Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (Online Learning) MSc, PgDip (ICL), PgCert (ICL), PgCert, PgDip, PgProfDev

This three-year part-time Masters programme will provide you with a detailed knowledge and understanding of infection disciplines. The programme is delivered entirely online and is of particular benefit to those wishing to study a postgraduate qualification alongside work or other commitments.

Amal discusses her experience of studying online for the MSc Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.

Programme overview

The programme is designed to develop your understanding of the biology and transmission of pathogens, as well as infectious disease diagnosis, treatment and prevention. Specific topics include:

  • Immune responses to infection
  • Science and biology of bacterial, viral, fungal and parasitic pathogens
  • Modern and emerging diagnostic technologies for infectious diseases
  • Infection prevention and control and anti-infective therapy
  • Infection in different contexts such as community-acquired infections, emerging infectious diseases, and infectious diseases associated with travel

Beyond the fundamental knowledge gained, our aim is to enable you to develop and critically assess cutting-edge research questions in clinical microbiology and infectious diseases. You will be encouraged to: 

  • Develop an increased understanding and awareness of the scientific and medical background of infectious diseases.
  • Achieve a command of existing knowledge in your field of research, through a critical and comprehensive review of relevant literature.
  • Understand the principles of data analysis, dissemination of results and implementation of key findings and thus make informed judgements on new and emerging treatments.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of how specialist knowledge in clinical microbiology and infectious diseases is applied to advise treatments and management of infectious diseases.
  • Successfully communicate scientific results and research information.
  • Ensure an understanding of infectious diseases to enable the undertaking of independent research.

What will you learn?

Courses, each worth 10 credits, are offered over five-week periods. You can access all learning materials in your own time. Learning on all courses is integrated with in-course assessments.

Year 1: Postgraduate Certificate

This course covers the immune response to infection and the role of innate and adaptive immunity.


This course will develop your understanding of the basic biology of bacterial pathogens and how they cause disease in humans.


This course focuses on major parasitic (protozoan and helminth), fungal and prion diseases of humans.


This course covers the basic biology of viral pathogens and how they cause disease in humans.


This course aims to develop your understanding of the clinical laboratory in the investigation, management and prevention of infection.


This course will develop your understanding of antimicrobial agents and their rational use in clinical settings based on evidence and existing policies. You will also be encouraged to investigate the evidence that underpins antimicrobial stewardship.


 

Year 2: Postgraduate Diploma

In year 2 you will select six elective courses. Year two course offerings and availability are subject to annual academic review and demand. Courses currently on offer during year two include the following:

You will develop your understanding of the pathogenesis, laboratory diagnosis, clinical investigation and treatment of a broad range of complex infection syndromes as well as the relationship between co-morbidities and infection.


You will develop your understanding of factors contributing to community-acquired infections, learn about diagnosis and review case studies. Furthermore, the course encourages you to investigate principles of public health, disease surveillance, epidemiology and importance of immunisation in preventing infectious diseases.


You will develop an understanding of the emergence of infectious diseases, the risk factors of disease emergence and the implications for disease surveillance and control in public health.


This course aims to provide you with the ability to understand the causes of, and risk factors leading to, immune deficiency, and the ability to recognise infection in immune-compromised patients. It will also cover management of specific therapies in both HIV-infected and non-HIV immune-compromised patients as well as relevant counselling to patients, carers and relatives.


You will examine the principles of infection prevention and control in order to reduce the risk of acquiring infections and to control their spread.


This course aims to develop your knowledge of modern and emerging diagnostic technologies for infectious diseases. Our focus will be on rapid pathogen detection, antibiotic resistance determination, point-of-care testing, and high-throughput technologies such as next-generation sequencing and mass spectrometry.


This course is designed to develop your ability to critically review biomedical publications, to analyse and interpret data and to apply your skills to the design of research studies. Furthermore, you will be encouraged to critically assess the methodologies used in systematic reviews and meta-analysis.


This course aims to introduce the challenges of travel medicine, considering the recreational short-term traveller as well as long-term population movement.


 

Year 3: Masters

In year 3 you will carry out a dissertation project on a topic of your choice to complete your Masters degree.

Course information

Career Impact

We designed the Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases MSc programme with your training and your professional development aspirations in mind. It is an excellent opportunity to advance knowledge and skills for many professionals such as biomedical scientists, researchers, educators and health care professionals. Our curriculum draws on the British medical syllabus for Combined Infection Training and Higher Specialty Training in Infectious Diseases of the Royal College of Pathologists and Joint Royal Colleges of Physicians Training Board. Our programme is ideal for junior doctors who wish to specialise in infectious diseases or clinical microbiology and can support trainees/specialists in preparation for FRCPath Part 1/CICE.

This degree will also be attractive to those who have completed their training but wish to fulfil continuing medical education requirements, or those who wish to obtain a formal qualification in Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. 

Some of our students have taken our MSc degree in preparation for a doctoral research degree. The programme also provides a good foundation for healthcare professionals wishing to conduct research studies within the infectious disease field. 

Programme Structure

You can study this programme on a part-time basis. On successful completion of the courses and assessments you can graduate:

  • with a postgraduate certificate (after one year; this is worth 60 credits)
  • with a postgraduate diploma (after two years; this is worth 120 credits)
  • with a Masters (after three years; this is worth 180 credits) 

Intermittent study allows more flexibility in how you choose to study. With this option you will have up to 2 years to complete the certificate, up to 4 years to complete the diploma, and up to 6 years to complete the MSc.

The standard programme structure is still maintained in terms of the progression requirement for entry into the dissertation year. However, you can tailor your education to fit more closely with commitments in both your private and professional life. 


Postgraduate Professional Development (PPD) is aimed at working professionals who want to advance their knowledge through a postgraduate-level course, without the time or financial commitment of a Postgraduate Certificate or Diploma.

You may take a maximum of 50 credits worth of courses over two years through our PPD scheme. These lead to a University of Edinburgh postgraduate award of academic credit. Alternatively, after one year of taking courses, you can choose to transfer your credits and continue on to studying towards a higher award on a Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma programme.

Although PPD courses have various start dates throughout the year you may only start a Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma programme at the start of the academic year in September. Any time spent studying PPD will be deducted from the amount of time you will have left to complete a Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma programme.


 

Why Choose Edinburgh?

  • The University of Edinburgh is ranked 22nd in the world for Medicine, 21st for Life Sciences and 19th for Anatomy and Physiology (QS World University Rankings by subject, 2024).
  • Our graduates are ranked 25th in the world by employers (QS World University Rankings 2022).
  • The latest report from the Quality Assurance Agency awarded the University of Edinburgh the highest rating possible for the quality of the student learning experience. We are always working to develop innovative approaches to teaching in order to discover the methods that work best for students, including e-learning techniques and peer-assisted learning.
  • We are the largest provider of online distance learning in the Russell Group of UK research-intensive universities and offer more than 80 programmes across a wide range of subject areas. We have around 4,000 students currently studying online with us, and we take the delivery of teaching online just as seriously as we do on-campus.
  • The University of Edinburgh has an international reputation for innovative research across a wide range of disciplines. According to the results of the 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF2021), the University is ranked fourth in the UK based on the quality and breadth of its research - known as research power - and is Scotland’s top ranked institution.
  • Our current students come from a diversity of professions such as junior doctors, biomedical scientists, pharmacists, public health professionals, biomedical researchers, scientific officers, medical laboratory scientists and educators. We have a truly global student community, with current students based in the UK, Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and North America.

Entry Requirements 

These entry requirements are for the 2024/25 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2025/26 academic year will be published on 1 October 2024. 

  • A UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent, in a biomedical, medical, public health or relevant bio-science topic. 
  • We may also consider your application if you have relevant work experience; please contact the programme team to check before you apply. You may be admitted to certificate level only in the first instance.

Information about international qualifications and English language requirements can be found on the University Degree Finder.

Fees

Deposit

You will need to pay this non-refundable deposit before an unconditional offer can be made:

  •  £500 (this contributes towards your tuition fees)

Full details about fees and deposits are available on the University Degree Finder. 

Ready to find out more? 

Speak to a current student

Want to speak to a current student about their online experience? You can email an online student through our student portal, Unibuddy.

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