Diabetes MSc
Diabetes is one of the most common conditions worldwide, with prevalence increasing at an alarming rate. The total number of the population diagnosed with type 2 diabetes is over 450 million and the global cost of diabetes is set to reach $2.5 trillion by 2030. As a healthcare professional, you can make a significant contribution to solving this problem by improving your specialist knowledge and skills in treating and preventing the condition by studying for a master's in diabetes.
Next intake: 2022 SeptemberKey Facts
The MSc diabetes course is our most established course - since 2010 over 1,000 healthcare professionals have completed it.
This master's in diabetes is specially developed for busy health professionals and is practical and clinically focused. Our MSc diabetes course is conducted entirely online through self-directed distance learning and you will be supported by a committed team of internationally recognised educational experts who are leaders in the field of diabetes.
The successful completion of this MSc Diabetes course will enable graduates to have:
- A greater understanding of the multidisciplinary approach to the care of people with diabetes.
- Experience of developing local guidelines, patient information literature or care pathways, which will be part of individual and group activities.
- A greater confidence and understanding of the management of people with diabetes through case studies and discussion.
- Improved critical analysis of published data and data interpretation.
University of South Wales
The University of South Wales (USW) is a modern, industry focused University located in Cardiff, Newport and Pontypridd in South Wales, UK. It was rated best in the UK for the Health Professions in the Guardian University Guide 2020 and, in the latest Complete University Guide 2022, is in the top 10 in the UK for Health Studies. USW is one of Britain’s largest and most exciting new universities attracting a cosmopolitan mix of students from across the globe.
Faculty
Programme Leader
Dr Vinay Eligar MD.FRCP(Lon).MRCP
Vinay has been a Consultant at the University Hospital of Wales since completing his Welsh deanery training. He has authored a book chapter on Thyroid replacement...
Tutor
Mr Michael Brown
Mr Michael Brown is a Diabetes Specialist Nurse. Since 1996, he has been the Clinical Manager and National Director for Education for the Centre for Diabetes and...
Tutor
Dr Natalia Vallianou
Dr Natalia Vallianou is currently working in Evangelismos General Hospital in Athens, Greece as a Consultant in Internal Medicine. She has been tutoring on the course since...
Tutor
Dr Prabhakar Mallya
Dr Prabhakar Mallya is an experienced clinician and Diabetologist with over 28 years experience in both outpatient and inpatient management of patients across all disciplines in Medicine....
Accreditors and Endorsers
UEMS - European Union of Medical Specialists
This postgraduate diploma has also been accredited by the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS)
Next intake: 2022 September Key Facts
Programme Leader
Dr Vinay Eligar MD.FRCP(Lon).MRCP
Vinay has been a Consultant at the University Hospital of Wales since completing his Welsh deanery training. He has authored a book chapter on Thyroid replacement and for higher specialty exams in diabetes and endocrinology. He has also developed materials for the Diabetes MSc course conducted by University of South Wales and Cardiff University and maintains significant interest in inpatient diabetes management.
His current research interests include “Strategies for Inpatient hypoglycaemia prevention”. As a part of the Thyroid research team affiliated to Cardiff University, he is involved in “Genetics of hypothyroidism (GENTHYR)” study, looking into the role of T3 and T4 combination therapies in specific subsets of hypothyroidism.
Tutor
Mr Michael Brown
Mr Michael Brown is a Diabetes Specialist Nurse. Since 1996, he has been the Clinical Manager and National Director for Education for the Centre for Diabetes and Endocrinology, in Johannesburg South Africa. During this time, he has developed, managed and facilitated the delivery of many multi-specialist diabetes courses to health professionals and people with diabetes, and the clinical administration of a large national network of over 200 Centres of Diabetes Excellence nationally. His work passions are client-centred diabetes care, reflective practice, health care professional education, mentoring and coaching, change management and written and visual communication. His aim as a tutor on this course is to facilitate a deep understanding of and insight into diabetes among all members of the wider diabetes team. His personal passions include living a life of purpose, making a difference and the pursuit of excellence. He has worked with Diploma MSc as a Course Tutor, MSc Supervisor and content editor since 2010.
Tutor
Dr Natalia Vallianou
Dr Natalia Vallianou is currently working in Evangelismos General Hospital in Athens, Greece as a Consultant in Internal Medicine. She has been tutoring on the course since 2017.
Between 1999-2005, Dr Vallianou attended the University of Athens Medical school where she completed her thesis on “Phenotypic and genotypic characterization of nosocomial strains of Staphylococci resistant to macrolides, lincosamides and streptogramins” which was carried out at the Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and Antimicrobial Chemotherapy “G. K. DAIKOS” in Laikon General Hospital.
From September 1998 until June 2005, she worked at the Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and Antimicrobial Chemotherapy “G. K. DAIKOS” on various techniques (microbial cultures and typing, Kirby-Bauer, MIC) as well as on molecular diagnostic methods (DNA isolation, plasmid DNA isolation, DNA electrophoresis, PCR, PFGE).
Tutor
Dr Prabhakar Mallya
Dr Prabhakar Mallya is an experienced clinician and Diabetologist with over 28 years experience in both outpatient and inpatient management of patients across all disciplines in Medicine. He has worked through all stages from a resident and up to consultant level. After studying with us on both the Post Graduate Diploma, and MSc, Dr Mallya has returned as a tutor to contribute to improve the Diabetes Management that is progressing at a rapid pace.
He is a voracious reader interested in many facets of life like Medicine, Health, History, Archeology, Anthropology, Ancient civilizations, and more.
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Why Study a Diabetes Master's with Learna
We have over 10 years’ experience delivering online courses, giving you access to flexible, affordable distance learning in partnership with world-leading educators.
100% Flexible
Our courses are 100% online. No fixed study times mean you can log in and learn whenever and wherever.
Multidisciplinary - study in a group of doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other healthcare professionals.
Affordable
No physical campus means we can offer world-leading programmes at the most competitive prices.
Get a PgDip from £3,900 or an MSc from £7,500 - the most affordable courses of their kind in the UK.
Career Boosting
Get a University Validated postgraduate qualification in just 1 calendar year instead of 2 academic years.
40% of our alumni reported an increase in salary 2 years after studying with us.
Who is this Diploma course for?
Applicants to our master's in diabetes will typically be registered healthcare professionals who have a day to day exposure to people with diabetes. They may be part of a team which delivers care, a leader of that team, or an individual who treats people with diabetes. The online master's in diabetes is for Doctors General Practitioners, Practice Nurses, Diabetes Specialist Nurses, Podiatrists, Pharmacists, Dieticians and Pharmaceutical Representatives.
How Will I Learn?
You will be supported throughout your studies by a committed team of internationally recognised educational experts.
Our courses are conducted entirely online through self-directed distance learning. You’ll receive guidance throughout your course with tutor-stimulated academic discussions, which are based on clinically-rich case scenarios.
These usually occur within groups of 10-20 students, allowing you to clearly communicate with both your tutor and fellow students.
Curriculum
The online Diabetes MSc is a two year course, consisting of eight modules (180 credits) with the first 120 credits deriving from the Postgraduate Diploma. The second year of the distance learning Diabetes MSc course starts with an initial 10 week online module that will develop skills in critical appraisal and knowledge of research methodologies. Students then complete the professional project module, which consists of a 1,500 word proposal and 10,500 word professional project (dissertation).Year 1
You will be able to critically evaluate the presentation, diagnostic criteria and classification of diabetes, and interpret research in relation to the aetiology, pathophysiology and risk factors for diabetes and its complications.
You’ll develop the skills to critically analyse the contribution of different healthcare professionals in providing diabetes care and demonstrate the ability to critically appraise and adopt relevant psychological, behavioural and educational strategies in managing diabetes care.
You will develop the skills to critically appraise and select appropriate techniques and approaches to encourage self-management and physical activity, and encourage self-management of nutrition.
You will gain the skills to demonstrate critical discrimination and selection in the choice of therapeutic options for people with diabetes in a variety of situations, and critically evaluate the role of emerging therapies debate their contribution to treatment pathways.
You’ll develop the ability to diagnose and treat acute metabolic complications in diabetes and critically analyse factors that contribute to the occurrence, recurrence and prevention.
You’ll develop the skills to appraise the evidence base to identify risk factors and prevention strategies for macrovascular complications, and critically appraise clinical trial evidence in the management of macrovascular complications.
Year 2
Module Aims
This module is designed help students recognise, understand, interpret and apply methods used in healthcare research and critically appraise the various methodologies specific to diabetes research.
Module Content
- Terminology used in epidemiology and research studies such as prevalence, incidence, sensitivity, specificity, false positive and false negatives.
- Interpreting graphical representation of epidemiological and statistical data such as Kaplan-Meier Curves, Forrest Plots and Meta-analyses.
- Calculations used in the assessment of research data such as relative risk, absolute risk, number needed to treat.
- Basic statistical tests and their applications including t-Tests, ANOVA, Chi-Square.
- Methodologies as applied to diabetes research.
- Fundamentals of evidence based practice and its application into the clinical setting.
- Establishing patient registers and the value of disease specific registers.
- Research into educational principles for both health care practitioner and patient. Understanding what may work for the patient as well as the educator.
Learning Outcomes
- Interpret research and apply this to the management of patients with diabetes.
- Display a critical understanding of the clinical implications of research and its impact upon healthcare delivery and service development.
The professional project must be diabetes-related and relevant to the person's practice. The project may consist of:
- Literature review and appraisal of the evidence.
- Audit of practice including organisational or clinical.
- Review and implementation of evidence-based practice.
- Qualitative or quantitative research (formal research involving human subjects is not anticipated).
- Case(s)-based and quality of service review with critical appraisal.
- Case report, review of literature and organisational assessment.
Assessment Methods
The Diabetes MSc course places assessments at the heart of the learning process through the employment of clinical scenarios to enhance problem-solving, critical analysis and evidence-based care. Since the scenarios act as a focus for learning and assessment, the two are intrinsically linked.
The first seven modules on the course have the same assessment format and for all modules, you will be assigned a dedicated expert tutor. Your tutor will then facilitate case discussions with the group, whilst monitoring, assessing and marking your work throughout. You will also participate in a combination of module activities that may be group and/or individual based, dependent on the module.
These innovative teaching methods enable you to envisage the translation of your studies into your every day work and practice.
For the final module of the course you will be required to produce a piece of work based upon a clinically-related project that is relevant to your practice. Once you have selected a specific project, you will submit a project summary/proposal of approximately 1,500 words. Following the approval of your proposal you will then complete a 10,500 word professional project.
To produce the professional project you will continue to study online. Much of the work is self-directed, however you will receive guidance from your tutor throughout the module.
Due to the online nature of the course, you will be expected to regularly login and participate in the course - ideally on a daily basis. Students are recommended to spend around two hours per day on their studies. Our dedicated Student Support Team are also available to help with any problems you may face. From navigating our online platform to advising you on deadlines, our team can assist with any questions or challenges you may have along the way.
Year 1
- Every week students are presented with two/three clinical case-based scenarios that are reflective of every day clinical practice and research.
- Your tutor will post a number of questions and prompts to aid students in a formal discussion of each case.
- These discussions are facilitated throughout by your tutor and are then assessed at the end of every module.
For this assessment, students will work on a group assignment and/or an individual assignment.
- Group assignments are designed to hone skills in the multidisciplinary, holistic approach to modern treatments and patient management by requiring group participation in a single piece of work.
- Individual assignments are designed to hone skills in academic career progression through such tasks as reviewing papers, developing scientific posters or abstracts, peer-reviewing, social media activities, patient information leaflets, and essays.
The reflective journal is used by students throughout each module to monitor personal progress. This is guided by weekly feedback from your tutor and is graded at the end of every module. The journal typically includes the following:
- Initial expectations and reasons for taking the course.
- Module and/or personal learning objectives.
- Description of events, issues and learning points within current personal practice.
- Change in every day practice due to knowledge gained on each module.
- A description of what has been learned during the module.
- Students are provided with case-based problems in the form of a one-hour timed examination.
- The exam consists of 30 'Single Best Answer' questions.
- Students are required to complete the exam online within the set time.
Year 2
This module runs over a 8 week period and is designed to develop skills in critical appraisal and knowledge of research methodologies. The module consists of mandatory formative assessment activities to support your learning and development prior to the Professional Project module.
Students will work with their supervisor to submit a professional project proposal for their chosen topic.
Students will deliver an abstract (1000 words) outlining their proposal and, if deemed necessary, develop and submit documentation for the University’s ethical committee approval.
- Students will create a dissertation, the theme of which has been developed in discussion with their tutor.
- Supervision will normally involve direct online support involving planned progress, supporting research activity and reading student work.
- Supervisors and students will agree on a communications plan, which may involve emails or online chats. Some students may employ the use of freely available chat or audio conferencing facilities for live discussion with supervisors.
- Students will have access to online forums where they can develop their research capabilities together.
- All communications with tutors will be logged on the Professional Project forum by the student, and consists of brief summaries of discussion.
Entry requirements
Since our diabetes courses for health professionals are conducted entirely online, they are accessible to both UK and international registered healthcare professionals.
Applicants will typically hold a first degree or equivalent (including international qualifications) in a relevant professional healthcare field, such as a medical or nursing degree.
Registered healthcare professionals without these recognised qualifications will be considered on an individual basis and a wide range of prior experience may be taken into account. In some cases, applicants may be asked to submit a piece of work for assessment in order to confirm that they are able to work comfortably at postgraduate level, and demonstrate the requisite clinical and professional knowledge.
Documents Required
- A copy of your updated CV including your address and date of birth.
- A copy of your undergraduate degree certificate.
- The name and email address of someone who is able to provide a reference, this can be a work colleague, employer or former tutor.
- A detailed personal statement explaining why you would like to undertake the course.
- A copy of your proof of English competency (see below).
English Language Requirements
Proficiency in the English language is also essential to completing our courses. If English is NOT your first language, we ask for proof of competency during the application process. We are able to accept an IELTS overall score of 6.0 (with a minimum of 5.5 for each band) or an equivalent qualification.
If you do not meet these requirements, please don’t worry. The University of South Wales run a number of English Language Programmes at the Centre for International English to prepare you for your academic studies. You can also contact our admissions team on admissions@diploma-msc.com for more information on the qualifications we accept.
Should you have already successfully completed the 1 year Postgraduate Diploma and wish to convert to the MSc and complete only the second year of the programme this is possible. Please contact our admissions department admissions@diploma-msc.com to find out more.
Course Fees
Option 1: Upfront Payment in full. Option 2: Interest free payments every other month for the duration of the course.
| Date | Instalments | Up-Front Payments |
|---|---|---|
| Deposit payable on acceptance† | £830 | £830 |
| 1st November 2022 | £830 | £8,050 |
| 1st January 2023 | £830 | |
| 1st March 2023 | £830 | |
| 1st May 2023 | £830 | |
| 1st July 2023 | £830 | |
| 1st September 2023 | £650 | |
| 1st November 2023 | £650 | |
| 1st January 2024 | £650 | |
| 1st March 2024 | £650 | |
| 1st May 2024 | £650 | |
| 1st July 2024 | £650 |
† Deposits are non-refundable
Option 3: Lower monthly payments by spreading the cost for between 2 and 8 years with our lending partner Lendwise.
*Subject to eligibility criteria.
Learna | Diploma MSc has a partnership with Lendwise who is a leading private student loan provider, to help you fund your course fees should you require financing. Lendwise is a UK-based education finance platform through which candidates can fund their postgraduate and professional qualification studies at leading educational institutions.
A Lendwise loan comes with a fixed interest rate for the duration of the loan (between 2 and 8 years) and no early repayment penalties. The interest rate offered will depend on the overall applicant profile and the application process is entirely online.
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We have over 10 years’ experience delivering online diploma courses, giving you access to flexible, affordable distance learning in partnership with world-leading educators.
Our courses are some of the most affordable of their kind, providing value for money without compromising on quality. We also don't apply an international surcharge. No fixed timetable means you can log in & learn on the go, at your convenience.
Being totally online means we can select the very best tutors and resource editors, no matter where they’re located.
Connect with multidisciplinary people around the world to expand your insights & broaden your career prospects.
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