Advanced Professional & Clinical Practice

Overview

This 16 month taught Masters programme nurtures talented and innovative nurses, midwives and other professional practitioners, placing practice at the forefront. The programme is delivered through ten specialist pathways, enabling students from different professional backgrounds to review and update their practice and benefit from shared learning and then contribute to improving the quality and effectiveness of health and social care provision globally.



This programme produces exceptional practitioners who have:

• Skills necessary to promote and enhance innovative and emerging practice

• Intellectual and transferable skills necessary in positions of leadership

• Skills enabling the review and application of contemporary evidence to practice



The programme and pathways will appeal to practitioners working in a wide range of practice areas who are committed to their own personal and professional development. Graduates of this programme move into senior practice roles, management and leadership positions, or progress onto a career in research or education.



The specialist pathways are:

MSc (Critical and Acute Care)

MSc (Cancer Nursing: Supportive and Palliative Care)

MSc (Leadership and Management)

MSc (Mental Health Care)

MSc (Care of Older People)

MSc (Midwifery Care)

MSc (Care of Children & Young People)

MSc (Intellectual Disabilities)

MSc (Practice Education)

MSc (Maternal and Family Health)



Admission to a specialist pathway may require applicants to have current or recent practice experience in the related area. The Programme Co-ordinator will provide individual advice on module choices at enrolment.



The programme is offered on a full-time basis only and combines face-to-face teaching with online delivery.



We work closely with our local Healthcare providers to design bespoke clinical experiences for our Masters students. Each student will undertake 225 hours' clinical experience in a setting relevant to their studies to allow them to develop their ideas to completion. Students undertake clinical placements within regional centres of excellence, and many develop contacts and friendships that continue throughout their careers.



There is an additional fee for placements, this is anticipated to be £4500 for the academic year 2025-26.

Course Structure

Advanced Professional Practice Specialist Pathways:

The pathways have been developed recognising that students are committed to personal and professional development. We have developed ten pathways and supporting modules, some of which require the student to be working in a relevant area of practice. To graduate with the MSc in Advanced Professional and Clinical Practice with a specialist pathway, students must complete one of the compulsory research modules, two pathway-specific modules, three optional modules and a dissertation.



Pathway 01: Leadership and Management

The leadership and management pathway offers students the opportunity to develop their knowledge, critical thinking and skills in leading and managing services across health, social care and independent sectors. The pathway modules focus on leadership and management theories and models and their practical application to the transformation and delivery of care and support in the context of multi-agency collaboration and service design and delivery.



Pathway 02: Midwifery Care

The midwifery care pathway, open to Registered Midwives or those eligible for registration as a midwife with the Nursing and Midwifery Council offers students the opportunity to develop their knowledge, critical thinking and skills in the contemporary advances and developments in midwifery care and support. The pathway develops the knowledge of midwives to enable the provision of infant, women, and birthing people centred care, and the support of their families. The pathway modules focus on advances and developments in midwifery practice and the provision of evidence based, safe, effective care within maternity services and in the context of inter-disciplinary team collaboration.

Many of these modules are only available to registered midwives.



Pathway 03: Critical and Acute Care

The critical and acute care pathway offers students an opportunity to develop their knowledge, critical thinking and skills in the assessment, care and support of patients in critical and acute care services, including respiratory, cardiac, anaesthetics, HDU and ITU settings. The range of pathway modules focus on the assessment and management of patients in critical and acute care environments and the delivery of safe and effective care and support in the context of inter-disciplinary team collaboration

Students completing this pathway must be an NMC registered Adult Nurse, or eligible to join the NMC register as an Adult Nurse. Some modules require experience in specific areas of practice.



Pathway 04: Mental Health Care

The mental health care pathway offers students the opportunity to develop their knowledge, critical thinking and skills in contemporary advances and developments in mental health practice to enable the delivery of empathic, holistic assessment and care of patients experiencing mental ill-health and the support of their families and carers. The pathway modules focus on advances and developments in mental health care and treatment and delivery of safe and effective mental healthcare services in the context of inter-disciplinary team collaboration.



Pathway 05: Cancer Nursing: Supportive and Palliative Care

The cancer pathway offers students the opportunity to develop their knowledge, critical thinking and skills in the specialist knowledge and skills required to deliver contemporary, holistic, high-quality evidence-based care for patients with cancer and the support of families and carers. The pathway modules focus on biomedical aspects of cancer and holistic care and the design and delivery of cancer services through strategic leadership in the context of inter-disciplinary team collaboration.



Pathway 06: Care of Older People

The care of older people pathway offers students an opportunity to develop their knowledge, critical thinking and skills in contemporary advances and developments in the care and support of older people. The pathway modules focus on the assessment and management of older people across primary, secondary and tertiary care, frailty and rehabilitation, and health and wellbeing in later life in the context of inter-disciplinary team collaboration.



Pathway 07: Intellectual Disabilities

The intellectual disabilities pathway offers students the opportunity to develop their knowledge, critical thinking and skills in the contemporary advances and developments in intellectual disability practice to enable the delivery of empathic, holistic assessment and care for people with intellectual disabilities and the support of their families and carers. The pathway modules focus on advances and developments in intellectual disability care and support and delivery of safe and effective services in the context of inter-disciplinary team collaboration.



Pathway 08: Care of Children & Young People

The children and young people pathway offers students the opportunity to develop their knowledge, critical thinking and skills in the contemporary advances and developments in the care and support of children and young people in the delivery of empathic, holistic care of patients and the support of their families and carers. The pathway modules focus on advances and developments in the care and support of children and the delivery of safe and effective care and services for children and young people in the context of inter-disciplinary team collaboration.



Pathway 09: Practice Education

The practice education pathway offers students the opportunity to develop their knowledge, critical thinking and skills in contemporary theories and models of practice education to enable the delivery of clinical interventions to meet the needs of patients in a range of care settings. The pathway modules focus on education research, theories, models, assessments, skills teaching and evaluation to support the delivery of safe and effective skills sharing and clinical interventions in the context of inter-disciplinary team collaboration and person-centred care.



Pathway 10: Maternal and Family Health

The maternal and family health pathway, is open to Registered Nurses and Midwives and other Healthcare Professionals; offering students the opportunity to develop their knowledge, critical thinking and skills in the contemporary advances and developments related to maternal and family health, well-being and care. The pathway develops the knowledge of professionals to enable them to engage in the provision of effective, evidence-based maternal care within the wider context of families and communities, by focusing on the implementation of interdisciplinary team collaborations.



Research Modules and Dissertation

All students must undertake at least one of these modules:

Applied Research Methods and Statistics in Nursing; OR

Qualitative Research Methods



All students must undertake a 15,000-word dissertation, focusing evidence of critical appraisal, analysis and thinking to support rational and cogent arguments and practice discussion at Master’s level.



Specialist Optional Modules

Students will combine modules from the specialist pathways above with a selection of general modules, some of which are listed below.



• Clinical Inquiry and Applied Practice Based Research

• Pharmacotherapeutics for Practice

• Independent Study Module



Please note that modules are subject to viable numbers, so the modules offered may vary. If you are interested in a subject that is not listed above, please contact the school for advice.

Graduate

Applicants must have a professional qualification in Nursing or Midwifery. They shall normally hold a relevant 2.2 Honours degree or above, or equivalent qualification acceptable to the University.



Applicants with a 3rd Class Honours degree (or equivalent qualification acceptable to the University) plus level 7 Post Graduate study will be considered on a case-by-case basis.



Students can elect to join a pathway or remain on the general Master’s programme. Admission to a specialist pathway often requires students to be working or have experience in a related area and may be dependent on viable numbers. Further details on the pathways and any professional prerequisites are available under Course Content on the course webpage here https://www.qub.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate-taught/advanced-professional-clinical-practice-msc/#course



Applicants who do not meet the entry requirements should contact the Programme Co-ordinator for advice.

Applicants are advised to apply as early as possible and ideally not later than 31st July 2025 (for September 2025 intake). In the event that any programme receives a high number of applications, the University reserves the right to close the application portal prior to the deadline stated on course finder. Notifications to this effect will appear on the application portal against the programme application page.

16 months (Full-time), 36 months (Part-time)

Entry Year: 2025/26

Career Prospects

Introduction

This Masters programme offers an opportunity for students to develop skills of analytical thinking within a clinical context. Alongside this, the programme facilitates the student's continued professional development. Graduates of this programme progress into management and leadership roles, or continue into a research or education capacity.



Queen's postgraduates reap exceptional benefits. Unique initiatives, such as Degree Plus and Researcher Plus bolster our commitment to employability, while innovative leadership and executive programmes alongside sterling integration with our local world-class healthcare providers helps our students gain key leadership positions both nationally and internationally.