Clinical Research
Provided by University of Sheffield Medical School
About the course
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 intercalculate
Intercalation
We accept medical students who wish to intercalate their studies. Find out more on the School of Medicine and Population Health website.
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 |
Use the link below to view the Health and Clinical Research Delivery course:
Health and Clinical Research Delivery MSc PG Certificate PG Diploma
- September 2025 start
- 2 years Part-time Distance learning
- Accredited
This online, part-time course supports practising healthcare professionals aspiring to work in the clinical research delivery workforce. At the University of Sheffield, you'll learn from leading experts in the field, all while enjoying the flexibility to fit your studies around your professional commitments.
Enquire
| Start date | Venue | |
|---|---|---|
| 01 Sep 2025 | Distance learning | Book now |