Nursing & Healthcare Quality Improvement

Our online MSc in Healthcare Quality Improvement course is an exciting, contemporary, degree for healthcare professionals, offering a flexible mode of learning while continuing to work.

This programme will enable practitioners to take leadership roles in an increasingly complex healthcare environment with an emphasis on quality improvement in healthcare. It should appeal to students from a number of clinical areas and from management positions.

This online programme offers a flexible online approach to learning, designed to allow healthcare professionals to undertake their studies while working simultaneously. The programme is designed to allow students to undertake their studies while working simultaneously with the intention to suit service, personal and academic requirements.

Postgraduate Certificate in Healthcare Quality Improvement

The MSc programme consists of seven modules to the value of 70 credits and one module to the value of 20 credits. Students have the option of exiting the programme after completing 30 credits with a Postgraduate Certificate in Healthcare Quality Improvement.

Postgraduate Diploma in Healthcare Quality Improvement

Students have the option of exiting the programme after completing Year 1 and one 10-credit (NU6306) module in Year 2 with a Postgraduate Diploma in Healthcare Quality Improvement.

Subject areas covered in the MSc programme include digital healthcare, contemporary issues in healthcare, practice enhancement for quality healthcare, advancing practice for patient safety, clinical leadership for healthcare quality improvement, implementation of evidence-based practice, and advanced research methods applied to healthcare. The final project will involve conducting a systematic investigation of a problem relevant to the student's practice area using the research process.

Why Choose This Course
This MSc in Healthcare Quality Improvement is the only fully online, programme available in Ireland and one of the few available in the world. There is a strong emphasis on quality improvement and on advancing knowledge and skills thereby preparing students for current health service challenges and reform. The programme will not only prepare healthcare professionals to advance their practice and take leadership roles in healthcare, but it will also prepare them for new career opportunities.

Students take 90 credits over two years as follows:

Year 1
NU6313 Digital Healthcare (10 credits)
NU6303 Advancing Practice for Patient Safety (10 credits)
NU6302 Practice Enhancement for Quality Healthcare (10 credits)
NU6310 Implementation of Evidence-Based Practice for Quality Improvement in Healthcare (10 credits)
NU6312 Contemporary Issues in Healthcare (10 credits)

Year 2
NU6306 Clinical Leadership for Healthcare Quality Improvement (10 credits)
NU6304 Advanced Research Methods Applied to Healthcare (10 credits)
NU6309 Applied Research for Evidence-Based Practice and Quality Improvement (20 credits)
Consult the University Calendar MSc Healthcare Quality Improvement (Online) for further course and module content.

Requirements
Applicants must satisfy the following to be eligible to apply:

Applicants must be qualified Nurses registered with the regulatory body in their country of residence.

Applicants must have a primary degree, Level 8 or equivalent.

Note: In exceptional circumstances, applicants who do not fulfil this entry requirement may be recommended for entry to the programme following a review of their individual qualifications and experience by the programme committee. Some such applicants may be invited for interview to satisfy the selection committee of their suitability for the programme. Admission to such applicants will be subject to the approval of the School of Nursing and Midwifery.

Technical Entry Requirements:
To access and interact with the programme content, assignments and assessments etc. students will require reliable broadband and access to at least a PC/ Laptop running Windows 7 or later and Mac OSX 10.7.4. Common plug-ins such as Microsoft Silverlight, Java and Flash will also be required. Students must have access to MS Office or an equivalent suite of applications such as Libre Office. They must also have access to a modern standards compliant web browser. UCC recommends either Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. To engage productively and successfully with the content, basic technical computer skills such as familiarity with word processing, web browsing and email recommended.

English Language Requirements
Applicants that are non-native speakers of the English language must meet the university approved English language requirements available online.

For applicants with qualifications completed outside of Ireland

Applicants must meet the required entry academic grade, equivalent to Irish requirements, please find our grades comparison by country online.

International/non-EU applicants
For full details of the non-EU application procedure please 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.

Not all courses are open to international/non-EU applicants, please check the fact file online.

For more information please contact the International Office.

EU Closing Date CLOSING DATE 3 June 2022
NON-EU CLOSING DATE 3 June 2022

How Do I Apply
1. Choose Course
Firstly choose your course. Applicants can apply for up to two courses under one application. Details of taught courses are available on our online prospectus.

2. Apply Online
Once you have chosen your course you can apply online at the online application portal. Applicants will need to apply before the course closing date. There is a non-refundable €50 application fee for all courses apart from the Education - Professional Master of Education - (Secondary School/Post-Primary Teacher Training) which has a €100 application fee.

Applicants for the Postgraduate Diploma in Public Health Nursing must apply on the PAC website when the programme opens for applications.

3. Gather Supporting Documents
Scanned copies of the following documents will need to be uploaded to the online application portal in support of your application. Applicants may need to produce the original documents if you are accepted onto a course and register at UCC.

Original qualification documents listed on your application including transcripts of results from institutions other than UCC
Any supplementary items requested for your course.
Please log into the online application portal for more details.

4. Application processing timeline
Our online application portal opens for applications for most courses in early November of each year. Check specific course details.

5. Rounds
For courses that are in the rounds system (Irish and EU applicants), please check the rounds closing dates here.

Additional Requirements (All Applicants)
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 questions:

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 upload certification of current registration with the appropriate professional body.
Deferrals: Deferrals are not permitted on this course.

A range of continuous assessments are used across the modules. These include essays, case study discussion, portfolio submission, digital presentation, accumulative report writing and online activities. In addition, students complete a written research/evidence based project as the final module of the programme.

2 years Part-time online

Start Date 7 September 2020

Skills and Careers Information
What can I do after I graduate with an MSc in Healthcare Quality Improvement?
This online, MSc in Healthcare Quality Improvement enables students to take a leadership role in clinical practice in an increasingly complex healthcare environment with an emphasis on quality improvement in healthcare.

The programme prepares healthcare professionals to advance patient-centred care with a specific skillset relevant to contemporary healthcare including but not limited to patient safety, digital healthcare, practice enhancement and quality improvement, research and evidence-based practice, and managing and leading change innovation.

Our graduates will be well-positioned to engage in leadership roles relating to quality improvement initiatives, and middle/senior management in their work environments as well as seeking promotional opportunities in these areas. Our graduates will be qualified to pursue a number of exciting careers including:
Management
Practice development positions
Quality improvement/project manager positions
Clinical research positions