Advanced Clinical Practice MSc
About this course
The programme is designed for practitioners who, as trainee Advanced Clinical Practitioners (ACP) are seeking to develop the in-depth knowledge, skills, values, and behaviours required of an ACP within your speciality, setting or sector.
With a growing demand on our healthcare services there is a need for highly skilled professionals to lead and transform healthcare that puts patients first. Our programme provides an educational structure which enables students to meet the requirements of the Multi-professional framework for Advanced Clinical Practice in England. This means that it explicitly addresses the core capabilities and specialty specific competencies across the four pillars (Clinical Practice, Leadership and Management, Education, and Research) of advanced clinical practice.
You will learn to lead from the front, educate, develop the research skills synonymous with working as an advanced clinical practitioner and tackle the complex problems encountered in modern healthcare. You will be taught by a team who are passionate about advanced clinical practice, and they will support you throughout the course to aid your professional development into a capable advanced clinical practitioner. You will collaborate with students from a variety of backgrounds and specialist fields, giving you the chance to share experiences and best practice across multi-professional teams – we welcome applicants to the course from across the nursing and allied health profession spectrum.
Whilst we do not offer a mental health or learning disability specific pathway, we recognise that colleagues working in those sectors have slightly different requirements to those in more physical health-based settings. To that end, we have recently added extra learning around mental health and LD/A, and tailor part of the assessment to those students’ specific clinical needs.
What you’ll study
The course is aligned to the Multi-professional framework for Advanced Clinical Practice in England. You will study modules that allow you to meet all the competencies and capabilities across those pillars including:
- History taking
- Physical examination of all systems
- Mental health and developmental history assessment
- Pathophysiology and diagnostic reasoning
- Medicine and the ACP in a wider context
- Prescribing
- Leadership and management
- Education, including pedagogical theories as well as actually how to teach
- Research methods and critical appraisal
- Professional issues related to Advanced Clinical Practice
If you work in a profession where you are not eligible to prescribe you will undertake the Medicines Optimisation module to complete 40 credits that meet the advanced clinical practice programme learning outcomes.
Advanced Health Assessments
This module will introduce holistic assessment of the person and the social determinants of health. It will enhance critical understanding and complex decision-making skills across the four pillars of advanced clinical practice.
Application of Clinical Reasoning and Decision Making
This module introduces the principles of history taking, risk management and clinical reasoning skills.
Consolidation of Practice
This module will explore the consolidation of your practice.
And one of the two following modules:
- Independent and Supplementary Prescribing for Non-Medical Prescribers
- Medicines Optimisation (for professional groups who cannot prescribe)
Research module
On this module you will undertake research related to your studies.
Leading and Influencing
The aim of the module is to enable students to develop knowledge and understanding of leadership processes that promote innovation and collaboration across complex organisations.
Transition to Advanced Clinical Practice
This module reflects on the four pillars of advanced practice and your role as an advanced practitioner.
End Point Assessment
End point assessment of the course as directed by the apprenticeship standards.
Completing your Apprenticeship
To achieve the apprenticeship, all apprentices must complete an End-Point Assessment (EPA). The EPA is an independent assessment that ascertains whether an apprentice is competent in their occupation.
Gateway
Gateway is the period of time between the end of the off-the-job training (practical period) and the beginning of the assessment period when EPA will take place.
At Gateway, the apprentice, employer and training provider will review the apprentice’s knowledge, skills and behaviours to determine whether they are ready to take their EPA. This is normally done at a Gateway review meeting which takes place near the end of the apprenticeship. At this meeting, all three parties will check that the mandatory aspects of the apprenticeship have been completed and that the apprentice is ready to take their final assessment(s).
Apprentices must meet the Gateway requirement set out in the assessment plan before taking their EPA.
End-Point Assessment
This apprenticeship is integrated. This means that the end-point assessment is administered by Nottingham Trent University and is usually linked to the academic award that apprentices study whilst in their off-the-job training period. The assessments are conducted by Independent End-Point Assessors who have been selected to assess apprentices against industry-specific competences.
Details of the assessment elements can be found in the assessment plan.
There are two elements to this end-point assessment:
- Open book examination
- Presentation of practice
We regularly review and update our course content based on student and employer feedback, ensuring that all of our courses remain current and relevant. This may result in changes to module content or module availability in future years.
How you're taught
The course is delivered using a variety of teaching and learning methods which include, lectures, hands-on practice, problem-based learning, collaborative learning, and reflection on professional practice. The course is delivered on campus and is co-delivered by a variety of experienced academics and professions with specialist knowledge. This offers a synergistic approach to course delivery to ensure that the course remains current and responsive to changes in current practice. There will be input from patients/service users/carers to enrich the learning experience.
There will usually be one study day a week over the duration of the course, some being face-to-face followed by periods of independent study to allow for consolidation of learning and preparation for the summative module assessments. It is important to note that for ACP, in contrast to many taught master’s programmes, it is essential that the student be supported in practice as a trainee ACP. A significant amount of learning occurs in practice, building on the underpinning knowledge acquired at university.
Tutorials and personal contact time are an important part of our courses, and we ensure you are supported in both one-to-one and group-learning environments. You will have your own personal tutor, and range of informed module leaders. Throughout the programme, we will give you all the support you need: from advice and feedback, to helping you deal with any unforeseen personal circumstances or difficulties.
Campus and facilities
You will be taught at our self-contained Clifton Campus which provides an ideal learning environment to complement your studies.
Our purpose-built Health and Allied Professions Centre on our Clifton Campus is home to our world-class teaching, practice, research and scholarship in the Institute of Health and Allied Professions. It contains a variety of facilities to support simulated learning as well as an immersive virtual reality room.
As a student you will have easy access to the fantastic facilities in the Health and Allied Professions Centre and other facilities at Clifton Campus, including:
- Lecturer theatres and teaching classrooms
- Open access PC's and secure wireless points
- Study areas and social spaces
- Pavilion Cafe
- The Point Student Union.
Entry requirements
- Honours degree 2.2 or above and/ or a recognised healthcare/health-related professional qualification
- GCSEs – Maths and English Grade C / 4 or Level 2 (or above) or have been assessed at English and Maths Level 1 or 2 and be prepared to achieve Level 2 Maths and English functional skills by the end of Year 1
Other requirements
- A professional qualification as a healthcare practitioner and currently registered with the relevant health care professional body, and employed as a trainee ACP.
- It is recommended that you have at least five years' experience of post-registration clinical practice. Relevant clinical experience or previous postgraduate qualifications will also be considered.
It is a condition of the admission process that you are working in a practice setting that supports your learning and there is an opportunity to develop into the role of an advanced clinical practitioner. You must identify a workplace clinical supervisor and educational supervisor and have the support of your employer. The clinical supervisor will provide clinical guidance and support, helping to identify learning opportunities in the clinical environment and assist with the development of your competency and capability portfolio.
Getting in touch
If you need more help or information, get in touch through our enquiry form
- Honours degree 2.2 or above and/ or a recognised healthcare/health-related professional qualification
- GCSEs – Maths and English Grade C / 4 or Level 2 (or above) or have been assessed at English and Maths Level 1 or 2 and be prepared to achieve Level 2 Maths and English functional skills by the end of Year 1
Other requirements
- A professional qualification as a healthcare practitioner and currently registered with the relevant health care professional body, and employed as a trainee ACP.
- It is recommended that you have at least five years' experience of post-registration clinical practice. Relevant clinical experience or previous postgraduate qualifications will also be considered.
It is a condition of the admission process that you are working in a practice setting that supports your learning and there is an opportunity to develop into the role of an advanced clinical practitioner. You must identify a workplace clinical supervisor and educational supervisor and have the support of your employer. The clinical supervisor will provide clinical guidance and support, helping to identify learning opportunities in the clinical environment and assist with the development of your competency and capability portfolio.
Fees and funding
MSc fees
Preparing for the financial side of student life is important, but there's no need to feel anxious and confused about it. We hope that our fees and funding pages will answer all your questions.
There are numerous sources of funding available for postgraduate students, both from external sources such as the Government and funding bodies, and from the University.
There are two main costs involved with postgraduate study: the cost of your tuition fees which is paid directly to the University, and living expenses such as accommodation, travel and food.
You might be able to get a scholarship to help fund your studies, We award scholarships to those students who can demonstrate excellent achievement, passion and dedication to their studies.
Please take a look at our postgraduate fees and funding page for information about sourcing grants, bursaries and scholarships, and much more.
Getting in touch
For more advice and guidance, you can contact our Student Financial Support Service.
Tel: +44 (0)115 848 2494
MSc fees
Preparing for the financial side of student life is important, but there's no need to feel anxious and confused about it. We hope that our fees and funding pages will answer all your questions.
There are numerous sources of funding available for postgraduate students, both from external sources such as the Government and funding bodies, and from the University.
There are two main costs involved with postgraduate study: the cost of your tuition fees which is paid directly to the University, and living expenses such as accommodation, travel and food.
You might be able to get a scholarship to help fund your studies, We award scholarships to those students who can demonstrate excellent achievement, passion and dedication to their studies.
Please take a look at our postgraduate fees and funding page for information about sourcing grants, bursaries and scholarships, and much more.
Getting in touch
For more advice and guidance, you can contact our Student Financial Support Service.
Tel: +44 (0)115 848 2494
How to apply
All applications to this course can be made through our NTU Applicant Portal.
Courses starting in January 2026 will be open for applications from July 2025.
Writing your application
Be honest, thorough and persuasive in your application. Remember, we can only make a decision based on what you tell us. Make sure you include as much information as possible, including uploading evidence of results already achieved, as well as a personal statement.
You can get more information and advice about applying to NTU in our postgraduates’ guide.
Keeping up to date
After you’ve applied, we’ll be sending you important emails throughout the application process - so check your emails regularly, including your junk mail folder.
Open days
The School of Social Sciences holds open events throughout the year. Come along and learn more about our courses, speak to programme leaders and find out about studying with the School.
Getting in touch
If you need more help or support, you can call our Admissions Team on +44 (0)115 848 4200.
Courses starting in January 2026 will be open for applications from July 2025.
Apply online through our NTU applicant portal.
Application advice
Apply early so that you have enough time to prepare – processing times for Student visas can vary, for example. After you've applied, we'll be sending you important emails throughout the application process – so check your emails regularly, including your junk mail folder.
Writing your personal statement
Be honest, thorough, and persuasive – we can only make a decision about your application based on what you tell us:
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