MSc/PGDip Advanced Audiology Studies / Course details

Year of entry: 2024

Course description

Our MSc Advanced Audiology Studies course is aimed at practising audiologists who want to prepare for advanced roles in clinical management, clinical practice, teaching and research.

The course consists of a mixture of audiology-specific units and those shared with health professionals from a range of other disciplines, enabling you to tailor the course to your own interests.

You will learn from internationally recognised experts at the Manchester Centre for Audiology and Deafness (ManCAD).

You may choose to complete 60 credits for a PGCert (exit award) or 120 credits for a PGDip. If your application onto the programme is successful, it is important you contact the programme team as soon as possible to discuss the units you wish to study, so an individualised timetable can be arranged.

On successful completion of 120 credits, progression to the full MSc qualification allows you to explore, in depth, a specific aspect of audiology practice, policy, research or education in a 60-credit, 12,000 to 15,000-word dissertation.

PhD with integrated master's

If you're planning to undertake a PhD after your master's, our Integrated PhD programme will enable you to combine your postgraduate taught course with a related PhD project in biology, medicine or health.

You can also visit this page for examples of projects related to integrated master's courses.

Aims

Our course aims to:

  • enable you to critically evaluate and apply aspects of contemporary audiology and healthcare practice, policy, research and education;
  • foster positive values and attitudes that recognise and respect individual and cultural diversities and challenge discriminatory practice;
  • equip you with in-depth knowledge, understanding and skills to critically evaluate research and the evidence base for audiology practice that promotes optimal health and involves service users and carers in the delivery of care;
  • develop your abilities and skills in critical reflective practice, problem solving and creative ethical decision-making;
  • contribute to innovation, change and quality improvement in audiology and healthcare practice at both individual and organisational levels by equipping you with a systematic and critical understanding of relevant knowledge, theoretical frameworks and advanced skills;
  • enhance your career development and lifelong learning to support safe practice and the maintenance and enhancement of appropriate standards of audiology practice.

Additional aims for the MSc are to enable you, through the systematic, in-depth, exploration of a specific area of audiology practice, policy, research or education to extend your knowledge, understanding and ability to contribute to the advancement of audiology knowledge and practice at an individual and/or organisational level.

Special features

Inter-professional learning

The course includes units in which students from a range of healthcare professions study core concepts and subjects together.

Wide range of units

You can choose from a variety of units to customise the course to suit your own interests.

Expert teaching

This course is led by members of the Manchester Centre for Audiology and Deafness (ManCAD), an internationally recognised multi-million pound hearing research programme.

Teaching and learning

Many of the staff involved with the course are actively involved in either scientific or pedagogical research.

Where possible, members of staff teach course units related to their research interests and are in a position to keep their teaching informed and up-to-date.

A large number of the teaching staff are also clinically trained audiologists, hearing therapists or hearing scientists.

We use a range of teaching and learning methods, including lectures, small group work, student-led seminars, problem-based learning and online learning.

You will also be required to undertake independent study to further develop and consolidate your learning.

Where appropriate, and with individual arrangements, some audiology units may include participation in practical skills laboratories.

Find out more by visiting the postgraduate teaching and learning page.

Coursework and assessment

You will be assessed using a variety of methods within individual units and across the course as a whole.

All assessments require you to integrate knowledge and understanding, and apply this to your own practice relevant to the outcomes of each unit.

Assessment methods include:

  • essays
  • case studies
  • assessed seminar presentations
  • literature reviews
  • written examinations
  • multiple choice exam questions

The full MSc qualification requires an extended written piece of work (12,000-15,000 words) that focuses on a specific aspect of audiology practice, policy or research in the form of an extended literature-based review.

A substantial and mandatory component of the MSc involves the design and completion of a high-quality research project. The research project component represents 33% of the MSc (600 hours or four months' full-time study).

The project is completed under supervision in an area related to audiology. The research project is an opportunity for you to consolidate much of your previous learning and to pursue a specialist area of interest.

Course unit details

Taught units can be studied in any order except where there are specific pre-requisites.

Not all optional units may run each year and will be subject to minimum numbers. You will meet with your course director to plan out a pathway that meets your needs.

Part-time students on the PGDip or MSc course will need to complete 60 credits per year as required for the award. Attendance at the university will vary depending on which units you choose to take. Some units are delivered online, some face-to-face over a number of days, and others are delivered via traditional lectures on a weekly basis. Please note this is NOT an online course and attendance at the university will be required.

An exit award of PGCert is available to students exiting after completing 60 credits. This must include at least 15 credits of audiology-specific units from those available.

A maximum of 30 credits of individual course units can also be studied on a standalone basis.

Course unit list

The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.

TitleCodeCredit ratingMandatory/optional
Research Methods and Statistics PCHN60170 15 Mandatory
Dissertation PCHN61610 60 Mandatory
Dementia: A Person Centred Approach NURS63570 15 Optional
Vestibular Assessment and Management PCHN60022 15 Optional
Auditory Science PCHN60041 15 Optional
Paediatric Audiology PCHN60052 15 Optional
Clinical Applications of Neurosensory Science PCHN60080 30 Optional
Language Acquisition PCHN60240 15 Optional
Developing Deaf Child PCHN60260 15 Optional
Effective Amplification for infants and children PCHN60320 30 Optional
Neurosensory Science PCHN62010 15 Optional
Paediatric Hearing Assessment PCHN63331 15 Optional
Advanced Skills In Aural Rehabilitation PCHN63350 15 Optional
Adult Auditory Rehabilitation and Management PCHN64250 30 Optional
Changing Paediatric Hearing PCHN65781 15 Optional
Children with Complex Needs and Hearing Loss PCHN67331 15 Optional
Adults with Complex Needs and Hearing Loss PCHN67341 15 Optional
Adult Auditory Assessment PCHN69411 15 Optional
Displaying 10 of 18 course units

Scholarships and bursaries

For the latest scholarship and bursary information please visit the fees and funding page.

What our students say

Studying this MSc part-time alongside clinical practice has been a unique experience. The course was flexible and I was able to tailor my units to suit my career options as a paediatric audiologist.

The course gave scope to branch into deaf education. Combined with my audiology background, I feel I have broadened my scope as a paediatric practitioner.

Aminoor Rahman

I was given the flexibility to individualise the course by selecting units from the audiology, deaf education and the STP courses based on my needs and interests.

Wen-Hui Hsieh

Read more about Wen-Hui Hsieh's experience at Manchester in her blog: Advanced Audiology at Manchester: An international student's perspective (Biology, Medicine and Health Student Blog).

Facilities

You will use high quality laboratory equipment and facilities for learning practical skills. You will have access to these facilities outside of timetabled sessions to facilitate individual practice, with some limitation on procedures that carry certain risks eg aural impression taking.

You will also be able to access a range of facilities throughout the University.

Disability support

Practical support and advice for current students and applicants is available from the Disability Advisory and Support Service .

CPD opportunities

We offer individual units from this MSc as standalone courses for continuing professional development, as well as units providing specialist clinical training .