vision Science

Fees for entry in 2027 have not yet been set. For reference, the fees for the academic year beginning September 2026 were as follows:

• MSc (full-time)
  UK students (per annum): £15,800
  International, including EU, students (per annum): £36,200
• MSc (part-time)
  UK students (per annum): £7,900
  International, including EU, students (per annum): £18,100

The fees quoted above are fully inclusive of tuition, administration and computational costs.

Fees for entry are subject to yearly review. The University reserves the right to increase your tuition fee by up to 7% each year for courses lasting more than one year, including to reflect rising costs associated with delivering our educational and wider student experience. Postgraduate fees information .

Always contact the admissions team if you are unsure which fee applies to your qualification award and method of attendance.

International student CAS deposit

Self-funded international applicants are required to pay a deposit of £2500 towards their tuition fees before a confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) is issued. Some applicants will be required to pay a higher deposit. More information on tuition fee deposits .

The University permits applicants with comparable previous experience to submit an application for consideration of AP(E)L - Accreditation Prior (Experiential) Learning. The maximum AP(E)L is 15 credits to a Certificate, 45 credits to a Diploma and 60 credits to a Masters.

If an AP(E)L application is successful, the University charges £30 for every 15 credits of AP(E)L. The overall tuition fee is adjusted and then the administrative charge is applied.

All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).

This unit is suited to anyone working in public health or related fields, or researchers who are interested in learning about qualitative research methods. Some students take this unit to better understand published research. Others who have previously only studied quantitative research methods take this unit to gain insight into different ways of thinking about research. For students who are planning a career or research using these methods, this unit is an excellent introduction.

This unit is designed to introduce students to the theory behind qualitative research and popular qualitative research methods. On completion, students should be able to understand and appreciate qualitative research and undertake basic research.

This is an interactive online course. Students are therefore expected to engage with one another on the discussion boards.
 

The unit aims to:

To enable students to develop the skills to use qualitative methodology in public health and primary care research and related fields.
 

Across all categories, students should be able to: 

• Introduction to qualitative research
• Ethics, consent and adequacy
• Sampling and recruitment
• Qualitative data collection
  • Part 1 - Interviews
  • Part 2 - Focus groups
  • Part 3 - Alternative methods
• Qualitative data analysis
  • Part 1 - Different analysis approaches
  • Part 2 - Narrative analysis
• Qualitative research in a digital age
• Summary and consolidation 

This unit introduces students to the theoretical knowledge that underpins qualitative research and also introduces students to a number of well used qualitative methodologies. As well as online and web-based readings, students will also have the opportunity to undertake a practical exercise, which will contribute towards the assessment of this unit. This enables students to practically apply what they learn to real-life practice.

All students will receive written feedback on their assignment. During the midterm reading week, students will be supported to undertake the practical task and prepare for the assignment.

There will be regular interaction with the tutors through scheduled webinars (which will be recorded and made available) and through the online discussion boards. Students will be encouraged to use self-reflection to think about the ideas discussed, and take part in discussion board activities. Students should work through the unit in a logical sequence. The individual course unit timetables will guide what should be done and when. Participation in the discussion boards is greatly encouraged, and can help enhance your learning experience and prepare you for your assessment.
 

• Understand the philosophical principles of undertaking qualitative research applied to health settings.

• Explain and critically discuss the principal qualitative methods that can be deployed to undertake research as a means of exploring a range of important public health and primary care issues.

• Compare and contrast the ways in which qualitative data may be collected and used in primary care and public health research.

• Identify, synthesise and conduct secondary analysis of qualitative data on topics relevant to primary care, public health or health services research.

Written assignment (including practical task):

• 2500 - 3000 words

Students will be provided with personalised feedback for their summative assignment (2,500-3,000 words or equivalent) within 20 working days for final submission.

Green J, Thorogood N, Qualitative Methods for Health Research, (3rd edition), 2014, SAGE Publications Ltd. ISBN 978-1-4462-5309-0.