Clinical Trials - Online

Course Outline

Our Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Trials is an online course that is suitable for those of you wishing to pursue a career in clinical trials in the pharmaceutical, medical device, or academic sectors.



This is the second year of an online 3-year part-time Clinical Trials suite of programmes:



Year Qualification Credits

Year 1 Postgraduate Certificate in Clinical Trials 30

Year 2 Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Trials 30

Year 3 MSc Clinical Trials 30



This is a fully online, part-time, programme designed for the working professional. You must complete the Certificate and Diploma in Clinical Trials prior to application to the MSc in Year 3. With three 10-week semesters, a week in the middle and end to catch up and complete work, this learning experience caters to the busy professional life of our students.



Our Clinical Trials programmes are run in collaboration with the Health Research Board (HRB) Clinical Research Facility in Cork. The HRB provides dedicated infrastructure, experienced research and support staff, and the necessary quality and oversight programs that are critical for the successful conduct of world-class patient-focused research.

Diploma Modules (30 credits)

EH6126 Advanced Clinical Trial Design and Analysis (10 credits)

EH6127 Regulated Clinical Trials and Pharmacovigilance (10 credits)

EH6128 Management of Multicentre Studies (10 credits)

1. Applicants accepted on the Postgraduate Diploma Clinical Trials are expected to hold an honours Postgraduate Certificate Clinical Trials (minimum Second Class Honours Grade II from UCC).



2. Applicants applying for the Postgraduate Diploma Clinical Trials and who have obtained a Postgraduate Certificate Clinical Trials or Postgraduate Certificate Clinical Research (or equivalent Postgraduate Certificate) from an institution other than UCC (minimum Second Class Honours Grade II) will be considered under Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) on a case-by-case basis by the Clinical Trials Programme team. Such applicants must:



3. Produce the relevant module syllabi from the awarding institution, and proof of their grades for comparison purposes and



4. Write a 500-word personal statement on why they wish to pursue a career in clinical trials.



5. Such applicants may also be asked to participate in an interview. Decisions on selection to the programme will be made based on academic qualifications, personal statement, and a possible interview.



Technical Entry Requirements (Online)

1. You will need access to a laptop or desktop (either Mac OS or Windows) running a relatively recent operating system (Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10 or Mac OSX 10.8, 10.9, 10.10, or later). Access to the Canvas Virtual Learning Environment is supported by UCC through IOS and Android apps, which are available from the respective App stores.



2. You will need access to a reliable broadband connection with at least 2MB download speeds. You can test your broadband or 4G speeds by visiting http://www.speedtest.net



3. You must have a modern web browser installed. The most reliable options for use with UCC online learning are Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome. Download and installation instructions will be provided. Safari is not suitable.



4. You must have Java and Flash Runtimes installed. Download and installation instructions will be provided.



5. You will require an Office suite of software (Microsoft Office 2003 or later or equivalent) and a PDF reader (preferably Adobe Acrobat Reader XI or later). Please note that registered UCC students have access to discounted software from Microsoft and Adobe.



For Applicants with Qualifications Completed Outside of Ireland

Applicants must meet the required entry academic grade, equivalent to Irish requirements. For more information see our Qualification Comparison page.



International/Non-EU Applicants

For full details of the non-EU application procedure visit our how to apply pages for international students.



- In UCC, we use the term programme and course interchangeably to describe what a person has registered to study in UCC and its constituent colleges, schools, and departments.



- Note that not all courses are open to international/non-EU applicants, please check the fact file above. For more information contact the International Office.



English Language Requirements

Applicants who are non-native speakers of the English language must meet the university-approved English language requirements. Visit our PG English Language Requirements page for more information.

Closing Date: Rolling deadline. Open until all places have been filled. Early application is advised.



Non-EU Closing Date

Open until all places have been filled or no later than 15 June. Early application is advised.

Assessments can be expected to comprise of discussion fora (20%), individual project (40%) and other online assessments (40%). Each 10-credit module comprises 200 Marks (pro-rata for larger or smaller modules) divided as follows: Continuous Assessment 200 marks (Online activities 120 marks; and Written Assignment(s) 80 marks). The compulsory elements are continuous assessment, online participation in discussions and written assignment.

9 Months Part-Time. Course Delivery Method: Online.

Start Date: 22nd September 2025.

Skills and Careers Information

Clinical Trials is a rapidly expanding discipline with exciting new job opportunities in the healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors. On completion of the programme, you can pursue a career in the academic, pharmaceutical, or medical device sectors that include the following roles:

Clinical Trialist

Quality Manager

Project Manager

Trial Monitor

Data Associate

Data Manager

Clinical Research Nurse

Clinical Research Associate

Research Coordinator

Pharmacovigilance Associate

Regulatory Affairs Associate