Clinical Research MSc
School of Medicine and Population Health, Faculty of Health
Our Clinical Research course prepares students with the skills to critically evaluate research and handle the practical and regulatory challenges of designing and conducting clinical and health research projects.
Start date:
September 2025
Duration:
1 year2 years3 years
Attendance:
Full-timePart-time
Apply now for 2025 entry or register your interest to find out about postgraduate study and events at the University of Sheffield.
Course description:
This course is your gateway to a dynamic and rewarding career in clinical and health related research, both nationally and internationally. This course can also serve as excellent preparation for doctoral/PhD study.
Our curriculum prepares you with the essential knowledge and skills to initiate and conduct high quality research projects. You will learn to critically appraise research methods and results, and explore their implications for clinical practice. With a wide range of modules to choose from, you can personalise the course to align with your specific research interests and career goals.
By the end of the programme you will be ready to undertake and manage research, positioning yourself for success in roles such as Clinical Practitioner/ Academic, Healthcare Researcher, Clinical Research Coordinator and Academic Researcher.
NIHR INSIGHT funding:
We are pleased to announce the availability of competitive bursaries from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) INSIGHT Programme for Yorkshire and Humber for students to complete this course.
These bursaries offer financial support to eligible UK students for the 2025-26 entry. It is exciting for our course to be recognised by this prestigious institute, and we encourage all eligible students to apply.
Programme routes:
There are three routes into this programme:
For any health or social care professional wishing to learn about clinical/health research and pursue health research as a career in its own right or as a clinical/practitioner academic.
For those registered as NIHR Academic Clinical Fellows in Medicine or Dentistry
For medical students wishing to intercalate
Intercalation:
We accept medical students who wish to intercalate their studies.
Clinical Research vs Health and Clinical Research Delivery
We offer two different courses in the field of health research: the MSc in Health and Clinical Research Delivery (HCRD), which is delivered remotely, and a Masters in Clinical Research (MClinRes), delivered on campus. If you're not sure which course to take, use the table below to help you.
Which course should I take?
Consideration MClinRes (Campus) HCRD (online)
I want to study part-time. Yes Yes
I want to study full-time. Yes No
I want to study remotely with maximum flexibility around my working commitments. No Yes
I want in-person contact with tutors and other students.
Yes No
I want to be involved in delivering NIHR portfolio studies (recruiting to studies I did not design, engaging service users, and involvement in site set-up roles like R&D)
Yes Yes
I want to be a local principal investigator (responsible for study delivery) in my NHS trust, health or care organisation.
Yes Yes
I want to design my own research and lead national funding applications. Yes No
I want to be a co-applicant on national research funding applications or lead local funding bids.
Yes Yes
I am interested in leading the embedding of research into my local NHS trust, health or care organisation and increasing its research activity. Yes Yes
I am interested in becoming an independent academic/clinical academic and wish to pursue PhD study.
Yes Yes
I want to follow a standardised masters programme.
No Yes
I want to tailor my masters programme by selecting modules most relevant to my learning needs and research interests.
Yes No
I would like the opportunity to observe how research is delivered in practice through a placement
No Yes
Modules:
A selection of modules is available each year - some examples are below. There may be changes before you start your course.
Continuing Professional Development:
It is possible to complete standalone modules and then apply to transfer to the MSc course. Any time spent on the CPD route counts toward the time limit a student has to complete their chosen qualification.
The content of our courses is reviewed annually to make sure it's up-to-date and relevant. Individual modules are occasionally updated or withdrawn. This is in response to discoveries through our world-leading research; funding changes; professional accreditation requirements; student or employer feedback; outcomes of reviews; and variations in staff or student numbers. In the event of any change we will inform students and take reasonable steps to minimise disruption.
Open days:
An open day gives you the best opportunity to hear first-hand from our current students and staff about our courses.
Duration:
1 year, full-time
2–3 years part-time
If you're interested in studying this course on a part-time basis, please contact the department for further information.
Teaching:
You will learn through lectures, seminars, tutorials, small group discussions, online screencasts, videos, podcasts, guided reading and case studies. There is an alternative dissertation route that is encouraged for NIHR Academic Clinical Fellows.
Assessment:
You will be assessed through written assignments and exams.
Your career:
Upon completing the course, you'll open doors to a range of exciting possibilities. Many graduates find dynamic roles in clinical research NS work with leading healthcare organisations. Some also choose to continue their studies and start PhD programmes.
Entry requirements:
Minimum 2:1 undergraduate honours degree in any subject or a Medical degree.
We also consider a wide range of international qualifications:
Entry requirements for international students:
We assess each application on the basis of the applicant’s preparation and achievement as a whole. We may accept applicants whose qualifications don’t meet the published entry criteria but have other experience relevant to the course.
The lists of required degree subjects and modules are indicative only. Sometimes we may accept subjects or modules that aren’t listed, and sometimes we may not accept subjects or modules that are listed, depending on the content studied.
English language requirements:
IELTS 7.5 (with 7in each component) or University equivalent.
Other English language qualifications we accept,
If you have any questions about entry requirements, please contact the school/department.
Fees and funding:
Home (2025 annual fee) : £11,810
Overseas (2025 annual fee) : £29,030
The fee listed is for the advertised mode of study. If you're studying for an alternative qualification or via a different mode of study (eg full-time, part-time) then the fee could be different. Due to inflation, the fee for Home students could also increase after your first year of study. Use our fee calculator or contact the Student Fees team to check.
NIHR INSIGHT funding:
We are pleased to announce the availability of bursaries from the NIHR INSIGHT Programme for Yorkshire and Humber, offering financial support to eligible UK students.
Alumni discount:
Save up to £2,500 on your course fees
Are you a Sheffield graduate? You could save up to £2,500 on your postgraduate taught course fees, subject to eligibility.
Apply:
You can apply now using our Postgraduate Online Application Form. It's a quick and easy process.
Any supervisors and research areas listed are indicative and may change before the start of the course.