Clinical Trials - Online

Course Outline

Our Masters in Clinical Trials 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 third and final 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



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.



This is a fully online, part-time, course designed for the working professional. You must complete the Clinical Trials Certificate and Diploma prior to an application to this MSc programme.

MSc Modules (30 credits)

EH6131 Dissertation in Clinical Trials (15 credits)

EH6134 Research Methods for Clinical Trials (10 credits)

EH6135 Embedding Research in Clinical Trials (5 credits)

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



Applicants applying for the MSc in Clinical Trials and who have obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Trials from an institution other than UCC (minimum Second Class Honours Grade I) will be considered on a case-by-case basis by the Clinical Trials Programme Team. Such applicants must: produce the relevant module syllabi from the awarding institution, and proof of their grades for comparison purposes. Such applicants may also be asked to participate in an interview. Decisions on selection to the programme will be made based on academic qualifications and possibly interview.



Technical Requirements

This programme will be delivered wholly online. To access and interact with the course content, assignments and assessments etc., students will require:



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.



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



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.



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



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.

Students are assessed on the basis of assignment, examinations, and a minor dissertation.

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

The cost of the programme is €5,000 per annum (includes all matriculation and examination fees, all seminars, textbooks and course material), payable in two instalments.

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 course you can pursue a career in the academic, pharmaceutical, or medical device sectors, in a number of roles such as:

Clinical Trialist

Quality Manager

Project Manager

Trial Monitor

Data Associate

Data Manager

Clinical Research Nurse

Clinical Research Associate

Pharmacovigilance Associate

Regulatory Affairs Associate