Ranking
1st
choice for graduate employers
Ask us a question or join our mailing list
Ask our subject team a question or sign up to our mailing list to stay up to date with our latest events, scholarships and subject news.
Advanced Clinical Practice (Midwifery) MSc / PGDip / PGCert
- Delivery formatOnline and in person
- Start dateSeptember, JanuaryDuration3 years part-time
- AwardMaster of Science / Postgraduate Diploma / Postgraduate Certificate
- Entry requirements2:2 Honours degree in your clinical field of practice
- Fees (UK/Ireland)£3,750
Course overview
Preparing you to take the next step, advance your clinical practice to lead and transform patient care.
Develop skills in health assessment, clinical reasoning, and judgment, while preparing yourself to take on a leading role in service delivery through research-informed clinical practice.
This programme is accredited by the Centre for Advancing Practice.
Health Education England’s Centre for Advancing Practice has been established to standardise post-registration education by accrediting advanced practice courses that achieve the standards outlined in the multi-professional Advanced Practice Framework.
Practitioners who have completed accredited education programmes will be eligible to be listed on the Centre’s Advanced Practice Directory. Programme accreditation from the Centre for Advancing Practice will bring a new level of consistency to the workforce and help showcase advanced practice within health and social care.
Course Structure
This course will run over three years in a part-time mode. While the exact content may change, here’s what you can expect to study throughout this programme and the routes you can take.
Year One
Year One
This modular course is designed to provide you with the necessary clinical, leadership and management, education and research skills and knowledge to become an accredited Advanced Clinical Practitioner. You'll positively impact health outcomes for the patients and their families within your locality.
Year Two
Year Two
In Year 2, you continue to build and evidence your professional growth through the full-year Advanced Clinical Practice Portfolio while deepening specialist knowledge in key areas. During Term 1, you focus on Advanced Maternal Health Management and begin developing a strong theoretical grounding in prescribing through the Scientific Principles and Practice module.
Term 2 shifts toward applied prescribing skills, with Safe Effective Practice preparing you for real-world clinical decision-making.
Throughout the year, you also complete a Structured Reflective Prescribing Portfolio, allowing you to integrate learning from both terms and demonstrate your readiness for advanced clinical responsibilities.
Year Three
Year Three
As well as continuing to work on your portfolio, your final year will be dedicated to your research project. You can tailor this project to your specific career needs.
Course highlights
What makes this course different?
Invaluable to your career progression, this course will enable you to lead and transform service delivery through research-informed clinical practice. From the outset you'll be encouraged to become an independent and self-motivated learner. We want you to be challenged and will encourage you to think for yourself within your professional role, essential for advancing your clinical practice.We'll support registered practitioners in the UK to develop the practical knowledge and theoretical understanding required to undertake advanced clinical practice roles across the healthcare sector.
- Experience teaching from world-leading academics, practitioners and researchers.
- Flexible mode of delivery to suit both your and your employer’s needs through a blend of online and on-campus delivery.
- Invaluable to your career progression, this programme enables you to lead and transform service delivery through research-informed clinical practice.
- Opportunity to work collaboratively in a multi-professional learner environment with experienced practitioners from a range of clinical specialties and practice area.
Transform patient care by developing your skills even further through two different routes, prescribing and research.
Tailor your degree to what you want to achieve.
- 1st
choice for leading graduate employers
High Fliers Report, The Graduate Market 2025
Course delivery
This clinically focused course integrates core modules, including Advanced Physical Health Assessment, Advanced Clinical Decision Making, and The Reflective Advanced Practitioner, with the opportunity to undertake the independent prescribing route in year two or alternatively, a clinical/research route. Within both routes, there is the opportunity to choose a specialty specific module to meet your individual work-based requirements.
- Teaching styles - lectures, eLectures, small group tutorials, presentations, peer group learning, self-study.
- Assessment - essays, oral presentations, exams and clinical Objective Structured Clinical Examinations.
- Dissertation - substantial piece of research that will be linked to leading change in your field of practice.
- Research project - supervised by an academic within the department and supported by a series of online resources. You'll be expected to maintain a portfolio of evidence reflecting your developing competency in the four pillars of advanced clinical practice throughout the course.
Module information
This course consists of five core modules and a variety of optional modules. There is also a dissertation and research project where you can tailor your degree to your specific career needs.
The modules listed below are an indication only and may be subject to change. Occasionally, it may be necessary to make changes to modules, for example, to ensure they remain current and relevant.
As a research-intensive University, our teaching is informed by the latest academic thinking and expertise of our staff. For more information on the circumstances in which the University may need to make changes to modules, please refer to the Terms and Conditions for applicants.
Year 1
2026/27 Session
The following must be taken:
| Module Title | Credits | Semester |
|---|---|---|
| Advanced Clinical Decision making | 20 | Semester 1 |
| Advanced Clinical Practice Portfolio (Year 1) | 0 | Full Term |
| Advanced Physical Health Assessment | 20 | Semester 2 |
| The Reflective Advanced Practitioner | 20 | Semester 1 |
Year 2
2027/28 Session
The following must be taken:
| Module Title | Credits | Semester |
|---|---|---|
| Advanced Clinical Practice Portfolio (Year 2) | 0 | Full Term |
| Advanced Maternal Health Management (AMHM) | 20 | Semester 1 |
| Prescribing: Safe Effective Practice | 20 | Semester 2 |
| Prescribing: Scientific Principles and Practice | 20 | Semester 1 |
| Prescribing: Structured Reflective Portfolio | 0 | Full Term |
Year 3
2028/29 Session
The following must be taken:
| Module Title | Credits | Semester |
|---|---|---|
| Advanced Clinical Practice Portfolio (Year 3) | 0 | Full Term |
| Advanced Practice Research Project | 40 | Full Term |
For the Creating and Applying Evidence module, students must select either a February start or an October start.
| Module Title | Credits | Semester |
|---|---|---|
| Creating and Applying Evidence (February start) | 20 | Semester 2 |
| Creating and Applying Evidence (October start) | 20 | Semester 1 |
Teaching staff
Jason Pritchard
Programme Director MSc Advanced Clinical Practice
Jason Pritchard is the Director of the MSc Advanced Clinical Practice/MSc ACP Degree Apprenticeship (DA) and the MSc ACP MSK (DA) programmes.
Entry requirements
To gain a place at Birmingham you will need to meet our general entry requirements, as well as those specific to your course. Your application will be reviewed by the course’s Admissions Tutor, who will decide whether your application should receive an offer.
- 2:2 Honours degree
You should have a 2:2 Honours degree in your clinical field of practice.
Standard Entry Requirements:
Current registration with one of the statutory regulators of health and care professions i.e. NMC or HCPC or GPhC.
At least 36 months of clinical experience post qualification.
You should normally hold an honours degree in your clinical field of practice. If you do not hold a degree, please contact us before applying to discuss your suitability for the programme
.You'll need to demonstrate evidence of continuing professional development that shows an ability to study at Masters level.
Fees and scholarships
Fees are charged for each year of your studies. Fees for 2026 entry are below, fees will usually increase annually for each year of study.
- £3,750
Part-time
Postgraduate Masters loan
To help with the cost of studies, this loan is available to all UK students. You can use this loan towards fees, maintenance or other costs at your own discretion. It’s available for all full-time, part-time and distance learning Masters programmes, as long as you don’t already have a Masters qualification (or equivalent).If you’re a student from Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, you can apply for Masters loans from your country’s government.
Scholarships
To help you afford your studies, we’ve put more than £33 million into student support and scholarships. We also offer a range of advice on searching for funding and managing your finances.
Birmingham Masters scholarships
We want to welcome the brightest talent to our postgraduate community. That’s why our Birmingham Masters Scholarships award £3,000 to more than 300 students each year.
Application process
To apply for a postgraduate programme, you will need to submit your application and supporting documents online.
- August 2026 / 5 December 2025
The deadline for applications is August 2026 for September entry and December 2025 for January entry. We will close applications as soon as the programme is full. Early applications are encouraged.
How to apply to our taught courses
Find out how to apply to our postgraduate taught programmes. Please read this information carefully before completing your application.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you have a question about our admissions process, including how to apply, your offer and how to track your application, please visit our admissions portal.
Career opportunities
Our MSc Advanced Clinical Practice degree is ideal for those looking to work in advanced levels of practice within a variety of clinical areas and settings. Our final year students have produced service evaluations in a variety of subjects, including sickle cell anaemia, pain assessment and administration, and the management of co-morbidities.
Careers Network
Get ready for tomorrow, with advice, guidance and opportunities at every step of your studies. From developing new skills to preparing for a PhD, our Careers Network can help you gain an advantage in the job market or advance in your field.
Whatever you plan to do after your degree, the Careers Network offers a range of events and support services including networking opportunities, career coaching, one-to-one guidance, careers fairs and links with leading graduate recruiters. We also offer subject-specific careers consultants and a dedicated careers website for international students.
We're first choice for graduate employers... again!
We are the most targeted UK university by top graduate employers (High Fliers report, The Graduate Market 2025). Our graduate stories highlight the achievements of Birmingham alumni and the way their university experience shaped their journey.
Upcoming events
There are currently no upcoming events