MSc in Medical Education
Provided by University of Oxford Medical Sciences Division
About the course
This part-time course is aimed at medical professionals and allied health professionals who are involved, or intend to be involved, in educating future health professionals. These professionals may include not only postgraduate physicians but also a range of graduate allied health science practitioners involved in the care of patients and in the education of future healthcare workforce.
The course is offered jointly by the Department of Education in the Social Sciences Division and the Medical School in the Medical Sciences Division, with formal responsibility for the programme resting with the Department of Education. Interdisciplinarity is endemic in education and medicine, and team-teaching capitalises upon the distinctive knowledge and skills of academics within the two departments.
In the first year of the course, you will be required to attend six in-person teaching weekends at the Department of Education in Oxford. These will consist of interactive lectures and workshops.
Additional teaching and online support will be provided through the University’s Virtual Learning Environment (Canvas). Teaching will cover the following topics:
- Patients, learners and teachers
- Curriculum and pedagogy
- Assessment issues and practices
- Educational theory and philosophy
- Work-based learning and skill development
- Educational research methods
- Equity, diversity and belonging
In the second year, you will undertake a research and development project under the supervision of a member of academic staff culminating in a dissertation. A supervisor will be provided from either the Department of Education or Medical School.
Research in the department is organised around three major themes:
- Language, Cognition and Development
- Policy, Economy and Society
- Learning: Pedagogy, Learning and Knowledge.
Within each of these themes there are several research groups and centres. All staff and doctoral students belong to one or more of these research groups, each of which has its own seminar programme to which graduate students often contribute. In addition, the department as a whole sponsors regular seminars and public lectures which attract distinguished national and international speakers.
Attendance
This is a part-time course. In the first year of the course, you will be required to attend six in-person teaching weekends at the Department of Education in Oxford over a Friday afternoon/evening and Saturday.
Resources to support your study
As a graduate student, you will have access to the University's wide range of world-class resources including libraries, museums, galleries, digital resources and IT services.
The Bodleian Libraries is the largest library system in the UK. It includes the main Bodleian Library and libraries across Oxford, including major research libraries and faculty, department and institute libraries. Together, the Libraries hold more than 13 million printed items, provide access to e-journals, and contain outstanding special collections including rare books and manuscripts, classical papyri, maps, music, art and printed ephemera.
The University's IT Services is available to all students to support with core university IT systems and tools, as well as many other services and facilities. IT Services also offers a range of IT learning courses for students, to support with learning and research.
As the MSc is a part-time course for researchers and professionals, the department takes pride in providing high quality IT support for your learning when you are away from Oxford. This includes a dedicated web-based virtual learning environment, which you will use to liaise with your supervisor and to exchange ideas with other students. If you wish to work in the department when you are visiting Oxford, there is a computer room with desks which also has points for personal laptop computers.
The Bodleian Education Library, located at the centre of the Department of Education, specialises in material on education and related fields. As well as a print collection of books, journals and statistics, the library provides access to a wide range of electronic resources. The library also houses a collection of teaching resources, primarily in support of subjects covered by the department's secondary PGCE course. The Social Sciences Library provides valuable additional resource to students pursuing programmes in the Department of Education.
Supervision
The allocation of graduate supervision for this course is the responsibility of the Department of Education and the Medical School and it is not always possible to accommodate the preferences of incoming graduate students to work with a particular member of staff. Under exceptional circumstances a supervisor may be found outside of the Department of Education and the Medical School.
During the first year, supervision will consist primarily of online tutor and community (peer) feedback, with some face-to-face meetings during the teaching weekends. In the second year, you will have at least six hours of supervision hours where your supervisor will provide formative comments once on a draft thesis. You will have at least one online or in-person meeting with your supervisor in each of the three terms, in which you will report formally on your progress and be provided with feedback on specific issues.
Assessment
Assessments will be structured progressively, with a range of formative and summative assessment pertaining to the modules. The formative assessments will be in the form of tasks undertaken in preparation for a session or after a session, for example, completing readings ,writing reflections, and giving peer feedback. The summative assessment will be through two examined assignments, with a single round of feedback provided on formative drafts. In the second year, you will work individually on a research and development project producing a dissertation.
Graduate destinations
It is expected that the course will provide alumni with the skills they need to progress to education leadership positions in the medical and health professions fields or in academia.
Changes to this course and your supervision
The University will seek to deliver this course in accordance with the description set out in this course page. However, there may be situations in which it is desirable or necessary for the University to make changes in course provision, either before or after registration. The safety of students, staff and visitors is paramount and major changes to delivery or services may have to be made if a pandemic, epidemic or local health emergency occurs. In addition, in certain circumstances, for example due to visa difficulties or because the health needs of students cannot be met, it may be necessary to make adjustments to course requirements for international study.
Where possible your academic supervisor will not change for the duration of your course. However, it may be necessary to assign a new academic supervisor during the course of study or before registration for reasons which might include illness, sabbatical leave, parental leave or change in employment.
For further information please see our page on changes to courses and the provisions of the student contract regarding changes to courses.
College preference
Students enrolled on this course will belong to both a department/faculty and a college. Please note that ‘college’ and ‘colleges’ refers to all 43 of the University’s colleges, including those designated as societies and permanent private halls (PPHs).
If you apply for a place on this course you will have the option to express a preference for one of the colleges listed below, or you can ask us to find a college for you. Before deciding, we suggest that you read our brief introduction to the college system at Oxford and our advice about expressing a college preference .
If you are a current Oxford student and you would like to remain at your current Oxford college, you should check whether it is listed below. If it is, you should indicate this preference when you apply. If not, you should contact your college office to ask whether they would be willing to make an exception. Further information about staying at your current college can be found in our Application Guide.
The following colleges accept students on the MSc in Medical Education:
- Balliol College
- Green Templeton College
- Harris Manchester College
- Jesus College
- Kellogg College
- Pembroke College
- Reuben College
- St Hilda's College
- Wolfson College
- Wycliffe Hall
Enquire
| Start date | Venue | |
|---|---|---|
| 26 Sep 2025 | Distance learning | Book now |