The MSc in Clinical Trials is a part-time programme delivered wholly online and runs for three 10-week blocks beginning in late September.

• Applicants accepted on the MSc in Clinical Trials are expected to hold an honours Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Trials (minimum Second Class Honours Grade One from UCC).
• Applicants applying for the MSc in Clinical Trials and who have obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Trials from an institution other than UCC (minimum Second Class Honours Grade One) will be considered on a case-by-case basis by the Clinical Trials Programme Team. Such applicants must: produce the relevant module syllabi from the awarding institution, and proof of their grades for comparison purposes. Such applicants may also be asked to participate in an interview. Decisions on selection to the programme will be made on the basis of academic qualifications and possibly interview.

This programme will be delivered wholly online. To access and interact with the course content, assignments and assessments etc., students will require:

1. Access to a laptop or desktop (either Mac OS or Windows) running a relatively recent operating system (Windows 7 or Mac OSX 10.8 or later). Access to the Virtual Learning Environment is supported by UCC through IOS and Android apps, which are available from the respective App stores.
2. Access to a reliable broadband connection with at least 2MB download speeds.
3. A modern standards compliant web browser. The most reliable options for use with UCC online learning are Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome. Download and installation instructions will be provided. Safari is not suitable.
4. Common plug-ins such as Java and Flash Runtimes. Download and installation instructions will be provided.
5. An Office suite of software (Microsoft Office 2003 or later or equivalent) and a PDF reader (preferably Adobe Acrobat Reader XI or later).

Students must satisfactorily complete modules to the value of 30 credits.

Core modules
EH6131 Dissertation in Clinical Trials (online) (15 credits)
EH6134 Research Methods for Clinical Trials (10 credits)
EH6135 Embedding Research in Clinical Trials (5 credits)

Module Semester Information may be found here. Module Descriptions may be found here.

Examinations
Full details and regulations governing Examinations for each programme will be contained in the Marks and Standards 2020/2021 Book and for each module in the Book of Modules, 2020/2021.

Six Year Rule
The MSc in Clinical Trials must be completed within a maximum of 72 months from the date of initial registration for the Postgraduate Certificate in Clinical Trials.

Programme Learning Outcomes for MSc in Clinical Trials (NFQ Level 9, Major Award)
On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to:

• Design methodologically sound clinical trials;
• Employ the appropriate analysis methods with confidence and expertise;
• Write a clinical trial protocol and/or ethics application;
• Lead a clinical trial that complies with the highest ethical, legal, regulatory and scientific standards;
• Critically evaluate a published clinical trial;
• Embed primary methodological research in clinical trials;
• Scrutinise new information in critical, evaluative and analytical ways.