Clinical Research

PgCert

  • Entry year 2025
  • Duration Part time 1 - 4 years
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Overview

Why Lancaster?

  • Benefit from a unique programme of study that puts science and research at the heart of medicine and healthcare.
    • Prepare for strategic and leadership roles, learning how to promote evidence-based healthcare using cutting-edge science.
  • Explore the most effective ways to communicate research to doctors, healthcare professionals, patients, and the wider public – and make an impact.

Why Clinical Research?

Advances in treatments, therapies and healthcare are only possible with clinical research. Research is the gateway to possibility – transforming hypotheses and ideas into robust, tried and tested treatments that can be rolled out to communities with confidence.

Clinical research helps us understand what works and what doesn’t, identifying more effective and efficient treatments while highlighting important side effects and safety considerations.

Is Clinical Research for me?

If you want to be part of the team behind breakthroughs in medical science, drive progress and ultimately improve health outcomes and quality of life, boosting your clinical research skills is the right place to start.

Designed to fit around your working life, our Clinical Research PgCert is a 12-month part-time course, incorporating face-to-face teaching sessions with online learning, using our virtual learning environment.

The programme provides a solid introduction to clinical research methodology, setting you up to conduct research thoroughly, reliably and ethically. You’ll learn how to interpret research findings and build important communication and presentation skills so you can share your findings.

If you choose to progress to the PgDip, you’ll have the opportunity to focus on real-life application, how clinical research fits into your clinical context, and its potential to inform healthcare policy and practice more broadly.

What’s next?

With your research skills recharged, you’ll graduate from your PgCert ready to bring your new learning to your role, using clinical research to support decision making and improve services.

After successful completion of the PGCert, you’ll be eligible to progress to the PGDip if you want to get a more in-depth understanding of Clinical Research and its applications outside the lab. You might even have your sights set on a Clinical Research MSc, where you’ll have the opportunity to design and undertake a practice-based research project and receive a higher-level qualification.

Entry requirements

Academic Requirements

2:1 Hons degree (UK or equivalent) in a relevant subject including medicine, nursing, psychology, biological sciences or related subjects. Applicants with relevant professional experience and without a first degree should contact the Course Director.

We may also consider non-standard applicants, please contact us for information.

If you have studied outside of the UK, we would advise you to check our list of international qualifications before submitting your application.

English Language Requirements

We may ask you to provide a recognised English language qualification, dependent upon your nationality and where you have studied previously.

We normally require an IELTS (Academic) Test with an overall score of at least 6.5, and a minimum of 5.5 in each element of the test. We also consider other English language qualifications.

Contact: Admissions Team +44 (0) 1524 592032 or email pgadmissions@lancaster.ac.uk

Pre-master’s programmes

Delivered in partnership with INTO Lancaster University, our one-year tailored pre-master’s pathways are designed to improve your subject knowledge and English language skills to the level required by a range of Lancaster University master’s degrees. Visit the INTO Lancaster University website for more details and a list of eligible degrees you can progress onto.

Course structure

You will study a range of modules as part of your course, some examples of which are listed below.

Information contained on the website with respect to modules is correct at the time of publication, but changes may be necessary, for example as a result of student feedback, Professional Statutory and Regulatory Bodies' (PSRB) requirements, staff changes, and new research. Not all optional modules are available every year.

Core

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Fees and funding

The Clinical Research programme is designed for professionals working in healthcare settings who are interested in building a research career. The programme offers a flexible pathway through study, with a tiered exit structure allowing students to exit with a PG Certificate (taken over 12 months) or progressing to a PG Diploma, or MSc over 36 months. 

The PG Certificate is 60 credits, currently £4,710 per annum in 2025/26.

Visa restrictions mean that the PG Certificate is only open to home applicants.

The full MSc Clinical Research programme (180 credits) is £14,140 for home students and £30,310 for international students in 2025/26.

Home students can also choose from two study programme pathways:

  • Part time/ 24 month route: (90 credits per year for two years; £7,070 per annum at 2025/26 prices).
  • Part time tiered exit/36 month route: (60 credits per year for three years; £4,710 per annum at 2025/26 prices).

For most home students, it is likely they would complete the Postgraduate Certificate (60 credits) in their first year, progressing on to the Postgraduate Diploma (a further 60 credits) in their second year, and the Master's (60 credit Dissertation) in their third year.

General fees and funding information

Additional fees and funding information accordion

Scholarships and bursaries

You may be eligible for the following funding opportunities, depending on your fee status and course. You will be automatically considered for our main scholarships and bursaries when you apply, so there's nothing extra that you need to do.

Unfortunately no scholarships and bursaries match your selection, but there are more listed on scholarships and bursaries page.

If you're considering postgraduate research you should look at our funded PhD opportunities.

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We also have other, more specialised scholarships and bursaries - such as those for students from specific countries.

Browse Lancaster University's scholarships and bursaries.

Who should apply?

The Clinical Research programme is designed for professionals working in healthcare settings who are interested in building a research career.

The programme offers a flexible pathway through study, with a tiered exit structure allowing students to exit with a PG Certificate, PG Diploma, or MSc over three years.

The MSc can also be studied full time over one year, or part time over two years.

Lancaster Medical School

Lancaster Medical School is an emerging school offering high quality teaching, research and expertise addressing fundamental issues in health and medicine. We aim to contribute to continuing professional development of doctors and allied professionals across the health sector.

  • Research in the Faculty

    Interests include epidemiology, medical education, social science and biomedical science subjects applied to medicine.

  • CHICAS

    The Centre for Health Informatics, Computing and Statistics.

  • Social and ethical aspects of health and medicine

    Exploring the social and ethical aspects of health and medicine, and informing policy and practice.

  • Athena Swan: gender equality at Lancaster

    We hold the Athena SWAN Silver Award, recognising our commitment to advancing the careers of women in higher education and research.

Important Information

The information on this site relates primarily to 2025/2026 entry to the University and every effort has been taken to ensure the information is correct at the time of publication.

The University will use all reasonable effort to deliver the courses as described, but the University reserves the right to make changes to advertised courses. In exceptional circumstances that are beyond the University’s reasonable control (Force Majeure Events), we may need to amend the programmes and provision advertised. In this event, the University will take reasonable steps to minimise the disruption to your studies. If a course is withdrawn or if there are any fundamental changes to your course, we will give you reasonable notice and you will be entitled to request that you are considered for an alternative course or withdraw your application. You are advised to revisit our website for up-to-date course information before you submit your application.

More information on limits to the University’s liability can be found in our legal information.

Our Students’ Charter

We believe in the importance of a strong and productive partnership between our students and staff. In order to ensure your time at Lancaster is a positive experience we have worked with the Students’ Union to articulate this relationship and the standards to which the University and its students aspire. View our Charter and other policies.

Why Lancaster?