Preventive Cardiology

As reflected within the speciality of preventive cardiology, this course is interdisciplinary in nature and designed predominantly for health care practitioners. The course addresses the latest evidence-based development and practical use of cardiovascular disease risk estimation tools, implementation of best-practice guidelines and healthcare policy, behavioural change strategies, lifestyle approaches to risk factor modification, psychosocial health, and medical management of risk factors including hypertension, dyslipidaemia, diabetes mellitus, obesity, and smoking. Outcome measures, health technology, and innovation in service design also feature strongly There is also a specialist pathway in cardiac rehabilitation available as an option for practitioners with a specific interest in secondary prevention.



This programme aims to provide medical doctors from all settings, nurses, physiotherapists, dietitians, psychologists, occupational therapists, podiatrists and other allied professions with knowledge and skills to provide high-quality patient care as well as an array of career opportunities in clinical service transformation, research, academia, and industry. Students are supervised in designing an original research project which addresses a specific research question in any aspect of preventive cardiology. Contributors are drawn from clinical departments at the University Hospital Galway, scientific and healthcare disciplines at the University of Galway, the Croí clinical team, and an array of established national and international partnerships.

What will I study?



Core areas: Cardiovascular risk assessment, lifestyle interventions, pharmacotherapy, behavioural medicine, and integrated care models.

Structure:

Semester 1: Foundations of preventive cardiology, epidemiology, and clinical guidelines.

Semester 2: Advanced interventions, research methods, and practical workshops.

Summer: Dissertation focused on preventive strategies or clinical innovation.

Delivery: Blended learning with online lectures, interactive seminars, and on-campus workshops.

Successful applicants will possess at least a Second Class Honours, Grade 1 degree (or equivalent) in a health care discipline or related subject area (e.g., medicine, nursing, physiotherapy, dietetics, sport and exercise science, clinical or health psychology, pharmacology, health scientist, health promotion, public health, etc). For those who do not hold a primary degree at the required level, a special case will be made if they have demonstrated an aptitude for the course material through at least three years of high-quality work experience in a relevant field of cardiovascular health.



Entry to the Master’s programme is conditional upon achieving at least 60% in the core compulsory modules of the Postgraduate Diploma that take place in Semester 1. Candidates coming to Ireland from abroad or who do not have a degree from Ireland, or the UK will be asked to provide evidence of an acceptable result in one of the recognised English language proficiency tests, e.g., IELTS total score of 6.5 (or equivalent). Prospective candidates may be interviewed as part of the selection process. This usually takes place remotely via telephone, Teams or Zoom.

1 year full-time.

Next start date September 2026

Career Opportunities

Graduates of the course will be positioned as leaders in cardiovascular disease prevention and will find ample opportunities to apply their learning across a variety of clinical settings in both primary and secondary care. There will also be employment opportunities in public health, health promotion, healthcare management, academic and research settings and the pharmaceutical industry. Clinician graduates will benefit from career advancement within their chosen disciplines. Masters students completing the 5,000-word ‘ready-for-publication’ dissertation will be supported in preparing their work for submission to a peer-reviewed journal, which will further augment their career prospects.