Postgraduate Taught

This Certificate/Diploma/Master’s course has been developed jointly by FAIMER® (the Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research) and CenMEDIC (the Centre for Medical Education in Context). 

Keele University will accredit the course and be responsible for maintaining standards, issuing degree awards and providing library access for students, as well as being the last recourse in the event of dispute or complaint. 

The course will be delivered by CenMEDIC which is the academic unit responsible for all issues in relation to running the course and to issues of student support, student assessment and feedback.  The materials for the course are located on the CenMEDIC website and the discussion forum, an integral part of the course, is also located there. 

The FAIMER-Keele Master’s degree in health professions education is intended for teachers, administrators and regulators in health professions education.  The course is designed to provide in-depth training in all aspects of health professions education through the convenience of distance learning.  The skills and knowledge acquired can help participants advance health sciences education at their own institution, or within their own country, to the highest international standards. 

The FAIMER-Keele Master’s degree in health professions education offers health professions educators the opportunity to receive advanced training in all aspects of health professions education.  Educators in medicine, nursing, dentistry, and other health professions can acquire the knowledge and skills to advance health professions education at their institutions to the highest international standards.

1.     English language proficiency requirement

If English is not your first language, you must either:

• Hold a degree from a school where English was the language of instruction

OR

• Take the IELTS™ (7.5 or higher required) or TOEFL® (102 or higher required with a minimum in each element of listening at 21, Reading at 24, Speaking at 21 and Writing at 24).

Please note that IELTS/TOEFL exams must be no more than two years old at the start of the course for which you have applied.

2.     Education requirement

• A qualification/degree related to the health professions or education at a Bachelor’s or equivalent level.

3.     Practical requirement

• Practical experience in either teaching or the management of education.

The courses are conducted as fully supported distance learning. Students take a series of on-line modules for each and participate in on-line discussion forums. The Master’s programme includes a brief residential session and a dissertation.

The courses follow the strict quality assurance guidelines and policies of Keele University. They are presented and moderated by The Centre for Medical Education in Context (CenMEDIC) in the United Kingdom and are developed, presented, and facilitated by experts in health professions education under the leadership of FAIMER faculty member Janet Grant, Ph.D., Director of CenMEDIC, Emerita Professor of Education in Medicine at The Open University in the United Kingdom, and Honorary Professor at the University College London Medical School.

Programmes at a Glance

Certificate

• One-year programme
• Required modules (8 units per module)
  • Assessment (15 hours per unit)
  • Accreditation and Self-review (15 hours per unit)

Diploma

• Two-year programme
• Required modules (8 units per module)
  • Assessment (15 hours per unit)
  • Accreditation and Self-review (15 hours per unit)
  • Assessment and Accreditation 2 (10 hours per unit)
  • Research Design (10 hours per unit)
  • Curriculum Design and Evaluation (10 hours per unit)
  • Teaching and Learning in Health Professions (10 hours per unit)

Master’s Degree

• Three-year programme
• Required modules (8 units per module)
  • Assessment (15 hours per unit)
  • Accreditation and Self-review (15 hours per unit)
  • Assessment and Accreditation 2 (10 hours per unit)
  • Research Design (10 hours per unit)
  • Curriculum Design and Evaluation (10 hours per unit)
  • Teaching and Learning in Health Professions (10 hours per unit)
  • Educational Management and Leadership (10 hours per unit)
• Additional requirements
  • One-week residential session
  • Dissertation

As an international award, the courses are offered by fully supported distance learning.  There is no face to face option except for a mandatory week long residential at The Master’s stage.  In order to fully support you as you embark on your Master’s dissertation, you are required to attend for one week to meet us and other course members.  During this week, which might not be in your home country, but also should not be assumed to be in the UK or the USA, you will start to work on your dissertation idea.  We will aim to hold this residential component in a country where the greatest number of students is based. 

Each module is made up of a series of units, formative and summative assessments and online forum discussions.  Importantly, these will all be timetabled with clear deadlines.

It is envisaged the certificate will be completed in one year, the diploma will take two years and the full Master’s three years.

The modules can be downloaded or used on-line.  Participants will be provided with course materials and supporting documentation, and assigned a Learning Advisor to stimulate and discuss their  progress in a moderated on-line discussion forum.  In accordance with Keele University regulations participants will also be allocated a personal tutor to whom they can turn if they are having problems with their studying or need someone else to talk to.