MSt in Medical Education

Virtual Open Events

To learn more about the programme and the student experience, and to ask any questions you may have, join us for our virtual open events. To register, follow these links:

Tuesday 13 April 2021 at 5pm GMT

Educational Aims

The programme aims to develop individuals who are able to recognise and respond to opportunities to develop their own and others educational practice through the considered design and implementation of a small-scale educational research or development project.

This will include

• Exploration of project design principles, including methodological choices
• Familiarisation with a range of educational research, development and evaluation methods
• Purposeful and in-depth engagement with their chosen project design methodology and linked methods
• Purposeful engagement with approaches to data selection, data generation and data analysis methods (linked to their chosen design)
• Rehearsing different ways of communicating complex ideas in written/verbal/graphic form for different audiences (eg academic audience, professional audience, members of the public etc) 

Learning outcomes

By the end of the MSt in Medical Education, within the constraints of the course, students should be able to demonstrate:

1. a capacity to purposefully design, implement and critically appraise an educational project that has the potential to inform or change practice
2. an ability to position their project in relevant policy/practice context and to provide a coherent account of the conceptual and methodological choices they have made in design and implementation
3. the ability to communicate complex and novel ideas in accessible ways, for a range of audiences and purposes
4. awareness of personal responsibility and professional codes of conduct throughout all stages of the project, working in transparent and ethical ways.

Teaching (updated dates)

This is a part-time course designed to fit with the demands of full-time employment.

Each module has been designed to link firmly to the next, supporting the design, implementation and write up stages of the project. For each module there is shared learning in 2-day face-to-face teaching blocks. 

Please note that all dates are provisional and may be subject to change.

Key Dates:

• 11 and 12 October 2021 (F2F)
• ASME RME conference 18 November 2021)
• 20 and 21 January 2022 (remote delivery)
• 12 and 13 May 2022 (F2F)

The contact days during the sessions are designed to be interactive, recognising the rich resources students offer to the learning process. There will be opportunities to rehearse aspects of project design, including data collection and analysis methods; these will be explicitly linked to student project choices. Teaching methods include formal input (micro-lectures), case study work, small group work and peer presentations.

Each student has a named supervisor and will work with them to identify preferred ways of working (face to face or remote supervision) and patterns of supervision over the year. 

Supervision

Each student is allocated a named supervisor and should expect to access up to 12 hours of supervisor time, which includes supervisor time to read and respond to draft work but does not include time to mark summative assessment submissions.

Assessment

There are three linked assessment points, designed to support student development and progression:

1. A project proposal of between 3,000 - 4,000 words.
2. A project presentation of no more than 15 minutes duration accompanied by a short reflective piece (1,500 - 2,500 words) focussed on their learning from the task
3. A project report is the final submission and should ‘tell the story’ of the student's project work in an appropriate form that allows them to evidence achievement of the programme learning outcomes. The project report and any adjuncts should be the equivalent of 8,000 - 10,000 words.

The Dissertation

All students will undertake an educational project, either research or development  The project report and any adjuncts should be the equivalent of 8,000 - 10,000 words.

The educational development project requires students to design, implement and evaluate an educational intervention /innovation related to their educational role and responsibilities. With both types of projects,  students’ are required to produce work that meets all programme outcomes at masters level. This includes working ethically, even if formal ethical permissions are not required.

If they elect to undertake an educational research project (ERP) (using either primary or secondary data) they would be required to seek formal ethical permissions. If undertaking an educational development project (EDP), this may not be required.

Other Assessment

Attendance at all of the units in Cambridge and full and active participation in all elements of the course is compulsory.

Fees

The fees for 2021 entry will be £4,122 per annum for Home students and £6,000 per annum for overseas students. The combined graduate fee includes College membership

The fee status of EU nationals for 2021 entry onwards will be International by default until the UK government announce further details and amendments of the current regulation. EU students should regularly check for updates at: www.cam.ac.uk/eu

Other Costs

Students will be expected to cover the application fee (£75 online) and any costs of travel, accommodation and subsistence during the course and sessions in Cambridge

How to apply

The programme is only open to those who have successfully completed the ICE Postgraduate Diploma in Medical Education. In addition applicants will be medical, dental or healthcare professionals who are engaged in education and training activities commensurate with their level of experience and as is relevant to their professional roles and responsibilities. The MSt is suitable for ‘early career’ educators as well as those with more experience.