Clinical Trials (Online Learning) MSc, PgCert, PgDip, PgProfDev

Our fully online MSc Clinical Trials programme is designed to integrate seamlessly into your professional and personal life.

How online learning works

• Interactive content: Engage with a mix of online lectures, practical case studies, and real-time discussions.
• Flexible access: Log in and learn at times that suit you, with all content accessible 24/7 from anywhere in the world.

Teaching and assessment

• Teaching: Engage through a blend of online lectures, interactive case studies, and real-time discussions facilitated by leading experts.
• Assessment: Demonstrate your understanding and skills through a mix of individual projects, reflective portfolios, group projects, and your final dissertation.

Time commitment

Expect to dedicate 15-20 hours per week, allowing you to balance study with work and family commitments.

Technical requirements

• Equipment: Reliable access to a computer with internet connectivity.
• Software: All necessary learning platforms and tools are provided online by the University.

Support for online students

• Dedicated advisors: Access to a student advisor for guidance on academic and personal challenges.
• Robust community: Engage with peers and faculty via forums and scheduled live sessions to enrich your learning experience.

Find out more about the benefits and practicalities of studying for an online degree:

• Postgraduate online learning

Our MSc Clinical Trials programme offers a structured yet flexible pathway to gaining deep insights and practical skills in clinical trial management, designed to be completed part-time over three years.

This programme structure is designed to provide both essential knowledge and flexibility, allowing you to specialise in areas of interest while maintaining your professional commitments.

Exit at the end of Year 1 or Year 2 with a Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma respectively, or go on to a third and final year to gain a Master of Science qualification.

Core curriculum

• Year 1: Start with foundational required core courses in 'Introduction to Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs) and Medical Statistics' and 'Ethical and Regulatory Considerations in Clinical Trials'. Choose one further elective to complete PGCert.
• Year 2: Deepen your expertise with elective courses such as 'Principles of Clinical Trial Management', 'Clinical Trials in Special Populations', and more.
• Year 3: Culminate your learning with a comprehensive MSc dissertation project focused on a specific area of clinical trials or choose to complete your masters through a taught route incorporating a student led individually created course (SLICC).

Optional course content

Tailor your educational experience by choosing from a variety of elective courses that cover advanced topics and specialised areas within clinical trials.

Find out more about compulsory and optional courses

We link to the latest information available. Please note that this may be for a previous academic year and should be considered indicative.

Graduates of this programme will have gained:

• a critical understanding of the principles, science and evidence underpinning clinical trials
• the ability to critique current approaches in clinical trial design and implementation
• the capacity to take responsibility for their own learning and development within the clinical trials environment
• the ability to communicate the design, implementation and results of clinical trials to a variety of audiences
• the resolve to work professionally and with integrity in a multi-disciplinary research team to deliver effective clinical trials
• the skills to design, implement and report clinical trials

Our Clinical Trials graduates are well-equipped to lead and innovate in the dynamic field of clinical trials, contributing to advancements in global health. Alumni have gone on to have extraordinary careers, shaping the future of healthcare through their roles in academia, the public sector and industry.

Sectors and roles

• Clinical research: Opportunities as trial managers. clinical research associates, and more.
• Quality assurance and control: Roles such as trial monitors and QA managers.
• Data management: Positions in biostatistics, data management, and programming.
• Regulatory affairs: From global regulatory leads to information management associates.
• Medical affairs: Opportunities as chief and principal investigators and medical liaisons, and in medical communications and writing.
• Product development: In areas such as medical devices and pharmaceuticals.

Industry links

Leverage our strong connections with healthcare institutions, pharmaceutical companies, and research organisations. These relationships provide valuable networking opportunities and potential career pathways.

Support for career advancement

The University of Edinburgh's Career Service offers extensive support, from CV workshops to personalised career advice, ensuring you are fully equipped to make an impact in your chosen field.

• The University of Edinburgh Careers Service

• Read success stories from our students and alumni

These entry requirements are for the 2025/26 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2026/27 academic year will be published on 1 Oct 2025.

A medical degree (MBChB or equivalent), or a UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent in medicine, nursing, pharmacy, biological sciences, life sciences, biomedicine, statistics or other related discipline.

We may also consider your application if you have 3-5 years' relevant work experience; please contact the programme team to check before you apply. You may be admitted to certificate level only in the first instance.

Students from China

This degree is Band D.

• Postgraduate entry requirements for students from China

International qualifications

Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:

• Entry requirements by country

English language requirements

Regardless of your nationality or country of residence, you must demonstrate a level of English language competency which will enable you to succeed in your studies.

English language tests

We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:

• IELTS Academic: total 6.5 with at least 6.0 in each component. We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
• TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 92 with at least 20 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
• C1 Advanced (CAE) / C2 Proficiency (CPE): total 176 with at least 169 in each component.
• Trinity ISE: ISE II with distinctions in all four components.
• PTE Academic: total 65 with at least 59 in each component. We do not accept PTE Academic Online.
• Oxford ELLT: 7 overall with at least 6 in each component.

Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS, TOEFL, Trinity ISE or PTE, in which case it must be no more than two years old.

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:

• UKVI list of majority English speaking countries

We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries (non-MESC).

• Approved universities in non-MESC

If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than five years old at the beginning of your programme of study.

Find out more about our language requirements:

• English language requirements

Tuition fees

Funding for postgraduate study is different to undergraduate study, and many students need to combine funding sources to pay for their studies.

Most students use a combination of the following funding to pay their tuition fees and living costs:

• borrowing money

  • taking out a loan

  • family support

• personal savings

• income from work

• employer sponsorship

• scholarships

Explore sources of funding for postgraduate study

• Online Learning Scholarships

Search for scholarships and funding opportunities:

• Search for funding