MSc Specialist Practice (Cancer) / Course details

Year of entry: 2024

Course description

Our MSc Specialist Practice (Cancer) course is a partnership between The University of Manchester and The Christie School of Oncology aimed at nurses and other health professionals who want to develop their professional skills and clinical practice within oncology.

You will develop an expert knowledge base, higher decision-making skills and professional competencies to deliver care within the integrated multi-professional clinical teams that will form the basis of future healthcare delivery.

The course consists of a wide range of taught generic professional skills and advanced clinical practice units that can be undertaken individually as CPD or as part of a postgraduate qualification.

The MSc can be studied full-time (one year) or part-time, allowing you to fit study around your other commitments. The delivery format of the course has been tailored to offer a large degree of flexibility, making it attractive and accessible to individuals currently working within the NHS both locally and nationally.

Special features

Flexible learning

You can study individual units or the full MSc on a part-time or full-time basis depending on your learning needs and other commitments.

Tailor your course

Choose from a range of course units to suit your own professional and clinical interests within cancer care.

Interdisciplinary learning

Learn from - and alongside - professionals from various fields of health and social care practice.

Combined expertise

You will learn from academic and clinical experts at The University of Manchester - for which cancer is a major research beacon - and The Christie School of Oncology .

Teaching and learning

Our course units are supported by a dedicated team comprising academics, leaders in their fields of research and practice, specialist practitioners, e-learning specialists and professional support staff.

We use a range of teaching and learning methods, including face-to-face, blended and online learning.

The course focuses on an active learning approach and is designed to prompt the discovery, processing and application of knowledge through collaboration and cooperation.

You will draw on your own experiences - both academic and work-based - when learning. The course will promote the construction of understanding through task-related activities and reflection.

We have extensive experience and good practice in online learning, with dedicated e-learning technologists to support you and our staff in making the most of the e-learning platform.

This course does not have a practice placement element.

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

Coursework and assessment

We use a range of assessments throughout the course to assess your knowledge and understanding and to develop your intellectual and practical skills.

Course unit details

You can study individual units as standalone short courses or build up units of study towards a PGCert or PGDip award and undertake a dissertation to complete the MSc award. See the units page for more information.

Postgraduate Certificate in Specialist Practice (Cancer) (PGCert) 60 credits

Choose from a range of specialist units

Post Graduate Diploma (Cancer) 120 credits

Choose from a range of specialist units (90 credits) and one compulsory unit: Advanced Evidence Based Practice (30 credits)

MSc in Specialist Practice (Cancer) 180 credits

After successfully completing the 120 credits for the PGDip, you may be eligible to undertake a dissertation from the options below:

  • full or adapted systematic review;
  • report-based dissertation.

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
Advanced Evidence Based Practice NURS60045 30 Mandatory
Post Graduate Research Dissertation NURS60046 60 Mandatory
Critical appraisal and evidence synthesis NURS60015 15 Optional
Quantitative design and analysis NURS60016 15 Optional
Qualitative design and analysis NURS60017 15 Optional
Research Design NURS60018 15 Optional
Managing Research in Health and Social Care NURS60020 15 Optional
Principles and Practice of Cancer Care L7 NURS60033 15 Optional
Principles and Practice of Breast Care Nursing NURS60035 30 Optional
Promoting Effective Practice in Supportive and Palliative Care NURS60036 15 Optional
Effective strategies for advanced communication NURS60092 15 Optional
Acute Oncology NURS60093 15 Optional
Lung Cancer NURS60095 15 Optional
Personalised Care and Survivorship NURS60098 15 Optional
Developing Practice and Managing Change NURS60141 15 Optional
Academic Accreditation of Continued Professional Development (CPD) NURS61450 15 Optional
Safe delivery of Systemic anti-cancer therapies (SACT) L7 NURS61722 15 Optional
Principles of Haematology Oncology NURS63160 15 Optional
Leadership in Professional Practice NURS63332 15 Optional
Dementia: A Person Centred Approach NURS63570 15 Optional
Reflective Teaching and Learning in Practice NURS67801 15 Optional
Displaying 10 of 21 course units

Course collaborators

This MSc is a collaboration between the University and The Christie School of Oncology .

Facilities

The University of Manchester offers extensive library and online services to help you get the most out of your studies.

Disability support

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

CPD opportunities

Individual units from this course can be taken as standalone courses for continuing professional development (CPD).

See the nursing, midwifery and social work CPD page for further information.