Medicine - Surgical Science

Course Outline
'The MCh in Surgical Science is a two-year part-time programme with an annual intake, which aims to provide postgraduate education in surgery for medical graduates. It is comprised of taught modules to enhance the academic understanding of the speciality, prior to or during surgical training, and a dissertation. The taught modules consist of formal teaching material and course work, individual assignments including case studies, journal reviews and clinical skills teaching, towards the development of a competitive clinical, teaching and research portfolio. The Masters programme will also provide structured training in research methods and academic writing over two years to support the completion of research in the clinical setting.'

Course Practicalities
In recognition of the significant clinical service commitments of all participants, the course delivery employs a blended learning approach with significant use of online learning resources. Contact teaching sessions are scheduled every two months and occur on Friday evenings and Saturdays in the Brookfield Health Sciences complex in UCC.

Year 1

SY6001 Essentials in Surgery 1 - Infection Prevention and Management including Antibiotic Stewardship, Wound Management and Healing (10 credits)
MX6007 Surgical Metabolism - Optimising Metabolism and Fluid Management in the Surgical Setting (5 credits)
MX6005 Professional Development in Surgery 1 (15 credits)
Completion of Year 1 leads to the award of a Certificate in Surgical Science.

Year 2

SY6002 Essentials in Surgery 2 - Optimising Efficiencies, Pre-op Screening and Early Discharge Strategies, Theatre Process, Pain Management (15 credits)
MX6006 Professional Development in Surgery 2 - Leadership and Management Strategies, Self-Care and Human Factors Awareness, Safety Solutions and Error Reduction in Surgery including Radiation Safety Training (15 credits)

Completion of 60 credits in Years 1 and 2 leads to the award of a Diploma in Surgical Science.

SY6003 Research Project in Surgery - Research Dissertation (30 credits)

Completion of 90 credits leads to the award of MCh Surgical Science.

Additional Teaching Mode Information
Teaching sessions consist of both online learning and face-to-face teaching sessions.

MCh Year 1: Online 80% / Face-to-face 20%
MCh year 2: Online 90% / Face-to-face 10%
Where students are overseas, we offer flexible remote participation in face-to-face sessions.

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 for the MCh in Surgical Science will be medical graduates who attained their Degrees of MB BCh BAO, or equivalent, from a recognised medical school and

Be eligible for full registration as a doctor with the Irish Medical Council.

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.

The closing date for non-EU applications is 30 September 2023

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.

2 years part-time.

Skills and Careers Information
This programme may appeal to those contemplating or embarking on a surgical career or those who wish to broaden their academic portfolio to enhance their competitiveness. It may also be attractive to overseas students who would like the opportunity to learn more about the surgical environment in Ireland and expand their academic repertoire and surgical management strategies.

On completion of the MCh students will be expected to have a sound knowledge and comprehension of strategies that improve surgical outcomes and will have developed evaluative, problem-solving, management and leadership skills. This will enhance the possibilities of securing core and higher specialist training opportunities. Those who continue to Masters level will have undertaken substantive research in their field of practice.