Infection Prevention & Control

Course Outline
Our online Certificate in Infection Prevention & Control provides students with core infection prevention and control knowledge and skills to support good clinical practice implementation in the healthcare setting. This course supplies the knowledge and skills necessary for infection prevention and control management and implementation. We emphasise the use of evidence-based practice that will enable participants to work in infection prevention and control, putting patient safety principles into effect in both the research and professional context.

Programme Details
The Postgraduate Certificate Infection Prevention & Control is a part-time programme delivered online, running for 8 months from the date of first registration for the programme, currently September to April. The programme is designed on a module basis to meet the needs of working professionals.

Modules (30 credits total)

BU6010 Leadership and Management of Infection Prevention & Control (10 credits)
EH6146 The Principles and Clinical Practices of Infection Prevention & Control (10 credits)
EH6147 Infection Prevention & Control Quality Improvement & Patient Safety (5 credits)
MB6009 Principles of Microbiology (5 credits)

The PG Certificate (30 credits) must be completed within 36 months (3 years) of the programme commencement.

See the College Calendar (PG Cert Infection Prevention & Control) for further details.

Additional Teaching Mode Information
Each 10-credit module will be delivered over 8 weeks and each 5-credit module will be delivered over 4 weeks. Modules are delivered one at a time according to the pre-determined programme calendar. This is a structured online programme that requires approximately 20 to 25 hours of study commitment per week for the duration of each module. Student workload consists of online, self-directed learning, required readings and subject investigation, online activities, and assignments for preparation, participation, and submission.

Progression routes
MSc Infection Prevention & Control: Progression to the new MSc Infection Prevention & Control (Online) programme is possible once all assessments are successfully completed.

Master of Public Health: Progression to the Master of Public Health (Online) is possible once all assessments are successfully completed. Note that acceptance onto the MPH with certificate module exemptions will only be considered within five years from the date of award of the certificate.

Modules

Further details on the modules listed above can be found in our Book of Modules. Any modules listed above are indicative of the current set of modules for this course but are subject to change from year to year.

University Calendar

You can find the full academic content for the current year of any given course in our University Calendar.

Applicants must have a minimum of a Second Class Honours Grade 2 in a primary honours degree (NFQ, Level 8) in one of the following subject areas: biological sciences, nursing, medical and health sciences, public health, and social sciences. Qualified nurses and midwives without a primary degree and who are registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland are also eligible to apply.

Applicants who do not meet the above entry requirements may be recommended for entry to the programme following a review of their individual qualifications and experience under the University Recognition for Prior Learning (RPL) policy.

Technical Requirements

This programme will be delivered wholly online. As such, there are specific technical requirements that you need to meet.

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.

To engage productively and successfully with the content, basic technical computer skills such as familiarity with word processing, web browsing, and email is recommended.

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

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.

How Do I Apply
1. Check Dates: Check the opening and closing dates for the application process in the fact file boxes at the top of the page.

For Irish and EU applicants we operate a rounds system and you can check the rounds closing dates here.
Note that not all our programmes are subject to the rounds system so check the opening and closing dates for your specific programme in the fact file boxes above.

2. Gather Documents: Scanned copies of supporting documents have to be uploaded to the UCC online application portal and include:

Original qualification documents listed on your application including transcripts of results from institutions other than UCC.
Any supplementary items requested for your course if required.

3. Apply Online: Apply online via the UCC online application portal. Note the majority of our courses have a non-refundable €50 application fee.

Any questions? Use our web enquiry form to contact us.

Additional Requirements
Please note you will be required to provide additional information as part of the online application process for this programme. This will include the following:

You may enter the details of professional or voluntary positions held. We strongly encourage you to complete this section with all relevant work experiences that will support your application.

In addition to your previously declared qualifications, please outline any additional academic courses, self-learning and professional training relevant to this programme.

Please describe your motivation and readiness for this programme.

8 months part-time online.

Skills and Careers Information
This course will equip healthcare workers with the knowledge and skills to implement infection prevention and control measures in the healthcare setting.

Students who have successfully completed the UCC Postgraduate Certificate in Infection Prevention & Control with a minimum Second Class Honours Grade I will be eligible to apply for the MSc Infection Prevention & Control.