Postgraduate Diploma in Medical Education

Who is the course designed for?

The Postgraduate Diploma is aimed at doctors, dentists and other healthcare professionals involved in supporting the learning and development of students and/or more junior colleagues. This includes those working in primary /secondary/ community care settings, at all levels from Foundation Year 2 onwards. The programme is only open to those who have successfully completed the Postgraduate Certificate in Medical Education at the Institute of Continuing Education, University of Cambridge.

This means they are 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. It is suitable for ‘early career’ educators as well as those with more experience.

Aims of the programme

The programme aims to develop individuals able to adopt an informed and critically reflective stance to their own and others practice as medical educators and leaders.

This will include:

• consideration of strategies to create and sustain safe working and learning environments, including supporting and developing faculty to deliver high quality education and training
• the features of high quality formative and summative assessment practices and how these are used to assess performance and support the development of students and trainees (including differentiation of performance and supporting trainees who are failing to progress)
• a focus on curriculum and course design at two levels i.e. firstly, to enable an informed critique of adopted curriculum, their limits and potentials and secondly to familiarise participants with core curriculum design skills

Teaching and learning:

The Postgraduate Diploma comprises three modules and combines face-to-face study days with on-line activity, study and assignments. There are 8 contact days in total.

Please note that all date are subject to change at this stage.

Module 1: Curriculum and assessment: design and development

• 5th October 2022
• 9th and 10th November 2022 (two day teaching block)
• Wednesday 7th December 2022 1.30 - 4.30pm (online session) 

Module 2: Supporting workbased learning

• 11th January 2023
• 21st and 22nd February 2023 (two day teaching block)

Module 3: Developing practice and leading learning

• 29th March 2023
• 10th May 2023

A virtual learning environment will support students’ learning throughout the programme.

Assessment

There are three assessment points, one formative (first term) and two summative (second and third terms). The first summative assessment requires you to design an educational intervention or innovation that has the potential to improve the quality of clinical education or training in your own professional context (equivalent to 5000 words). The final summative assessment is a structured portfolio of educational practice that includes selected entries from the reflective blog you keep throughout the course and a critical review of a recent journal article selected because it has the potential to improve practice (equivalent to 5000 words). The formative assessment is based on peer review of your planned educational intervention and is designed to help you develop your ideas.

Fees and funding

The fee for 2022 will be £4,350 per annum (home) and £6,498 (overseas).

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

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

Bursaries may be available for qualifications in medical education, some deaneries, for example the  Health Education East of Engalnd (HEEoE) may offer bursaries for qualifications in medical education, and enquiries should be directed to the relevant Postgraduate Centre in your region. It is also worth investigating what funding is available from your employer if you teach regularly.

Applications will be accepted until 31 May 2022. Please click the APPLY NOW button at the top of the page and follow the steps.

Applicants will be required to either submit or provide details of the following as part of the application process:

• Copies of qualification transcripts
• Employer letter of support to confirm release of time to study.
• Evidence of funding
• Details of two academic referees
• If applicable, appropriate visa to attend the course.
• Evidence of competence in English (if appropriate)

Candidates will be informed of final decisions towards the end of August.

Admissions and questions about applications: For any queries or information about the admissions procedure, making an application or your application itself - please contact the admissions team by email to: pgadmissions@ice.cam.ac.uk

FAQs

Below you will find answers to the most frequently asked question or FAQs, relating specifically to the Postgraduate Diploma in Medical Education. Please do read through these and you should find the answers to most questions.

Admissions and questions about applications: For any queries or information about the admissions procedure, making an application or your application itself - please contact the admissions team by email to: pgadmissions@ice.cam.ac.uk

For all other questions about the course or if you cannot find what you are looking in the FAQs below, then please click on, the ASK A QUESTION button at the top right of this page to send a message to the course Administrative and Academic and we will respond as soon as possible.

Can I study the Medical Education PG Diploma or MSt courses without first having to study the PG Certificate course?

In order to apply for the Medical Education PG Diploma course, you need to have successfully completed the PG Certificate course at ICE, University of Cambridge.  Upon successful completion of the Diploma course at ICE, students could then apply to progress to the MSt course.

Is this course available online?

No, this is not a distance-learning course. Even with the pandemic in mind, we plan to deliver our postgraduate and MSt qualifications in-person in the academic year 2022-23. Please note that this will be reviewed in line with the latest public health guidance available at any given time. If required, to ensure the health and safety of students, we may look to utilise alternative teaching formats and will contact students if we expect changes to the course delivery.

Is this course available full-time?

This course has been designed for part-time delivery in order to permit students to work around their employment commitments.  It is not possible for it to be studied on a full-time basis. 

When can I apply for the next Medical Education course?

Applications for the MSt, PG Certificate and PG Diploma starting in the Michaelmas term (October) of any given year, open in the September/October of the previous year. So, for example, for an October 2022 start, applications open September 2021.   Please see our Courses pages for when courses are open for application here. 

Please note that an entry requirement of the PG Diploma in Medical Education is that applicants should first have successfully completed the PG Certificate in Medical Education at ICE.

When is the deadline for applications?

Applications for 2022/23 entry for the PG Diploma in Medical Education will be accepted online until 31 May 2022.

When will my application be considered? 

All applications will be reviewed at the close of the applications window after the submission deadline, irrespective of when they are received.

Who is the course aimed at?

The Postgraduate Diploma is aimed at doctors, dentists and other healthcare professionals involved in supporting the learning and development of students and/or more junior colleagues. This includes those working in primary /secondary/ community care settings, at all levels from Foundation Year 2 onwards. The programme is only open to those who have successfully completed the Postgraduate Certificate in Medical Education at the Institute of Continuing Education (ICE), University of Cambridge.

This means they are 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. It is suitable for ‘early career’ educators as well as those with more experience.

Am I suitable for the PG Diploma in Medical Education?

The entry requirements for this course are outlined under the Entry Requirements of the course page here. It is only open to those who have successfully completed the Postgraduate Certificate in Medical Education at the Institute of Continuing Education, University of Cambridge.

English is not my first language - can I still apply?

All applicants are required to demonstrate competency in English at a high level before commencing the programme. Students whose first language is not English must be able to satisfy the necessary requirements, even if they have worked or studied in English previously.  Please refer to the ICE website here for further information, following any extra links there for further, added advice.

Can I transfer credits from my current/previous university?

We are currently unable to accept any transfer of credits from other universities.  

Can I study individual Medical Education modules?

Currently the units/modules are not offered for individual study but this may change, so please keep looking at our web pages for updates.

When can I expect to hear back on a decision?

Decisions on applications will be made approximately 6 weeks after the relevant closing date.

Final decisions regarding admissions can only be made on the full and final applications and the offer of places will depend on the strength of applicants in any one year. 

How is teaching delivered?

The Postgraduate Diploma in Medical Education  comprises three modules and combines face-to-face study days with on-line activity, study and assignments, supported through a virtual learning environment [VLE].  There are 8 contact days in total.
A provisional guide of the number of teaching days is provided under the Teaching & Assessment tab of the course page. Teaching day attendance is in Cambridge and students should ensure they are able to meet all teaching obligations before starting the course.

I want to study the PG Certificate in Medical Education and do the MSt later on – is that possible?

It is possible to complete the postgraduate Certificate and then, on successful completion, apply to progress through the PG Diploma.  Upon successful completion of the Diploma, students can then apply to undertake the MSt in Medical Education. It is not possible to go straight from the Certificate to the MSt course. 

What are the Fees?

The fees for 2022 entry for the PG Diploma in Medical Education, as detailed on the course page, are £4,350 per annum for Home students and £6,498 per annum for Overseas students. 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. Students will be expected to cover the application fee (£75 online) and any costs of travel, accommodation and subsistence during residential sessions in Cambridge. 

Is there any funding available for Medical Education courses? 

Bursary funding for a limited number of places will be available from Health Education East of England (HEEoE) for the PG Certificate course ONLY. Some students receive funding or sponsorship from their employers.

Please note that places on the Postgraduate Certificate in Medical Education are offered on merit rather than funding.

Information about Bursaries at the Institute of Continuing Education (ICE) can be found here: www.ice.cam.ac.uk/bursaries The Graduate Admissions Office website provides information on funding administered centrally within the University and you may find the following link helpful :http://www.graduate.study.cam.ac.uk/finance/funding 

How are fees payable?

Once you have arranged any funding, payments can be scheduled through a payment plan, of up to four instalments per academic year; per academic year, or for the whole course (the latter is sometimes the preferred method by sponsoring organisations).  You can discuss this with the course team prior to course start.

What is my Fee Status?
 

Guidance on fee status, whether Home/EU or Overseas can be found on the University website here.  Your fee status will determine the fee that you are liable to pay for your course of study.  If in doubt or you require further advice regarding your fee status please contact admissions.  Ice.admissions@ice.cam.ac.uk 

Progression 

Upon successful completion of the PG Diploma in Medical Education, students can apply to progress to the MSt in Medical Education, 1 year, part-time.  Further details available here.