MSc/PGDip/PGCert Health Informatics (UCL/UoM Joint Award) / Course details

This course focuses on how information and information technology are used in the organisation and delivery of healthcare.

Our MSc in Health Informatics (jointly awarded by The University of Manchester and UCL) offers an innovative and exciting training in a uniquely challenging and important field.

Our blended learning MSc will equip you with the skills to work in this exciting field by providing:

• a unique combination of personal learning, theoretical challenge and practical application;
• blended approach which combines face-to-face contact and distance learning, harnessing the advantages of both across two campus;
• flexible study allowing you to complete the programme full-time in one year, or flexibly over up to five years;
• engagement with leading thinkers in the field across the UK and internationally;
• participation in a thriving network of academics, clinicians and informatics professionals.

Our programme is suitable for health professionals currently in work or graduate students.

The University of Manchester and UCL are uniquely placed to provide the health informatics training required for a modern health service.

You will have access to the largest UK health informatics faculty, including researchers who develop and apply solutions in a range of healthcare settings and direct national programmes in research education/training.

In 2020 we have written a new textbook Developing Medical Apps and Health Interventions and have published core competencies for clinical informaticians across the UK with the Faculty of Clinical Informatics.

Both institutions sit in two of the largest regional health economies in the UK, hosting the greatest concentration of digital-led NHS programmes. A team of six professors and 13 senior academics contribute to the programme, alongside NHS and industry professionals.

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.

The programme aims to:

• provide you with the skills to manage healthcare systems;
• provide you with an understanding of the healthcare system, from treatment of individuals to the wider population;
• emphasise the importance of informatics in patient driven healthcare;
• embed key health informatics principles, concepts and skills in students' working practices;
• combine leadership and transferable skills with technical skills training.

The programme is delivered via blended learning, which combines online learning and short three day sessions on campus either at UCL or The University of Manchester.

Each taught module is delivered largely online over eight or nine weeks with a short block of intensive face-to-face teaching. The online element includes video lectures, podcasts, written material as well as interactive exercises and discussions. The face-to-face teaching includes lectures, seminars, problem-based workshops and experiential learning.

The programme is designed for students in full-time wok who already have a first-degree in a relevant discipline. We accept applications from people with a wide range of qualifications, and we consider professional experience if students do not have a relevant first degree. Students who wish to study full-time can take the programme in one year but should be aware that they will be taking modules that are largely delivered online.

The programme will encourage intellectual curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking. It will teach transferable skills for lifelong learning and cultivate reflective practice. The content reflects the changing needs of healthcare.

We see learning and teaching as collaborative 'knowledge construction', which recognises the contribution of all stakeholders (academic staff, service users and carers, and students).

This is demonstrated in the programme through contributions made by these stakeholders, providing case-studies, examples, invited seminars and participation in group work.

We will promote translational thinking so that informatics knowledge, know-how, skills and understanding are applied to new health challenges to ensure that informatics is embedded as an enabler of change.

The structure of the programme ensures that you will share this knowledge with each other and learn to work in teams.

Programme delivery

Most of taught modules are delivered online over eight or nine weeks with a short block of intensive face-to-face teaching.

The online element includes:

• video lectures
• podcasts
• written material
• exercises
• discussions.

The face-to-face teaching includes:

• lectures
• seminars
• experiential learning.

Whilst the majority of this programme is delivered online, students will typically be required to spend three days on campus for every module. For half the modules, the face-to-face teaching will be at UCL, for the other half it will be at the University of Manchester. Students will also be asked to attend a separate induction day based at UCL at the start of the year.

The types of assessment on this programme may include:

• coursework
• examination
• presentations
• research project.

Each 15-credit module equates to around 150 learning hours. This is spread out over the whole period of the module which typically runs over 9 weeks. This includes the time you spend in taught sessions, independent study, group work and assessment.

We offer:

• A Postgraduate Diploma: made up of four compulsory modules (60 credits) and four optional modules (60 credits). The duration is either one year (full-time study), two years (part-time study) or up to five years (flexible study).
• A Postgraduate Certificate: made up of four compulsory modules (60 credits). The duration is either one year (full-time study), two years (part-time study) or up to five years (flexible study).

You will use a number of assessed and non-assessed activities to develop key skills and expand your knowledge base. There is a mix of assessment: written assignments, exam, group work and other activities such as moderated discussion boards.

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